Digital-Camera Reviews

This bag comes with a charger and rechargeable battaries. The battaries are great themselves... however the charger takes 6 hours to fully charge the battaries.The charger is also bulky and I was worried about it scratching my camera. You can pickup a faster charger (I have one now for only 2 hours... and some charge battaries in 30 minutes!). The bag is roomy... I have 6 spare AA bataries and a memory card in the front pouch and room for more. Then in the main compartment my camera (A303) and charger fit nicely with room to spare.

This Fuji case has no padding and no compartments for batteries, spare memory cards, etc.
The Lowepro TX200, which is listed as a compact camcorder case, is ideal. It holds the camera snug, has a couple of small pockets, and is a much better value.

After discovering that the makers of a great camera would only offer such an inferior case, I did some more looking. What I ended up with was a Pelican case. For those not familiar with these cases stop by any camera/photo shop, and they most likely carry them. They come in many sizes and are simply an airtight, waterproof high impact plastic case with very snug fitting latches. The inside is solid soft foam that you "pluck" to fit what ever you want to store in the case. I purchased the 1300 for my Finepix 3800. The case easily holds the camera, battery charger, mini tripod, and 3 XD cards. They come in 4 or 5 colors, and can be used for almost anything you want to protect from damage.

It's only good feature is that it fits the camera like a tight glove. But...
1. It's not leather, it's black and silver vinyl, and no protective padding.
2. There are no extra pockets or room in the case for spare batteries, the USB cable, etc. You could drop a loose xD memory card inside.
3. There are no belt loops or a strap on the case. You have to use the narrow strap on the camera. Because of the openings for the strap, the case is not fully enclosed. Keep it out of the rain!

I'll take the camera with me to local stores and try to find an enclosed, padded case, with storage space and at least belt loops. I'd looked a bit before I bought this case, but because of the prominent zoom lens most digicam cases are too small.

it just like a double thick size of a smart media, with its 680mAh you can still takes over hundred photo using LCD...

Battery has a short life, does not provide life indicated in the manual. Flash drains the battery after about 20 - 25 pictures. Its does fairly good if you do not use the flash or the LCD viewer.

This is a really good camera. The image quality is excellent: when this camera is set to "Normal" you get the same picture quality as many other camera's "High Quality" setting. You can choose between three quality levels (Basic, Normal, Fine) and two resolutions (640x480 or 1280x1024).

Using the video-output port with the included cable, you can view images or even do a slide show on any television that has a regular input (RCA composite video). Just think, no more slide trays!

The camera comes with a serial cable and software for both Windows and Macintosh, but as for every SmartMedia camera I HIGHLY recommend using an external card reader, which is much faster than any PCMCIA or Floppy adapter. I use a Feiya USB reader/writer and it works seamlessly. The other item I recommend is a 32MB (or at least 16MB) SmartMedia card. The 4MB card that the unit comes with is not practical. At normal quality/high resolution, a 32MB card will store about 100 images. Using a SmartMedia card reader, it is not necessary to install the software that comes with this camera... you can open the JPEG images directly into any application.

Another great thing about the camera is the internal lithium rechargeable battery. A single charge of this battery can last for 100 shots when you use the 1.7" LCD to frame your pictures, or over 500 shots if you use the traditional viewfinder. This battery will save you $$$ compared to other cameras that just eat up Alkaline batteries and pollute the earth.

I have only two issues with this camera, both of which some people might not care about...

1. After you take a picture, it takes 5 seconds to write the image onto the card before you can take another picture. 2. Occasionally, indoors, when you press the shutter release it doesn't take a picture just when you want it to, you might have to let go, move the camera, and then press the button again because the camera doesn't like the exposure/lighting conditions (unless you're using the manual exposure mode, where you can set your own white balance, exposure levels, flash brightness, and aperture depth).

Other features are 3x optical zoom (equivalent to 105mm), additional 2x digital zoom, filter functions (soft focus and 4 cross filters) and an external flash sync. Although this camera costs more than your average digital camera, you get what you pay for... in terms of image quality, features, and ease of use.

