Fujifilm Finepix E510

Review Date: February 17th 2005

Conclusion

(out of 5 stars)

The Finepix E510 is a commendable attempt by Fujifilm to make the finer points of photography accessible to a wider audience. Fujifilm have decided that beginner photographers do want to have control over things like apertures and shutter speeds, and so they should in my opinion - these are the key fundamental aspects of photography that make it so creative and enjoyable. Having said that, the Fujifilm Finepix E510 also has a number of auto and scene modes, which ensures that this camera can also be used as a point and shoot until you are confident enough to take over the reins. The other main attraction of this camera is the 28mm wide lens, which is a refreshing change after using so many cameras which have zooms that start at 35mm+.

On the downside, the Fujifilm Finepix E510 is not suitable for action photography. Focusing is good outdoors in good light and the camera is responsive enough, but it has no continuous shooting modes, it struggles to focus indoors and it takes nearly a second to store an image and get ready to take the next shot. There are also quite a few design and build-quality issues which betray the Finepix E510's entry level price-point. The all-plastic body flexes and creaks and there some aspects of the design, such as the battery compartment and USB port cover, which aren't as well though out as they should be. Image quality is fine and the large LCD screen is enjoyable to use, but at the end of the day the Fujifilm Finepix E510 is an average digital camera which allows you to get creative, but which also has some notable drawbacks. Whether the 5 megapixel Finepix E510 is worth £20/$20 more than the 4 megapixel Finepix E500 is up to you - the E510 did exhibit slightly more purple-fringing in the test images, but it does offer a slightly larger image size than the E500.

Related Links

Fujifilm UK: Fuji Finepix E510

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