Digital Trends

FujiFilm FinePix Z1

August 21st, 2005 | by David J Elrich

Unlike almost every other digicams out there, the Z1 does not have a Mode dial.  Like eliminating the viewfinder, the missing dial allowed designers to create a tiny, sleek camera.  But there's where the tradeoffs come in.  To get to the scene modes, you click the Menu key and then choose between Natural Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sport and Night.  Here the camera makes the choices for ISO, aperture, shutter speed and white balance.  You just point and shoot.  Results were quite good in these modes with very accurate colors.  In Manual, you can make a few adjustments such as Exposure Compensation and White Balance.  There's one quirky bit of software design:  To change ISO, you have to go to a different menu after pushing the "F" key.

This key contains one of the more fun tricks on this camera.  In the FinePix Photo Mode, you can shoot in standard  (for normal color), black-and-white and my new favorite "C" (for F-Chrome) that adds a lustrous, vivid tone to your shots.  Now, if only life could be so simple.  I really enjoyed shooting in F-Chrome.  I don't know if Paul Simon will write a tune about it, but it really added some pop to the images. 

The Movie mode is quite good at 640 x 480 pixels (30 fps); however, do realize that it eats up space on your card like five-time champ Takeru Kobayashi at a Nathan's hot dog eating contest.  There is no zooming available while you're in Movie mode and the sound is mono.  The built-in mic does pick up some camera noise during quiet scenes.

The flash is pretty potent and offers a wide variety of options including Red-Eye Reduction and Slow Shutter.  If there's not enough light in Slow Shutter, an icon appears that warns you of the likelihood of a blurry shot.  This handy icon appears in other modes as well.  Since it does not have an AF Assist lamp, taking shots in the dark scenes with little contrast was problematic. 

Battery life was close to stated.  Vacationers should consider buying a spare as well as a separate charger, since the supplied battery only gets charged while in the dock. 

Conclusions

If ever there was a camera to carry along as you strolled the Via Veneto in Rome, the Champs-Elysee in Paris or some other chic boulevard, this is it.  In the right conditions where the LCD functions properly, the camera is a pleasure to work with and the resulting photographs are quite good.  However, it does have its limitations, as we've detailed.  No camera is perfect, but this is a very good 2005 digicam.

Pros

• Slick, sophisticated style
• 5-megapixel CCD
• 3x Fujinon optical zoom
• Only .72 inches thick, 5.2 ounces
• Nice Natural Light option
• Great F-Chrome

Cons

• Needs better LCD screen
• Uses expensive xD Picture Cards;
• Requires budgeting for a larger card
• No AF Assist lamp
• Slower than competition when using flash
• No burst mode