Fujifilm FinePix F30 Zoom Review

The FinePix F30 is equipped with a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens that provides for an equivalent focal range of 36 to 108mm. The aperture range is from F2.8 to F8.0. The lens is retracted into the body on power down and has a built-in lens protector.

The auto focus system is a TTL contrast type with a Normal range of approx. 2.0 ft. to infinity. The Macro closeup range is from 2.0 in. to 2.6 ft. (W), and 12 in. to 2.6ft (T). The camera also features a built-in focus-assist illuminator to aid in low light focussing

The built-in flash has modes for: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro. The flash effective range (using ISO Auto) is from 2.0 - 21.3 ft (Wide), 2.0 - 11.5 ft (Tele), 1.0 ft - 2.6 ft (Macro) .

The F30 lacks an optical viewfinder, so its large 2.5-inch color TFT LCD monitor is used as the live viewfinder with 100% frame coverage. The LCD features a non-reflective coating as well as an Auto Gain-Up mode for low-light use. You can also press the 4-way selector "up" to manually activate this feature when needed.

Controls on the back: Upper right are the zoom lens controls. The "green arrow" button puts the camera in review mode. The blue "F" button enables the Photo Mode menu to change image size/quality, ISO sensitivity and Color mode. The 4-way selector is used for selecting images in review mode and accessing the menu system. The MENU/OK button calls up and dismisses the menu screens and accepts selections. In record mode you press "Up" to enable the LCD gain-up mode, "Down" to enable the self-timer, the "Left" button toggles the Macro focus on and off and the Flash modes are controlled with the "Right" button. The DISP/BACK button controls the amount of data on the LCD and lets you "back" out of menu screens, and the "+/-" button lets you adjust exposure compensation in Manual mode and gives access to the shutter and aperture values in Shutter priority and Aperture priority modes.

Controls on top: The main power button, the shutter release with the mode selector switch around it with positions for: Movie, A/S (Aperture/Shutter priority), Manual, Auto, SP (Scene Position - 15 modes) and Picture Stabilization modes.

Here you can see the two I/O ports located on the left-hand side of the camera. The top multi port is used for various USB (high-speed) functions like PictBridge direct printing as well as transferring images to you PC. It also handles the Audio/Video output for connecting the F30 to your TV set to view image stored on the internal memory or your xD card.

The DC IN 5V port located at the bottom is for use with the included AC adapter, which charges the cameras battery pack.

The F30 is equipped with approx. 10MB of internal memory along with a xD-Picture Card slot. It's compatible with any xD card from 16MB to 1GB. The battery is also located in this compartment.

Approximate Storage Capacities

Power is supplied by a high-capacity NP-95 Li-ion 3.6v 1800mAh rechargeable battery. Fuji claim it will provide enough power to capture up to 580 shots per charge.