Fujifilm FinePix V10 Digital Camera Review

Auto Mode (6.5)
The auto mode can be activated within the menu system. It isn’t difficult to find, but it sure isn’t as easy as flipping a switch on the camera to a big red icon. Once activated, some of the options disappear from the recording menu – like the exposure compensation and white balance. However, the high-speed and continuous shooting options are still available. Surprisingly, the ISO selection is still available too. Some digital cameras that offer ISO choices in auto at least default back to the automatic ISO setting when the Auto mode is initially chosen. This is not the case with the Fuji V10, though; the ISO setting remains the same as when it was previously set. So when using the auto mode, users must remember to set the ISO properly. Setting the ISO could be an annoyance for consumers who just want to point and shoot the camera. This is an odd inclusion since the lack of EV compensation makes the exposure entirely automatic.

Movie Mode (7.0)
Searching the recording menu for the movie mode will prove fruitless. There is a movie mode, though. It can be accessed on the V10’s right side, where the tiniest of switches moves up to activate it (the bottom position accesses all still image shooting modes). The switch is so small that it can easily be forgotten. Once movie mode is selected, the recording menu shrinks to include only the portal to the setup menu. The ‘F’ button accesses the size options only: 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 – both at 30 frames per second.

The movie mode worked quite well. The focus worked well except when subjects were closer than about three feet. Some digital cameras will focus in and out constantly in adverse lighting, but the V10 stayed strong and kept its focus. We suspect that the metering in the movie mode defaults to an average of the entire frame, because backlit subjects turned into dark shadows. In good conditions, though, the Fuji V10 did just fine. There is no optical or digital zoom available, which is a little disappointing as many new models are including it. The V10 can’t be used to shoot a Sundance film, but would be great for shooting your Baby’s first steps or clips of their first ballet recital. The recorded audio is monaural, but still clear and of a decent quality.

Drive / Burst Mode (6.5)
Somewhat surprisingly, the burst mode is accessible in every shooting mode – even the auto and night modes that sometimes block access to it in other models. There are two options for the burst mode. The high-speed shooting mode offers on and off options. This function simply changes the time required to focus. The true burst mode is called the Continuous shooting mode and offers four options: Top 3, Final 3, 40 Frames and Off. The first two modes snap shots at a 2 frame-per-second pace. They only do this for a measly three frames though, which may be enough to snap a shot of the foot kicking the ball but not enough to get a shot of the ball going into the goal. For longer bursts, users must resort to the 40 Frames mode. This mode starts out at about 1.3 frames a second for a brief 2-3 shots, then slows to its normal pace of about 0.9 fps. This is considerably slower than its other burst modes, but keeps going for much, much longer.

Playback Mode (8.25)
Users will find themselves in the playback mode often, as it’s fun to view freshly taken photos on the high-resolution 3-inch LCD screen. The Fujifilm FinePix V10’s playback mode organizes photos into a calendar, displays 30 photos on a single screen, and lets users view individual pictures as well. The different ways of viewing the pictures can be cycled through with the Disp/Back button. The calendar mode displays just a few pictures at a time to the right of a list of dates. This is great for organizing a lot of pictures on a big memory card, but is just about useless with the included 16MB card. If users want to see lots of photos at once, a thumbnail view shows 30 images simultaneously. This mode isn’t very functional, however. For instance, users cannot pick and choose photos from this view to be deleted or printed. Users can only scroll through the tiny thumbnails and must enlarge them and view them individually before deleting or adding to the DPOF print order. This setup makes it difficult to delete and print a lot of pictures; it’s either all or nothing.

Pictures viewed individually can be printed, deleted, trimmed and rotated. Basic shooting information appears with each image, but disappears after a few seconds and doesn’t reappear until the picture is freshly scrolled through again. With each photo, users can attach up to 30 seconds of a voice memo. The audio is good and the memo is easy to record with the onscreen instructions. With the big screen, users will want to play slide shows of their images. The slide shows can be played with short and long fades and transitions that are selectable within the Auto Playback menu. With a 3-inch LCD screen, the Fujifilm FinePix V10 is set up to display slide shows with groups of admirers surrounding it.