Fuji FinePix 40iLook! There in your pocket! It's a camera! It's an MP3 player! It's... The Fujifilm Finepix 40i!<<Image Storage & Interface :(Previous) | (Next): Test Results & Conclusion>> Page 11:Video, Power, SoftwareReview First Posted: 11/03/2000 |
Video Out
US and Japanese versions of the F40i come with an NTSC video cable for connection
to a television set (European models come with the appropriate PAL cable and
signal timing). Images can be reviewed on the television screen or recorded
to video tape. You can also use the television as an enlarged version of the
LCD display for composing and capturing images. The output cable is a true A/V
cable, as it fans out into two RCA jacks, one for video, and one for audio.
Plugged into any video monitor (or TV with direct video and audio inputs), the
audio capabilities of the F40i, and the remote control, make for an unusually
effective portable presentation device.
Power
The F40i uses two AA Ni-MH or Ni-Cd batteries for power. The camera comes with
two Ni-MH batteries and a charger, and an AC adapter which can be purchased
as an optional accessory. Fujifilm estimates that two Ni-MH batteries should
provide about 80 minutes of operating time with the LCD monitor on, and about
230 minutes with it off. Alkaline batteries can be used if necessary, but they
do not provide enough power to run the camera with the LCD monitor. An automatic
shutoff function, controlled through the Setup portion of the Record menu, signals
the camera to shut itself off after a certain period of inactivity.
|
|
|
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
|
| Capture Mode, no LCD |
|
| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
|
| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
|
| Memory Write (transient) |
|
| Flash Recharge (transient) |
|
| Image Playback |
|
Because it only packs two AA cells, power consumption and battery life is really
the FinePix 40i's Achilles' heel: Because the cell voltage is lower, the camera's
circuitry must draw much higher currents to obtain the same power than as if
it were working from a four-cell pack. The net of this is that battery life
in the 40i is rather short. (We need to do some explicit battery-life testing,
but based on our power drain measurements above and past experience, we'd say
that Fuji's claim of 80 minutes of run time with the LCD display on is rather
optimistic: We'd be very surprised to find a set of fresh batteries lasting
more than 60 minutes.
Included Software
A Utilities software CD accompanies the F40i and is compatible with Windows
(98 or 2000) and Macintosh (OS 8.5.1 to 9.0) operating systems. Included on
the CD are a USB driver, Exif Viewer, DP Editor, Audio Downloading Software,
Real Jukebox Plus (for Windows), MacMP3 Limited Edition (for Macintosh), Exif
Launcher (Windows only, to launch the Exif Viewer software), and Adobe ActiveShare
(Windows only, for sharing images over the Web).
The Exif Viewer software allows you to index images on the digital camera, as
well as view and print images on the SmartMedia card. Exif Viewer also provides
limited image correction tools. DP Editor is a print ordering application that
allows you to set up images for printing on any DPOF compatible device. The
Audio Downloading Software application provides utilities for downloading MP3
files stored on your computer to the SmartMedia card (with ID), for playing
on the F40i. Real Jukebox Plus and MacMP3 Limited Edition allow you to create
MP3 files from audio CDs. Audio Downloading Software converts MP3 files to an
encrypted .SQV format before uploading them to the DSAM directory of the SmartMedia
card. The software associates the transferred MP3 file with the SmartMedia card
ID, to prevent any further copying of files.
Follow Imaging Resource: