Fuji Reviews

It has a unique ON button. Very user friendly with simple functions and buttons. It lacks Manual Functions. Picture quality's superb except for some visible purple noise for low light shots. Durable Battery Life. Visit http://www.pbase.com/jv3nus for pictures i took using this camera.

Small, compact, and amazing pictures. The battery life on this thing is amazing, I've taken 200+ shots on highest resolution and I've had this camera for over 4 months and I have NEVER seen the battery level drop. The only downfall is a little purple noise with low light shots.

Overall, I would suggest this camera to anyone who wants a simple and tiny camera that will take great pictures whenever they are needed.

This is my third digital camera, the previous 2 being a Fujifilm FinePix 1300, and a Fujifilm FinePix 2800. My first comment is that I miss the 6x optical zoom of the 2800 which was really powerful.

The camera is beautifully designed, cool looking in a style that will not look out of date in a hurry, and also very compact and thus easy to carry about, say in a shirt pocket. As an architect, I love to be able to whip out and shoot any scenery, sunset or building that catches my fancy at anytime and this serves just fine. To enable me to take lots of photos at a go, I got a 128Mb card which stores 86 images at the 6 mega pixel resolution.

It is very simple to use (you literally snap away once you have set up, which is very easy to do) and shortcut buttons eliminate the need to twiddle in the menu section in search of most options such as different flash settings, different resolution settings, Macro mode (amazing close ups), and many others. There are also some pop ups to guide you, reducing your dependence on the manual (which, like all Fujifilm manuals I have seen, is very detailed and easy to use) except for really major issues.

Images viewed in the LCD display are really clear and bright when it is used as a viewfinder, especially for indoor shots (was dark for my 2 previous cameras). Viewing of images stored on the card is very easy. You can zoom into images (in playback mode), as well as pan around to see hidden bits (at the sides, top and bottom, which are usually hidden the larger the zoomed image is) which I find a very helpful feature. You can also crop images. The welcome LCD display (and accompanying star trek like bleeps) adds a nice touch.

The AF/AE lock is a breeze to use and takes exceptional shots every time. Photo quality is really amazing. You can pick out fine details in the background of the subject. Colours and contrasts are good and sharp. Flash modes are easy to access and dark indoor shots taken using suppressed flash yielded amazing results. However, the darker it is, the more noise in the picture. Outdoor shots on a bright day are unbelievable in their clarity.

The Movie clips with audio are very simple to make, and it is very easy to switch between resolutions (320x240 for 120sec clips, 160x120 for 480sec clips). Results are quite good, though best results are obtained where there is a lot of light, e.g. outdoors on a sunny day.

Battery life is very good but it's always best to have a spare. The battery charges in just under two and a half hours which also is helpful if you don't have all day.

The cradle is stylish looking too. I have mine permanently hooked to my PC and just place the camera on it, switch it on, and the software launches and downloads everything quite fast.
The FinePixViewer software is very good. It is very easy to view folder contents at a glance, set up a slide show, etc. You get lots of print options from full photo, Index 1x2 (2 photos on a sheet), 2x2, through to 7x5.

Print results are simply breathtaking, whatever the size of paper, up to A3. Colours are rich and images very realistic looking.

This is a camera I would recommend without hesitation. It blows away any other camera in its class or price range. I have had it for just 7 months. Friends of mine (one of whom owns a Canon Powershot A70 but wishes he got this) who have handled it are impressed. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive, compact, high resolution camera, look no further. I hope this review helps you.

I recently purchased the fujifilm F401 camera and I say that my money isn't wasted.

F401 is a compact nice looking piece of work that, for what it is, delivers very good quality pictures. I have printed 24x30 size pictures taken with this camera (setting 4Normal) and they look fine.

I have tested the camera in both outdoors and indoors conditions and it has performed very well. In outdoors conditions I have got excellent results while for indoors although the photos came out nice, I have the impression that the flash is not 100% adequate.

Disadvantages of the camera is that it does not have a focusing illuminator, which makes it impossible to focus in very low light conditions and that it lacks of extensive manual controls which is not usually expected for a camera of this class. When focus fails if the subject is 2-4 meters away the photo comes out ok.

The usb connection and software (finepix viewer) is also well behaved. When the camera is connected with the PC a virtual disk is created on the computer containing the camera photos, like accessing a CD, which makes it easy to use any software you like to see and copy the pictures from camera to PC.

