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Digital Camera Reviews > Fujifilm FinePix
S100fs |
Fujifilm FinePix S100fs Review |
Review
Date: Jun 9, 2008 |
Category: Serious Amateur
Photoxels Editor's Choice 2008 - Super Zoom
HANDLING & FEEL
The Fujifilm FinePix S100fs incorporates
the new Super CCD HR VIII image sensor. The image sensor is a slightly larger 2/3-in. type which we have not seen for a while. The camera is very well designed and this is
apparent from the moment you pick it up. Controls
click precisely and rings rotate smoothly. Overall
construction feels solid and the build is very
good.
There is a large and deep rubber-coated
handgrip and the camera looks quite professional
(and DSLR-type) in its black high-impact polycarbonate body.
| Camera |
W
(mm) |
H
(mm) |
D
(mm) |
Weight
(g) |
| Pentax K200D |
133.5 |
95 |
74 |
630 |
| Sony A-200 |
130.8 |
98.5 |
71.3 |
532 |
| Canon XSi/450D |
128.8 |
97.5 |
61.9 |
475 |
| Nikon D60 |
126 |
94 |
64 |
475 |
| Olympus E-520 |
136 |
91.5 |
68 |
475 |
| Olympus E-420 |
129.5 |
91 |
53 |
380 |
| Fujifilm S100fs |
133.4 |
93.6 |
150.4
(with lens) |
918
(with lens) |
| Panasonic FZ50 |
140.75 |
85.5 |
142
(with lens) |
668
(with lens) |
| Olympus SP-570 UZ |
118.5 |
84 |
87.5
(with lens) |
445
(with lens) |
As you can see from the table above, the S100fs is quite a big camera.
Performance is very good. Startup time is less than 2 sec. which is quite good for a super zoom but not instant as on a DSLR (unless Dust Reduction on the DSLR kicks in at start up). Autofocus is
fast and precise (in good light and slightly slower in low light), and there is no practical shutter lag. Shot to shot time is approx.
1 sec. for 3 shots when the buffer gets full and needs to write out the images onto the memory card. Write time is relatively quite long at about 3 sec. (but the large buffer means you don't need to wait to take the next picture for up to 3 pictures).
Playback info display is a mixed bag. Images appear and scroll on the screen quite fast. However, the related info appears only approx. 1 sec. after the image itself appears on screen. The info is sparse, limited to Image Number, Image Quality (MP resolution) and Date/Time.
To view any useful exposure info, such as ISO, shutter speed and aperture, you press and hold down the [+/-] exposure compensation / Playback INFO button. This is a faster way to view exposure info than to press the DISP button repeatedly until it appears. A tip: if you want to see exposure info on a number of images in Playback, keep holding down the [+/-] button as you rotate the Command Dial to view each image in turn.
| STYLE |
| - |
Colours: overall black with silver
and chrome accents |
| - |
Looks: professional, DSLR-look, very
attractively designed |
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| FEEL |
| - |
Comfortable to hold and operate |
| - |
Non-slip rubberized handgrip |
| - |
Very smooth manual zoom ring |
| |
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| DIMENSIONS &
WEIGHT |
| - |
Best way to carry this camera is slung
over the shoulder or around the neck |
| - |
Dimensions: 133.4W x 93.6H x 150.4D mm / 5.3W x 3.7H x 5.9D in. (excluding accessories and attachments) |
| - |
Weight: Approx.918g / 32.4 oz.
(excluding accessories, batteries and memory card) |
| - |
NP-140 Li-ion battery |
| |
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| SPEED OF OPERATION |
| - |
No lens extension required
and LCD turning on in less than 2 sec. |
| - |
Shot to shot time about 1 sec. (for 3 shots) |
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Included in the box is a rechargeable Li-ion battery that recharges in about 130 min. We recommend a spare battery if you plan to shoot in the field all day. As is now the case for new Fujifilm digital cameras, the S100fs
has only one memory card slot that can accept either an xD-Picture Card or a SD/SDHC memory card.
Controls
The circular projection between the flash and
the handgrip is the AF-assist illuminator (which
also does double duty as Self-timer lamp). The
AF-assist illuminator (white light) is very effective,
allowing focus even in near complete darkness.
