Fujifilm's 2004 wide-angle compact — 5.2MP CCD, 28-91mm zoom, aperture/shutter priority, xD card, AA power
The FinePix E510 was announced in July 2004 alongside the 4-megapixel E500 as part of Fujifilm's E-series of enthusiast-leaning compacts. Its distinguishing feature for the time was a lens starting at a genuine 28mm equivalent wide angle, when most rival compacts still began at 35mm.
It paired a 5.2-megapixel CCD with a 28-91mm equivalent zoom, a 2in LCD, a pop-up flash and a pronounced handgrip. Unlike most small compacts of its day it offered aperture priority, shutter priority and program shift alongside full auto, plus manual focus. Images saved as JPEG up to 2592x1944 to xD-Picture Cards (16-512MB supported), movies recorded with sound, and power came from AA batteries.
The wide 28mm end and real manual controls made it a favourite with learners and travellers who wanted creative control in a pocketable AA-powered body. It remains a cheap way into CCD compact photography, though the screen is small and operation leisurely by later standards.
Check the pop-up flash deploys and fires, the LCD is unmarked, and the AA contacts are free of leakage corrosion. The xD-Picture Card format is discontinued, so a working bundled card is worth having. Sample shots should show the punchy CCD colour these early-2000s Fujifilm compacts are increasingly sought for.