Fuji FinePix V10

Manual Control Options
Manual control is just not the Fujifilm FinePix V10’s forte. There aren’t that many manual controls despite the presence of a so-called Manual mode in the shooting mode menu. The image size, color mode and ISO sensitivity can be changed with the ‘F’ Photo mode button. The ISO options are quite extensive for being on a mostly automatic camera: the maximum ISO of 1600 is still a rare find on compact digital cameras. In the “manual” menu, users can change the auto focus and white balance modes, but neither option has plentiful choices. This point-and-shoot digital camera does not allow the shutter speed or apertures to be adjusted manually.

Focus
Auto Focus (6.5)
The V10’s auto focus modes aren’t worth getting excited about. There are only Multi AF and Center AF options. There is no continuous focus option, so this system only operates when the shutter release button is pushed halfway. The Center AF mode shows yellow brackets in the center, while the Multi AF mode’s brackets move around the frame – although not always where they’re wanted. Users cannot manually choose where the camera should focus. The Fujifilm FinePix V10 normally focuses from 2 ft. to infinity, but gets as close as 3.5 inches in macro mode. In the widest focal length in macro, the V10 can focus from 3.5 inches to 2.6 ft. At the telephoto end, the camera can focus from 1.3 - 2.6 ft. The auto focus system does a great job in optimal conditions, but doesn’t work well in low light or in low contrast situations. This is probably because there is no auto focus assist lamp to help out.

Manual Focus (0.0)
True to its automatic nature, the Fujifilm V10 does not have a manual focus mode.

Metering (7.0)
The V10’s metering mode is connected to its auto focus system, so while there are no designated metering modes, there are Center and Multi AF modes that somewhat do the trick. This FinePix has a 256-zone metering system that averages all of its zones in the Multi AF mode. This works well for evenly lit images, but turns backlit subjects into silhouettes. The Multi AF mode isn’t entirely predictable in terms of where it will focus, so it meters the entire frame. Backlit subjects are better off when the Center AF mode is selected, as the camera meters only from the point within the yellow brackets. Subjects were properly exposed with this mode. In the movie mode, the multi-metering is employed and there is no way change it. Beware of high contrast and backlighting while shooting video.

Exposure (7.0)
There is no mode dial to show off the exposure modes; users must have the right side switch moved to the camera icon and press the Menu/OK button to see the selection. The shooting modes include manual, auto and six scene modes. The manual mode still doesn’t give complete control over the shutter speed and aperture, but does let users access the exposure compensation range. It has +/- 2 EV settings in 1/3 steps that offer a live view. There are no histograms on the V10, so users must rely on the live view and their own good judgment to check the exposure.

White Balance (6.25)
White balance options are only available from the Manual shooting menu. The following options come complete with live views: Auto, Fine (daylight), Shade, Fluorescent Daylight, Fluorescent Warm White, Fluorescent Cool White and Incandescent. The three fluorescent modes are labeled numerically only, with no explanation to differentiate between the three modes. Users must check the included owner’s manual to see the difference between Fluorescent 1, 2 and 3. It would have been nice to have white balance modes available in the Natural Light scene modes, but users don’t have that choice. Still, the auto mode seems to work pretty well most of the time. It does get a little off-color in low light though. The camera also lacks a manual white balance mode, which would have been a nice touch with those Natural Light modes. As it stands, the high sensitivity options help capture a visible image in low light, but coloration is often off.

ISO (8.25)
Despite the lack of an auto focus assist lamp for low light or custom white balance setting, Fujifilm still markets this model as being a good camera for low light shooting – mainly because of its high ISO sensitivities. Sure, this tiny digital camera has more options than most in its category. It has Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 ISO sensitivities. These options are located in the frequently used ‘F’ Photo mode menu, accessed via a dedicated button. No live view is provided. Higher ISO sensitivities bring higher noise output in the picture, but the V10 has the same Super CCD-HR technology that was included in the Fujifilm FinePix F10. The F10 produced extremely low noise and had crystal clear pictures, but it also had a larger CCD. So while the two may have the same image processor, different pairings garner different results. Check the Noise sections in the testing page for more info on how the V10 rates.

Shutter Speed (0.0)
The Fujifilm FinePix V10’s shutter speeds cannot be manually adjusted, but they appear on the LCD screen when the shutter release button is pushed halfway down just before the shot. The shutter speeds range from 4 seconds to 1/2000th of a second. The faster speeds are reserved for the Sport mode and the slower speeds for the Landscape and Portrait modes. For being a slim digital camera, the V10 did quite well in automatically selecting proper shutter speeds in the auto mode. It froze most action, but sometimes a swinging hand would be out of focus. Still, it performed well for the most part.

Aperture (0.0)
The Fujinon 3.4x zoom lens on the V10 has a two-step aperture system. At the widest focal point, the lens has an f/2.8 aperture and at the most telephoto it has an f/5.5 aperture. The aperture cannot be controlled manually, but the chosen setting does appear on the LCD next to the shutter speed when the shutter release button is pushed. This two-step system is disappointing when most other digital cameras offer more automatic aperture adjustments in closer steps or enable users to adjust it manually.

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