It wasn't that long ago that you could expect to pay £600 plus for a "cutting edge" digital camera with a gob-smacking 350,000 pixel ccd and images that looked like they'd been taken through the bottom of a jam jar, and as a qualified photographer I backed away from the digital scene to concentrate on 35mm and medium format. Well, I've spent the last year or so trying several cheap to midrange cameras, and Fujifilm seem to have got things pretty much spot on with this one. The control over image compression and the various file size options, coupled with a very accomplished 1.5 million pixel (mega-pixel) ccd mean this camera is able to to produce some incredibly detailed shots. Colours are excellent with no obvious weaknesses on any particular shade, and the exposure seems accurate on just about every shot taken. Neutral colours stay neutral(e.g. skintones) and primaries are vivid, giving a lovely sense of sharpness and contrast. Even up close, the flash performs well, with output metered through a front facing sensor, any tendancies to burn out are very well controlled. Also, the 1.8" LCD screen is clean and sharp, and when the light levels make it unuseable, there's always the optical viewfinder to fall back on. Battery life is very respectable for a camera of this type, and the option to use a mains adapter is always there for shots near a power supply. The smart card is a bit of a letdown at only 4 meg, but at this price something has to give, and I'd rather it was the smartcard size than cutting corners on features or build quality. transfer speeds to the PC are a little slow, but considering the file sizes this is hardly surprising, and it's still a damned sight quicker than sending a film to the lab. I honestly think that with its features, performance and price, this is the start of an era where digital cameras begin to threaten traditional photographic techniques for supremacy, and though they're not there yet, this is a huge step in the right direction. If you want to publish your pictures in a magazine or produce a professional calendar, then buy a Leica, but if you want top notch digital images that rival most cheap to midrange 35mm cameras at a sensible price, then put in your order now while you're here.

I bought this camera for Turkey day and have used it a lot over both holidays. I made some user errors at first but now I'm getting great shots consistently. I was a bit disabused to find it cheaper but that's life. Amazon has other advantages such as delivering it to my door the next day even though I only requested standard shipping.

The quality of the images is very good and dramatically superior to regular film cameras in many ways. For example, items in the background don't get overpowered by the flash and foreground items. In an interior shot with flash, you can still see things out the window and in the street, very clearly. Reviewing the images on a computer, you find clear stuff in the background that you didn't even know was there, such as cute expressions on the dog's face, etc.

Once you get the images on your PC, the quality is impressive even with the default jpg compression. Compared to scanned photos, they look at least twice as good, even if you zoom in considerably.

I've only used automatic exposure mode so far, and still gotten great shots. Only about 3 have been blurry. My brother tried the manual mode and liked it too.

Don't bother buying it without a spare flash card, because its included flash card only holds about 10 shots (it's 4Mb). I use a 32Mb card now and seem to have plenty of space on it so far.

Transfer rate to a PC via included cables and software is painfully slow, and it virtually locks up your PC no matter how fast its cpu is. It takes nearly an hour to transfer the whole 32Mb flash card over. During that time you can't even read email. I'm actually here right now on Amazon's pages shopping for a faster way to transfer, such as a flash card reader that uses the floppy drive or USB port. Parallel and serial ports terribly effective. Eyes are often still red. Also, there's a long time between the pre-flash and the final flash. My 9-month son blinks after its first flash, so his eyes are often partially closed during the final flash and exposure.

2. It's too easy to confuse the autofocus feature with taking a shot. If you press lightly, it makes a sound as if it were taking a shot, but it's just autofocusing. I have to remind myself to push again on the shutter, or lose the shot because in fact it's not even taken yet. This is at least partially a user error.

3. The flash recovery time is slow.

4. There's no way to tell how low your battery is until it's almost dead. As a result I tend to charge it whenever I can during family events so it'll be ready for fun. Fuji should include a battery meter in the display.

5. The manual is not very clear on image formats and their respective advantages. There are 3 levels of jpg compression available, but when you drag and drop to you PC there's actually only one in-between level (it's between best and standard - go figure...but actually that's what I would choose anyway). Tiff is poorly explained, and there's no help on Windows versus Unix formats, etc. Not everyone knows about that so the manual should help at least a bit.

Overall it's a great camera and I'd buy it again.

This is the first major camera purchase I have made since I bought the Canon AE-1 many years ago. I have taken and printed several pictures with it and am very pleased. Since I'm new to digital cameras, I'm not sure what all the hype is about concerning mega pixels. From what I can tell you can only squeeze so many pixels into a 3x5 rectangle anyway. I have printed an 8x10 with my HP812 and I am stunned by the quality. I just can't see why I would need anything more than this camera has. Dittos to other posts: buy at least a 32M card to replace the 8M one; you need at least 1 extra battery and the BC-80 quick charger (1 hour vs 8). A word of warning here -- though I live in a large metropolitan area, neither the battery nor the charger was available locally through camera specialty stores or huge discount stores. The specialist battery store doesn't even stock them. A call to Fujifilm resulted in a recommendation to a webstore that specializes in digital gear. Be prepared to spend [more money] for the charger and the battery. The point is that, evidently, Fuji has not made a significant impact on the market here in the U.S. for digital cameras. Anything you need may have to be ordered. After you're set up though, you may not need much else. Easy to use, super USB connection, lightweight, compact, nice features, and a quality product. AE-1 has been retired!

