FujiFilm A340 4MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Until this camera, Fuji was consistently my favorite camera brand within the compact category (I am not a professional photographer, as I imagine you aren't if you're looking at this camera in the first place). But we'll get to all that in a second.

Pros:

-Extraordinary price for a 4 megapixel compact camera with 3x optical zoom.

-Scene modes make it easy for newbies to get the proper settings for optimal pictures without knowing what the heck white balance and shutter speed are.

-Sliding lens cover physically protects your lens against scratches from other objects in your pocket, like keys

-A wide variety of manual options for those who are interested in learning about how to use them.

Cons (and there are many):

-Image quality is SIGNIFICANTLY worse than other Fuji cameras. I was so disappointed when I uploaded those first few shots! Fuji, why did you scrap your good sensor and replace it with this piece of junk?

-Menus are extraordinarly tedious to navigate. Fuji should have mapped more controls to seperate buttons instead of grouping almost all of them together in one big menu.

-Zoom/navigation button is difficult to manipulate, especially with only one hand on the camera.

-Amazon's official review says that speed is a priority with this camera, but the start-up time is almost 3 seconds on average (as compared to the Exilim line's 0.5 to 1.0 second times) and the shutter speed is average (as compared to the Exilim line's .05 second shutter speed).

-The sliding lens cover does not protect against dust at all, and feels very flimsy (made of plastic). Constantly feels like it's going to break off.

Moral of the story: you get what you pay for. Invest in a 3 megapixel camera in the same price range, or bite the bullet and pay more money for a better 4.

My husband and I kept debating and debating about whether to purchase a digital camera. We have a 35mm Canon EOS Rebel that takes gorgeous pictures. But, we knew if we got a digital camera, we'd end up using our wonderful camera a lot less. Fortunately, his dad killed our endless debate by purchasing this Fuji for us for Christmas.

I have to say, I like it a lot. There are some things that could be better, but for a 4 MP point-and-shoot, especially at this price, it's great. It's small enough to fit in a coat pocket (definitely not true of our big Canon), and takes very clear pictures. We did upgrade the xD card immediately, for a lot more memory. The flash, as another reviewer mentioned, really works without washing out the scene as you view the picture before snapping, it looks way too dark, but once it's taken, it is wonderful.

The cons, though, are also there though I don't know that they are any worse than any other digital camera. The amazon review mentions speed. I find that you do have to wait quite a while between photos if you use the flash definitely longer than .62 seconds, anyway. This is kind of annoying we have twin 2 year olds, and they don't stand still very long. And, this thing eats batteries. We don't have rechargeable ones, but will definitely be investing in those soon. In some ways, it's nice that it takes AA's you can certainly buy them quickly most anywhere, rather than having to go home and charge it up but you'd better have plenty around.

The 3X zoom just doesn't seem to be enough to me (probably spoiled by our digital camcorder, as well as the Canon), and it is very hard to manipulate quickly. The menus, as others have mentioned, are not terribly intuitive, and they could have added a couple of extra navigation buttons to make it more user-friendly.

However, overall, it's a good little camera. I was set up on the computer with it within a half hour (we don't have the cradle) and the Fuji software is nice, too. I'm sure using it a lot, which is a good sign!

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I just need a camera to take pics of my family and this cam fits the bill perfectly. It is very easy to use and prints well. at just 2mp the pictures came out very much like normal photo prints using household HP printer and photo paper. Good for making the occasional prints, no need to run to the photo developing place. Sending the pics via email is also piece of cake using the FinePix viewer software. no need to fiddle through your files to attache the pics.

The downside is that the buttons are not set up like most digital camera so it take awhile to get used to and I wish they supplied a higher mb picture card. the supplied 16 mb only takes 25 odd pics at medium res so I need to purchase a higher mb xD card.

However, if you're just looking for a simple, no frills, family digital camera then I say this camera is just perfect.

Read Best Reviews of FujiFilm A340 4MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Here

Easy to use, good value, great pics. Spent a lot of time looking at higher priced cameras that were no better. Wished the AC adapter were included in package.

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Pros: Great value, easy to use, takes great pictures indoors & out. Some reviewers seem disapointed they aren't automatically getting "professional" results, but I have a 35mm rig with a half-dozen lenses for when I want to shoot seriously The A340 excels for what it is, which is a great point-and-shoot digital camera that is small enough to keep in your bag or jacket pocket at all times. I used to have an A303 that I loved until a friend dropped it money was tight so I went out to pick up a cheap $99 digital camera and an SD card to get me by, but for a few bucks more I found the A340 bundled with the dock and rechargable battery. The A340 takes great pictures as I expected, plus I am able to use the memory cards I already had from my last camera. At first I thought I would never use the dock (I already have plenty of rechargable batteries and a picture card reader), but the dock also allows you to use the A340 as a webcam!

Cons: The included software is not the most intuitive I've ever used, save yourself some grief and pick up a compatible USB picture card reader so you can just drag and drop your pictures from the card they are available at any decent electronics store for under $10. I'm not real crazy about the xD picture cards they work well and are nice and compact, but only Fuji and Olympus products use them it would be nice if the camera used SD or MMC cards so I could also use them in other devices (although, luckily most of my friends happened to choose a Fuji digital camera also, so we can swap cards if we need to, which is nice). As another reviewer pointed out the xD cards are slightly more expensive, but you can still pick up a 256MB card for around $30 if you shop around. Based upon my previous experience with the A303, I wish the Fuji cameras were a bit more "ruggedized" I suggest buying a good case or pouch to secure your camera!