Generally I would rate this camera as 90%.

I received my f401 just in time for the Thanksgiving Holidays. I took over 150 photos and 3 short videos and had tons of room to spare on my 128 card. The photos turned out beautiful. I do believe that the flash is a bit too low for some indoor shots of subjects not close to camera. Now that I know I can work around that problem. I used the suppressed flash and got a good shot of my husband in the dark with Christmas lights behind him. He showed up as well as the lighted decorations abt 20 ft behind him. A tripod is suggested when using this feature or sit the camera down on a good solid surface and line up the shot.
It is very easy to use. The macro has given me some awesome shots.
Be sure and read the manuel and learn the functions...especially the suppressed flash.
My husband is very impressed and he is a 35mm man.
I also got the docking station that is worth it's weight in gold for this camera.
Very, very happy with my Fuji f401!

I have had this camera for almost a year and can't say enough about it. The main point would be the size, it is small enough for me to stick it in a pocket and forget I have it. As a result, I take it to many places I would have never hauled a camera before.

Also, as a digital, I upgraded to a 128M card and can take almost 100 pictures. I have never run the battery out even using the flash extensively. Since I bought it in June 2003, I have taken 2245 pictures! I don't think I took that many pictures my entire life before that. In addition, these pictures are organized on my computer, posted on the web, burned on CDs and sent to parents, and printed using online services at $0.12 ea for 4"x6" prints!

In short, not only do I like the digital aspect, I like the reliability and size of this specific camera. I would recommend it hands down for the people like me, that want more pictures of their friends and family and don't want to spend a fortune on film or carry a cumbersome and delicate camera.

This cradle is an awesome little docking station for this camera. It does everything you could ask from a dock. It charges, it transfers, and it stabilizes. Great overall - I give it an A.

I've ordered not one, not two, but three different cradles from Amazon for my Fuji A210 and I still don't have one that works and includes all the correct parts. The first one didn't work--it charged the batteries for only 15 to 30 minutes which meant that I could only take a few photos before the batteries went dead. I returned it and Amazon sent me a second one but the video cord was missing from the box. Amazon then sent me a third one and it was missing the same cord that was missing from the second box. Since this is the only style cradle I've been able to find that is compatible with this camera, I plan to return the camera, the spare batteries, and the photo card to Amazon for a complete refund and then start all over again with my camera selection. Don't waste your time on Fuji products like I did.

I just bought the A210 and am terribly disappointed in the short term life of the batteries Fuji enclosed in the package. I appreicate your comments on the charger, as I just about ready to order that, thinking it would be best and would avoid the costs of the batteries. I am also finding that my picture frames don't follow suit...they skip backwards 2-4 digits when you take a pic, so you don't have a clue as to where you are. I was a firm believer in Fuji and Fuji films...I am saddened to read y our issues, and a few of my own that I have. The camera overall, seems to take great pics, but what do we do about the short life of batteries, and trying to find a decent charger and power supply cord? I guess we need to go to the Fuji site directly.
Some one in Mass.

After just purchasing the FujiFilm Finepix A210 camera, I decided that the cradle would be a great complement to it.

I had researched which batteries were the most dexterous for power-intensive digital devices. After some browsing on the web, I decided that the MAHA Powerex 2300 mAH NiMH's were the best choice.

The cradle arrived from Amazon today and I was shocked, after reading the manual - to find that Fuji says that other consumer-brand NiMH batteries either a) will not work with the cradle, or b) are not recommended to be used with the cradle.

There was no in-depth explanation given, other than that the manual recommended only the Fujifilm NH-10 NiMH's be used with the charger and camera. What gives? Is Fujifilm forcing you to buy only their brand of batteries in order to make use of the cradle, when there are other batteries which have proven to have more longevity?

My second problem is with the cradle's design. The camera itself comes packaged with a cheap, and somewhat flimsy plastic adapter/housing for the camera to sit in. Don't be deceived by the picture above - the holder seen on top of the cradle does not come with the cradle. It is only sold with the a210 camera or other appropriate model.

