Fujifilm FinePix F40fd

Auto Mode
The auto mode is located directly on the mode dial, thus making it easy for beginners to locate and use. The menu is shortened considerably and only a few options are available such as: flash, self-timer, macro, face detection, color modes, and image size.

Movie Mode
Fujifilm hasn’t really made any improvements to its movie mode in the past few years. The resolution is still the same at 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 pixels, the frame rate is still 30 fps, and the audio output is still monaural. There aren’t many options to choose from since only the resolution can be changed in the menu. Despite this, the FinePix F40fd seemed to perform well in the convention center. Video looked properly white balanced, focused (except shooting close-up), and exposed.

Optical zoom isn’t available and that is a little disappointing. However, having it would be detrimental to movies because of the lack of image stabilization. Videos can be played back but cannot be rewound, fast-forwarded, or edited. When compared to other Fujifilm F-series models, the movie mode is the same, but when compared with some compact competitors, the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd falls behind.

Drive / Burst Mode
The burst mode is activated through the shooting menu, but it is very disappointing. Top 2, Final 2, and Long Period continuous shooting modes are available, but all of them are quite slow. Fujifilm claims a 1.3 fps rate. We didn’t get to test this effectively in the convention center. It seemed quite slow though, so that figure sounds accurate. Perhaps because of the resolution hike up to 8.3 megapixels, the camera is slower and can now only capture two pictures at a time rather than three like other F-series models. The Long Period mode can capture pictures longer (up to the memory card’s capacity) but at an even slower 0.6 fps rate.

The bottom of the multi-selector activates the self-timer and can be set to delay for 2 or 10 seconds.

Playback Mode
There is a playback mode accessible from the designated button, but there is only one way to exit the playback mode and that is by pushing the shutter release button. In the playback mode, the following options emerge from the menu.  

Custom Image Presets
The Fujifilm FinePix F40fd has two scene positions on its mode dial ("SP1" and "SP2") that is similar to Panasonic compact digital cameras. The following are located in the scene position menus: Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Museum, Party, Flower, and Text. These modes limit access to the shooting menu.

A few of the more interesting scene modes are found directly on the mode dial and include the Picture Stabilization mode which uses an ISO 2000 setting and a quick shutter speed to reduce blur. Even more interesting than that is the dual shot mode, Natural Light & With Flash. It snaps two pictures with and without the flash and then displays them next to each other on the LCD screen before saving them both. This is nice when users can’t decide if they want natural lighting or want to use the flash.