Customer Reviews

Fujifilm FinePix 1400 1.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been watching the digital market waiting for interchangable lens digitals to fall below that magic thousand dollar price point for some time. Although it's probably going to happen soon, I realized I still needed a simple point and shoot digital with decent resolution that ddn't cost an arm and a leg- with casmera getting cheaper every few months I didn't want to spend too much on a camera I might be replacing in a year. Still, I wnated something with more than enough resolution for high-quality web pictures, and maybe even 4x6 prints, which meant around 1.3-1.5 megapixels.

I also decided I wanted a simple, removable media with no moving parts, and some degree of manual exposure control. It looked like I couldn't find what I really wanted under $500- and then I found the Fuji.

I've been shooting this marvelous package for a week now, and it's lived up to my expectations in every way. Focusing is fast and accurate, with an optional macro range for closeups. Color accuracy is first rate, contrast is superb, and the finished prints need very little, if any, correction. Battery life is the best of any of the digital cameras I've tried- turn off the LCD monitor and a st of 4 AAs will last 450 shots! That's a lot better than my Agfa, which ate a pair of AAs with every 16 shots. The supplied software includes a program to download and manage pictures directly and a copy of Adobe's Photo Deluxe, which is looking moe nad more like Photoshop all the time.

It's a measure of the camera's human engineering that I used it for a full day before I opened up the instruction manual. It's just that intuitive. Turn it on, and shoot. That's it. The zoom control falls right where you need it, under your thumb, and the opticla finder zooms with the lens. No need to turn on the LCD unless you want to edit in the camera or check a precise closeup shot. (You can also zoom in, crop, and do other edits on the image while it's still in the camera). If you want to take greater control, there are menus that let you vary exposure, flash behavior and many other variables as well.

The supplied 4MB SmartMedia card holds 12 high resolution, standard compression shots. You can increase or reduce image compression to get higher quality or more pictures, and you can switch to a low-resolution mode when you need to squeeze a lot of pictures onto one card. The standard compression mode gives such good images that I wouldn't hesitate using high compression for web photos in order to double the card's capacity.

I'd suggest a few accessories that I found made the camera easier to use.

First, another SmartMedia card. A 16MB card (available for around $30) rives you 49 high-res, standard compresion shots- enough for a whole vacation for some. Second, an accessory SmartMedia reader. While you can download directly from the camera to your computer, an accessory reader (around $50 or less) works much, much faster, and saves camera batteries, too. Last, a small well-padded case with a strap, and preferably with multiple compartments. I carry mine in a Domke bag that has room for the camera, a couple of extra media cards, a cell phone, pens, pencils, the instruction book (there's a lot this camera can do I haven't even explored yet) and a set or two of spare batteries. I'm thinking of adding yet another SmartMedia card, too; with a 32MB card I'd have a total of about 160 shots, or the equivalent of between 5 and 6 rolls of standard film. Not bad.

I bought this camera in May'2000 and have been impressed with it from day one. Besides taking great pictures, it is also small and compact (even fits into my pocket) and passes off (to others) as a "cheap snap-snap" (great, now people dont know its a digital camera).

Overall, image quality is excellent. I can hardly see the jaggies in any of the photos except at extreme magnification. As for prints, this does a very good job for most printers. I have the Epson 870, and since the printer is so good, you need to feed a better quality image into it to get rid of the jagged lines. I used Paint Shop pro to upsample the image to double the size and got impressive results. (In my opinion, they are better quality 4x6 prints than I can get at the photo labs here.)

Battery life is good with alkaline batteries. I average between 100 to 130 photos (with the LCD on, some with flash) at 640x480 and about 80+ photos at 1280x960. Overall, much better than i had expected (with all the horror stories of battery burning out so fast with other cameras). With rechargable batteries though, I'm not having so much luck. They seem to get depleted very fast (about 30+ shots). One problem I have with the camera is that after taking a photo, it just shuts down by itself when the battery is low (without any indication). Fuji has to improve on the battery remaining indicator, which does not seem to work well in my unit.

Exposure wise, it takes good photos in the day or night. If you use the flash, some of the photos get under or overexposed frequently, especially in closer distances. I tend to get more red-eyes often, cos I forgot to turn on the red-eye mode on the camera. The camera also allows forced-flash, forced no-flash, red eye and auto modes.

The 3x optical Zoom is good if you need to zoom in closer. I can't seem to find any use for the digital zoom though, as it only zooms x2 in one step, ie either you get 1x or 2x, which can easily be done using software like Photoshop or PSP.

