Alan Stafford

Fujifilm FinePix F410

The best thing about the Fujifilm FinePix F410 is its size: This cute little camera is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket, or hang around your neck with the included leash. Clad in aluminum alloy, the F410 feels sturdy and looks chic. A sliding cover protects the camera when it's turned off. You slide a portion of the front panel to turn the camera on; and in a few seconds, you're ready to shoot. The cunning little sounds the camera makes when switched on may endear it to some people, but If you don't like that sort of thing, you can turn the sounds off.Overall, the camera works quickly: It focuses easily and fires rapidly, unlike many competing cameras that force you to wait patiently while the camera makes up its mind. After taking a shot, you can add an audio note to it, though the volume is weak.
This is a simple snapshooter, so you can't expect a gazillion features and manual controls; and almost all of the F410's operations are handled automatically. Still, we wish the camera could choose from more than two aperture values (f2.8 and f7). To get the proper exposure, the F410 primarily adjusts shutter speed. It has no scene modes or other shooting assistance, and it won't allow you to focus manually. You can't review just-taken shots in shooting mode; instead, you must look at them in playback mode after flipping a switch. Though you can set the camera shutoff time (to save the unit's battery), the minimum time is 2 minutes. Other models can go to sleep after as little as 30 seconds.
The F410 uses a CCD with 3 million effective pixels, but it can record an image equivalent to 6 million pixels. Nevertheless, the F410 earned average scores for a true 3-megapixel camera in our output judging. In unchallenging situations, such as well-lit outdoor shots, the F410 can take a sharp, attractive shot. It lacks a low-light focusing aid; but considering its small size, it has a relatively powerful flash. The tiny camera's tiny battery held out for nearly 2.5 hours--an average performance. It uses very compact XD-Picture Card media, but many media readers or printers with media slots don't support this new media format. Fujifilm offers an optional docking station for the F410 (priced at around $80), which simplifies the tasks of transferring photos and keeping the camera's battery fully charged.
The stylish FinePix F410 is hard to dislike, but it's expensive for a model with moderate resolution and limited features.

Buying Information

Fujifilm FinePix F410 3.1 megapixels, 2816 by 2112 maximum resolution, 38mm-to-114mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8 and f7 apertures, shutter speeds from 1/4 second to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB connections, 16MB XD-Picture Card media, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 6.8 ounces with battery, FinePix Viewer software. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-call support for 12 hours on weekdays. $ 450 3.1 megapixels, 2816 by 2112 maximum resolution, 38mm-to-114mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8 and f7 apertures, shutter speeds from 1/4 second to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB connections, 16MB XD-Picture Card media, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 6.8 ounces with battery, FinePix Viewer software. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-call support for 12 hours on weekdays. http://www.fujifilm.com 800/800-3854