You have to remember not to get your fingers in
the way; also, the relatively long lens barrel
can be in the way of the AF-assist light illuminating
a subject that is very close (e.g. in macro photography).
Below it, near the bottom, is the Flash Synchronizing
Terminal, which is covered with a small rubber plug (be careful not to lose it the very first time you use it!).
| FRONT VIEW |
| - |
Shutter Release button
is angled.
The shutter release button does not have a release socket for
a cable release but you can optionally purchase a cabled remote release RR-80 that plugs into the USB socket. |
| - |
AF-assist Illuminator (also Self-timer
lamp) |
| - |
Flash Synchronizing Terminal (covered with plug) |
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FinePix S100fs Top View
There are lots of control buttons. The Mode Dial
has the standard AUTO, PSAM (Programmed Auto,
Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority and Manual)
modes, 2 customizable modes (C1 and C2), Movie mode, 2 customizable Scene Modes (SP1 and SP2), and FSB (Film Simulation Mode).
The Mode Dial is rotated with the thumb and has
a positive locking click to it. You'll be glad to know that it freely rotates
both clockwise and anti-clockwise.
C1 and C2 allow you to save 2 favorite customized settings. The way you set each is extremely easy. First, select PSAM, and customize the settings to your liking. Then press the MENU/OK button. Go to Shooting Menu 3 - Custom Set - select C1 or C2 - OK.
Similarly, SP1 and SP2 allow you to save 2 favorite Scene Modes from different sets of available scene modes. SP1 features a set of 4 "Nature" scene modes, and SP2 features a set of 10 more scene modes.
To set SP1, rotate to SP1. Then press the MENU/OK button. Go to Scene Position - select a scene mode for SP1 - OK. From then on, when you rotate the Mode Dial to SP1, the selected scene mode will be defaulted. Of course, you can always press MENU/OK to bring up the Scene Mode menu and select another scene mode. Whichever scene mode you select then becomes the new default for SP1. Do the same for SP2.
FSB stands for Film Simulation Bracketing and allows you to take 3 shots with one click at PROVIA (standard colors and tones), Velvia (high brightness and sharp tone) and SOFT (soft tone with muted color) modes. Note that resolution is changed to 11M Normal and ISO to 200.
You can record movies with monaural sound at
either 640 x 480 pixels 30fps (you'll be able
to record about 30m 41s worth on a 4GB SDHC card) or 320x240
30fps (record about 60m 38s worth on a 4GB SDHC card).
Note, however, that a movie clip can be only approx. 2GB. Since the zoom is manual, you can (silently) zoom
during recording.
| TOP OF CAMERA |
| - |
Shutter release button |
| - |
Mode Dial (Auto, PSAM, C1, C2, Movie, SP1, SP2, FSB) |
| - |
ISO |
| - |
Exposure Compensation |
| - |
Command Dial |
| - |
Hot Shoe accepts ordinary
external flash units (with some exceptions) |
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| EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
/ HISTOGRAM / PLAYBACK INFO |
| - |
Once set, the Exposure Compensation
Indicator conveniently stays displayed
on screen until it is reset to "0" |
| - |
Range: -2 EV to +2 EV (13 steps in
1/3 EV increments) |
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A Live Histogram displays as long as you hold down the Exposure Compensation button |
| - |
The screen brightness will increase
or decrease to reflect the value you
use |
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Note: the exposure compensation value
selected is retained even when mode
is changed or camera is turned off (so
remember to reset to "0" after
using it or the next time you turn the
camera on, your shots may be over- or
under-exposed.) |
| - |
The button also doubles as the Playback INFO button, displaying exposure info as long as you hold down this INFO button |
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FinePix S100fs Back View with flip-out LCD
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| BACK OF CAMERA |
| - |
Photometry (Light Metering) Selector
Dial (a bit difficult to turn) with
AE-Lock button in the middle |
| - |
EVF/LCD monitor selector |
| - |
Playback |
| - |
Intelligent Face Detection/Red-Eye Removal |
| - |
4 Way Arrows: UP (Playback Digital Zoom), RIGHT: Flash, DOWN: Self-timer, LEFT: Macro/Super Macro |
| - |
MENU/OK |
| - |
DISP/Back |
| - |
Diopter Adjustment Control besides EVF |
| - |
LCD pulls out for easy view looking
