Connectivity
Software (7.0)
The camera comes with FinePix Viewer software included on a CD-ROM. When downloaded, the program automatically loads and recognizes all the photos on the computer – not just the ones taken by the Fujifilm digital camera. Folders can be viewed, and thumbnails of the photos in the folders can be viewed too. The size of the thumbnails can be adjusted to show 30, 12, or 4 pictures on the computer screen at once. Preview and list modes are also available from tabs across the top of the browser window. A Calendar view goes beyond just the month and day, but also sorts all the pictures and displays them in order to the minute. Rotating and deletion can be done from the main browser.
Users can click on a picture and then the Image tab at the top to eliminate red-eye, insert text, and adjust the colors and exposure. A tiny preview at the bottom shows the before and after effects of the simple editing functions, but it is hardly viewable. It is in here that brightness, saturation, hue, and contrast can be adjusted on sliding scales.
Surprisingly, movies can be viewed and edited within the FinePix Viewer software too. Not many digital cameras include movie editing functions on their software, so this is a bonus. There is no preview of what the movie will look like after these effects are applied, so users have to take a leap of faith with these editing features: auto adjust tone, monochrome and sepia filters, and rotation to clockwise or counterclockwise orientation.
Slide shows much more interesting than the on-camera setup can be viewed within the software. The interval can be set, pictures can be played on a loop, background music can be added, and transition effects can be applied.
The FinePix Viewer software comes with a RAW file converter and ImageMixer VCD2 LE software to help users create backup album discs or video discs with slide shows to be played back on computers or DVD players.
Overall, the included FinePix Viewer software doesn’t offer spectacular options for users who really want to dabble with RAW files; invest in better photo editing software if this sounds like your camp. Consumers who want to tweak a little contrast and rotate pictures before playing internal slideshows will appreciate this software though. The movie editing is also a big plus, as most included software doesn’t include anything like it.
Jacks, ports, plugs (6.0)
The batteries are loaded into a compartment below the hard grip, but all the other ports are on the left side of the camera. There is a plastic door that covers the memory card slot, and below it is an L-shaped rubber door that hangs by a flimsy cord. Three jacks rest beneath the cover: AV-out at the top, DC-in at the bottom, and USB 2.0 to the right. The AV and USB cables are included with the camera, so photographers can hook up to the television, computer, or PictBridge compatible printer. The AV-out function can be set to NTSC or PAL standards so video can be output when traveling through Europe or America.
Direct Print Options (6.0)
In the playback mode, the “F” menu includes a Print Order (DPOF) option that allows users to scroll through images and select pictures to print. The number of copies of each picture can be adjusted from 0-99. Pictures must be scrolled through one by one to be picked for the print order; this is complicated by the delay between when the multi-selector is pushed and when the next picture actually appears. It takes almost a second to change images, so creating a print order could be a painstakingly slow process. Users can choose whether to print the date on the images from this menu as well.
Battery (5.0)
Like many ultra-zoom digital cameras, the Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd is powered by 4 AA batteries. The batteries are housed in a compartment below the right hand grip, and held inside by a plastic door with a feeble hinge. To close the batteries into the camera, call a strong man and have him squash the batteries into the compartment and shove the door downward, then slide it inward while applying a massive amount of force. Indeed, this task is not for the weary. The battery life varies widely depending on what type of AAs are used. Fujifilm publishes that alkaline batteries will be included and that they will last 200 shots. There are Ni-MH rechargeable batteries that can be used and will provide about 400 shots per charge. Fujifilm sent our review model with Energizer e2 AA batteries and they lasted longer than I’d anticipated. In the setup menu, there is a battery “Discharge” option that warns, “Do not execute with non Ni-MH rechargeable batteries.” This function revitalizes rechargeable batteries that have sat in the camera for a long period of time without use.
Memory (3.75)
A speck of internal memory is included on the camera, but photographers are almost certainly going to have to purchase more memory. With 10 MB, users can’t snap a single RAW picture and can only take 3 pictures at the top JPEG resolution. The Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd uses xD-Picture cards, which are barely smaller than the more popular SD type cards. The xD card fits into a slot under a plastic door on the left side of the camera; this door is held on by a metal hinge that is very loose. This Fuji camera uses xD-Picture cards up to 2 GB, which will go quickly if users want to record lots of movies. In the playback mode, users can move pictures from the internal memory to the card and vice versa.
Other features (7.0)
Face Detection – This feature is covered in the auto focus section of this review, but because it is the headliner on the S6000fd it deserves a cameo here too. The face detection can be activated with its own designated button; this is a good move on Fujifilm’s part. When Nikon came out with its face priority auto focus technology, it was buried within camera menus and hardly used. The unique silver button on the Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd ensures that users will see and activate it. Fujifilm improved on Nikon’s system in many ways. The biggest problem with Nikon’s system was that it was slow; Fujifilm’s technology is fast – it recognizes faces quickly and tracks them until the picture is taken. Nikon’s system could recognize only one face, while Fujifilm can recognize up to ten in one frame. When Nikon finally recognized a face, it wasn’t always good at tracking it and it placed a big yellow smiley face over the live view. That distraction is minimized with Fujifilm’s system quickly placing a green box around the face or faces and then tracking them across the frame. Both systems have some limitations though. Faces must be human; no dog, cat, or other animal faces will work. Subjects must be facing the cameras too: both systems use algorithms that rely on the measurements between eyes, noses, and mouths. Canon recently released three PowerShot digital cameras with face recognition functionality. I got to look at them while at Photokina 2006, and they look just as fast as the Fujifilm system. They recognize and track up to 9 faces at a time. We will have more to say about those models in the months to come.
