Manual Control Options
Manual controls for the Fujifilm FinePix F470 are limited, with the user having no access to shutter speed, aperture, metering or manual focus. Partial control over white balance is provided with preset options. While better than just an auto mode, the lack of a full manual is an unfortunate omission for the manual control enthusiast. The camera does have manual control over exposure compensation and ISO settings, although this is hardly going to be sufficient for the budget consumer looking for user control. For low-cost manual controls, consider a camera by a manufacturer like Canon.
Focus
Auto Focus (5.5)
The auto focus system for the Fujifilm FinePix F470 is non-negotiable and is anything but satisfactory or successful when challenged. It struggled to accurately lock into focus when shooting in low light. The camera tended to “breathe” in these situations, and eventually would display the AF symbol with a red hand to indicate that the shot would be blurred. When attempting to adjust focus, the F470 was sluggish; users should expect several seconds to elapse before the camera locks in. During this period of time, the camera emits a quiet chirruping noise, which, while not as offensive as the clattering zoom, will be noticeable in subdued situations.
When shooting in normal mode, the auto focus system has a focusing range of 2.3 feet to infinity. The camera has a reported range of 3.9 inches to 2.6 feet in macro mode with a wide-angle setting and 1.3 to 2.6 feet when shooting in full telephoto.
Overall, the F470’s autofocus was a bit disappointing; without reliable autofocus or optical image stabilization, snapshooters may find a lot of blurry images. Since the camera does not offer a manual focusing mode, users of the F470 will have to be aware of the camera’s limitations and shoot accordingly.
Manual Focus (0.0)
As mentioned in the auto focus section of this review, the Fujifilm FinePix F470 is devoid of manual focus control, an unfortunate absence considering the camera’s autofocus limitations.
Exposure (6.5)
Users can manually adjust exposure compensation when the camera is in manual mode +/-2 EV in 1/3-stop increments. This screen is live view, so users will be able to immediately identify image changes when navigating the scale.
Metering (5.5)
Metering on the Fujifilm FinePix F470 is not manually controllable, forcing users to rely solely upon a 256-zone TTL metering system. This system will certainly perform well when not forced to meter complicated or multi-light scenes, but struggles to accurately meter scenes with strong backlighting. Most digital cameras, even lower priced models, are now providing spot, multi, and center-weighted metering systems to accommodate a range of lighting situations. If metering is important and manual control isn’t terrifying, users should look into alternate options like the Canon PowerShot SD450 which is comparably priced online.
White Balance (6.25)
SP Manual mode allows the user to access white balance control via the menu/ok button; the setting cannot be activated in movie or auto modes. White balance settings include a full auto mode, outdoors in strong light, shade, “daylight” fluorescent, “warm white” fluorescent, “cool white” fluorescent and incandescent. While the presets and auto mode certainly cover a number of lighting situations, the F470 does not provide its users with a full manual white balance option. While it’s certainly loads of fun figuring out which of the three fluorescent presets best compensates for the sickly green glow in commercial buildings around the world, a manual white balance setting would be able to provide quick and accurate results without the compromise and guesswork found on this digital camera. Digital cameras like the LZ2 by Panasonic provide manual white balance control in this price range.
ISO (6.5)
The ISO settings for the Fujifilm FinePix F470 are accessible in Auto and SP Modes, through the FinePix Photo Mode menu, which users enter by pressing the F button. Once open, the ISO sub-menu allows the user to set ISO levels to auto, 64, 100, 200, and 400. This menu is semi-transparent and overlays a live-view screen, which is especially helpful for beginning users. ISO range is standard for digital cameras at this price level, although short of what many might expect from Fujifilm – a company that has prided themselves on low light shooting and strong high ISO performance – the range is still common on many entry-level point-and-shoot offerings from competing manufacturers.
Shutter Speed (0.0)
The shutter speed range on the Fujifilm FinePix F470 extends from 2 seconds to 1/1500, depending on exposure mode, although it is not manually controllable by the user. The lack of a manual shutter speed control means that users will need to rely heavily on exposure presets like Night Mode and be prepared to deploy the flash often. The available range will be sufficient for brightly lit scenes, however, it is a bit too truncated to handle scenes that are in extremely low light, even when the camera is placed on a tripod.
Aperture (0.0)
Unsurprisingly, users cannot manually set the aperture on the Fujifilm FinePix F470 The automatically-controlled aperture allows a maximum setting of f/2.8 at full wide angle, while narrowing in telephoto to a maximum setting of f/4.9. In-camera playback mode does not display aperture information.
