Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd First Impressions Review

by Emily Raymond
Published on January 11, 2007

Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour
Components	Design/Layout
Modes	Control Options
Image Parameters	Connectivity / Extras
Overall Impressions	Conclusion

Auto Mode
There isn’t a designated button and no mode dial to have a position on for the auto mode that makes it a little more difficult to access. It isn’t necessarily a painful process to ensure the mode switch is on still shooting, push the menu button, and scroll through the shooting modes to “auto.” However, most cameras make it a little more accessible by putting it on a mode dial. The Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd’s auto mode still allows users to change the following options: High Speed Shooting, Continuous, Quality, and FinePix Color.

Movie Mode
The FinePix Z5fd’s movie mode is fairly unchanged from previous models. It can record 640 x 480 and 320 x 240-pixel video, both at a 30 fps rate. The movie mode is accessed by the mode switch atop the camera; it is one of the smallest switches I’ve seen and is sure to break a few fingernails. Movies aren’t of exceptional quality, but they are decent for such a small camera. There is no optical zoom, but that might be a good thing because there is no optical image stabilization either. There aren’t many options in the movie mode; users can only change the video size. In the playback mode, movies can be played and stopped but not edited. Teens who want to use this camera to record videos to wirelessly transfer to their MySpace accounts may be disappointed; the IrSimple technology only transfers still images – not movies.

Drive / Burst Mode
The Z5fd’s burst mode can be found in the Continuous section of the shooting menu. Long Period, Final 3, Top 3, and Off are the options. Fujifilm advertises a 2.2 fps rate for the Top and Final 3 modes, and that sounds accurate. The drawback is that it only lasts for three shots before pausing and writing to the memory card. The Long Period mode lasts until the memory card fills up, but the pace slows down to 0.7 fps. Of note is the self-timer that can delay for 2 and 10 seconds and is available by pushing the bottom of the multi-selector.

Playback Mode
The Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd’s playback mode has its own button, so it is easily accessible. The button only enters the playback mode though; to exit, users must push the shutter release button. If you forget, the following message appears: “Press the shutter button to go back to shooting mode. Close the lens cover to turn off the camera.”

Pictures can be viewed one by one or in screens of 9 images at a time. This view is changed with the Disp./Back button that also shows a calendar display with photos on it. Pictures can also be edited through the following playback menu.

Erase	Frame, All Frames
Image Rotate	Right, Left, OK, Cancel
Protect	Frame, Set All, Reset All
Copy	Internal Memory to Card, Card to Internal Memory
Voice Memo	OK, Cancel
Trimming	OK, Cancel
Setup	(portal to setup menu)

More options are available from the “F” menu, below.

IR Communication	Transmit, OK, Cancel
Trimming for Blog	Transmit, Transmit with Trimming, OK, Cancel
Slide Show	Normal (fd), Normal, Fade-In (fd), Fade-In, Multiple, Clock
Print Order (DPOF)	With Date, Without Date, Reset All

The infrared communication option transfers still images (no movies) wirelessly to enabled IrSimple electronic devices. This includes other Fuji cameras (F31fd, F40fd, Z5fd), enabled Kodak and Fujifilm photo printing kiosks, and some HP printer models. Other computers and devices with IrSimple are on the market. Transmitting photos is easy, but the catch is that the camera has to be within about 3 ft of the device and pointed in the right direction.

The blog trimming feature resizes copies of photos to 640 x 480 pixels and subsequently transfers them wirelessly. This is a nice feature because it saves the original copy on the memory card. The slide shows aren’t anything special, and the print orders aren’t too difficult to create.

Users can push the face detection button atop the camera while in the playback mode; this shows brackets around all the faces in the frame. If the button is pushed again and again, the screen zooms in on the faces so users can check focus.

Custom Image Presets
All of the exposure modes are located in the same menu, so the scene modes are mixed right up in there. Natural Light, Natural Light & With Flash, Portrait, Landscape, Sport, Night, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Museum, Party, Flower, Text, and Anti-Blur are the options. This is a much wider selection than other Fujifilm digital cameras, including the Z1 that had only five scene modes. The Anti-Blur and Natural Light & With Flash modes are available from a designated button too. It would make a little more sense for the auto mode to be easier to access, but perhaps Fujifilm thought that these modes would be more often used than the auto mode for point-and-shooters.