Fuji FinePix S7000Fuji's latest electronic SLR offers a larger, 6.3-megapixel CCD that interpolates to 12.3 megapixels - one of the highest resolution consumer models we've tested to date!<<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:OpticsReview First Posted: 01/16/2004 |
Optics
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The S7000 is equipped with a high quality, Super EBC Fujinon 6x zoom lens, with a 35mm equivalent range of 35-210mm. (A moderate wide angle to a pretty decent telephoto.) Aperture ranges from f/2.8 (f/3.1 with the lens at its telephoto position) to f/8, and is manually and automatically adjustable. Focus ranges from 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) to infinity in normal AF mode, and from 3.9 inches to 2.6 feet (10 to 80 centimeters) in Macro mode. A "Super Macro" mode focuses from 0.4 to 7.9 inches (1 to 20 centimeters), one of the closest macro ranges I've seen on a digicam. In Super Macro mode, the S7000 captures an area of only 1.30 x 0.97 inches (33 x 25 millimeters). Both macro modes are accessed via the Macro button on the left side of the camera. 
The S7000's autofocus system operates in either Single or Continuous modes, set by turning the Focus switch on the side of the camera. Single AF mode adjusts the focus only when the Shutter button is halfway pressed. Alternatively, Continuous AF mode continuously adjusts focus, without the Shutter button being pressed. This is useful for moving subjects, and reduces the shutter lag slightly so you can grab faster shots. The S7000's Record menu offers an AF mode setting, which controls the AF area. Options are Area, Center, and Multi. In Area mode, you can change the autofocus area simply by holding down the One Touch AF button (in the center of the focus switch on the side of the camera) and using the arrow keys to move the focus target on the LCD screen. The Multi setting puts the camera back in charge of the AF area, selecting the area corresponding to the closest portion of the subject. Center mode simply focuses from the center of the screen.
The camera's manual focus options lets you adjust focus by turning the ribbed focus ring at the end of the lens barrel. A pair of arrows appears on the LCD display, indicating the direction of adjustment needed, with a solid circle in the middle indicating sharp focus. Though the camera doesn't feature a distance readout for the manual focus, you can use the Focus Check button to enlarge the center of the frame 2x and determine when focus is sharp. A nice touch on S7000 is that you can use the camera's AF system to set an approximate focus even when you're focusing manually, simply by pressing the One Touch AF button in the center of the manual/auto focus selector switch. This lets you get a quick approximation of your final focus, then make fine adjustments manually.
Despite its size, the lens on the S7000 telescopes into position pretty quickly whenever the camera is turned on. (The time from startup to the first picture captured is only 3.2 seconds.) A removable plastic lens cap protects the lens surface when not in use, and comes with a small strap to attach it to the camera body and prevent it from being lost. Fuji also provides a lens cap holder, which attaches to the neck strap. Two zoom buttons in the upper right corner of the rear panel control both optical and digital zoom. The 3.2x digital zoom feature increases the S7000's capabilities up to 19.2x, and is accessed by zooming past the optical zoom range with the telephoto zoom button. The amount of digital enlargement is reported in the LCD display. As with any "digital zoom" function, remember that image quality suffers from the enlargement, with sharpness decreasing in direct proportion to the degree of digital zoom. Also keep in mind that in an (intelligent) effort to preserve image quality, the amount of digital zoom available on the S7000 varies with the resolution setting. For example, no digital zoom is available at the 12.3-megapixel resolution. At 6.0 megapixels, maximum digital enlargement is 1.4x, while the amount of digital zoom increases to 2x at the 3.0-megapixel setting. At 2.0 megapixels, 2.53x zoom is available, reserving the full 3.2x zoom for the 1.0-megapixel setting.
The S7000's lens barrel has a set of 55mm filter threads, which accommodate Fuji's accessory lens kits, which includes an adapter barrel that holds the accessory lenses out in front of the furthest extension of the S7000's telescoping lens assembly. In order for it to focus correctly, you need to tell the camera when you're using accessory optics, by selecting the Adapter option on the Setup menu. Fuji also offers an adapter ring that accommodates a series of lens filters.
Optical distortion on the S7000 is less than average at the wide-angle end, where I measured approximately 0.5 percent barrel distortion with the lens set to its widest-angle setting. The telephoto end was a fair bit worse though, as I measured 0.7 percent pincushion distortion there. Chromatic aberration is a little high, showing approximately eight or more pixels of coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.)
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