Slimline

Keenly-priced for such a stylish point-and-shoot camera, Fujifilm's FinePix Z5fd sports a 6.3-megapixel Super CCD HR imager and a 3x optical zoom lens that remains within the camera's metal body. It's available in raspberry red, mocha brown and silver and offers some handy features for web-savvy users. The camera is activated by sliding the lens cover to the right, as shown below, which lights up the model name on the front panel.

Although it's simple to switch on and offers some handy aids for novice photographers, physically the Z5fd is less than ideal for anyone with large fingers or limited dexterity. All the button controls are small - including the shutter button. The cover for the battery/card compartment is easy to open but it only flips up through 90 degrees. This makes fitting an xD Picture Card very awkward. 

On a positive note, like several other recently-released cameras in its category, the Z5fd comes with Face Detection technology, which can identify up to 10 faces anywhere in the field of view. Algorithms associated with the system can also detect backlit subjects and activate the flash when required and users can zoom in on faces when shots are played back to check facial expressions.

The camera also includes Fujifilm's Natural Light & with Flash mode, which automatically captures the same scene with and without flash when the shutter is pressed. It then presents a side-by-side view, allowing users to select the one they prefer. The 'Quick Access' button for this setting is toggled to activate the camera's 'Anti-blur' mode, which sets a faster shutter speed, boosting the ISO, if necessary. Both modes can also be accessed via the shooting mode menu.

Three colour modes are provided: Standard, Chrome and B&W. The Standard setting applies normal contrast and colour processing and is recommended for general photography. The Chrome setting boosts contrast and saturation in an attempt to simulate colour slide film. It works best with scenic shots and close-ups of flowers. The B&W mode discards colour data to produce black and white pictures. No sepia shooting mode is provided.
Users can also shoot movie clips at VGA or QVGA quality with a frame rate of 30 frames/second plus monaural sound. Around 22 seconds of VGA video can be stored in the camera's internal memory and almost 15 minutes on a 1GB SD card. Note: the Z5fd is only compatible with Type M cards. Video quality is comparable to competing digicams.

Playback options include a new "Trimming for Blog" mode that allows users to easily resize images then save them in a "blog-optimised" format (VGA) without having to edit and resize them on a PC. Voice memos of up to 30 seconds can also be added to still images in playback mode. The camera is also IrSimple enabled, allowing pictures to be transferred wirelessly to other compatible devices. (We weren't able to test this function, having no suitable devices to send files to.)



The camera is supplied with an NP-40 rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is charged in the camera via a plug-in AC power adapter. A fully charged battery should provide enough power for approximately 200 shots under C.I.P.A. standards and power remained at the end of our tests. Other accessories include USB and A/V cables, a wrist strap and a CD containing FinePixViewer and ImageMixer VCD2 LE for FinePix software. 

Performance
Pictures taken with the FinePix Z5fd had a natural look, although with a slightly warmish tone, which was confirmed by Imatest testing. Contrast was elevated to the extent that is typical of most compact digicams but saturation was relatively modest. Digital zoom shots were soft and riddled with artifacts but close-ups were competently handled, in the main.

Shots taken in dim lighting were noise-free up to ISO 200 but noise became apparent from ISO 400 on and was quite obvious at ISO 1600. The flash had insufficient power to illuminate an average-sized room at ISO settings below 800. However, it worked quite well for close-ups.

Resolution (as measured by Imatest) was good for a 6-megapixel digicam and remained relatively constant throughout the ISO range - even up to ISO 1600, which is unusual. Imatest also showed lateral chromatic aberration to be towards the high end of the 'moderate' scale - but not severe enough to prevent users from enlarging shots to A4 size.

We measured an average capture lag of 0.4 seconds, which reduced to less than 0.05 seconds with pre-focusing. It took just over two seconds to process each shot without flash and almost five seconds when flash was used. The 'Long Period' continuous shooting mode recorded shots at intervals of approximately 1.5 seconds, while the 'Top 3' and 'Final 3' settings captured three shots at 0.4 second intervals.

IMATEST GRAPHS

SAMPLE IMAGES

Close-up without flash.

Close-up with flash.

A digital zoom image cropped to contain roughly 25% of the original file.

A 25% crop of a shot taken in dim lighting with ISO 1600 sensitivity.

Image sensor: 5.76 x 4.29 mm Super CCD HR sensor with 6.3 megapixels effective
Lens: Fujinon 6.1-18.3mm f3.5-4.2 zoom lens (36-108mm in 35mm format)
Zoom ratio: 3x optical, up to 6.2x digital
Image formats: Stills – JPEG (Exif 2.2); Movies – AVI 9Motion JPEG/WAV)
Image Sizes: Stills – 2848x2136, 3024x2016, 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 640x480; Movies - VGA/QVGA at 30 fps with sound
Shutter speed range: 4-1/1000 second
Image Stabilisation: ISO boost
Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Focus system/range: TTL contrast-based AF; range 60 cm to infinity; macro 8-80 cm
Exposure metering/control: TTL 256-zones metering, Program AE plus 14 scene presets
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White balance: Auto, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent (x3), incandescent
Flash modes/range (ISO auto): Auto, Forced flash, Suppressed flash, Slow synchro (red-eye reduction available); range 0.6-3.5 m
Sequence shooting: 3 frames at 2.2 fps
Storage Media: 26MB internal memory plus xD Picture Card slot
Viewfinder: n.a.
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch amorphous silicon TFT screen (230,000 pixels)
Power supply: NP-40 rechargeable lithium-ion battery (approx 200 frames/charge)
Dimensions (wxhxd): 92.8 x 55.0 x 19.4 mm
Weight: Approx. 148 grams (without battery and card)