1 Performance way too slow, always have to pose people.
I like many features on this camera and it takes very nice pictures. The camera looks very impressive but falls short on performance.
First you have to click the shutter half way to wait for the picture to completely freeze and focus. Although you thought you may have taken a picturee, not yet.... once the picture unfreezes, then you can press the shutter all the way down to take the picture. If you to not press all the way down, it will reset the focus. WHAT A PAIN! If I do not go through this proceedure, the camera will take the picture faster but the picture will not be in focus.
Next, the battery life! After about 15 to 20 indoor shots I need to replace the 4 AA alkalines. I did get a recharable set and now I can get about almost double the shots but I think this is still not acceptable.
Finally, the display. Nice idea to have an electronic view finder but in low light conditions, I can not see a darn thing! I need to look over the camera to see everyone. Pretty bad idea.
I know it does not sound great but minus these few gripes, for the price of 160 or so, it is not a bad deal. I do have many good pictures with excellent quality once you adjust for the shortfalls. Plus on Ebay you can get xd cards very cheap and you may want to upgrade since 16mb is not nearly enough. Hope this helps.
2 BEWARE OF REFURBISHED ITEMS
I just got today the camera I bought from a seller through amazon. It looks great. Pix are good and all that. HOWEVER... I decided to buy a refurbished item because it's a pretty big price difference. BIG mistake... Factory sealed refurbished items from Fuji come wwithout many of the standard accessories. Okay, I really didn't expect to find 4 AA alkaline batteries in the box... but I sure expected to find a lens cap, a strap and an adapter ring, that come standard with a new S3000. No such luck. Now I have to spend about $14 for the lens cap so that the lens doesn't get scratched and dusty when I'm not using the camera, plus I don't know how much for the strap, and probably $30+ for the adapter ring if I want to ever get any lens accessories. Adding it all up, it would have been much more worth it to get the camera brand new!
3 GREAT camera, FANTASTIC price!
this is a wonderful camera and is ideal for the novice or experienced photographer. all cameras suck up battery life pretty quickly, and this camera is no exception. however, you can compensate by picking up some rechargable bateries (this camera takes 4 AAs). Picture quality is not professional, but it is pretty good. files do not take up tons of space on your computer. the camera comes with an accessory ring, which enables you to buy a wide-angle or telephoto adapter. i got a fantastic deal on this camera at circuit city (it cost me 150$), and i have taken literally hundreds of photos with it. i love it! i also reccomend picking up a bigger memory card ( ihave a 128 MB card, and it works perfectly; you can delete photos on the camera or computer, so a large xD picture card is not neccecary. this is a fantastic camera at a really good price, so go get it!
4 Excelent price/quality relation
I have just bought one in Circuit City for $150. Try to beat that price!
5 Worst camera I ever had
I bought this camera about 18 months ago from Amazon. It never give me a clear picture.
6 LOVE IT !
First of all, I am in my mid-fifties and I am not an expert on taking photographs. Most of the pictures I take are of my family and friends.
I purchased the S3000 in July 2004, right before our vacation to
Florida. I was having trouble deciding between purchasing a new 35mm or my first digital camera. After reading reviews on various digitals and talking with a friend who had just purchased the Fugi S3000, I chose the S3000 and I have had 'no regrets.'
The pictures are better than I imagined. They are so clear and detailed that I take photographs of everything from buildings, animals, close-up of flowers, and more. The Fugi S3000 is so easy to use. It is, more or less, a point and shoot camera and the zoom is fantastic.
I only had two minor problems. The first one was the action shots: I rectified my action shots (jet skis, running, swimming) by snapping the picture as soon as I saw the person/object in the LCD monitor. By the time the shutter reacted, I pretty much had a nice centered picture.
Since I am a novice with this camera, the second problem I assumed was my fault. From our hotel room on Cocoa Beach, we could see a night launch. I could not find the launch site nor the satillite after it was launched in my LCD monitor or viewfinder.
I give the Fugi S3000 - 5 stars - for the ease of use, detail of the photographs and the 6x optical zoom.