The best thing about this camera is that its easy to use. No fiddling around with hundreds of settings etc. It only has a play mode and a record mode. In record, thats where you take pictures and set options such as image size, quality, macro mode etc. In play mode, you can view the pictures (and zoom in and pan around) and erase if recessary. Also provided is a mode where you can view 9 pictures at a time.

The EXIF viewer software that comes with the camera is excellent for a post mortem look at what settings the camera used. Since the camera is automatic, you cant make any adjustments to the shutter speed or apeture, but after downloading to your computer, you can see what settings were used for a particular shot.

In the Asian edition, There was no image software included, but I think the American edition comes with Adobe Photo Deluxe.

One of the things you really need to buy is more memory! The camera comes with just 4MB of memory, which can only hold 6 images at the finest resolution at 1280x960. I'd recommend getting at least a 32MB card, which will allow about 50 pictures. (The camera actually takes slightly more or less photos depending on the complexity of the subject). I have sometimes gotten just 5 pictures using the 4M card.

Data transfer to the PC is excellent. Very fast, and no trouble at all. Just make sure you have Windows 98, as it doesn't work on Win 95.

Overall, Value for Money!

The Fujifilm FinePix 1400 Zoom digital still camera is a sleek and handsome device styled with a familiar "point-and-shoot camera" sort of design. Controls are reasonably well laid-out and fairly easy to handle, even for middle-aged hands and thick fingers like mine.

For the record, this is my first digital camera. I regard myself as an "intermediate" amateur in 35mm film photography, and desktop computer operations.

Though I have not yet made any prints from the digital images I have taken with this camera, I am very well satisfied with the color and sharpness in the daylight macro images taken in my rose garden as I view them on my iMac. The attempt to photograph my nephews' graduation from the bleachers of a high school gymnasium, however, revealed the limitations of the modest built-in flash, and the lens' ability to pick up "ghosts" of the overhead lighting.

The camera can take pictures in your choice of three quality levels (basic, normal, or fine) and one of two pixel sizes (640x480 or 1280x960). A 320x240 file size can accomplished by editing a recorded image using the "resize" function. Indeed, any larger size can be reduced to a smaller size (to the minimum 320x240). This can save space on the SmartMedia card, or reduce transmission time over internet email, for instance.

The camera comes with one 4MB SmartMedia card. According to the owners manual, the "standard" number of 1280x960 images which can be recorded in 4MB ranges from 6 "fine" to 12 "normal" to 23 "basic;" and the number of 640x480 images ranges from 23 "fine" to 44 "normal" to 69 "basic". The manual goes on to say that actual capacity "varies slightly depending on the type of subject."

The highly recommended purchase of a 32MB card increases 1280x960 "standard" capacity to 50 "fine," 99 "normal," and 180 "basic" images; and 640x480 "standard" capacity to 180 "fine," 330 "normal," and 496 "basic" images.

An indoor flash picture of a furnished room revealed some barely detectable "jaggies" along the edges of a lamp shade in the "normal" mode. Switching to "fine" eliminated these altogether. (BTW, in a normal-size room, the flash exposure was ample.)

I must agree with the many reviewers who have written that the LCD display is a bit too small and not bright enough to see easily in full sunlight, but I have found that a "banker's visor" or "big bubba" billed cap can help.

The optical viewfinder is another solution, and is especially useful because it actually "zooms" along with the lens in pseudo-SLR fashion. But unlike a true thru-the-lens viewer, the parallax error in this camera is significant. Because the "film" does not "see" exactly the same "frame" as the optical viewfinder, you might end up cutting off Aunt Mildred's head in that next photo if you don't take care.

The camera manuals, though they still sound a bit "translated," are actually very informative, well organized, and well thought-out. The installation of the software drivers, and downloading over the USB interface to my iMac with MacOS 8.6 went without a hitch.

Besides a larger SmartMedia card, other recommendable additions include one (or better yet, two) full sets of rechargeable batteries with recharger. And, if you plan to spend time using the in-camera editing features, consider getting the AC adapter, too.

Playback functions include a nice nine-image LCD "thumbnail" display mode. And those with advanced interests might want to take advantage of the camera's ability to edit various Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) settings.

My verdict on the Fujifilm FinePix 1400 Zoom is that it is a very good value as an entry-level digital camera capable (within reasonable limits) of capturing excellent images for computer viewing. In today's marketplace, there are but two or three that can directly compete with it for price and features - especially for owners of USB equipped computers.

