Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: per week of underwater testing (video)

One thing’s obviously: we’re utterly thrilled with the direction that ruggedized cameras are heading. Canon’s PowerShot D10, while impressive, was more like a small stone than a bona fide P&S, but it surely wouldn’t take much convincing to make someone believe that Fujifilm’s FinePix XP30 was just another run-of-the-mill compact. Our pals over at Photography Blog already ran this thing in the course of the wringer earlier inside the year, but we couldn’t resist the chance to take it to 3 other places for testing. Namely, the enormous Island of Hawaii. We spent an exceptional week with the XP30 and Samsung’s W200 , and while neither ended up impressing us from a visible standpoint, they both shared one common lining of the silver variety: price. At just $184, the XP30 is very the discount given its neatly trimmed exterior, but was the performance enough to warrant a recommendation? Head on past the break for out thoughts, in addition to a heaping of sample shots or even an underwater video taken… after dark.

Design
Design wise, we did not have too many qualms. It managed to outlive a number of falls much more easily than our W200, and while there isn’t any visible “armor” per se, the slimmed chassis definitely proved able to taking a beating. Unfortunately, the rear LCD was tough to look in direct sunlight, and as with all other Fujifilm compact, the UI was dreadful. Graphics appeared as though they were concocted within the pre-Y2K era, and while the fundamentals were there, tinkerers should know that you just won’t find any manual settings here.

We also found it somewhat troubling that we needed to close the SD / battery door and then flip a “lock” switch for it to totally seal off. Forget that little order of industrial, and you will be coping with a whole lot worse than a blurry photo. The GPS function was certainly nice — folks that favor to journal their travels by 0 longitude and latitude 0 could have a field day — however it took well over five minutes in many instances for a lock to be found. No real shock there — GPS was slow on in-car navigators for eons — but it’s still frustrating, particularly on a tool with “point and shoot” inside the description.

Image quality
As for image quality? Frankly, it’s pretty poor in almost every scenario. It’s painfully easy to craft a beautifully blurred photograph (just look forward to a number of clouds to return out, or step indoors without flipping on all the lights), or even the “sharp” photos look dull and muted. It’s par for the course with waterproof cameras, however the XP30 took “lifeless” to a different level in all however the most ideal of ourdoor situations. We managed to spruce a couple of personal shots up with assistance from Adobe’s Lightroom, however the stock output is decidedly ho hum. Don’t take our word for it, though — there is a couple of galleries below as proof.

Underwater performance
Underwater performance wasn’t significantly better. We needed to hope for clear, sunny days and cloud-free water on the way to get much of anything worth remembering, or even those photos didn’t do the aquatic life any justice. We even tried to fireplace off a couple of shots at night while on a Manta Ray dive, and the implications were simply heartbreaking. Not that we expected anything different from a $184 camera, however the fact still stands.

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At the video front, things were somewhat more respectable. The jelly effect, while present, wasn’t enough to noticeably annoy us, and the underwater captures were actually quite impressive. We managed to snag a number of Manta Ray clips with only the sunshine from nearby flashlights, and the consequences were markedly better than the underwater photographs. Take a look for yourself and choose.

Wrap-up
All in all, the XP30 is a camera that appears better than it actually is. Even at $184, it’s hard to recommend to all however the most cash-strapped of vacationers. Despite being adequately rugged and able to handling a couple of feet of water, the lackluster image quality, lethargic GPS module and hit-or-miss video captures don’t exactly inspire confidence. You’re spending your dough on a more capable interchangeable lens camera and a case; outside of the drink, the XP30 is actually tragic, so unless you reside under the ocean, it won’t do you much good to have around within the majority of circumstances.

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This post is tagged: blurry photo, fujifilm finepix, island of hawaii, longitude and latitude, manual settings, order of business, visual standpoint