I am so impressed with this camera that I am buying two more for Christmas presents.
Also look at:
Fugifilm Digital Camera Accessory Kit for A & S Series Cameras
(includes battery charger and batteries - YOU NEED THIS!)
Fugifilm 64MB XD Card
(need a second card)
Fugifilm USB XD Picture Card Reader
(I found this cheaper at Wal-Mart)
7 Poor Action shots
Overall I am very happy with this camera for still shots. What really gripes me is that if you want to take an action shot, you snap the picture, but it doesnt take the picture right away.....you miss the shot. There is like a second delay or so. I do not recommend this camera for action shots.
I have tried to adjust the shutter speed but it doesnt help.....you still have that delay.
8 THE BEST CAMERA FOR MY PARENTS AND FAMILY
My parents just bought a brand new Fuji S3000. This is the best camera that my parents have. All pictures in the dark or under the sun are awesome and so clear. My parents said that the pictures are clear because the lens are big and great. Everytime they took pictures, the zoom came out super super fast within a second. The flash captures the right moment so the pictures are not blurry at all. They took 200 pictures of our trip to Disney World and we love them all when we viewed them on the computer, so my parents did not have to erase any picture of us. With other camera my parents used to take our pictures a year ago, some pictures were shaking and blurry; we have to delete some pictures in the memory because we couldn't see clearly. This camera is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all parents and children who must be older than me.
9 Zero stars...
i'm in the process of trying to return this camera. This has got to be the worst digi camera available. I haven't been able to get one clear picture indoors or outdoors. There is a delay from when you take the picture until it's actually taken so you'll miss everything. Horrible quality. I can't the get software to work on my mac. All around terrible. Even Fuji can't figure out what the problem is with this horrid camera. Save your money and stay away from this crap.
10 works with XP no problem
I am new to digital cameras. I was nervous reading some reviews and almost didn't buy because of alleged software issues. I had none such issues, was as easy or easier to set up than my printer. Nothing was loaded to my registry, USB mass storage device is what it is, and it DOES recognize it as a Fuji fine pix camera. I was able to use it almost out of the box after loading the batteries and reading the quick start menu. And for the price probably the best of all the ones I have researched.
11 Service a big Problem
I faced a big service issue with Fujifilm. I bought this camera in March and now I am facing issue with the Flash. The service engineer tells me that the flash tube and coil are damaged. I have moved to New Delhi recently and these guys tells me that it will take them confirm that whether the camera is under warranty or not as the bill from Amazon.com does not contains a serial number of the camera. Even if they find out that camera is under warranty they will just waive off the service charges and not the parts cost. I would recommend anynody to buy sony products as they are of much better quality though a bit expensive.
12 This is an outstanding piece of hardware
I just recently purchased the S3000, and it is an impressive little camera.
I first used the S3000 at a Pittsburgh Pirate baseball game. The images taken using the "sports" function came out beautifully. Impressive colors, little grain, and any blur to the images were the fault of my own and not the camera.
A few days later, I used the camera at a WWE event and it was there the camera really proved itself--the images of the wrestlers performing moves were incredible.
While the sports function works wonderfully, the camera also takes excellent still life and portrait shots. While the 3.2 Megapixel capability is not the best on the market, still images come out looking quite nicely--better than images captured using an ordinary camera.
The camera itself is extremely user friendly. The enclosed quickguide will have you shooting pictures right out of the box if you so desire. The menus are easily navagated and switching from one mode to another is a piece of cake.
One caveat: although the battery life is long, the viewfinder is also digital instead of a standard viewfinder, so the batteries may not last as long as you'd like.
Other than that niggling point, I heartily recommend this camera.