There are many good things to say about this package but one of the best is that it works so much like a regular camera that most first time users will never become confused. In addition, for the more advanced user, it has almost all of the manual settings that you would ever use. You may see cameras at a lower price but then you have to add everything on. This comes with a recharger built in and unlike other comments, I found that I could take about 30 pictures and delete all but 15 without running the battery down at all. The key I think is to not use the LCD display unless you have to. The pictures in "Normal" mode are excellent for e-mail or e-bay and print out very well. The detachable flash is a real lifesaver (battery life that is) and works well. Having the AC adapter is a real bonus if you take a lot of pictures in a controled setting (such as for on-line auctions) or for when you are reviewing pictures on the TV or PC. I did have some difficulty loading the USB Card Reader but I think it was more "user error" than anything. I couldn't use the CD provided because it won't work with auto-run and my PC kept trying to open it as an audio CD. I then went to fujifilmsupport.com but it took me a long time to find the correct download. When I did get it, something about the program disabled my modem and I had to delete and re-load it again. Once I figured it out, it worked great. Again, I may have missed a step so I wouldn't make this a deciding point in purchasing this package. The zoom is excellent but I wouldn't count on the digital zoom being much help; the resolution goes down quick and you end up with a pretty low resolution pic. We spent a great deal of time researching cameras and this is by far the best for the money. I have to say one more thing: Amazon's service is incomparable. We ordered this camera on Saturday, regular mail. They sent it UPS on Sunday and we recieved it at 3:00 on Tuesday. We were able to charge it, play with it and then take it on our Vacation which started Wednesday. It was also great to be able to track the package on line. By the way, the best price we found around town (Sacramento) would have been over $700.00 with the accessories. If you have any questions e-mail me at moandlo@jps.net. Morris B

I bought my brand new MX2900 camera (including the same"freebies") at an online auction last May 2000 for similar price... It's a GREAT camera, and this is a good enough price for this package (although you'll agree that it will continue getting cheaper with time). The package includes all the basics you'll need. However, I recommend buying the following extras: extra rechargeable battery (NP-80), a quick charger (BC-80)and a few more smartmedia cards (32MB or more). I also found useful to have a wide conversion lens (WL-MX29).

A spare battery is useful because the camera drains the battery really fast (especially when you always use the LCD monitor). A quick charger (BC-80) is really handy because it only takes an hour to recharge the battery (the AC adapter takes 8 hours). A few smartmedia cards are necessary because the 8MB smartmedia card that's included in the package doesn't hold much photos. For example, 1 picture taken at the "hi" setting (uncompressed file) and "1800x1200" pixel setting will use up 8MB of space already. Without the extra memory cards, you'll find yourself always running to your computer so you can move your picture files from your smartmedia card. By the way, unlike what the other reviewer said (5 photos at "fine" setting with 32MB smartmedia card), a 32MB smartmedia card will actually store up to 36 photos taken with the "fine" and "1800x1200" pixel settings. You can even verify this at Fujifilm's website... I suggest you visit that website to learn more about the camera's features and specifications.

The camera has both automatic and full manual modes. It even has a self-timer. There are so many features so make sure you read the manual... As of today (July 27,2000), this camera rates as #2 in the 2-3 megapixel range (second only to Olympus C2020).

I have not found much use for the "high" setting (uncompressed ".tiff" images). Like what the other reviewer said, this format is nonstandard. Most online photo sharing/printing services accept only the ".jpeg" format (available with the "fine," "normal," and "basic" settings for this camera). If you plan to print your photos, the "fine" and 1800x1200 pixel settings will produce 4"x6" prints that are comparable in quality to photos taken from a 35mm camera (I have not tried printing larger prints). Otherwise, for web sharing, the lower settings will do the job just fine...

I have no regrets about buying this camera. Yes, there are cameras with 3+ megapixels out there, but I do not yet see the need to upgrade. This camera is worth the price that Amazon.com is selling it for (I would not pay more).

Before I end this review, let me just say a few basic things: 1.)Cost: it's a good value 2.)Strengths: looks impressive (like those 35mm Nikons); auto/manual modes; photos show good colors; crisp images on LCD monitor 3.)Weaknesses: internal flash can be weak (make sure you always have your external flash at reach); the lens cap just dangles on the side; kind of slow (takes too long between shots) unless you use "continuous shooting" mode (in which case, you're automatically fixed at only 640x480 pixels)

Dear Fuji !

First I would like to say , that the MX2900 has been a great camera at a great price for me . I purchased one... for myself and my job. I am currently the Internet Manager for Mancari's Chrysler Plymouh Jeep in Oak Lawn IL . I have used the camera for taking auto photos and many other different projects.

