Fujifilm V10 Optics

Zoom
Good 3.4x optical zoom range, with good performance.

The Fujifilm V10 zooms over the equivalent of a 36-130mm range, a slightly larger range than what is typical for its class. Results are quite good at wide angle, with mild softness in the corners of the frame and only moderate coma distortion in the tree limbs. The 5.7x digital zoom takes it out to a little over 19x total, albeit with the loss of sharpness that digital zoom always ensures.

Macro
A small macro area with good detail and high resolution. Flash exposes fairly well, but with uneven coverage.

The Fuji V10's macro setting performs well, capturing a pretty small minimum area of 2.80 x 2.10 inches (71 x 53 millimeters). Detail is strong and resolution high, with only minimal blurring in the corners from the lens. (Most cameras have some softening in the corners in macro mode.) The flash throttles down pretty well, though coverage is a bit uneven when shooting this close, with shadows in the left corners of the frame. (You should probably plan on using external lighting for your closest macro shots.)

Distortion
Very low barrel distortion, and even lower pincushion.

This is the tendency for the lens to bend straight lines outward (like a barrel--usually at wide angle) or inward (like a pincushion--usually at telephoto). The Fujifilm FinePix V10's 0.3% barrel distortion at wide angle is very low relative to other cameras I've tested, and is much less visible in the final images than that of most cameras. At the telephoto end, the V10's 0.01% pincushion is extremely low (translates to about half a pixel of distortion).

Chromatic aberration
Moderate to somewhat high, though amplified by the softness in the corners, has a relatively small effect on the edges of images though.

Chromatic aberration was moderate at wide angle, showing about 5-6 pixels of fairly bright coloration on either side of the target lines in the top left corner, but the effect was less intense in the top right. At telephoto, the number of pixels increased, but the brightness level decreased. This is most likely due to the increased corner softening at telephoto. (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.) On a positive note, the effect of the V10's chromatic aberration extended only a little ways into the images from the extreme corners.

Corner Sharpness
Some softening in the left and right corners of the frame, strongest effect in the left corners.

The Fuji V10 produced slightly soft corners in a few shots, with the left corners seeming to have the greatest effect at both wide angle and telephoto. The degree of softness was about average among the consumer cameras we test, but better than average for models as compact as the Fujifilm V10.

Coverage
Excellent accuracy from the LCD monitor.

The V10's LCD monitor showed almost exactly 100% of the final image area at both wide angle and at telephoto lens settings. Great results!