13 Great Camera, Excellent Photos
I purchased this camera several months ago, and every time I use it I'm more and more impressed! The photos are amazing! I'm still exploring the different modes (sport,scenic,potrait...). I use rechargeable NiMH batteries and they last a LONG time! I think this camera is a great value for the money. I fought going digital for so long, and now that I own this camera I feel so foolish! The software accompanying the camera is also quite good, although the slideshow function takes a few practice runs. Overall, I think this camera is fabulous, I've recommended it to everyone (my brother-in-law has already purchased one after seeing the photos I e-mailed him!). He is also now an Amazon customer! Buy this camera, you won't be disappointed! I honestly cannot gush enough over the ease of use, and more importantly, the photo quality.
14 Good camera, but the auto shutoff feature sucks
I've had this camera about a year now, and I really like it for the most part. Good pics, good features, and I love the 6X optical (not digital!) zoom. Having had it, I'd never buy a camera with a lower power zoom. It's also really hard to beat this camera for the money. Usually when my friends show off their new cameras I see they've paid more and gotten less, especially in the zoom department.
I use rechargable 2200 MA NIMH batteries and have not experienced any problem with battery life whatsoever, unlike other reviewers. I've taken a couple hundred shots at a time (mostly non flash, admittedly) without changing batteries. The camera is also well made and sturdy. It took a nasty fall with me near Mount Rainier a while back and sustained very little damage, unlike my knees and elbows.
While the camera is good, it isn't perfect. I have three complaints, as follows. Once you hit the button, this camera takes a really long time to actuate the shutter. If you're looking for a camera to capture fast motion, pass this one by. Often when I was zoomed in on an object moving even at a pretty slow pace, the object would be out of the field of view by the time the picture clicked.
My second (and most serious) complaint is the auto-shutoff feature. The camera loves to shut itself off and retract the lens when you've been idle. And in Fuji's book, TWO minutes is idle. This is something I've not experienced with previous Fujis. When it does turn off, you have turn the dial around two places to the OFF position, wait a second, then click it back two places to ON. The lens will slowly reappear, and you can resume what you were doing. The auto shutoff would be fine if the length of time were adjustable, but it isn't. Two minutes idle and you'll be "rebooting". I'd much rather change batteries after a couple hours than have to toggle that damn switch all day to keep the camera on. Very annoying.
Finally, I'm not thrilled that this camera uses the XD format. While the XD cards are very compact, they are also the most expensive format out there as best I can tell. If you thought Memory Stick was expensive, prepare yourself for XD. It is more expensive than Memory Stick, SD, Smartmedia, and Compact Flash. More expensive by a wide margin, too. Compare prices between a 256 MB XD card and a 256 compact flash, and you'll find the xd to be almost exactly twice as expensive. That's a lot to pay for a smaller form factor card that does exactly the same thing.
In conclusion: Good quality camera with good pics and great zoom, well worth the money if you don't mind the couple of annoyances I mentioned. Hey, Fuji! Kill the Auto Shutoff and you'll go to five stars in my book.
15 Need to find stuff for dig. Camera
I would like to know if you can help me find other lens's for my s 3000 fugifilm dig. camera? show me pitures and show some prices. thank you .. Ron Decker
16 Approval
I researched quite a bit before deciding on a digital camera to purchase. After recieving this one, I immediately loved the easy grip, and quick-to-learn controls. The adapter ring is a great idea, as it protects the lense when it's telescoped out. The picture quality is great, and I have had no issues with dead pixels. The one thing I am hesitant at all to praise are the displays. They are both digital, and the only issue is color. Of course, they are not high definition, so the quality of the preview isnt that great, but it is very difficult to see if the colors in the shot came out correctly. That being said, this camera exceeded my expectations on every other level. A Great Buy!
17 Amazing, excellent and the best camera I have ever had.
I couldn't believe how clear and sharp the pictures came out from this camera. I took those pictures in a dard dancing club and didn't expect to view the pictures so amazing like that. I really highly recommend this Fuji camera which is my best favorite camera. My friends and family use other brands and I have owned different Fuji models before but I love this Fuji S3000 the most. You would never regret to buy this item. The lens, zoom, light come very fast once you turn it on. It looks professional and price is affordable too. I would buy many of this camera model for my friends' birthday gifts if there's any.
