Viewfinder (5.0)
The Fujifilm FinePix S5100 has a 0.33-inch electronic viewfinder cushioned by a large rubber eyepiece. The 115,000-pixel viewer has 100 percent frame coverage, which surpasses typical optical viewfinders that only have about 75 percent coverage. Unfortunately, the viewfinder and the LCD cannot function simultaneously, so the user will have to plan ahead as to which he or she will need. The user can control which display to look at by pressing the EVF/LCD button above the LCD screen. The user can also brighten the viewfinder by pushing the low light viewfinder button, located at the bottom of the LCD with a picture of a sun on it. The viewfinder is placed directly above the LCD screen, which doesn’t leave much room for a nose. When pressed, the DISP/BACK button displays bracketing lines and information on the viewfinder to help the user frame the shot.
LCD Screen (5.0)
The Fujifilm FinePix S5100 has a 1.5-inch low temperature polysilicon TFT color LCD screen with 115,000 pixels. The low light viewfinder button works to immediately brighten up the LCD, although the better option to brighten or darken the screen is found in the setup menu. The DISP/BACK button works in the LCD screen as it does for the viewfinder; it can put lines and information on the screen. It's fortunate that the S5100 contains an adequate, functional viewfinder because the included 1.5” LCD just seems so small by today’s standards. Considering the enlarged frame and vacant space on the back of the camera frame, a larger screen should have been included to make this model more competitive among the point-and-shoot crowd.
Flash (7.0)
The FinePix S5100’s flash does not pop automatically; it must be opened manually by using the Flash Open button on the left side of the flash (when viewing from the back). On the pop-up flash are the flash control sensor and the flash itself. The flash is effective from 1-14.8 feet in wide mode and 2-13.1 feet in telephoto mode. The flash settings can be accessed by pushing the right side of the four-way dial; it is labeled with a flash symbol. The following flash modes are available: Auto, Red-eye reduction, On, Off, Suppressed flash, Slow sync and Red-eye reduction + slow sync. The flash seems to work fairly well and coats the whole picture with light, surpassing the spotty circular flash seen on some cheaper digital cameras.
Zoom Lens (8.0)
A prime selling point for the Fujifilm FinePix S5100, the camera comes equipped with a Fujinon 10x optical zoom lens. The lens extends from 5.7-57mm, which is equivalent to 37-370mm in 35mm format. The lens extends when the camera is turned on and retracts when it is turned off or goes into its sleep mode. The lens works well and adjusts fairly quickly. The S5100 also sports a 3.6x digital zoom in 640 x 480 resolution mode, 1.8x digital zoom in 1280 x 960, and 1.4x digital zoom in 1600 x 1200. There is an adapter ring included with the camera, so other lenses and accessories can be added. There is also a lens cap to protect the glass lens; it can be tethered to the shoulder strap so it won’t get lost.
