Fujifilm FinePix Z30

Viewfinder

There's no viewfinder on the compact Fujifilm Z30.

LCD

The 2.7-inch LCD has a 230,000-pixel resolution and offers approximately 97% coverage according to Fujifilm. While the screen definitely looks nice, its placement is very problematic. There isn't any room on the back of the camera to rest your thumb as the entire back side is covered in either buttons or the LCD. This means you'll constantly find yourself resting a thumb on the screen itself, which will result in plenty of fingerprints and smudges mucking up the screen.

The LCD screen collects plenty of fingerprints.

Flash

For a little camera, the Z30 has lots of flash settings. In normal focus mode Fujifilm lists the effective flash range at roughly 2.3 - 10.1 feet (70cm - 3.1m) with the lens at its widest angle and 2.3 - 8.8 feet (70cm - 2.7m) with the lens at maximum telephoto. In macro focus mode the range goes from 1 - 2.6 feet (30 - 80cm). The flash settings included on the camera are: Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, and Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.

The Z30 has lots of flash settings.

Lens

The lens on the Z30 does not extend out from the body of the camera, so all its movement happens inside the casing. Even without any protrusion, the lens is still capable of a 3x optical zoom and has a focal length 6.3 - 18.9mm (a 35mm equivalent of 35 - 105mm). The lens has an aperture range of f/3.7 - f/8.0 at wide angle and f/4.2 - f/9.0 in telephoto. There is no lens cover, relying instead on the front sliding panel for protection.

The Z30 has a tiny lens with a 3x optical zoom.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The USB port placement on the Z30 is one of our biggest problems with the camera. The port is located inside the battery compartment, which means you have to leave open the battery hatch every time you want to connect the camera to a computer. The port also doubles as an A/V-output, but you must purchase an additional cable from Fujifilm if you want this connectivity option. This is simply a bad situation for everyone.

The placement of the USB port is impractical and annoying.

Battery

The camera includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (model NP-45). The battery loads in the compartment on the bottom of the camera, just above the memory card and USB port.

The Z30 uses a rechargeable battery.

Memory

The Z30 is packed with 50MB of internal memory, but this is only good for roughly 10 pictures at the highest quality setting. You'll have to purchase an SD/SDHC card separately if you truly want to make use of the camera. The memory cards load in the bottom compartment, just beneath the battery. According to Fujifilm, an 8GB SDHC card is good for approximately 1,610 photos taken at the highest quality settings.