18 Fujifilm Finepix S3000
Our first Digital Camera. Instructions to set up and use seems quite easy. Priced at $245.00 seemed reasonable as compared to other sellers. Amazon is great to order from. Received camera in great shape. Maybe more packing would have been appropriate but no damage. Haven't had and pictures printed, so can't give any opinion on quality.
Update. I have had 20 pictures printed and each one has been awesome. I used 2 and 3 pixels and both were outstanding.
19 Great Camera!
I just bought this camera and I love it!
Plus all the features already mentioned, there is something else people should know: The WEBCAM feature on this camera. When you switch the camera to PC-Mode on the setup menu, you obtain an excelent and very handy high resolution Webcam wich you can use for VideoConferencing with your friends and family. It works with most of videoconference softwares,like Yahoo, MSM messenger, NETmeeting and many more. As soon as you plug your camera in PC-Mode to your computer, it will detect it as a WebCam device. Try it, you will love it!
20 AWESOME!!! LUV IT!
This is a awesome camera... I luv it! It didn't take any time to learn how to use it. The pictures turn out wonderful... I would recommend this camera to anyone. Great Deal!
21 Awesome camera-the best camera I've ever had before.
I have owned so many cameras different models for the past 10 years but I love this Fuji S3000 the most. The zoom works very fast, the focus and colors are very sharp. It looks a little bigger than others but it's very light and the price is affordable. All my pictures are so clear even it's in the dark dancing floor. I have taken so many pictures of my house, car, babies for advertisement and making my website. I do not need to touch up on the pictures because all of them look so unreal. I'm so proud to own this Fuji camera. So it's highly recommended.
22 An Excellent Camera
My husband bought me this camera for Christmas 2003 after I could no longer live with my old Olympus D520 digital camera. Over the years I've settled on features in digital cameras that work for my needs, and this one meets them all. The breakdown:
Pros:
* Sturdy. Early after getting this camera, my cat had a run-in with it where the strap got hooked around his neck, something spooked him and he took off, camera crashing around behind him. I'm pleased to say that both cat and camera lived, and neither were damaged in any way. Hat's off to Fujifilm for making an indestructable digicam!
* Picture quality is excellent. I need a camera with a hefty optical zoom and this one has it. Recently I was able to capture a photo of my friend recieving her diploma... From high up in the bleachers and over 500 feet away from her! The picture is crystal clear, too!
* Good with all lighting conditions. Daylight, low-light, indoor, outdoor, this camera performs well under all conditions.
* Fast recovery period between snap shots. There is between a 2-3 second recovery period between pictures, which is nice. It insures that you're able to get a series of photos fired off in a quick succession, which is great if you're taking pictures of people in action.
* Easy to transfer photos from the camera to my computer. I use a Mac, and this camera works flawlessly with it. The software is basic... I don't use it for major picture editing (that's what Photoshop is for), but the software package will crop and resize, orient, etc.
* Print quality is excellent. I can upload my photos via the net to my photo processing store and they print them out using a high-quality printer on photo paper for 11 cents a print. The prints from this camera are crystal clear and look indistinguishable from ones taken with a film camera.
Cons:
* Size. I thought at first that I wouldn't mind the size of the S3000, but after having had it for several months, I'm starting to bring my crappy Olympus with me places where I don't have the space to haul around a clunky camera. Even though it's a fabulous point-and-shoot camera that comes through time and time again, it's quite a bit bigger than most point-and-shoot digicams which can make it a little awkward to lug around.
* Battery life stinks. The one good thing I can say about my Olympus D520 is that it has great battery life, and this is one area where the S3000 just doesn't impress me. It takes 4 AA batteries and sucks them dry in no time, despite supposedly being more efficient than the previous version.
All in all, I'd have to say that the pros far outweigh the cons with this camera. If you're looking for a sturdy digicam with tons of optical zoom and great print resolution, you can't go wrong with the A3000!
23 Awsome Camera
I have owned my FinePix S3000 for approximately 4 months now. It has great power management. I have to charge the 4 AA NiMH maybe after 100 flash pictures. The photos color is awsome and the resolution is amazing. I can zoom in at least 150% and the picture still will be perfect when using a photo editor.
