After some fuji30 test shots, though I can confirm that f30 is really a great camera for low light photography, I ran into a couple of struggles with surprises and I want to summarize below along with tips that I learned from othersStruggles:1. Auto mode tends to go into high iso setting such as iso1600 in indoor and pictures are acceptable but I will not rate them as good pictures. I am somewhat disappointed with the auto mode and I try to stay away from Auto mode completely. I try using all manual mode with ISO set for 100-200 outdoor and auto iso400 for indoor. Pictures coming straight out of the camera tend to be soft and flat. And I do get a high number of unsharp images. I try changing 'Photometry' from 'multi' to 'spot' and 'average and I am yet to experiment on the two settings.
2. In bright daylight outdoor, I get many over-exposed pictures in auto-mode with blown sky. I know, I know, many people suggested -1/3 ev for compensation, I have yet to try that
3. AutoFocus AF is relatively slow in keeping up with kids' movement. At first, I thought the f30 is great for taking pictures on kids indoor, I am yet to find the proper setting. Many indoor pictures without flash don't come out satisfactory especially on moving kids' pictures. Perhaps, I need to try more on S priority. As of now, I get many pictures (without flash) that have ghost images due to longer shutter. It is a tricky balance between iso, quality, and shutter speed, etc.
4. The biggest gripe is on the xD card, the proprietary USB connection and the software on FinePix that comes with the purchase. The little plastic cover makes it extremely difficult to connect to the PC. It is very frustrating experience every single time that I connect to the PC. I have never seen anything this bad in transferring photos to PC. The FinePix software that come with Fuji f30 purchase serves no purpose but negative impressions on fuji -- it is not worth installing on one's computer.
5. The xD card with Olympus type H is slower than the my two year old SD card rated at 60x. This is not a surprise as I know this way before purchase. But the first 4 points and the next on Firmware upgrade are all surprises for me.
6. Firmware upgrade. I did manage to get 1.02 firmware on my f30. The experience in downloading firmware to my f30 is really nightmare due to poorly documented instructions in fujifilmusa site.
Tips:1. Over-exposure in daylight:I started using -1/3ev and -2 on LCD brightness.2. Inconsistent metering with 'multi' photometry (subjective)I am trying both 'spot' and 'average' photometry setting.3. Kid's moving pictureI am experimenting with 'fast speed focus ON' in menu setting. I am also starting to rely on the flash when necessary on kids picture for indoor.
4. Focus huntingI am trying to pick focus on constrasty area and practice with different orientation on the camera.
5. Occasional color and contrast seem to be flat (subjective)I am playing with 'chrome', wb setting, pp 6. Occasional Soft pictures (subjective)I get suggestion to use a higher aperture f number such as f4 instead of f2.8. I am yet to experiment on Aperture priority
7. Others
Continuous shot to get mutiple
Natural + Light to take double pictures
First and last three shooting
2 and 10 second timer
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