up above crowd or looking down for ground
level shooting |
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FinePix S100fs Left Front View
| SIDE VIEW |
| - |
Flash (manual pop-up
button) |
| - |
Continuous Shooting |
| - |
Dual IS |
| - |
Focus Mode Selector Switch (C-AF, S-AF, MF) with One-Touch AF button
in the middle |
| - |
Rubber Terminal Cover for access to
DC IN, A/V, USB |
| - |
Focus Ring (thin, closer to the body)
is fly-by-wire |
| - |
Zoom Ring |
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| CONTINUOUS SHOOTING |
| - |
Top 7: allows you to shoot up
to 7 JPEG (or 3 RAW) frames at max. 3fps |
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Top 50: High speed shooting at max. 7fps (3M) |
| - |
DR: Dynamic Range Bracketing |
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FS: Film Simulation Bracketing |
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AE Bracketing: takes 3 shots of
the same image with different exposure
settings (correctly exposed, over-exposed,
under-exposed). The Auto bracketing
settings can be specified in the MENU
as ±1/3 EV, ±2/3 EV, or
±1 EV; available only in PASM
modes |
| - |
Last 7: This is an incredibly
useful feature for increasing your chances
of catching action at just the right
moment. Press and hold the shutter release
button down as the action nears the
point where you want to take the shot.
The camera will take up to 40 shots
as you follow the action. When you let
go of the shutter release button at
the right moment (say, as the puck or
soccer ball goes into the goal), the
camera retains the last 7 JPEG (or 3 RAW) shots at max. 3fps. |
| - |
Long Period: allows you to take up
to 40 continuous shots (max. 1.1fps);
available only in AUTO and Scene modes |
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LCD & Menus
There is an electronic viewfinder (EVF) with
a large eyepiece and diopter correction, as well
as a large 2.5 in. wide-viewing LCD monitor with a standard 230,000
pixels resolution and approximately 100% coverage.
The EVF and LCD are clear and bright. The diopter
adjustment dial works very well (which cannot
be said for many cameras) and is easy to rotate
and adjust.
The LCD has a fast refresh rate for a smooth
display. It gains up well in low-light situations (but not as well in extreme low-light as the FinePix F30 does).
The LCD tilts from 0° to 90° up, and
0° to 45° down, and I find this much more preferable than the 360 degrees on some point-and-shoot digicams. I pull out the LCD mostly when shooting close to the ground and this avoids having to scrunch down for a clear view either through the LCD or EVF. This construction allows for a fast flip of the LCD without the unnecessary aggravation of pulling it all the way out and rotating it into place.
A great feature is the AF Area focusing mode
with (7 horizontal x 7 vertical =) 49 positions.
You can move the AF target point to any of these
49 positions and the camera will focus where the
AF target point has been moved. The target points are very close to the edges of the screen so there is no point where you cannot focus on. I find this very
helpful in macro photography and whenever the
subject is off-center. Select AF Area mode in
the MENU to turn this feature on. When you want
to move the AF frame around, depress the
One-Touch AF button and use the arrow keys to
move it around the screen. Note that spot AF metering is not available and exposure is always set using the area in the center
of the screen.
It is possible to save images in the RAW file
format. You have to select RAW in SETUP, which can take up to 16 button presses to do so. If you take a RAW image and waits for it to finish writing to memory card, it takes about 5 sec. to save. However, because there is a shooting buffer, I find that RAW performance is very good: you can take up to 4 RAW images in quick succession, wait about 3 sec. then take another one and so on. Continuous Shooting allows you to take 3 RAW (3fps).
There are 3 MENU screens and 5 SETUP screens.
They are very well implemented though there is still room for some improvement in the user interface: at times, it throws you out of the MENU and you need to navigate all the way back to where you last left off. I like the fact that all the options on one screen correspond to one tab so you do not need to scroll down to see if your feature is hidden further down the screen. However, SET-UP should have its own tab on the Shooting Menu (i.e. tab 1, tab 2, tab 3, Set-up tab) instead of being the last item on Shooting Menu tab 3.