24 Read the manual before use!
I got this camera for my family vacations and started using it w/o reading the manual. BIG mistake.
1) Flash recharge is a little slow.
2) In order to focus properly when you take a picture with 2 more more people standing side by side you focus on one of them and then center the picture. This wss slightly counter-intuitive.
3) Indoor performance suffers without the use of a flash.
however I love this camera because:
A) It has a fast store time on photos. So outside shots are quicker. (SEE COMMENT ABOVE ABOUT FLASH SHOTS)
B) on my tripod stationary shots are great. even my almost 4 year old can take shots with the tripod.
C) The Zoom is out of sight (no pun intended)
D) The manual apeture modes and closeup modes are superb.
E) The software works fine. As a matter of fact my Dad has a Cannon Elf that drives him nuts and he needed me to help him with it, the Software is so hard to use.
F) you can get additional lenses. Oh the plans!
So in short I love the unit despite it's minor issues.
25 Disappointing camera
My kids gave me this camera for Christmas to replace my old digital camera. The pictures are good, and it's pretty easy to use, but unless I use a tripod, most of the pictures are blurred. I never had this problem with the old one. AND...after two months of use, the camera no longer connects with the computer. Fuji says it's a camera problem, since we've ruled out everything else, and I should mail my camera to them, it will take about a month to repair and return it to me. Not something I would expect from a new camera. Keep looking.
26 Depth of field can be varied...(appendix)..
In my earlier review, I had commented that the aperture priority is not showing much difference....
A series of experiments, gave me the desired results, and thus, full points can be granted for Fuji S 3000....
Its an excellent buy....
27 Wonderful pictures- great value
We had been looking for a digital camera in a 200-300 price range. The salesperson sold us on this Fugi. The pictures it takes are WONDERFUL. They are clear, and getting large prints is a breeze. The zoom on this camera is amazing. So easy to use! Definately the best camera for the price. Who cares about not having sound? Get a camcorder for that!
28 Easy to operate. Made me switch from 35mm to digital.
I've always been a clutz with new technology. I also believe that if it's not broken, don't fix it. I stubbornly held on to 35 mm film camera.
But this camera is easy to use. And this camera made me switch from 35 mm to digital. The pictures I've taken make me feel like a pro. All my friends have had the greatest comments on my pictures. It has many SLR type features.
The camera is user friendly but make sure you read the owner's manual to use the camera to it's full potential. Directions are easy to understand. All the software you need is included with the camera. Just down load it into your computer and it will walk you through.
I use Window XP and have not had any conflict between programs. You need a USB Port to view images on your computer.
29 serious problem indoors
This camera takes great pictures, but has one serious problem: it performs lousy indoors. It has major difficulties focusing in low to medium light conditions, so unless your house is exeptionally well lit, this camera will not focuse on the object. It is useless at the parties, museumes, classrooms, etc. Again, if place is very well lit or you use it outdoors, it performs very well. I exchanged it for Sony P72 which like some others has focuse illumination feature and takes crisp pictures indoors. What a relieve!
30 Nice Camera, Easy To Use - Worth the Extra Money !!
This was our first digital camera and we are very pleased with it. The documentation includes a "quick start" page to get you going right away. After reading it and installing the batteries, we were taking very nice pictures in less than an hour. The camera is lightweight and can easily used with one hand. The controls and menus are easy to use and simple to learn and remember. One small complaint regarding the LCD monitor that can be used in place of the viewfinder. The image in the monitor apprears washed out if you are not looking directly into it. This does not affect the photo image and is a very minor annoyance.
We have taken indoor pictures in a variety of lighting conditions using the built-in flash and every picture has been great. We also went outside on a sunny day and took pictures of a snowman in a blindingly, white, snow covered, yard and the pictures again turned out great. The zoom options are very nice and easy to use. The autofocus feature works great.
