Customer Reviews

Fujifilm FinePix 1300 1.2MP Digital Camera

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The camera is a great deal for the money. This is the first digital camera I have owned, and I am very pleased. The camera takes very clear photos. There are options found on this unit that equal more expensive cameras. The software is very easy to load and understand. The only faults I found were, it eats batteries like mad, and the picture taken does not match what you see in the viewer as far as size goes. That takes some getting used to. Very pleased

This is my first purchase of a digital camera although I have used both a SmartMedia and floppy disk-type digital camera. I was looking for a digital camera that was around $200 and I came up with this. I started at a great website that has reviews of most digital and non-digital cameras on the market. You can access them at www.dcresource.com. Choose a camera from the drop-down menu. They show you photographs of the camera you review from all angles (top, bottom, side, front and back) and they give you sample photos taken from that camera. They also have great reviews. I picked this camera over the Kodak and Fuji 1400 because of the features along with price. You either get 640 (Normal) or 1280 (Fine) resolution. You also get an easy-to-use timer. You also get a USB connector which is key when using this type of camera. You don't want a serial connector unless you want to sit at the computer for an hour while the photos download. The only problem I found with this camera (and knew this when I bought it because of the reviews I read) is the LCD screen. You really can't use it to take the photos because everything appears dark even in the lighter setting and the pictures have minimal quality on the playback feature. But, the rest of the camera makes up for the cheesy LCD panel. I used the viewfinder to take pictures and that worked fine. You can view the finished picture good enough on the screen to see if you want the picture or not. And, the quality of the photos is wonderful. It is worth the price. They also give you a hardcopy manual to use when figuring how to use the camera. The menus are a little confusing for a newbie but if you read the manual you can figure it out. And, to save money at Amazon.com go to Flamingoworld (www.flamingoworld.com) and look for current coupons. I saved $50 on this camera with a coupon. Enjoy!

This camera is alot like Apple computers, easy to use for a beginner, alot of options for more experienced people, and most of all great quality for price. i bought this camera mostly, because of the price, right before a vacation hoping it would work out ok. It turned out great.

First off this camera is a great start for people not accustomed to digital cameras. This camera is incedibly easy to use, novices can just use it as a point and click camera, with the camera automatically setting if flash is needed, and other more complicated details, which a more experienced person can set manually. You can take two different sizes of pictures, one normal and one smaller for use on the internet. The camera has 3 quality levels, but to tell the truth the normal is almost just as good as the fine level.

I'm not sure what the other reviewers are talking about but i had no problem loading the pictures. All the hookups are included, and it works on PC and Mac.

The only complaint is the lack of a zoom. On the smaller sized pictues you have a 2x zoom, but that's it.

But overall this is a great, high-quality camera for the price, you can get 2-32 megabyte memory cards with it and still be under the price of many other cameras. This is a great purchase, save you money in the first year, never buy film again.

I was introduced to this camera when a friend sent me some stunning day and night photos taken in and around Kuwait City (one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in the world). I thought he had taken the shots with a 35 MM and scanned in the prints. I was shocked when I found out that not only were the pictures taken with a digital camera, but with what is considered a low-end digital.

Here are some strong points: the camera does a wonderful job of night shots without added equipment. It is literally point and shoot, with both an LCD display and optical viewfinder. It uses high-speed USB, which is a significant improvement over serial connections for uploading photos into your PC. Also it's small. It fits easily in a man's jacket pocket or woman's purse (well, not my purse because I happen to carry three cell phones, a pager and a Palm VIIx - a girl needs her toys).

The software with which it ships is, well, not so good. I use Paintshop Pro version 7.0, which will directly download the photos and allow me to perform corrective action. If you get this camera get Paintshop Pro 7 too!

All controls are intuitive and easy to use. It will also take close-ups well if you set up the shots properly. I have a highly detailed photo taken with this camera of an intricate 1/4" object that was taken 8 inches away. Every detailed came out in high contrast and high resolution. However, to achieve this I had to use a mini tripod to absolutely steady the camera and play with lighting (at 8" the camera and photographer cast shadows that need to be compensated for with strategically placed lighting).

Some people may view this as an entry level camera, especially with all of the mega pixel models out there. However, I am completely satisfied with the quality of the photos, which print beautifully on my Epson 770 printer using glossy photo paper. If you are a professional who is looking for a bridge between film and digital, perhaps this one is not for you. If, however, you want a decent digital camera that can take low resolution shots for e-mail and web pages, or high resolution shots for printing and keeping, this might be all the camera you need. I doubt if I'll outgrow it anytime soon. 5 stars for ease of use, gorgeous photos and value pricing.

I did not have any problems loading the software like some of the people who posted reviews here. As soon as I plug the camera into the usb port the Fuji software automatically downloads the pictures to their viewer software. The pictures are very good quality. On a epson 870 photo printer the results are excellent for a 4X6 print (I have not tried to print anything bigger). It is not a replacement for a 35mm camera with a zoom. I still use my Canon Sureshot 135 camera if I am shooting alot of pictures, like when I go on vacation, but if I only want to get some quick snapshots (which is most of the time) this is the camera I use. I can only get 10 pictures on the 8meg smartmedia card at the highest quality setting. I will probably get a 32meg or 64 meg card soon.

