Model Design / Appearance (8.0)
Fujifilm touts the FinePix Z1's “monocoque” design, which is intended to make the camera both tough and stylish. The monocoque forms the back and sides of the camera with a single piece of metal. From above, it looks like a very broad, shallow letter “U,” with the verticals of the letter forming the sides of the camera. The back's satiny aluminum finish plays nicely off the black paint on the front and top, and the dark gray paint used for some of the branding type is an appealing choice. Fuji echoes the rounded corners of the monocoque with rounded details throughout the camera, yielding a coherent, elegant design. The battery and memory card door is painted plastic, so it doesn't quite match the painted metal that surrounds it, which is too bad.
Our review sample shows excellent fit and finish – parts meet with tight, even seams, the screws show no signs being forced into place, and the large cover slides smoothly across the face of the camera, without wobbles or sticking. There is a bit of play in the buttons, but that's apparently a conscious design decision, not a problem in manufacturing.
The camera's finish, which is meant to be devastatingly handsome in a 1950s-Porsche way, hangs on to finger smudges. After a few hours of testing, the thing looks blotchy. A more serious vulnerability showed up even before any of us had tested it – there are scuff marks on the front of the camera that clearly come from putting the camera in its USB cradle. There is also a bit of dust built up in the slot where the front cover slides. It cleans up with a cotton swab and a bit of persistence, but the moral of the story is, the FinePix Z1 won't look brand-new for very long, unless you maintain considerable effort along the way.
Size / Portability (8.0)
At 3.5 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches, the FinePix Z1 is smaller than a deck of cards, and at 5.3 ounces with a battery and memory card, it doesn't weigh much more. It's definitely sized for a pocket or purse.
Its seals against dirt seem excellent – since the lens is entirely inside the chassis, even in operation, it lacks the telescoping lens mechanisms that seem likely to draw dust inside cameras like the Pentax Optio S55 or S5z. The sliding cover on the FinePix Z1 functions as both a very tough lens cap and a much more secure power switch than the push buttons on other small compacts, such as the Pentax Optio S line or the Casio EX-Z57. It's less likely that the FinePix Z1 will turn on accidentally than its competitors and when intended, it will power up much faster too.
The protections against dirt are likely to help keep the camera running properly. But, given the paint scuffs and finger marks we noted in the appearance section, the FinePix Z1 needs some fairly careful handling if its appearance is going to be preserved. The sliding cover is apparently not sealed at all – dust worked in behind it to become visible in the flash window. Although this dust is not inside the chassis and won't affect the images taken, it's noticeable when you look at the camera and detracts from the fashionable exterior Fuji worked so hard to create.
Handling Ability (6.5)
Holding the FinePix Z1 steady while shooting requires two hands. Really, that's true of all handheld cameras, but the FinePix Z1 is bit slippery. There is a perfectly good grip for the user's right thumb, in the form of three silicone rubber dots just below the zoom rocker, but the front of the camera is more or less smooth. The best option for the right hand may be to squeeze the camera between the thumb and first two fingers, with the index finger on top to operate the shutter release, and the pinkie underneath the camera. The left hand could go with a modified binocular grip, with the index finger on top of the camera and the thumb underneath, but the index finger could interfere with the microphone. In the manual, Fuji’s charming and demure models seem to squeeze the bottom left corner of the camera between their thumb and index finger, while resting the camera on the side of their middle finger.
Regardless, use the wrist strap. The camera seems tougher than most, but it sure won't bounce if you drop it.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.5)
People who want a camera as small as the FinePix Z1 will have to put up with small buttons. The Playback and Function buttons are too close to the four-way controller, making it hard to hit the top of the controller without fear of pressing one of the buttons.
The four-way controller allows the user to navigate menus and magnified images in playback mode. In shooting mode, the four points control the flash mode, the self-timer, autofocus mode, and brightness boost for the LCD. Flash mode and autofocus mode are sensible choices for dedicated controls, but the self-timer and LCD brightness is less useful. The self-timer is an odd choice because the only practical way to shoot with the FinePix Z1 is handheld. The camera does not have a tripod mount. The USB cradle has one, but the camera fits loosely in the cradle, and wobbles in it.
The LCD brightness boost is more logical – it's designed to show a brighter image in dark shooting conditions. It does that, but the display gets significantly noisier, becoming increasingly grainy, and the intended effect is not strong enough to make much of a difference in composing an image.
Fuji apparently paid close attention to the mechanical performance of the FinePix Z1's buttons. The shutter release is excellent. It has a very short travel, but it still offers resistance when you press it “halfway” to activate autofocus. The other control buttons (the four-way controller, the OK, display, playback, and function buttons) are equally positive in their action. The zoom control rocker is fine, but the zoom itself displays some lag and consistently overshoots or undershoots the desired setting.
The video/still switch next to the shutter release is a triumph of robust mechanics that accommodates the camera's style, but it's overkill – a great switch for a video mode that's really a marginal function of the camera.
The FinePix Z1 is similar to many of its competitors in that it lacks a Mode dial. Mode selection has become a menu item on most slim cameras designed for pocket portability.
Menu (8.0)
Both the Menu button and the Function (“F”) buttons bring up menus on the FinePix Z1. In shooting mode, the menus are superimposed over the live view, and pressing the shutter release will close out the menu and take a picture. The menu font is blocky and unattractive, but readable.
The menu layout is generally well-considered. The opening menu screen shows controls for the shooting mode, which offers the inappropriately-named “Manual” mode, auto mode, and five custom image presets; EV control; White Balance; “Fast Shooting;” Autofocus zones; and “Set.”
“Set” leads to three tabbed submenus for settings that many users won't bother with at all, and that most will change only rarely. Unfortunately, Fuji labeled the three tabbed menus “1,” “2,” and “3,” offering absolutely no clue as to what the user might find in each tab. Companies like Canon and Nikon typically use icons to denote menu tabs, making the menus much more intuitive and easier to navigate.
The settings under “SET” control the noises the camera makes, frame numbering, LCD brightness, the digital zoom, power saving options, memory card formatting, time and date, language, USB mode, and video mode, as well as a general reset button.
Ease of Use (7.0)
The FinePix Z1 offers very usable automatic modes and makes them easy to access. The “Natural Light” mode takes good advantage of the camera's ISO 800 setting, an unusual feature. By using the four-way controller buttons, it's easy to access the frequently-used autofocus mode and flash mode without navigating menus. The menus allow easy access to other important adjustments, though they're not as helpful as they should be with set-up controls that are rarely used, such as setting the time or the playback volume.
The FinePix Z1 is an automatic camera. Photographers interested in manual control will be stymied; there are no manual exposure modes, no custom white balance setting, and no manual focus option included. The EV compensation adjustment, which is vital on such a completely automatic camera, is accessible only via the menu, not through the four-way controller. It would make much more sense to have the EV control, rather than the self-timer, accessible with a single button.
Even users who prefer automatic modes will wish the camera were easier to grip. Although getting a finger on the underside of the camera isn't hard, it shouldn't be so necessary.
The Fuji FinePix Viewer software is a well-integrated package for basic organizing of photos. Its editing tools don't match Photoshop, or even Photoshop Elements, but among OEM software packages, FinePix Viewer is a good option and should be easy enough for most basic or beginner users to instantly understand.