Downloading the pictures into the computer is also very easy. The included software installed flawlessly. Then, using the included USB cable, connect the camera to your PCs USB port and turn on the camera. The rest is automatic. The software downloads the pictures from the camera to your computer's hard drive. The program also gives you various option for cropping or other tweaks you may wish to make to improve your pictures.
This is a great digital camera package for the price. Certainly, you can spend a lot more for a lot more camera, for professional applications. But if you are just getting started in digital photography or are looking for a second, better digital camera, to take family or vacation photos or photos around the house, take a look at the the Fuji S3000.
31 Worth the money u spend...
Advantages :
Fuji S3000 looks great.. gives good grip, compared to the other cameras in this cadre...
Excellent pic quality.. User friendly manual.. moreover, its compact(it looks a bit bulky in the photograph provided)..
Registered some queries on the Fujifilm web-page and they responded the next day itself...
Disadvantages :
Not much difference in pics taken with aperture setting of f2.4 and f8.2...(difficult to get photos with a bulrred background)
No manual focus..
Suggestions:
Rechargeable batteries and charger, and a higher Mb storage card should be included in the camera kit, even if the price has to be hiked by a few dollars...
:)
32 Great Camera. Big Bang For Your Buck!
Like several other reviewers, I opened this camera on Christmas morning. Given, there ARE a FEW things on the cam that I haven't experimented yet, but what I HAVE used is great! The cvameral offers great motion shots, stills, portrates, night shots, movies. Wish I it came with a case and a bit larger memory card, but overall this is a great camera. If you are taking pics for newsweek or somthing I would trade up a bit, but for the average person this camera will prove much more than you need. OVERALL great deal!
33 I LOVE it!!!!
I opened this little baby up on Christmas morning. Much to my surprise, this compact camera can really pack a punch. I took some high quality photos of my Christmas, and had them off to my grandma in less than 20 minutes. I absolutly love the zoom that this camera has as well. You just can't beat this camera. You get an amazing deal for the quality of camera that you get at an affordable price.
34 Good all around camera for the non-professional user
I wouldn't pay so much attention to the first person's review seeing as how that person is rating a digital camera's score based on its video functions.
So, most of you who are shopping for this camera probably are purchasing it as a first time camera (like I did) or possibly a gift for someone else. I've been overly impressed with this camera. It has a very nice macro lens (and mode) that's user friendly. I can easily focus on subjects only 2.5" from my lens. It's great for artistic purposes or if you just need to get the camera close to the subject matter.
I chose this camera over others because it offered a 6x optical zoom which is easily out of the effective range of the flash. This digital camera (like almost all) depends on the flash to maintain focus for the majority of its images. For in-focus distance images (not scenery shots), say like a graduation, you'll need a tripod to obtain images with excellent clarity. Since the flash will be out of range, you'll have to turn it off, but the camera needs to be incredibly still in order to obtain perfect images.
With that said, the camera can do action shots. I'm not too sure why the other person couldn't obtain shots without them being blurred, but I was able to capture images of my friends practicing kickboxing with no motion blur (which even surprised me). Those images were obtained using the flash. Not only that, but I've taken pictures while driving in my car and I captured an image of a van I was driving by and scenery on the side. Doing 70mph pass the trees on the side of the road and getting almost no motion blur, I have trouble seeing as how the reviewer couldn't get pictures of his children running around.
Clarity on images is excellent and grain is almost nonexistent. The camera offers many modes including sports, continuous (two consecutive shots only), night (good night time color, but needs a tripod for sure), landscape (beautiful pictures), portait, and a few others.
This is definitely a good starter camera, and like all cameras to effectively utilize all of the options available, you have to just learn how to use the camera for whatever situation needed. My biggest complaint would have to go to the slow focusing/charging modes. It makes it hard to capture moments when you're having to focus the subject first. However, most cameras I've played with in this price range do not offer much faster, if at all, focus speeds. It's the only camera I've seen with a 6x optical zoom (which is what you want, no digital zoom) under $300, and it also has an adapter ring if you'd ever like to upgrade your range.