When I saw this camera on Amazon, my indecision over which Olympus digital camera to buy- the 360L or the 460Z- was immediately solved! This Fuji 1400 combines the sleek, sliding lens protector and compact, pocket sized 35mm look with an added bonus: USB connection! And these features are at this great, entry level price!

There is no compramise. This is not a bare-bones camera as it is packed with 1.3 megapixels and allows manual setting adjustments. The auto mode works effortlessly; as a novice, I do not utilize all of the features, but it is nice to know they are there.

The zoom, record/play, display, and other controls are very simple to use and conveniently placed. (Other cameras' buttons, menu sequences, etc can be cumbersome). Photos can be viewed/played with its the lens closed very easily with its on/off switch. The LCD can also be used as a real time viewfinder.

Very fast USB connection avoids the added expense and/or clutter for a card reader, floppy adapter, or other hardware. (Only the top line 3 megapixel Olympus cameras now offer USB).

The Fuji does not have a video out for TV playback of photos, but this was not a concern to me and easily traded for the speed of USB over serial. The LCD is smaller than the Olympus, but is adequate. The LCD screen can be hard to see in bright sunlight, but the camera works so well in auto mode that many photos can be taken without using the LCD.

In summary, this is a great starter camera that doesn't skimp on features (like zoom, USB) and won't get outdated any time soon. It is also not as bulky as many other cameras in its price range, which is extremely reasonable given the Fuji's features and ease of use.

Last fall I began to research digital cameras. I was taking a month long trip overseas, and paper box cameras no longer cut it. Digital with it's downloading capability; it's ability to "print" or erase without the costs of processing, and it's instant feedback in real time seemed the way to go.

But I had many questions about "interfacing" both me and the computer! I am a Macintosh user, so I decided that a USB/Mac friendly camera was a necessity. It had to be small, (fit in the pocket), rugged (I am a downhill skier), weatherproof (I backpack when I travel), capable of 3 times zooming, and last of all, I am picky enough about photos that I wouldn't pay for a camera that didn't shoot really good pictures. As a point of reference, my favorite analogue camera of the past was my old Nikon.

I compared online and in stores many cameras over a month long period. I was surprised by the quality of the pictures that could be had under $1000. I associated digital photography in the past with lack of resolution, and poor color. Things have really improved.

In the end I deciced that there were two price points that provided the best bang for the buck. One was at about $700 (street) where the Sony camera with the Zeiss lens was superior in image quality to anything I've seen. The only drawback was the size of the camera, which was a little larger then what I could deal with skiing. The Toshiba at a little less money, was also very, very good. These cameras both have greater then 3000 pixel resolution. But below the $500, where camera's generally fall into the 1000 to 2000 resolution range, the best candidates seemed to be the small Canon, the Olympus and the Fuji. Of those three brands, the Fuji had the right combination of USB, AA battery power, three times zoom lens, small size, and ruggedness including a built in lens cover. Surprisingly, at 1.3 megapixel resolution, it also seemed to be better then anything I saw in the under $500 catagory. At $299, I worried a little bit that it was too good to be true...given the complex cirquitry and precision required for digital photography. On the other hand, it had received rave reviews from the online photo magazines. In the end i bought it.

I took over 650 photos on my trip, from 10,000 feet to sea level, from inside the Pantheon in Rome to the back alleys of Naples. It is an absolutely reliable piece of equipment. If I made sparing use of the video screen, a good set of alkaline batteries lasted three or four days. The 4 meg smart media card is useless, but I bought a $50, 32 meg replacement at Costco, and that was media enough to shoot about 50, 1.3 megapixel shots or well over a 100 shots at JPEG resoloution. In the end two things I really appreciated were the 1.3 meg resolution -- because I could get so many more pictures on the media -- and the AA battery power supply because I could always find good batteries fast. When the smart media card was filled I was able to quickly and conveniently download through the USB port into my Mac Powerbook.

I was continually impressed that I could preview or review my digital photos on a tiny video screen, under all kinds of weather and lighting conditions, and the Fuji 1400 was executing flawlessly, instantly telling me what I had framed or shot, and what I could expect in the final "print." And the final photos viewed on my Mac were terrific.

A few more points. The ergonomics of the camera are homely and "instamatic" like in appearance, but it feels surprisingly good in the hand, and when you are on the road, you appreciate the turtle-like toughness of the outer shell. My two eleven-year-olds used it all the time. It got dropped, stashed, smudged, and slammed around in backpacks. It was rained on, snowed on, and eaten over. As far as I know, it was never fully submerged in water, but it spent a lot of time stuffed deep in pockets, jostling with maglites and coins and pocketools.

