Fujifilm FinePix A303 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

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 have recently purchased this camera and my wife and I have been testing it extensively to determine its quality.

We have both been pleased with the outdoor and indoor results. In either case, the pictures comes out very sharp and identical to what we would have seen with our own eyes.

The camera is very easy and intuitive to use. This in combination with its small size makes it convenient.

The main problem with this camera is that it is very power hungry...especially when downloading the pictures onto a computer via the provided USB cable. I would highly recommend purchasing the AC power adapter when downloading the pictures or using it for video teleconferencing.

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This is my third digital camera. My first was an Olympus, second an Fuji 2800. Listen very carefully. Each of the above digital cameras have (some) things I like better than the new Fuji A303. For example the Olympus has a far better optical zoom, but I go through batteries like food through a duck (it's awful), my Fuji 2800 has a SLR feel to it, very nice camera, but the if you choose not to use the LCD viewer, you viewing through a lens simulation, but it's really a LCD, a feature that is really a non feature. The movie feature actually has sound (a plus). My new Fuji (tired of waiting?) is powerful 3.24 m/p, nice 3X optical zoom. Here is the best part of this camera, IT'S SMALL, and easy to use. This is particularly important to women who have the smaller designer purses, this will actually fit. It's the size of a cigarette package. For most of us this Fuji has more features you will ever use. For me I set it on A (automatic)setting. You will love the use of the setting wheel, this saves you time, for example if you need a close-up, macro just turn the wheel one click, no menus to scroll down (I love it). Regarding the media card, this is smaller, looks like th older smartmedia, just smaller. Since I have three Digital cameras, I purchased a duel card reader, it reads the larger smart media, and the (new) very compact XD card. I just figured the small card is just more practical for the smaller cameras. The camera is also very handsome. The color LCD on the back is 1.5" and is very nice, If you like to look through a view finder (I do), you look through a lens viewer. A compact camera, 3.24 M/Pixel, and all the features. Save yourself time & money buy the A303, and thank me later, really.

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Buying a digital camera these days seems to be about as easy as using a spoon to empty Lake Superior. It's a daunting task to say the least, simply because there are so many different manufacturers out there and each makes several cameras. Worse, there are some companies that shouldn't be making digital cameras because the products are so lousy (Polaroid springs to mind). I myself looked at several cameras under five-hundred dollars and above two-hundred dollars as a starting point. I also had criteria including things like I didn't care whether it could capture video. All I wanted was a camera that took pictures and could then transfer those images to my PC. Once I started this process, narrowing down what camera I wanted became a little easier.

There aren't many digital cameras out there that can take pictures as well as a half decent 35mm SLR, at least not yet. Some make a very good attempt at it, but, and this is an important but, you're buying the convenience of not having to spend money developing rolls and rolls of film. Another criteria I looked at was storage mediumCompact Flash cards, Sony's proprietary memory sticks or the new XD cards. After examining the different media types, I found I didn't care which one my future camera took. How many of these things are you gonna need, anyway? Between the 16 mb card that came with the camera and the 64 mb card I bought with it, I can store about 250-300 high quality images. That's a lot of pictures and considering you can review and the delete the ones you don't like, freeing up extra space. So unless you're taking a 3-month tour of Europe, it is unlikely that you will run out of memory to store pictures.

Initially I had settled on the Sony DSCP7 3.2 mega-pixel camera, but at the last minute jumped ship and purchased the FijiFilm FinePix A303another smaller 3.2 mega pixel camera and haven't really regretted doing so. It's a wonderful little (about 3 x 2 x 1 inches) silver box that takes good quality images. It has everything I wanted6x total zoom, USB port for connecting to my PC, built in flash, built in timer, and red eye reduction. And like anything, it also had to be easy to use, because taking pictures shouldn't be work, but a part of the fun. The A303 can also take video without sound, but that doesn't matter to me since I also own a video camera and if I'm camping on traveling around, I carry both in the same bag.