As far as the software, it's not anything spectacular but it worked for me. Also, it's easy to use for those not too familiar with computers (slideshows, cd burning, etc.). I'm running on Windows 98, and my computer recognized the camera as a massive storage device as well; however, if you follow the installation process correctly, the software should correct that problem (the manual advises not to connect the camera prior to installing the software).
35 Fujifilm Fine Pix S3000
First, read the manufactures blurb about this camera. Then come back here.
Well...sounds pretty good "don't it". And it's all they say it is...EXCEPT if your children MOVE (and mine do) the picture is so blurry it's useless. SOoooo I read the manual for the THIRD time aaaaaand tried all the "Auto" settings and adjusted for all the lens settings and mixed and matched this set of settings and that set of settings and after each of the set of user friendly setting up of the settings.....It produced much better results in as much as the flash seems to answer the question of blured pictures. This camera is for the begining Digital Photographer. It is NOT your "Point and Shoot" solution.
I own an MX-2700 a great little camera for it's day (minus the flash)...but side by side (and I whish there were some where on this site to do that) the S3000 is far superior to the hot spot riddled MX-2700 but the 2700 didn't pick up blinking eyes. Fujifilm...back to the drawing board...one...more...time. Oh...and the delay? The pits!
Price: Pretty good is shoped out.
Software: Fagetaboutdit. ONE GIANT ADD. For the entry level user only.
Suggestion: The S3000 was a challange to my time.If you're not into the art of Digital, pay a little more (or less) and move on to another product, Fujifilm or not. I like this battery chomping pixie, now having "mastered" it's settings issue... If this is an example of the "Digital Camera" wars you may have to move into either the upper or lower end of the offerings depending on your wants and needs.
Addendum: I found this to be a stiking experience of interest.:
Worked great -- for a month, July 7, 2003
Reviewer: Nicolas Martin (see more about me) from Indianapolis, IN United States
The FujiFilm cameras seem like an exceptional value with excellent features, but how reliable is the xD card storage medium? I purchased the 256 MB card and it worked just a few weeks before it began to malfunction. When it was inserted into the Alladin kiosks, now at many stores, it had to be reinserted again and again. Then when the pics are printed they are too dark. Apparently one of the metalic contacts has become damaged. Upon close examination it appears far to easy for this to happen. Given the many removals and insertions that may be required using the xD card it seems less well constructed than rival cards. Sadly, this also impacts the usability of the camera. When I contact Fuji, I find a knee-deep phone menu with plenty of deadends, and the customary "due to unusual call volume ...." message. I've received no response to the email or voicemail messages I've left. I'd be less likely to buy a FujiFilm digital product after this experience.
36 Very Nice Camera
I've been waiting for the price of digital cameras to come down before finally taking the plunge. I did it with the Fuji Fine Pix 3000. Very easy to use and moving around the menus and options is a breeze. One of the better features is the 6x Optical Zoom!!! Wouldn't own a digital camera without it!! Okay, so it doesn't have audio with the video. But this was not a factor with me as if I want movies I use a camcorder. I purchased this camera to take photos not movies!!! The software downloaded great and and with ther USB connections, the photos download great to my XP computer. Anyone looking to buy a digital camera should consider this make and model.
37 Excellent for a novice!
I really am enjoying this camera! Initially I bought a Sony because I already have a Sony camcorder and it seemed reasonable to share the memory card I upgraded between them. I returned the Sony immediately (to Circuit City who does NOT charge a restocking fee if you return with 14 days!) and researched Consumer Reports.
This is the camera I am keeping!
My photography experience consisits of using those disposable 35mm cameras and taking grainy, dark pictures with my camcorder.
I love this camera because it is so much easier to use that the Sony was! Very, very user-friendly menus and functions. Excellent picture quality and excellent 6 x optical zoom. Pictures print beautifully also--even on my crappy Lexmark printer! No problem with any light source--this camera adjusts automatically so I don't feel like an idiot that needs to go to "camera school"!
I'm buying a battery recharger and storage case today.
The only useless feature I can find is the movie maker.