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SHOOTING MENU 1 of 3
- Film Simulation
- Dynamic Range
- Quality
- Color
- Tone
- Sharpness |
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SHOOTING MENU 2 of 3
- White Balance
- WB Fine Tune
- AE Bracketing EV Steps
- Flash Compensation
- External Flash
- AF Mode |
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SHOOTING MENU 3 of 3
- High-Speed Shooting
- Custom Set
- Set-Up Menu |
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FILM SIMULATION - PROVIA
- Ideal for a wide range of subjects |
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FILM SIMULATION - VELVIA
- Vibrant reproduction, ideal for landscape and nature |
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FILM SIMULATION - SOFT
- Softer color and contrast for a more subdued look |
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FILM SIMULATION - PORTRAIT
- Natural skin color for a general portrait |
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DYNAMIC RANGE
- Auto
- 100%
- 200%
- 400% |
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QUALITY
- 11M Fine
- 11M Normal
- 3:2
- 6M
- 3M
- 2M
- 0.3M |
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COLOR
- High
- Mid
- Low
- B&W
- No Sepia??? |
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TONE (CONTRAST)
- Hard
- Standard
- Soft |
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SHARPNESS
- Hard
- Standard
- Soft |
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WHITE BALANCE 1 of 2
- Auto
- Custom 1
- Custom 2
- Fine (Sunny)
- Shade
- Fluorescent 1 (Daylight)
- Fluorescent 2 (Warm White) |
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WHITE BALANCE 2 of 2
- Fluorescent 3 (Cool White)
- Incandescent |
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WB FINE TUNE |
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AE BRACKET EV STEPS
- +/- 1/3 EV
- +/- 2/3 EV
- +/- 1 EV |
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FLASH COMPENSATION
- + 2/3 to -2/3 |
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EXTERNAL FLASH
- On
- Off |
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AF MODE
- Center
- Multi
- Area |
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AF MODE - AREA
- 7 x 7 = 49 Target Points
- Press and hold the One-touch AF button and use the ARROW KEYS to move the Target Point around the screen
- Exposure is always set at center of screen |
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SETUP 1 of 5
- Image Display
- Frame No.
- Dual IS Mode
- Save Original Image
- AF Illuminator
- CCD-RAW |
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SETUP 2 of 5
- EVF/LCD Mode
- AE-Lock Mode
- Focus Check |
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SETUP 3 of 5
- Date/Time
- Operation Volume
- Shutter Volume
- Playback Volume
- Autorotate PB
- LCD Brightness |
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SETUP 4 of 5
- Format
- Language
- Auto Power Off
- Time Difference
- Background Color
- Guidance Display |
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SETUP 5 of 5
- Video System
- Reset
- Custom Reset |
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IMAGE DISPLAY
- Continuous
- 3 sec.
- 1.5 sec.
- Zoom (Continuous) |
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FRAME NO.