Having used some other low-end digital cameras in the past, I must say that this one is a welcome relief. Most of these other cameras have what I feel is a critical flaw - a long wait between pushing the button and when the camera actually takes a picture. Some of the other cameras can take as long as three seconds between "clicking", and when the photo is actually taken. While this doesn't sound like a big issue, I can guarantee that you'll end up with a lot of pictures of floors and ceilings with the other models - especially when someone unfamiliar with the camera pushes the button and then looks at the camera to see why nothing happened. Of course, you can erase these errors without any cost involved as the camera's digital, but there's no guarantee you can replicate the moment you were trying to capture. Thankfully, this camera eliminates this concern. The resolution of this camera is certainly adequate for web and email pictures, and would be ideal for anyone who needs to take digital pictures for online auctions like ebay. Plus, it comes at a very affordable price for people who would like to experiment with digital photography.

I've had this camera for a while and taken it on several trips. My APS P&S camera has been gathering dust ever since. The FinePix is very easy to use. It responds quickly upon power-up, so you can leave it off between shots, which makes batteries last a long time. Downloading pictures to Win98 over the USB interface couldn't be easier; you just drag and drop. Picture quality is decent at the maximum resolution in "fine" mode, but poor at the default "normal" compression mode. (I wish more digicams would offer uncompressed output modes!) Get additional memory; I have found that 64MB is enough. At the high-resolution mode picture preview and time between shots is a little sluggish. The LCD preview has a nice high frame rate but is slow to respond to its on-off switch.

On the con side, the biggest problem I have with this camera is its poor performance in low light conditions. Even fairly bright overcast conditions sometimes result in shutter speeds that preclude handheld use without blurring. Even with a steady camera, shadows and darker areas in medium-to-low light conditions show a lot of digital noise.

The macro mode is frustrating to use because it's fixed-focus. I wonder why this feature made the cut.

The color balance is on the saturated side, though you can adjust the color balance in manual mode. In general, skin tones are a bit reddish for my tastes, but nothing that Photoshop can't fix.

And lastly, there's no lens cap. Although I have yet to scratch the protective cover over the lens, I'm afraid to, so I always carry this camera in a bulky bag which makes it less convenient.

Overall, I'm very happy with this camera which got me into digital photography with a minimum of expense and fuss. I have taken some very nice pictures with it and when I show friends 4x6 prints from it almost nobody can tell it from film. But for available-light photography I stick with my 35mm SLR.

I bought the camera to take pictures of students in my high school classes for an end of the year slide show. I did some research and did not find any cameras that matched this one for the price (USB interface, LCD, 8 MB smartmedia card along with a 16 MB bonus disk upon purchase). I had some difficulty getting everything set up. I had to buy a Scandisk to download pictures into Windows NT, for example. Once I got it all figured out, however, it was an extremely simple camera to operate, and the pictures are extremely high quality. It will chew through batteries, but only if you use the LCD panel extensively. I use it sparingly, preferring to take pictures the old fashioned way: through the viewfinder. My LCD went out just this last week and it is currently being repaired (under warranty). The problem with the LCD is that you can't program the camera or change settings without it. I also worry a little about the camera's durability.

The FujiFinePix 1300 really is a great bang for your buck. It has great picture clarity, very easy to use, very quick to download pictures with usb connection, and the software that comes with it is a snap - if I can do it, anybody can do it! Highly recommend getting 2 sets of rechargable batteries. I like to keep my setting on fine and that seems to use up more juice, as does using the LCD monitor (hint: if you use the eyepiece to take the picture instead of turning on LCD monitor to take the picture with it uses less battery juice) I have been thouroughly satisfied with this camera so far (it's still new to me). Wish it came with a camera bag, .... If you are someone like me that always wants to take pictures but never remembered to bring the camera (didn't have a great camera to begin with) this is a great inexpensive investment. Takes up to 64mb smart media card and came with an 8mb sm card. I've seen the 64mb cards for as low as $19.99 (shop around). Recommend having a few of these too - The higher quality image you want the more juice it uses on memory cards. I didn't shop around much before I bought but have been telling everyone to get it. Remember it's a high end beginner level - great starter camera.

I got the camera today and proceeded to try it out both at work and at home. I had no problems whatsoever setting up the drivers and software either on my iMac at work or on my Win98 machine at home. The camera's really easy to use, the only possible drawback is that all the menu items appear as tiny little icons on the LCD screen - perhaps not a good choice for those with bad eyesight. We've been taking pictures all night, and everything seems to be working out fine. Obviously, I haven't tested it in all possible conditions, and I know that battery life will be an issue. I did a lot of shopping around, and this really did seem like the best bang for the buck. ...I'd definitely recommend looking around on the web, taking your time, reading reviews, and deciding what you'd like out of a digital camera. If, however, you're a novice user, would like something that's easy to set up and equally easy to use, I'd definitely recommend the Finepix 1300. The USB interface is quite speedy, it's lightweight and portable, and picture quality is pretty good. I'd think about purchasing some rechargable batteries, a carrying case (there's no lens cap), and perhaps a wall adapter (especially if you'll be using it for Ebay or something like that). Anice beginner's digital camera, with a lot of good deals out there if you look around.