Fuji Finepix A210 - Great for Outdoor Photos / OK indoors
Written: Jan 08 '05 (Updated Jan 20 '05)
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Pros: Takes good photos for the price, Has 6 flash modes, white balance, and macro
Cons: Only takes good pictures with sun as the light source
The Bottom Line: Nice point and shoot camera with some added features. Takes exceptional outdoor photos, average indoor photos. Low price for the mega pixels and zoom.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: FUJIFILM FinePix A303 Digital Camera |
This is my second Fujifilm digital camera. After one year my Fujifilm 2600 focus broke so I got the Fujifilm A210 to replace it. I figured I already knew the quality of the pictures and the cards and carrying case that I already had would be compatible and found this on special and have had it for a year now.
Choosing A Digital:
Price and what you will be using it for influenced the determining factor for which camera you choose. I prefer an inexpensive camera but would like a printable picture as well. I take nearly all indoor photos and found that the flash of the Fujifilm brings the most realistic colors of the many cameras that I've tried. Unfortunately I can only take pictures during the daylight hours when it's sunny out and all the blinds are open to get a good color accurate picture. On an overcast day the pictures don't turn out well. Taking an indoor picture at night is nearly impossible. I could bring all the lamps I own into one room and shine a spotlight on it and the picture still doesn't turn out properly. Sometimes even a picture indoors during the day with all the blinds open still produces an error message.
Another important thing that I need to do is take pictures of my children. If you're taking pictures of children you'll need a camera that will compensate for movement. This does a nice job of taking despite their moving around. However the waiting time between the picture being saved and ready for the next picture is too long for the kids to wait. The first picture has to be good because the moment is gone by the time it recycles. The more the batteries drain the long the processing time it seems.
I also often take pictures of scenery while we're driving. I'm able to open the window, point, and shoot without slowing down and the pictures look as good as if I had been standing still.
Outdoor photos are always perfect. It takes brilliant photos in the outdoors.
Using
The following items are included with purchase:
16 MB, XD-picture Card
Strap
2 AA Alkaline Batteries
USB cable
Special video cable
Software
Compatible operating systems: Apple Mac OS 8, Apple Mac OS 9, Apple Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98SE, Microsoft Windows ME, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional
You should be able to start taking your pictures as soon as you get home though with only alkaline batteries that are included you may not get many shots in. Rechargeable batteries are a must. It comes with the 16 MB xD-picture card which is needed to store the pictures. If you take large pictures or will be taking a lot of pictures away from home you may want to buy a bigger picture card. I use a 64MB card and have never needed more.
You would probably need to buy a charger for rechargeable batteries and at least 4 AA rechargeable batteries. Quality name brand NiMH rechargeable batteries are your best bet for better performance. When an icon of a battery comes on the LCD it means the battery is nearly dead. I have found that if my batteries aren't fully charged the camera takes poor pictures and is very sluggish. They sell an AC power adapter and cradle for continuous charge though I'm not sure how much that is or where you would buy it. Also a carrying case will also need to be purchased separately.
LCD Panel
The LCD panel is a feature that you don't find on film cameras. You are able to see the picture and line it up without putting it against your eye. There is also a frame that is always there to help you take better pictures. The viewfinder has a ( ) and the LCD panel has a [ ] to help line up the subject to take a better shot. The LCD panel is also what you will look at to see the picture that you took. If you need to know right away if anyone had their eyes close you simply turn in the middle notch and look. Turn it back to the first notch to retake. The LCD panel can also be turned off and pictures would then be taken from the eye piece. There is a special feature that you can set it to in the menu bar for auto shut off after 30 seconds of inactivity, otherwise it automatically turns off after 2 minutes.
Resolution
This camera takes some really fantastic outdoor shots, and most indoor shots are still good. You can change resolution depending on how important the pictures are to you. The camera takes 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 and a QuickTime movie. If you plan on printing the pictures the highest resolution is recommended. The smaller the resolution the more pictures you can have on the picture card.