- Continuous
- Renew |
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DUAL IS MODE
- Continuous
- Shooting Only |
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SAVE ORIGINAL IMAGE
- ON
- Off
- Saves original image when Red-eye correction is applied |
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AF ILLUMINATOR
- ON
- Off |
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CCD-RAW
- On
- Off
|
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AE-LOCK MODE
- AE-L 1 (press & hold AE-L to fix exposure)
- AE-L 2 (press AE-L to fix exposure, press again to release exposure) |
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FOCUS CHECK
- On
- Off
- When focusing manually, center of image enlarges |
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DATE/TIME
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OPERATION VOLUME
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SHUTTER VOLUME
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PLAYBACK VOLUME
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AUTO ROTATE
- On
- Off |
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LCD BRIGHTNESS |
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LANGUAGE |
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AUTO POWER OFF
- 5 min
- 2 min
- Off |
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TIME DIFFERENCE
- Home
- Local |
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BACKGROUND COLOR
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GUIDANCE DISPLAY
- On
- Off |
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VIDEO SYSTEM
- NTSC
- PAL |
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PLAYBACK MENU 1 of 2
- Erase
- Slide Show
- Red-Eye Removal
- Image Rotate
- Protect
- Copy |
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PLAYBACK MENU 2 of 2
- Voice Memo
- Trimming
- Print Order (DPOF)
- Set-Up |
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - SINGLE FRAME WITH TEXT
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - SINGLE FRAME NO TEXT
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - 2 FRAMES
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - 9 FRAMES
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - 100 FRAMES
- Up to 10 x 10 = 100 tiny thumbnails. |
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - SORT BY DATE
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SHOOTING - FACE DETECTION
- This is a snapshot of the LCD screen during Shooting Mode with Face Detection turned on |
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - DETECTED FACES
- When you go into Playback, the camera informs you one or more faces were detected in the picture (i.e. you used Face Detection)
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - IDENTIFY FACE
- Now, still in Playback, press the Face Detection button to identify the face(s)
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - ZOOM FACE
- Press Face Detection button again to zoom onto the face so you can check focus
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - TRIMMING FACE 1 of 4
- In Playback, Go to MENU - Trim
- Face is detected (if you had previously used Face Detection to capture the picture)
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - TRIMMING FACE 2 of 4
- Press Face Detection button repeatedly to select a face (if there are more than one faces detected in the picture)
- Press OK to confirm face selection
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - TRIMMING FACE 3 of 4
- Trimmed image is now 0.3M
- Press OK to confirm
|
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PLAYBACK DISPLAY - TRIMMING FACE 4 of 4
- The picture is trimmed and a copy saved
- Original picture is untouched
|
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SHOOTING MODE - AUTO
- Auto |
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SHOOTING MODE - P
- Program AE
- P mode, Dual IS 2, Face Detect On, Flash Off, Macro On, Self-timer 10 sec., 11M Fine, Available frames: 695
- Battery indicator, Multi-Pattern, Continuous Shooting, High-Speed Shooting, AF frame (face detected), ISO 100
- Camera Shake warning
- Exposure Compensation Indicator
- Note that the shutter speed and aperture display only when you half-press the shutter release button
- Rotate Command Dial to go into Program Shift |
 |
SHOOTING MODE - S
- Shutter-Priority AE
- Rotate Command Dial to select a shutter speed (4 sec. - 1/4000 sec. in 1/3 EV increments)
- Only shutter speed displays
- To see aperture, you need to half-press the shutter release button |
 |
SHOOTING MODE - A
- Aperture-Priority AE
- Rotate Command Dial to select an aperture (F2.8(W)/F5.3(T) to F8 in 1/3 EV increments)
- Only aperture displays
- To see shutter speed, you need to half-press the shutter release button |
 |
SHOOTING MODE - M
- Manual
- Rotate Command Dial to select a shutter speed (4 sec. - 1/4000 sec. in 1/3 EV increments)
- Press & hold Exp. Comp. [+/-] button and rotate Command Dial to select an aperture (F2.8(W)/F5.3(T) to F8 in 1/3 EV increments)
- The Exposure Indicator bar acts as an approximaye guide to when correct exposure is achieved
|
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SHOOTING MODE - MOVIE
- Movie |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 1 of 10
- Portrait scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 2 of 10
- Portrait Soft scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 3 of 10
- Baby scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 4 of 10
- Portrait Enhancer scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 5 of 10
- Night scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 6 of 10
- Sunset scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 7 of 10
- Snow scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 8 of 10
- Beach scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 9 of 10
- Sport scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP2 - 10 of 10
- Fireworks scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP1 - 1 of 4
- Nature scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP1 - 2 of 4
- Nature Soft scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP1 - 3 of 4
- Nature Vivid scene mode |
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SHOOTING MODE - SP1 - 4 of 4
- Nature scene mode |
The Fujifilm FinePix S100fs is a well-designed
super zoom digital camera with excellent handling
and fast operation. It has excellent proportions
and successfully captures the DSLR-like handling.
A couple of often-used features (WB, AF Mode) are still menu-bound
and would gain much in practical usability if
they were more directly accessible. All in all,
a very well designed and thought-out digital camera
which feels and handles as you would expect a
professional DSLR to.
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