FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom

by Fuji

Product Details

Product Manual [4.68mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 2.7 x 3.9 x 3 inches ; 9.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000CC619
• Item model number: S3000
• Batteries: 4 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,642 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 27, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Fujifilm announces the arrival of the Fujifilm FinePix S3000, a digital SLR-type camera for everyday photographers. This model replaces the existing FinePix 3800, and will be available to consumers in October - just in time for the busy holiday season. The FinePix S3000 offers 3.2 million effective pixels to create crisp, colorful images perfect to share with family and friends through retail printing and email. The camera's compact, SLR-inspired styling and 6x optical zoom offer a familiar experience to consumers who already enjoy traditional photography.

The FinePix S3000 offers 3.2 million effective pixels, which can produce images of 2048 x 1536 (3.15 million) recorded pixels for best-quality prints up to 8 x 10 inches in size. The camera also offers 6x optical and 3.2x digital zooms, movie recording without sound and several scene positioning modes.

Fujifilm's FinePix S3000 digital camera offers the following array of features:

• Resolution and color - The camera produces output files of 3.15 million recorded pixels, resulting in crisp, vibrant prints up to 8 x 10 inches in size.
• Long reach - The FinePix S3000 also offers a long reach wide aperture 6x optical and 3.2x digital zoom, and works with optional wide and telephoto lens adapters, allowing photo enthusiasts to capture long-range subjects.
• SLR-inspired styling - The camera's compact SLR-inspired body provides a familiar feel to everyday photo hobbyists and digital photography newcomers alike. The camera measures 3.9 (W) x 3.0 (H) x 2.7 (D) inches, and weighs 10 ounces without batteries and media. In addition, a user-friendly electronic viewfinder helps consumers take better pictures, and offers a playback mode that saves battery power.
• Simple manual controls - Consumers who want to experiment with image control will be pleased with the FinePix S3000's semi-manual controls, while others will appreciate the camera's smart use of automatic features. The FinePix S3000 offers a portrait scene positioning mode, as well as continuous shooting at 2 frames per second, capturing up to 2 frames.
• Lower power consumption - The FinePix S3000 offers consumers maximum power efficiency, and can take up to 350 images - using the LCD monitor, and with flash on half of the time - on a single set of four AA alkaline batteries.
• Movie recording - The camera offers AVI movie recording at 10 frames per second without sound, allowing consumers to capture everyday events and special moments to play back for friends and family at a later date. The FinePix S3000 can capture 60-second 320 x 240 pixel movies, and approximately 240 seconds at 160 x 120 pixels. Movies can be burned onto CD-ROMs for storage using the ImageMixer VCD 2 for FinePix software included with the camera, or shown on televisions using the video out interface.

The FinePix S3000 comes bundled with a 16 MB xD-Picture Card, four AA alkaline batteries, shoulder strap, USB cable, lens adapter ring, FinePix Viewer 4.1, and ImageMixer VCD 2 for FinePix. 3.2 million effective pixels, produces image with 2048 x 1536 recorded pixels. Simple user-friendly control and easy USB computer connection. Built into a compact body it features a precision Fujinon 6X optical lens, with 3.2X digital zoom, mini Through-The Lens (TTL) electric viewfinder, digital movie recording, video-out, and PC-Cam Internet Mode. Set to automatic for simple operation the entire family can enjoy, or select manual for greater control over each picture. Optional wide and telephoto lenses are available. Includeds 16MB XD-Picture Card, 4 AA batteries, shoulder strap, lens cap, lens/filter adapter ring, FinePix Software and USB Cable.

Features

• 3.2 million pixels
• 1/2.7-inch CCD sensor(Number of Total Pixels: 3.34 million pixels)
• 6x optical zoom
• Auto and manual exposure modes
• 1.8-inches amorphous silicon TFT LCD monitor(62,000 pixels)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good all around camera for the non-professional user, December 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

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).

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but some flaws, November 28, 2003

By 

Nicholas Namias "fatmanrox" (Miami Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

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.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Camera, Easy To Use - Worth the Extra Money !!, January 1, 2004

By 

"ruffrider17" (Sagebrush, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FujiFilm FinePix S3000 3.1MP Digital Camera w/6x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

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.