Fuji FinePix 2600 Zoom2 megapixels, a 3x zoom lens, great pictures, and a bargain price: A great "value leader" from Fuji!<<Optics :(Previous) | (Next): Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests>> Page 6:Exposure & FlashReview First Posted: 11/08/2001 |
Exposure
Exposure control on the 2600 Zoom is very straightforward, thanks to the camera's full automatic control. Though the Record menu offers "Automatic" and "Manual" exposure modes, "Manual" mode in this case simply allows the user to adjust the white balance and exposure compensation settings, as well as select the flash mode and macro option. The 2600 Zoom employs a 64-zone TTL (Through The Lens) metering system to determine the exposure, dividing the image area into 64 zones that are independently metered and averaged for the best exposure. One note here is that the greatest weight of the exposure is placed on the center of the frame, allowing you to use the Shutter button to manually lock the exposure on your subject. To lock exposure (and focus as well), frame a portion of the subject in the center of the frame and half press the Shutter button. Then, keeping the Shutter button halfway pressed, reframe the subject to the original composition and fire the shutter.
Though you cannot adjust either the shutter speed or aperture settings, you can "tweak" the exposure when shooting in Manual mode. Exposure compensation is adjustable from -1.5 to +1.5 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third-step increments. Shutter speeds on the 2600 Zoom range from 1/1,000 to 1/2-second. - The 1/1,000 second top speed is very good, but the 1/2 second maximum shutter time severely limits the camera's low-light shooting capabilities. ( A brief report of our findings here can be found in the Test Results section.) Sensitivity is equivalent to ISO 100, and is not adjustable. Manual mode also allows you to adjust the White Balance setting, with choices of Auto, Daylight, Shade, Daylight Fluorescent, Warm White Fluorescent, Cool White Fluorescent, and Incandescent.
The 10-second Self-Timer option is only available in Automatic exposure mode (the option disappears from the menu in Manual mode). I find this rather puzzling, as the self-timer would be equally useful in either auto or manual mode. When in Self-Timer mode, a full press of the Shutter button activates the timer, which counts down from 10 seconds before the shutter is opened. A digital timer appears in the LCD monitor and the self-timer LED lamp lights on the front of the camera. The LED actually lights solid for the first five seconds, then flashes for the remaining five. The mode is automatically disabled after the shot.
Flash
The 2600 Zoom features a built-in flash that operates in five different modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced, Suppressed, and Slow Synchro. In Auto mode, the camera chooses when to fire the flash, based on the current lighting conditions and whether or not the subject is backlit. In Red-Eye Reduction mode, the camera fires a small pre-flash before firing the flash at full power, to reduce the occurrence of the Red-Eye Effect (caused by light reflecting off of an enlarged eye pupil). Forced mode simply activates the flash to fire with each shot, regardless of the exposure conditions, while Suppressed mode completely disables the flash. Finally, Slow Synchro mode times the flash with a slower shutter speed, which allows more ambient light into the image. Slow Synchro mode is good for night shots in front of skylines or sunsets, as the slower exposure allows more of the background color into the image. Fuji estimates the 2600 Zoom's flash power as effective to about 9.8 feet (3.0 meters), which matches our own test results.
Movie Mode
Though the FinePix 2600 Zoom does not feature a continuous shooting mode, it does offer a Movie mode. Activated by turning the Mode dial to the movie camera icon, Movie mode allows you to capture as many as 20 seconds of video at a time (without sound). Movie files are captured at 320 x 240-pixel resolution, at approximately 10 frames per second. Actual shooting time will vary depending on the amount of SmartMedia space available. Once in Movie mode, a full press of the Shutter button both starts and stops the recording. The number of available seconds appears in the LCD display. The lens is locked in the wide angle position in Movie mode, but digital zoom is available as much as 2.5x. No other exposure features are available in this mode.
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