38 Optical Zoom
The 6X Optical Zoom is something you won't find on any other camera in this price range. The close range pictures you can get with this camera is also amazing. You can get as close as you want. If you want sound, go buy yourself a camcorder. Great all around camera with great zoom abilities.
39 Good but some flaws
I've been burned by big brands with poor reliability before, so I chose Fuji after seeing Consumer's Union rate Fuji very reliable. It's big and clunky, but we wanted that shape to find it quickly in a cluttered diaper bag.
Right out of the box, if you've ever had a digital camera before, you barely need the instruction book. It's very intuitive. The LCD and viefwinder are bright, sharp, and are things of beauty. The on screen menus are great. The controls and grip are all manageable with one hand, once you learn where they are. The pictures are 3.2 megapixel great. The 6x optical zoom makes it easy to take quality face shots from a distance. Beware ANYBODY'S digital zoom - it's nonsense - only optical counts.
The software for your PC is so bad that Fuji should have never shipped it. First of all, my Windows XP PC will not see the Finepix as a camera. It sees it as a mass storage device. So, if you are good with geek stuff, you know how to get your pictures to go where you want them, but if you just want it to be easy, you are out of luck. This software precludes this camera from being a gift for your mother. If you manually install the USB driver, Win XP still doesn't see it as a camera. The Finepix Viewer software is just a Fuji branded Internet Explorer. There is also one item of software installed called WINASPI. There is no explanation for what it does, it is installed in your root directory ( a major software no no), it looks like a throwback to Win 3.1 when it's being installed, and it gives you messages suffering from translationitis (For to make setup effective, it necessarily will be for to resart your computing system now.)
In calculating the true cost, at a minimum, you will have to get a 64mb xD card, and you will have to get 8 NiMH AA batteries and a charger. The use of AA batteries is a huge plus, so when you are walking around Wallyworld and the batteries go dead, you can just buy 4 AAs, as opposed to cameras with proprietary rechargeables. You will also want some good photo organizing software, and because of the miserable software included, I've discovered a GREAT program online called Picasa -it is a must have GREAT photo organizer.
So, I like it, I'm happy I bought it, the price was good, but it's not perfect.
40 Buyer Beware - No Audio in Video mode on S3000
Bought this camera at a best buy store - Salesman said it was the new improved variety of the older FinePix 3800. I had been planning on buying a 3800 soon, before Christmas - since I was all ready sold on my daughter's FinePix 2800, which is a great camera and uses batteries so sparingly (3800 and 2800 are pretty much the same camera but with different pixel densities).
However, after I got the S3000 home and shot a few pics, I discovered that this so called 'IMPROVED' version of the 3800 has NO AUDIO mode for the video - whew! what an improvement, 'silent digital movies.' When I returned the 3000 to the store for a refund, I discover that best buy has a 15% restocking fee - cost me $45 to return. Unhappy me.
So today I am searching the net for a good buy on the older 3800, which has Audio & Video - and only a 6X zoom, less than the 10X zoom on the S3000.
So do you want Audio and Video or 10X zoom?
41 Lots of features, good price/performance ratio
You can do a lot with this camera. It has plenty of manual functions and automatic adjustment features. The 6X zoom gives great closeups, and the images are produced with rich colors and clarity. The manual covers most of the basics, but a digital photo magazine will provide useful tips to improve your photos. I also like the SLR style case. It provides a better grip than mini cameras.
My only disappointment is with night photos. Last night I took some photos of the lunar eclipse. And while some of the images came out okay, others were blurry. The reason is that during the full eclipse, there was not enough light to use the auto focus and the camera seems to have no manual focus ability. I think the S5000 has this feature, but I am not sure. The other problem was "night spots," which are little spots all over the image that come from long exposure photos on CCD. This is apparently a very common problem with all digital cameras, but it is annoying never the less. There are complicated post imaging techniques that can be used to get rid of the spots, but I will leave that for another time.
Overall, this is a good mid-priced performer that should exceed the expectations of most casual photographers under most conditions.