The camera does have a few limits. The video screen really is about the size of a large postage stamp, and will "wash out" if viewed in direct sun. The flash is only good to about ten feet; there is no real time, read out on pictures remaining or battery life. There is some delay, at highest resolution, between snapping the picture and "printing" the pictures, so you can lose a few action shots with kids. If you go down to a lower resolution setting, this problem disappears. On the other hand, the menu is pretty intuitive. About half an hour is all you need in terms figuring everything out.

In short, the Fuji 1400 a tough, thoughtful piece of engineering, and a powerful creative tool. I know a lot of people might underestimate the Fuji because of the price point, or the 1.3 megapixel resolution, or because, as I said, it just seemed to good to be true. It is true! I am one of the many people dazzled by the new world of digital photography, and at $299, this camera is a small miracle.

I had purposely waited to invest in a digital camera, seeking quality, affordability and user-friendliness. Meeting, in fact EXCEEDING, all my criteria, I can't sing higher praises for the Fuji FinePix 1400 Zoom.

As a first-time digital camera purchaser, simplicity was a key point in my search. I did not wish to forego versatility however nor limit or forego options or functions. I have purchased other products in the past which either due to advances in technology or due to limitations of that product, I was forced to upgrade rapidly, which was disheartening, bothersome and costly.

This Finepix 1400 has been highly rated throughout the industry (see CNET, ZDNET, PC Magazine, others) and I sought the advice of techies at my place of business before deciding on this make and model.

Sleek, lightweight and compact, accessing its functions are almost self-explanatory. I am able to check my settings through the 1.6" LCD monitor. However, with beautiful results, I am able to "point and shoot" as if it were an instamatic.

Resolutions and framing can be changed with the touch of a button. I am able to erase single or all frames with the touch of two buttons.

The camera has an auto flash, red-eye reduction (which doesn't always work), forced flash, suppressed flash, self timer, slow synchro for night scenes, macro (close up) photography settings, 3x optical zoom and a 2x digital telephoto. The flash is built in, as is the lens cover. The autofocus serves me, but there is also a manual mode for more experienced, or for those photographers seeking special effects.

To my delight, I have needed no tech support from Fuji whatsoever. Software, particularly software which I am unfamiliar with, is often confusing (technical, usually overwhelming), but uploading the photos (with a handy USB cable/driver) and viewing (software included, including Adobe PhotoDeluxe Home Version) was surprisingly simple to figure out.

I have printed and have had prints made up to 8"x10" size, which appear sharp, clear and bright. There have been no problems with grainy-ness, picture or color distortion, even up to the aforementioned 8"x10" size.

Problems and inconveniences which I have encountered are minor considering the features this camera has to offer. They include: Red-eye reduction doesn't reduce red-eye,; In daylight, it is difficult to see the subject(s) through the LCD monitor (I use the view finder feature when this occurs).; and, The camera takes the actual picture a split second after you depress the shutter button, so you are not taking the picture in real time.

Other suggestion are to purchase separately a SmartMedia card that stores more information than the included 4MB (with the 4MB I am only able to take 12 pictures at the highest resolution setting). Although I've learned that the battery life with this camera is better than on others, it still drains batteries rather quickly. I purchased rechargable batteries and a charger as it was more cost effective than purchasing an AC power adapter. Lastly, I haven't yet experienced this problem, but professional reviewers have stated that the case may become scratched. Personally, I feared that the LCD monitor may. For this reason, I purchased a generic soft case.

This camera is perfect for the novice/intermediate digital photographer (or even for "test shots" by a professional, I presume). The Fuji FinePix 1400 Zoom includes all the "whistles and bells" for home/small office use, without being overwhelming. There are enough options and versatility with the FinePix to explore/expand with advanced functions. The end result being what every photographer attempts to achieve: The images are true and of quality.

Well, I did alot of research from the Amazon web site to CNet.com to pricegrabber.com. I already knew what my budget was for a digital camera (around $300.00 +/-) I compared brands, features, prices, and customer reviews. I narrowed my choice down to two, this one and the Olympus 360. If I remember right the only difference between the two was that Olympus had a video out so you can see the pictures on your t.v. But the Fuji did'nt yet the Fuji was USB compatible and the Olympus was just serial. I decided to forgoe the t.v. and go straight for speed so that I can manipulate the pictures and e-mail or print them. I am glad I did. The quality for an average occasional picture taker like myself is exceptional!! At the highest resolution the crispness, clarity, and detail is near 35mm quality. I do recommend as others have, buying rechargable batteries, and a bigger Smart Media card. I love this camera and for someone who is just looking for a good digital camera that takes quality pictures for an average picture taker, this is the way to go!!