Rather than just make the adapter/holder a part of the cradle, it's a separate accessory - and makes the unit seem chinsy and not "solid". I would rather slide the camera into something that feels like a glove around the camera while it recharges. You are not afforded this with the cradle, because the plastic holder does not fit around the camera with a snug fit. Instead, when I find myself trying to put the camera into the cradle, I have to wiggle it around a bit in order for the bottom of the camera to mate up properly with the male plug which connects from the adapter to the camera body.

Overall, it's just a very poor implementation in concept and design.

Thirdly, the USB cable which comes with the cradle is only about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long!

Remember - the a210 supposedly features a webcam mode. Unless your computer tower is in the direct vicinity of the cradle, you're probably going to have to move your computer in order to get the camera/webcam where you want it to be. a 3-foot usb cord is simply not long enough for most webcam to pc configurations. 6 feet, even 10 feet would be much more ideal.

I had wanted to put the camera/cradle on the other side of my monitor near the light source on my desk. Unfortunately, I can't do that - the usb cable simply can't reach. 6 feet would have been perfect. Alas, I'm out of luck. Now I have to move my tower just to put the camera and cradle where it should've naturally been able to be placed. You might say - "Sure, well just go buy another USB cable."

It's not that easy. The cradle requires a specialized usb cable, because the connector on one end of this cable is a proprietary design, something I've never seen used with other digital devices.

Those are the three biggest problems I've found with this cradle. I really do hope that it is possible to use other NiMH batteries with the cradle, if not - Fujifilm has just forced you to continue buying only their batteries for your Finepix camera, and their offerings are certainly inferior to the MAHA Powerex's in terms of longevity. Many sites around the internet offer comparison graphs revealing which batteries are the best performers, and the Powerex's are #1.

So I have to say, shame on you Fuji, for misleading your customers. Your cradle's charger should be compatible with any brand of rechargeable NiMH batteries which are ideal for use with the Finepix a210 - not only compatible with your brand of rechargeable batteries.

Proprietary usb cable connector on the short included usb cable, proprietary rechargeable batteries - shame, shame.

This camera is a lot smaller than the last year model, Fuji FinePix A210 and costs about 20 to 30 dollars more. I bought this camera based on the reviews on the A210. This is my second digital camera. The camera comes with 2 Alkaline batteries, a 16M xD memory card. I use 2 NimH rechargeable batteries instead. It doesn't come with a case.

The Fuji A330 camera is a point-and-shoot camera that has red eye reduction. I was able to operate without reading the instruction manual. Under bight light, the LCD screen is very fade and hard to see. If you want to download the pictures to the computer, you will need to install the USB driver. I have Windows 2000 and the software installation is a snap.

The outdoor pictures are acceptable. However I was disappointed with indoor pictures. Even at a 4-5 feet range, the pictures were dark.

What a pleaser to finaly get a Camera that works for my specific needs that I use it for.As I take my company's product pics with it and most of the time the colors and evrything comes out perfect only time its not perfect is when my lighting is in correct and the high res. and low res options also is fantastic.

This is my second digital camera in 5 years - handed down the old one to the kids. I was hesitant to give up my old one because of how easy it was to use (an old HP model)but it was bulky and I wanted some new features. I bought the Sony DSC P32 and hated how complicated it was. I hung on to it for 90 days hoping I could dedicate a week or so to reading about how to use the darn thing when I finally gave up and returned it. I was referred to the Fuji A330 for ease of use. It is so easy, my kids use it! It takes great pictures all around - inside, outside, light or dark. The software also is much better than what came with the Sony I returned. A friend bought the Nikon 3200 and we compared our cameras to eachother. We found them to have practically identical features except that the Fuji is about $50 less so I know I get the better deal. One very important thing to keep in mind is that the software be user friendly. Even if you find a camera that you like, if the software stinks, you won't get the best use out of your camera. The software with the Fuji is good.

Ever tried using an Olympus digital camera and wished it were a little easier to navigate the menu's? Fuji digital cameras are the answer!

I've tried Olympus' digital cameras before and must say the people who designed the menus and buttons were not thinking of the average camera user when designing it.

This little A310 camera is nice. It has an automatic sliding cover that covers the lens when the camera is turned off.

The pictures it takes are great, as long as you are in Fine (3MP) mode. 1 and 2 MP modes are good too, but noticeably less than the 3MP. Macro mode works excellent. Colors are good.

To compare it to an older Fuji Finepix 2400 camera- the 2400 would show mysterious white circles in the photos when taking pictures under low-battery conditions. With the A310, I can take pictures until the batteries are on their last legs.