The Fuji MX2900 Digital Camera is extremely easy to setup and use altogether . It has a very nice "Chrome metal" look and is also very lightweight. The pictures it takes are excellent !...

Even though I know there may be better cameras out there , I still rate this one a 10 in my book of Best Cameras. I have looked at the Fuji 4900 model , and this one is "smokin"!

Thanks Tammy Mandlke / Danbury, WI.

T_Mandlke@msn.com

Before I buy anything, I do lots of research. I did my homework on this camera and am greatly satisfied by the results. I am amazed at all the useful features. The 3X optical zoom and the 1800X1200 resolution of the pictures make it one of the few great cameras in its price range. The ability to shoot pictures using the manual as well as the automatic mode, make it an excellent camera for the person who has been using traditional SLRs and wants to move into the digital age. The quality of the color in the photos is brilliant and nearly exactly like natural colors. When I print 8X10 photos, the pictures have sharp resolution. I use a USB SmartMedia card reader. I am able to download the pictures to my PC in literally seconds. With a 32 meg. SmartMedia card, I can store 36 photos shooting at 1800X1200 resolution. This is my second digital still camera in two years and I am greatly satisfied with it. I have recommended it to three friends who also now own the camera and love using it.

This camera was knocked out of my son's hand by a ceiling fan onto our basement floor, fell out of my shirt pocket onto a concrete sidewalk outside the National Cathedral in DC, and has otherwise been bumped, dropped, and generally mistreated for going on two years, and it still takes pictures -- that with the right printer, paper, and software -- I can blow up all the way to 11X14 inches with true photo quality. There isn't enough good I can say about this camera. Of course, it's no longer a current model, but at the prices available today -- and assuming you use a card reader of some kind to download pictures from the smart media cards -- it's still a great camera for the money.

Besides the lag problem mentioned in another review, I've had an issue with the camera not staying on when switched. I miss about 80% of the shots I'm trying to take because I have to keep turning it back on, taking out the memory card and/or batteries and replacing them etc. Bad frame errors are haunting. Once it starts working, I can usually take many pictures in a row, but in the beginning it's horrible. This is all probably my fault for trying to snap a picture when the dial was turned to the viewing mode. But that shouldn't have harmed the electronics! One can't always remember to get the dial in the right position.

This camera is inexpensive (and a bit outdated at this point) but still manages to take great pictures. Sure, you could spend a lot more for a camera that is a lot more high-tech, but if you just want a camera to learn on and experiment with or just take fun family snaps, then this camera would be great.

My husband actually won a photo contest with a 5x7 photo taken on this camera (printed on an HP printer).

Pros: low cost, easy to use, easy to figure out how to take good photos, takes good enough quality photos to replace your film camera (if you're ready for that... I'm not quite there).

Cons: memory card pretty small if you want to take high quality pics (We got a 64MB memory card--available on costco.com--so we could take many pictures at high quality settings: about 100 pictures on the highest quality settings.), slow upload to your computer using serial cable (we got a SmartMedia drive that hooks up to our USB port and is lightning quick), lower picture quality capability than many (more expensive) cameras on the market.

These days, most digital cameras really aren't that horrible , and this camera is lightyears better than the ($) cameras that were out 4 years ago. This camera would be great for someone who wants a camera for casual use, or for pictures for their website, or even regular pictures that won't be blown up much larger than 5x7.

We take pictures with abandon now, not worrying about how much film we have left, not worrying if a shot is going to be a throw-away (you can delete it right on the camera, anyway), and we have gotten some truly beautiful and priceless shots just using this camera.

If you're not a professional photographer, why spend thousands when you can get this camera at a great price?

Don't even bother unless you plan to get an upgrade SM card (4mb is worthless) and rechargable batteries. Highly recommend a USB card reader - even using TWAIN/Photoshop 5.5 it takes FOREVER to download 1280 x 820 res pictures (the camera's middle setting). All my complaints are minor - this is a great camera overall. The mode select knob can stop in between modes, but look like it's pointing to a mode. This makes you think something is wrong until you move the switch the 1mm it's off so you are not between modes. Not a show stopper, just takes getting used to. I guess all camers mow batteries, but I bought 8 NiMh rechargables and that seems to work. Get a cord to plug in when you're downloading pix - will save batteries, especially if you are using the serial cable. The optical viewfinder is way off for anything closer than about 10 feet, so I almost always use the LCD - another battery killer. Camera won't auto shut off when in PC mode, I've drained lots of batteries when forgetting to switch the camera off after retrieving photos. These are really nit-pick items, most cameras would have same or similar. Overall I'm happy with this camera, it's well made and user friendly. For the money and 1.3 Megpixel is plenty for general use. Safe bet you will feel your money was well spent.