By Alexandra Savvides
13/07/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,44567115p,00.htm

If you are looking for a fun and colorful camera, the Fujifilm FinePix Z30 shouldn't be far off your radar. While its playful aesthetics may appeal to the younger crowd, shutterbugs who want good image quality and quick performance will have to give this point-and-shoot a pass. Users who want an underwater alternative can look to the FinePix Z33WP, a 3m waterproof snapper with similar specifications as the Z30.

Design

Just for a moment, imagine a cute cartoon character wielding a camera. Have you got that image? Well, the Fujifilm FinePix Z30 would definitely come close to resembling that shooter. Coming in a fine array of colors from an acrid purple to a peculiar orange, this little baby sits at a dainty 116.5g without a battery and memory media.

The main point of interest is the sliding front cover that moves to the--yes, that's right--side, rather than the conventional up-and-down motion we've seen on other slider cameras such as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700.

This is a much cheaper camera than the Sony though, and you can tell from the build quality--all plastic, with a small 2.7-inch screen at the back, and plastic grid buttons. The buttons give a satisfying click when you press them, but they are squashed together on the back panel. This makes it hard to distinguish between the buttons without looking carefully.

Features

For a camera of this price, there's nothing surprising in the feature set. There is a 10-megapixel CCD sensor with all the standard options present. Amateurs will find the scene recognition mode useful as it automatically changes the camera's settings in accordance with the shooting situation. Finally, there is a 3x optical zoom and a maximum ISO sensitivity level of 1,600.

Specifications/model	Nikon Coolpix S220	Fujifilm FinePix Z30	Canon Digital Ixus 95 IS
Sensor resolution	10 megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Dimension/weight	89.5 x 55.5 x 18mm/100g	90.5 x 59 x 25.7mm/116.5g	88.5 x 54.8 x 21.8mm/120g
LCD size	2.5-inch	2.7-inch	2.5-inch
Zoom/focal length	3x optical/ 35-105mm	3x optical/ 35-105mm	3x optical/ 35-105mm
Image stabilizer	Electronic	Electronic	Optical (via lens)
Memory media	SD/SDHC card	SD/SDHC card	SD/SDHC card
Related links	Overview		Review

Fujifilm dubs this camera as "Internet-friendly". There are a number of options available that automatically resize either an image or a video into a lower resolution, plus there's a dedicated Auction mode which makes VGA-sized composite images for use on sites such as eBay. We actually found more use for this in making your own DIY Pop Art-esque montages, but some users may find such a feature cliche.

There is electronic image stabilization as well as automatic red-eye removal. But what is special is the couple self-timer feature dedicated for those lovebirds who enjoy snapping themselves at arm's length. This function has three options--presumably which one you choose depends on how much you like your partner--near, close-up or super-close, which are denoted by an increase in love hearts next to the option.

Performance And Image Quality

Starting the camera up is done by moving the front cover to the side. The Z30 managed to be up and ready in about 1.7 seconds, a fairly impressive result. Disappointingly, this was as good as the camera got in the performance tests--continuous and high-speed shooting were anything but, resulting in some frustrating situations where we weren't sure if the camera had actually recorded any shots at all when holding down the shutter button. Adding to the sense of lethargy was the zoom which took ages to reach from one extreme to the other.

As for other gripes, the screen was reflective and difficult to see in direct sunlight, and it was very grainy in situations where there wasn't a lot of ambient, natural light--even in a fluorescent room, the screen struggled with the refresh rate.

Fortunately, the Z30 redeemed itself a little with its nice, punchy colors, but as for sharpness, it fell off dramatically at the edges of the frame. Noise above ISO 200 was very noticeable, with ISO 1600 being practically unusable. Even reviewing the image on the display showed that the shots were covered with noise. From the chart on the right you can see how much this camera struggled as it hit higher sensitivities.

Conclusion

Unless you're a social-networking addict and child of the YouTube era, you won't find much use for the FinePix Z30. For US$179.95, we don't think it's worth it, especially when you can pick up a camera like the Canon PowerShot A480 for lesser and get much better pictures out of it.