I just ordered this camera and got it today. I was a little nervous ordering a camera that was just released and had no reviews, but the fujifilm finepix z20 had such good reviews, that I decided to take a chance on the newer model.So far everything is perfect. The battery charged quickly and setup was very simple. This camera is so easy to use, which is important to me, since I'm kind of technology-challenged. With most cameras, I have trouble navigating the menu, but this camera is very simple to work. Also, the screen on the back is very large, to make viewing the pictures easy. There is one great feature on the camera that I really like. There is a setting that when activated, will always take two pictures every time you snap a picture. One with a flash and one without, and store both for you to view. This way you never have to worry about your pictures being too dark or too bright. The pictures are crystal clear, and I'm very glad I've purchased this camera.
I can't comment on the software, as I haven't used it yet, but everything else has been great.
Compact Size
Quality Feel
Sliding lens cover doubles as power switch
Fast LCD refresh (must be 60 hz, but only in high performance mode)
Weather Sealed buttons
Cons:
Battery Life
No full manual mode
Only 3x optical zoom
No optical shake reduction
Bottom Line: Great value for a quality feeling budget compact camera. Image quality is fine, I see no problems with smaller prints up to ISO 800, this is far better than my previous point and shoot that was half the resolution. My favorite features are the weather sealed buttons (the camera isn't weather sealed, get the Z33wp for that), but the buttons are rubber covered and liquid can't get in around them, and my other favorite feature is the high frame update on the LCD. As long as you set the menu option for high performance, the rear LCD updates very rapidly, any motion is updated instantly. This is much improved over most of the competition, but no reviews I see mention this.
Some people are complaining about the quality of the images, but either they have a bad sample or are just viewing the images at 100% on a computer monitor. Prints are fine. I will comment that the rear LCD is sometimes grainy appearing, but the final images are great. This is because the rear LCD has a high frame update, about 60 hz, and it needs to set the sensitivity very high in low light in order to show you an image at that rate, so the display comes grainy. When you take the picture it is fine.
Overall this is a pretty average performing camera that is inexpensive. It has a semi manual mode for setting your own ISO, EV compensation, but it lacks a few other options. The aperture just uses a couple values, and can't be selected manually. If you can pick this up for about a hundred bucks it is a bargain. If you get up near one hundred fifty there are probably better options available.
Update: I found the condition people must be getting grainy pictures. This camera doesn't have a powerful flash, and in a large room trying to take a picture of a subject maybe 15 or 20 ft away the flash doesn't have the power to illuminate them adequately. If you use this indoors in a dim room, it is fine at close range, but not great for a Christmas program or a picture of a presenter across the room. In these situations you might try disabling the flash.This camera is perfect, exactly what I wanted. It looks even better in person!! I've used it out on the town, inside with flourescent lighting, and outdoors, and it's definitely 10.1 megapixels of AWESOME. You can read about all its details above (it's red-eye removal, video capabilities, etc).. but here are the items I wasn't sure about when I ordered the camera from Amazon, but was proved wrong:
1) The camera looks expensive, NOT cheap. I was worried about the little stones looking feminine or cheap, but they're very tiny and does NOT make the camera look "girly".
2) The sliding door is a great idea, because it protects the lens, and makes the camera ready to GO once you open it! Normally cameras take 10 seconds to ready to shoot (power.. ok, adjust, click, hold, wait..) Not this camera! You open the door, click the button, and view the picture within 3 seconds. It's so nice! Plus, it's ready to go AFTER taking a picture much more quickly.
3) The sliding door has a nice "click" so don't worry about it opening up in your purse/pocket... really. It's fine.
4) I love the buttons on the back of the camera--they're larger than other cameras, easy to read and press, looks more modern, etc.
So... BUY THIS CAMERA! You'll love it!I just purchased this product, turns out it did not come with an Owner's Manual or Installation CD. When I first saw it I loved the color (Orange) and small, sleek style. I snapped a few pictures which looked grainy on the LCD screenI quickly turned to the online reviews and found out this is a common complaint of this camera.. HOWEVER, once you download them onto your computer they look amazing. Well worth it for the price!
I love the flip open cover seeing as our last camera got sand in the zoo lens and ended up never working the same. This added protection is great!
One other thing that made this a 4 out of 5 star rating is having to use the USB cable to upload pictures onto the computer, which I do quite frequently. And the fact that it does not take a "normal" battery, so make sure you order an extra and keep the one it comes with charging when not in use.
Overall a wonderful camera for the price and style.Just received this camera for my teenage granddaughter so I charged up the battery, set the camera to its highest and best settings, installed a 4GB SD card and took some sample pictures and a sample video. The picture taken outdoors was very good, sharp, clear and colorful. The picture taken inside using the flash was more grainy than it should have been as compared to my other cameras of this general P/S type, hence the loss of a star. The video this camera takes is another story, its first rate, clear, colorful, and very smooth with very good sound. Its a good camera, not great, but very small and easy to operate.
No comments:
Post a Comment