Fuji FinePix 6900 ZoomFuji updates their uniquely-styled "electronic SLR" with a 3.3 megapixel SuperCCD chip and improved color!<<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:ViewfinderReview First Posted: 7/19/2001 |
ViewfinderThe 6900 Zoom offers a two-inch LCD monitor and a 0.55-inch electronic optical viewfinder (EVF) for image composition. The LCD monitor features a low-temperature, polysilicon, TFT design with 130,000 pixels. A small EVF / LCD button next to the viewfinder selects between the two. The pixel count is lower in the viewfinder (110,000 pixels), and its small size makes it nearly impossible to visually focus a shot, but the soft, rubber eyepiece surrounding the viewfinder window is helpful when shooting outdoors, as it helps to block out excess light.
An EVF / LCD button, located on the right of the optical viewfinder eyepiece, selects between the optical viewfinder display and the LCD monitor display, so that either one is in use at all times. The Display button at the top right corner of the LCD monitor controls the information display and framing guidelines that appear over the image. Pressed once, the button pulls up the text information display, which reports the Photography mode setting, file size / image quality, number of images remaining, exposure settings, and a central autofocus target mark. Pressing the Display button a second time activates a framing guideline, which divides the image into thirds horizontally and vertically, to help line up shots. The third press of the Display button cancels both displays. We were glad to see that the camera reports the aperture and shutter speed settings, even in Program mode, since we always like to know what exposure variables are being used. Another helpful feature on the 6900 Zoom is the Info button, which is on the side of the lens. Holding down this button displays a quick reference screen that reports all of the exposure settings, including exposure compensation, white balance, metering mode, ISO, auto bracketing, and sharpness. This is extremely helpful, especially when you can't remember which settings you've already set.
In Playback mode, the LCD monitor offers a playback zoom, for inspecting captured images up close. The Up and Down Arrow keys are used to zoom in and out of the image. Once the desired magnification is achieved, pressing the Display button enables you to scroll around within the image. Pressing the OK button presents the option of cropping the image at the current magnification and saving it as a separate file. Many cameras these days offer a playback zoom option, but the FinePix 6900 goes way beyond most we've seen: It appears to zoom all the way in to a 1:1 ratio between image pixels and LCD display pixels. Particularly in the highest-resolution capture mode, this is an incredible magnification factor, letting you discern the finest details and subtle nuances of focus. Very handy! At the other end of scale, a Multi-Frame Playback option displays up to nine thumbnail images on the screen at a time, great for selecting images for single-frame erasing, protecting, or resizing.
In our testing, we found that the EVF provided about 90% frame coverage, while the rear-panel LCD showed 95-96%. The EVF number is better than average for optical viewfinders, and the rear-panel LCD accuracy is about average. (We really like to see LCD viewfinders 100% accurate though, so would prefer to see a bit more of the target area, at least on the rear-panel display.)
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