Fuji FinePix F601 ZoomA new SuperCCD sensor gives Fuji's latest ultra compact true 3.1 megapixel resolution and great color.<<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:ViewfinderReview First Posted: 6/21/2002 |
Viewfinder
The F601 Zoom features both a real-image optical viewfinder and a color LCD monitor for composing images. The optical viewfinder display features a black outline circle in the center of the view, indicating the autofocus and autoexposure target area. A set of offset black crop marks indicate the framing for macro shooting, and seem to do a good job, based on an informal test. Though the optical viewfinder does not feature a diopter adjustment, it does have a reasonably high eyepoint, and was easy to see through when wearing my glasses. (See my notes about the accuracy of the viewfinder at the end of this section though.)
A small LED on the left side of the optical viewfinder serves as a status indicator, reporting various camera states. For example, a solid green LED indicates that focus and exposure are set and the camera is ready to shoot, while a flashing green LED warns of slow shutter speed or that the autofocus and autoexposure systems are still processing the scene. The LED flashes green and orange when the camera accesses the SmartMedia card and lights solid orange while the camera records an image. Finally, a blinking orange LED indicates a charging flash or that PC communication is occurring, while a flashing red LED reports a problem with the SmartMedia card or lens. For all warnings, a detailed message appears in the LCD monitor, if it's activated.
The 1.5-inch, low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD monitor has a resolution of 110,000 pixels, making menu items and information displays relatively easy to read. The Display button just over the top left corner of the monitor controls the information and image display, in record mode cycling through options including image with exposure information, framing guideline overlay, or no display at all. Exposure information and various camera settings are reported via the information overlay, and the shutter speed and aperture settings display when the Shutter button is halfway pressed. The framing guideline function divides the image area into thirds horizontally and vertically, to help you line up shots. The viewfinder display changes to reflect the camera's operating mode as well, with different displays for each setting of the Mode dial. Immediately above the LCD monitor area, a series of icons light to indicate the current shooting mode.
In Playback mode, the Display button again controls the LCD monitor display, showing image information (such as filename, the number of captured images, date and time, etc.) and the Multi-Frame Playback option, which shows as many as nine thumbnail images on the screen at a time. A Fast Forward function displays three thumbnail images at the bottom of the screen, letting you quickly scroll through saved images. There's also a playback zoom which enlarges images as much as 18x, depending on the resolution setting. The maximum magnification results in a 1:1 pixel ratio between the LCD screen and the captured image, making it easy to see even the tiniest detail in your captured images. At any zoom level, pressing the Display button switches the Multi-Directional Arrow pad from zooming to panning controls, so you can move the magnified view around the image. Once enlarged, images can be cropped and saved as smaller files, at either the one-megapixel or VGA file sizes.
The camera's Setup menu offers an LCD brightness adjustment, as well as a Preview option for displaying each image immediately after capture on the LCD monitor. There are two preview options to choose from, one that simply displays the image for a few seconds, and one that displays the image and offers an option to delete or record it. During the image preview, you can also "zoom in" to check on minor details before deciding whether or not to keep the image.
In my testing, the F601 Zoom's optical viewfinder proved to be very tight. I measured its accuracy at only 76 percent frame coverage at wide-angle, and approximately 77 percent at telephoto. The resulting images showed extra space along the top and left sides of the frame, so keep that in mind when framing images. The LCD monitor was only a slightly more accurate, showing approximately 86 percent frame accuracy at wide-angle, and roughly 88 percent at telephoto. Given that I generally prefer LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the F601 Zoom's LCD monitor has some room for improvement. - The poor viewfinder accuracy was one of the most obvious weak points in an otherwise excellent camera.
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