A very capable piece of equipment

I'm an SLR guy going back to the Nikons that are gathering dust in my closet. Over the last year or so, I switched to digital and currently use a Finepix S9000. If you don't drop the aperture below 5.6 and do some lab work, it does a very nice job. It doesn't risk getting dust on the sensor and takes beautiful movies to boot.

Concerning the F30, I was really reluctant to use one of these little cameras. I'm 6'2" with large hands and couldn't wrap my mind around using something so small as an "always take along" contraption.

Happily, I was wrong. Manual control over aperture and shutter speed works well, although I'm finding that the "action" and other settings usually preclude the need.

The large and very clear screen (set to a 60 per second refresh rate) is excellent. You can view your subject in almost total darkness.

Auto Focus is excellent and color rendition is impressive. When set to "fine" mode, the photos are razor sharp with little purple fringing. As with any camera, there is noticeable softening with the aperture wide open. That's why you'll love the high ISO capabilities.

Don't be fooled into thinking that cameras with lower ISO capabilities equipped with stabilization devices can do the same job. These systems use inferior and fragile moving sensors or lenses which ONLY reduce camera shake. They do nothing for capturing action shots in reduced light situations. These devices are great for movie cameras, but for fast moving still photography, you need a usable high ISO.

With the F30, you can do some very nice work right through ISO 1600. You can use the ISO 3200 mode in a pinch, but for blow-ups, you should be prepared for some creative lab work.

This is a very superior and responsive piece of technology. Fuji even gives you a decently thought out menuing system which from my observation, is a first for them.

My rating is a spectacular for this kind of camera. Five stars for its kind.