I'm very happy with this camera. It is very easy to use and takes great pictures. It only took me a few minutes of playing with the buttons to figure out how to use all of the important features.

The picture quality is great. I opted to save money and stick with a 1.3MP camera because most reviews stated that there wasn't much advantage to 2MP and up unless you were going to print at 8x10. Highest res shots (1280x960) printed beautifully as 5x7 on an HP 970 printer.

Very easy to install the USB connection. Images transfer very quickly. The main reason I selected this over the Olympus 360 was the USB connection.

I opted for rechargeable batteries up front because so many other reviews recommend using them. I also got a 32MB smartmedia card to up the capacity at highest res and quality from 6 with the supplied 4MB card to 50 shots.

The main ease of use issue is the placement of the zoom control button on the back of the camera. It's hard to adjust when composing a shot through the viewfinder. Also, the self timer doesn't work with the manual exposure override--probably not a big issue for most users. When using a point and shoot camera without a remote shutter release, I like to use the self-timer in low light situations to help prevent camera shake during the exposure.

I've had this camera for over 3 months now and I love it! I have to admit I don't take pictures all that often. In fact I haven't had a camera of any sort for several years. One of the things I dislike about photography is dealing with developing film and sticking pictures in albums. If you are like me, then a digital camera may be just the thing for you.

I shopped around for lower priced digital cameras including Sony, Nikon,and Kodak. I settled on the Fuji FinePix 1400 because of its excellent value and combination of features. Features of the FP 1400 that caught my eye were USB connectivity, small size camera overall, regular viewfinder (as well as LCD display), and a good sliding lens cover. The regular view finder will come in handy if the LCD screen is washed out in bright sunlight. Turning off the LCD also conserves batteries. Don't forget to buy an AC adapter. Fuji's AC adapter has a long chord which means you can even use it inside to take pictures without using up the batteries. I also use the AC adapter while viewing my photos on the LCD screen and while downloading to my computer. The AC adapter is well designed so that it can fit into a regular outlet without hogging both recepticals.

The only thing that concerned me about the FP 1400 was the resolution. At just over 1 megapixel, it doesn't really measure up to the newer (and more expensive) cameras on the market. However, you must remember that the higher megapixel cameras create larger file sizes. Large file sizes can be inconvenient to email and store. Also, you will be able to fit fewer pictures on your memory card before having to upload or delete them. The pictures that I create at the higher pixel resolution with normal quality (normal is a medium setting below fine quality) are about 300k jpg images. I mainly view my pictures on my Trinitron 17" monitor and the pictures look beautiful. I don't have a high quality printer, but I have read that the FP 1400 will allow you to print excellent 5"x7" photos. The only thing I find lacking from the camera is a video out jack to connect camera directly to a television. While at home this is no problem since uploads via the USB cable to my computer just take seconds. However, I think if you are at someone eles's house and want to show everyone the pictures you just took, it would be nice to be able to view them on a TV and share them with your friends and family right away. This is my only complaint, and it a small one. One feature that came as a pleasant surprise was the macro setting. I have taken some excellent pictures of flowers in my garden by holding the camera just an inch or two from the subject. When using the macro feature, be sure to use the LCD viewfinder so that you get exactly what you expect to see in the frame.

Overall if you are looking for a great camera at a great price and aren't concerned with keeping up with the Jones's as far as number of megapixels, then you can't go wrong with the FP 1400. One more important thing, I would buy at least a 32MB smart media card because the standard 4MB card will get filled up in a hurry.

I just purchased this camera about 2 days ago and I am very pleased with it!! The picture quality is the best and it is very easy to use! Actually, I took it out of the box and started taking pictures right away! I did a lot of research before I bought a digital camera and I found out that this one had the features I was looking for (such as zoom, USB upload, high resolution) for a reasonable price! I also found out that if the camera is set to the lower resolution(which has about the same picture quality as the higher resloution) you can get about twice as many photos on the included 4MB smart media card. The only negatives I found in this camera is the LCD monitor is difficult to see, if taking pictures with it, in low light. Also the software was a bit challenging to upload on my PC. Still this is an awesome camera! Buy it you will definetly be surprised & pleased!!