Fuji FinePix F601 ZoomA new SuperCCD sensor gives Fuji's latest ultra compact true 3.1 megapixel resolution and great color.<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 6/21/2002 |
Image Storage and Interface
The
F601 Zoom stores images and movies on 3.3v SmartMedia memory cards, and comes
with a 16MB card. SmartMedia cards are available in sizes as large as 128MB,
and I highly recommend picking up a larger card given the F601 Zoom's large
file sizes. The LED next to the optical viewfinder eyepiece flashes orange and
green when the camera accesses the memory card, and glows orange when recording
to the card. The SmartMedia slot is on the right side of the camera, and the
card inserts with the gold electrodes going in first, facing the front of the
camera.
SmartMedia cards come with a set of write-protection stickers that prevent the
card from being erased or written to. Each sticker can only be used once, and
must be clean to be effective. Interestingly, the F601 Zoom does not feature
individual image write-protection, so you'll either need to protect the entire
card, or leave it as is. A trimming function allows you to crop images in Playback
mode, creating smaller files from larger ones. The crop area is designated by
enlarging the image with the Playback Zoom function, then pressing the Menu
/ OK button to crop and record the image.
The F601 Zoom offers a variety of image size and JPEG quality settings. The
largest is the interpolated 2,832 x 2,128-pixel size, which offers quality settings
of Fine, Normal, and Basic. The remaining image sizes are 2,048 x 1,536, 1,280
x 960, and 640 x 480 pixels, with Fine and Normal quality settings available.
Movie files can be recorded at either 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels, with no
available quality settings.
Following are the number of images and approximate compression levels for a
128MB SmartMedia card. (Cards of this size are cheap enough these days that
you should really consider one as standard equipment for a camera like the F601.):
|
Resolution/Quality |
|
|
|
|
| Highest Resolution 2,832x2,128 | Images | 53 | 113 |
|
| Approx. Compression |
7:1 | 15:1 |
|
|
| High Resolution 2,048x1,536 | Images |
|
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
| Standard Resolution 1,280x960 | Images |
|
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
| Low Resolution 640x480 | Images |
|
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
The following shows the approximate amount of movie and audio recording time
for a 128MB SmartMedia card:
| File Type |
|
| 320 x 240 Movie |
|
| 640 x 480 Movie |
|
| Audio file |
272 minutes
|
The F601 Zoom comes with a USB cable and a software CD for downloading images to a computer. Download speed is about average, as I clocked it at 398 KBytes/second on my 500 MHz PowerMac G4.
Lost Images? - Download this image-recovery program so you'll
have it when you need it...
Since we're talking about memory and image storage, this would be a good time
to mention the following: I get a ton of email from readers who've lost photos
due to a corrupted memory card. It's tragic when it happens, there are few
things more precious than photo memories. Corrupted memory cards can happen
with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune. "Stuff
happens," as they say. A surprising number of "lost" images
can be recovered with an inexpensive, easy to use piece of software though.
Given the amount of email I've gotten on the topic, I now include this paragraph
in all my digicam reviews. The program you need is called PhotoRescue, by
DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the
PDF manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you
need it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when...
PhotoRescue is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital
photos I've seen. (Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of
the product, but I'd highly recommend the program even if we didn't.)
OK, now back to our regularly scheduled review...
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