The only real beef I have with this camera is that its movie mode does not allow sound via any type of built-in microphone. You're stuck with silent movies. This isn't a big deal me however, since I'm not into videotaping..

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Please see the pictures in my photo gallery (www.people.umass.edu/nishanth/ ) which I took with FinePix A310 at 1MP setting.

+ Points:
It doesn't drain the batteries quickly as others.
Crystal clear pictures.
Extreme close-up and long range shots with equal ease.
Light, compact and elegant.
High quality 6 MP prints.
Equipped with almost all functions which you can ever need.
Easy picture management software.

The only defect I can find is the lack of an UV filter.
I strongly recommend its purchase.

I own an awesome Canon Rebel S2 camera (35mm) and needed a fit-me-in-a-pocket sleek digital camera with decent megapixels. I saw this camera and bought - LOVE IT! It shoots in 6 MEGAPIXELS! What Fuji did was they found a way to "overlap" the 3.1 megapixels onto eachother to creat 6 megapxls.
I OWN IT FOR OVER 2 WEEKS NOW AND TESTED THE PHOTO QUALITY:
Let me tell you the COLOR is 100% ACCURATE - TRUE TO LIFE COLOR which was my number 1 quality I was looking for (next to megapxl and clarity).

I blew up one of the photos to 13" x 18" and THE PICTURE IS CRYSTAL CLEAR, the picture was of me and my dog and you can see the finest hairs on my dog. NO PIXELATION WHATSOEVER!!!! People were very impressed!!!!

It's very compact. The next best one is Canon S400. See the complete reviews with test images at www.imaging-resource.com . For the money you can't beat it!
Wait a year or two and then upgrade to a fancy 5 megapixel or by then 8 megapixel
(which just came out for $1000). Technology rapidly advances- in the meantime stick with this camera- you'll love it!!!

Krissy

I will try to point out some of the problems with this camera,

1. It looks cheap and feels cheap plastic. Cover of lens although good looking in pictures, is very flimsy. Try playing with one in a store and you will realize what I mean. Its basically a very thin sheet held by a spring, sure to break soon.
2. Too thick/big to compete with Canon Elph's.
3. Very less weight means more camera shake and blurry pictures. Yes for a digital camera being too light is also problematic.
4. Picture quality only average for a 3MP. Nothing spectacular. Don't be guided by just a "3MP" tag... doesn't necesaarily mean better quality. (Just like having fastest processor on your PC doesn't mean best performance, other things like motherboard, chispet, memory etc also count)
5. Has max shutter of only 1/2 sec, meaning you won't get any decent night or low light pictures.
6. No Video out port for watching pics on TV.
7. No sound recorded with movies. Movies have too low frame rate and useless quality. Use as a webcam also isn't practical.
8. Lens worse than even other Fuji, 2650.
9. To make things worse, it uses a propreitary xD card which is *more than twice* as expensive as CF card here on Amazon. Plus there's no 128MB in stock anywhere as of today. Death to xD card !

Why wouldn't someone buy a Canon A40/S200/S330 or Fuji 2650 or Nikon 2500 or Minolta Dimage X or one of dozens of Kodak/Sony/HP models floating around ? Why A303 with new propreitary card and no features for the price except a 3MP tag ? Maybe you might like it though.

I don't see any reason why Fuji couldn't use SD or MMC or CF or one of the existing formats or add video out and better movie mode. Hopefully FujiFilm will come with something better next time around !

I got this camera as a graduation gift (it was my first digital camera) last June. This is a good camera for beginners, if all you really do is pretty harmless point and click, but for anyone truly interested in photography, I wouldn't really suggest it.

The pros:
-good quality photos, especially for a 3.2.
-small, compact size and shape
-surprisingly durable (at least in the beginning). I took it out in the snow during the huge East Coast snowstorm and it performed very well. Lens froze a couple of times, but if you just breathe hot air onto it, it should start working again.
-runs on AA, so if the battery level runs low and you have extra AAs handy, you can still use the camera (versus Canon cameras where you have to use camera specific batteries)

The cons:
-HUGE, and I mean LONG delay between photos. 5 seconds may not seem like a long time, but when you're waiting for that perfect shot...and the camera misses it and you have to wait another 5 seconds for the flash to prepare itself again, the moment will already have been lost.
-The shutter cover is very flimsy.
-Movie mode includes no sound.
-Weak zoom.
-Drains alkaline AA power very quickly, so you'll have to buy rechargable Lithium Ion batteries (not that big of a deal though).
-uses xD (although these days the camera market is much more accepting of xDs and it's easier to find products that are created for them.). Cards can be quite expensive.
-Lastly, it's been slightly more than a year since I got this camera and it has completed died out on me. I haven't used this camera in about two months because I haven't been able to turn it on. I hold the power switch and nothing happens (it's definitely not the batteries).