Mini Movies
This is not a video camera by any means. You can take a short motion picture without sound. You have the option of a 320 x 240 60 second clip or a 160 x 120 for 240 seconds. This uses a lot of your memory card, the whole thing if you're using the 16mb. This feature would be so much better if it had sound.
Self Timer
If the photographer would like to be included in a picture the self-timer feature can be used. Once set the photographer will have 10 seconds to get into place before the picture is taken.
xD Picture Card
The xD Picture Card is where all of your photos are stored before you download them to your computer. It is the "film" for the camera. When you snap a picture, it stores it on this card and it remains there even when you turn the camera off and will remain there until you erase it off. If you take the picture card out the pictures will still remain on the picture card. Once you download the pictures to your computer you can go to the menu and erase them from your camera and free up space. The camera comes with a 16MB memory card that will hold 25 high quality photos of the largest size, or 122 of the lowest resolution. The LCD will tell you in the top right corner exactly how many more you can take.
Megapix
How clear your pictures look depend on the amount of resolution in terms of megapixels. The more the better. The Fujifilm A210 has 3.2 mega pixels which is acceptable, pictures can look even better with quality paper and printers.
Zoom
There's a difference between optical zoom and digital zoom. The optical zoom magnifies using glass just like a regular camera, the digital zoom seems to crop the picture to make it look closer but actually makes the quality of the picture less. Optical zoom is what you need to focus on, and 3X is enough and probably the minimum that you will need for normal photo shooting. This camera has 3.0 optical and 3.2 digital zoom.
Features
There are 6 flash modes: Auto (normal conditions), Red eye reduction (a flash before the flash), forced flash (for backlit scenes such as in shadow or in front of window), suppressed flash (through glass, indoor sporting events, etc.) slow synchro flash (for pictures at night to show both your people and scenery), and red-eye reduction slow synchro (for slow synchro shots with red eye). Not all cameras have these flash choices which result in bad photos in different scenarios. The ability to change the flash makes your camera able to take pictures under different conditions.
White Balance is a feature that is set automatically but you can also change it. The options are auto, outdoors, shade, daylight fluorescent lamps, warm white fluorescent lamps, cool white fluorescent lamps, and shooting in incandescent light. The white balance is disabled in flash mode. Since I'm a point and shooter, I haven't really messed with this.
This has a Macro mode which is used for close up shots. I love this feature, it's come in handy a lot. The focal range is approximately 3.9 inches to 3.3 feet. The flash range is 1.0 ft to 3.3 ft. The LCD panel must be used for the macro mode. There have been times when I needed a copy of a paper or identification cards and rather than driving to a copy machine I just snapped it with the macro mode and it comes out perfectly.
Odds and Ends:
It also has a place for a tripod (sold separately) to attach which will also facilitate the group photos or self timer in addition to steadying the hand.
The lens cap is permanently attached to the camera so you will never have to wonder where you sat it.
There is a feature that prevents accidental erasure of pictures.
Pictures can be viewed on the TV if you want to show it to a group
There is a PC Camera mode which allows videoconferencing.
Size & Appearance of Camera
This camera is a middle size camera. There are many that are smaller and many that are larger. This is just the right size for my eyes and fingers. This is silver and very average looking.
Ease of Use
Once the batteries and picture card is installed you can try out the camera. There is a two step process to turn the camera on, sliding the lens cover and turning on the power. You can not take a picture until both of those steps are completed and it briefly processes for the next picture. This is really quite annoying and I have lost lots of good pictures waiting to get the camera on, it's just one of those things. You look in the LCD screen, point, and shoot. You will be able to immediately see how the picture came out of erase that picture.
This is very easy to use. Everything is set on auto and all you have to do is point and shoot. You can make adjustments to the settings as you get
comfortable with the camera. There is a menu button that has all of your options on it. It's all very explanatory. There's a small dial on the top of the camera that puts you into picture, view, or movie mode.
To get the pictures off of the camera, you simply plug the provided cord into your camera and computer and wait for the screen to pop up and you can move the photos to your drive and erase them from the camera. It only takes a second to get the pictures from the camera to the computer.
Other Cameras
Fuji FinePix 2600 Digital
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 130.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
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xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
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