Having owned it for a little over a month, I have found only two irritating functions. First, it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. In day light, with the view screen turned off and no flash, you might be able to fill a 64 mb card before the batteries die, but if you use the flash and/or screen, forget ityou'll be changing batteries before you know it. The second thing it does and this is the killer because I lost pictures because of it, is if you scroll through images using the review function and don't go all the way to the end, you will overwrite images in memory when you start taking new pictures. I found this out the hard when on a canoe trip when I discovered that several pictures of a white tailed deer drinking from the river side were overwritten by later photos of friends around the camp fire. The first failing is forgivablealkaline and rechargeable batteries are cheap, but replacing pictures like those are not. It's going to cost the camera a star. Some reviewers have also complained about its plastic constructionokay, so it's made of plasticwhat isn't these days?

That aside, though, I am very happy with the A303it does exactly what I want: takes good pictures quickly and easily that I can send to my family and friends. It's economical considering I don't have to pay to develop pictures or even wait to have them developed. It's small and easy to carry and now that I know about the overwriting foible, it won't happen again because I'll know better. For what it costs and for what you get, it's a great value, fun and easy to use. I don't regret buying and the pictures I've taken have made some people very happy.

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I have had several digital cameras, and none gave me better service than the Fuji FinePix. Normally, I do film photography and if I want digital pictures, I scan in the negative. When I went to straight digital photography, I found out that I needed certain features as "must-haves." The Fuji did pretty well on most counts.

Photos: Resolution

· 2048 x 1536 on the fine setting

· 1600 x 1200 -on the normal setting (fine for most work)

· 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 Lower resolution email setting for smaller files (nice!)

Features

· JPEG format.

· Up to 60 seconds of 320 x 240 or up to 240 sec's of 160 x 120 motion video

· 3X optical zoom

Pros:

· Great resolution for the price. Fuji delivers sharper pictures than many entry-level competitors.

· Choice of settings including that email setting, great if you are taking a bunch of pictures and want to email them without a lot of massaging

· Exposure compensation for backlight available (+1.5 to -.2.1 EV exposure value)

· White balance choice to change exposure from automatic, good if no manual settings are available, as they are not here.

· Controls are EASY to use. I love that directional button for playback and settings.

· XD Picture card-new standard for digital-supposed to reduce battery consumption and faster read/write, as well as large capacity.

Cons

· Relies on AA batteries, leaving you to have to shell out for a NiMH rechargeable instead, recommended so you don't leave a nasty pile of eco-unfriendly batteries behind you as you go on a photo shoot. And recharging IS more convenient, believe me.

· You may be concerned about moving to a new digital format (the XD) or have a stash of standard Smart Memory cards. It's annoying to move to a new standard, though XD offers some advantages.

Conclusion: You can't go wrong here for an entry-level digital camera. This delivers plenty of performance for the buck and most people will be more than pleased. Just get a rechargeable battery.

Specs:

· 3.24 Megapixel CCD for images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels.

· 3x (38-114mm equivalent) F2.8 optical zoom lens

· Seamless 3.2x digital zoom in 640x480 mode

· 1.5-inch TFT color LCD, approx. 60,000 pixels

· Program AE, Manual mode offers exposure compensation

· Shooting modes: Still, Movie, Macro

· Motion video w/out audio up to 60 secs @ 320x240

· White balance selectable in Manual mode

· Shutter speeds: Automatic 1/2 seconds to 1/2000 second

· 64-zone TTL Metering

· ISO sensitivity 100 equivalent

· Built in flash with Auto, Red-eye reduction, Forced on, forced off and slow-synchro

· 9-frame and 13x zoom playback function with scrolling

· xD Picture Card storage, 16MB supplied

· USB connectivity

· Powered by two standard AA type batteries

· Small (4.3 x 2.8 x 1.5 in.) and lightweight (8.8 oz)