Basically, if you're looking for a camera that will last and give you good quality photos, I wouldn't really buy this one. Look into the Canon PowerShot line, they're much more sturdy, record up to 3 minutes of video with sound, and are much better in general.

Pros: This camera is compact, easy to use, has very good photo quality, inexpensive, Easy menu navigation, 3X zoom lens in relatively compact body, separate self-timer mode.

Cons: The movie (video) mode has no sound, Some add ons are a must and cost more, No rechargeable battery included, fairly long shot-to-shot delay, noisy images.

Summary: Just bought the A303, and I don't think I could be any happier. I have been snapping and printing shots for the past few days and it has been very easy, even for a technological nivice such as myself. The camera is small, good looking, and lightweight (7oz!). I Paid $300 before accessories, resonable for 3 megapixels. The camera basically comes with everything one would need, but for those who take a lot of shots, a larger memory card (16mb included with camera) would be necessary. I looked at many other brands. Canons were a little bit overpriced, Sonys looked good, but the accessories end up costing more than the camera. If your first time digital enthusiast like me, go for the A303, you won't be sorry!

I wanted an inexpensive and fairly small 2-megapixel digital camera for vacations and outdoor use, and at less than $100, this camera is beyond what I was hoping for. This is my third digital camera, and it's by far the easiest one to use, plus the image quality is excellent. Excellent, of course, is a relative term in the field of digital cameras... like many low-end cameras, it shoots at the equivalent of 100-speed film, which makes for grainy images if you are not shooting outdoors or with a good amount of light, but the flash does a great job and it's really not hard to get good quality images. If you want to take fine art photos, you need a much more expensive camera anyway. A big plus for this one is the 3x optical zoom. Most low end digital cameras only offer digital zoom, but don't let them fool you-- digital zoom is exactly the same thing as cropping your pictures and does not actually make them better. Also, many low-end cameras have a fixed focus, which will make all of your photos come out looking rather flat. The Fuji 205, while it has no maunal f-stop (aperture control) or focus, self adjusts these things to take nice pictures with the subject in focus and the background slightly out of focus. Full manual control is nice for some things, but for point and shoot, you can't beat the simplicity of this camera. Plus, I don't have to worry too much about taking it along when I go somewhere I wouldn't want my $450 camera to go, like the beach or on a boat.

As far as battery life, please do yourself a favor if you are buying ANY digital camera and get NiMH rechargable batteries. Alkaline batteries are simply wasted in a digital camera... they are not strong enough and you are throwing your money away if you try to use them. Get a quick charger and 2 sets of batteries, and you'll be happy and save money.

Pros: a quality camera that takes good pictures at a great price.
Cons: needs lots of light, no manual controls

I bought this camera about 2 weeks ago. It's a pretty good one. Picture quality for outdoors are excellent, even it only has 2MP. But indoor pictures are not very clear. Anyway, what do you expect for a $100 DC?. I am very satisfied with it.

I bought this camera based solely on the Fuji name, since I have had good experiences with them in the past. This camera was extremely easy to set up, and since it was my first digital camera, it was really important for me to not have to read a big thick manual just to take a picture. For the price I paid, I think I got way more than I could have, had I bought a similar camera by a different company. The pictures are crisp, clear, and contrary to what another reviewer mentioned, I have had no problems with the flash. Since I am a beginner, I was quite suprised at how good the pictures came out! My alkaline batteries started to die within the first day, but I think that was because I had the camera on pretty much all day, since I was taking pictures os everything. I purchased some rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, and so far, my battery light hasn't come on, and I've had them in for 5 days. Anyways, if you're not looking for a top-of-the-line 5 MP camera, and just want a camera that takes really good pictures for not very much money, I would definitely go for this camera.