Fujifilm FinePix V10

Auto Mode
The auto mode is found along with all the other exposure modes in the menu system. Once activated, many options disappear. Surprisingly, the ‘F’ Photo mode menu does not change: the ISO range is still manually adjustable – although its Auto selection is the default.

Movie Mode
The movie mode cannot be found with the other exposure modes. Instead, there is a tiny switch on the right side of the V10 that switches from the still to the movie mode. The menu system is quite truncated in the movie mode. Users can choose from 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 size options. The frame rate is not selectable; it always operates at 30 frames per second. Users cannot zoom in and movie mode; that goes for digital as well as optical. The viewfinder shows how much time is left on the card. That’s about 9 seconds at the highest resolution with the included 16 MB memory card, so purchasing a larger card would be wise. The movie mode’s focus mechanism worked very well. Oftentimes, compact cameras will have an auto focus in movie mode that gets thrown off by objects or people moving quickly toward or away from the lens. The FinePix V10 did not blur the image and the auto focus system didn’t "breathe" in and out trying to focus on it. The image was sharp and clear. The audio in the movie mode was also very clear. This Fujifilm records monaural audio with a microphone on the front of the camera. The audio was clear, but it also clearly picked up every conversation within 10 feet. The V10 will work great for shooting clips at the school play, but don’t try to get a great audio clip at a football game.

Drive / Burst Mode
The central navigational button doubles as a quick link to the self-timer. Pushing it scrolls through a 2-second and 10-second timer. Once pushed, the camera’s red LED flashes on the front to indicate when the picture is being taken. There are two functions that make the Fujifilm V10 take pictures faster. The first is the High Speed Shooting mode. It has On and Off options. This function shuts off some of the focus zones so that the pictures can be captured faster. I tried the High Speed Shooting on and off and couldn’t tell a difference, so the camera is quite fast either way. The official burst mode is found in the Continuous option though. There are three burst modes: Top 3, Final 3, and 40 Frames. The first two modes shoot 2 frames per second and only capture 3 pictures at a time. The 40 Frames burst mode lengthens the burst, but slows down considerably. It takes a picture about every second, but it seems to stutter a bit. The Top 3 and Final 3 modes shoot evenly spaced photos, but the longer burst seems to capture somewhat erratically.

Playback Mode
The playback mode is quite thorough with plenty of ways to view pictures. Users can look at images individually with all of the available shooting information. The info disappears after a few seconds and cannot be recalled unless it is freshly scrolled through again. Pictures can be trimmed using the zoom and the navigational arrows. Pictures can also be rotated and up to 30 seconds of a voice memo can be added. The view changes to allow 30 images on a single frame. The LCD screen is so large that fitting 30 images on a single frame isn’t a stretch. Images and movies can be sorted by the date, which is helpful only if users have a larger memory card (organizing 16 MB of photos by date isn’t that exciting). Slide shows can be played with different transitions and photos can be viewed right after taking them by turning on the Auto Playback option. The pictures in the slide show move slowly and there’s no way to adjust the timing. Getting into the playback mode isn’t a problem; there is a designated button for it. Pushing that same button again won’t exit the playback mode. The only way to dig out of the hole is to lightly push the shutter release button. In the playback menu, the highly marketed Game option is buried. It offers four easy games that can keep the kids busy on long car trips (just pack the AC adaptor).

Custom Image Presets
There are six scene modes located in the same menu with the rest of the shooting modes. Natural Light, Natural Light & With Flash, Portrait, Landscape, Sport, and Night scene modes are available. The first two modes use the high ISO settings to avoid the flash (remember the bright white spot?). The Natural Light & With Flash mode is made for users who just can’t decide which to use. Flash or no flash? The Fujifilm FinePix V10 takes two pictures: the first without the flash and the second with it. It’s almost like a burst mode, but the second picture is almost always blown out. The scene mode selection covers the basics and doesn’t go any further. It doesn’t have any elaborate Pet modes or anything.