Customer Reviews

Fujifilm FinePix CP-FXA10 Universal Cradle for A205, A210, A310, A330, A340, E550, E510 & E550 Digital Cameras

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased to make taking digital picture simple for my family and it does just that. The batteries that come with the dock last over a couple of hundred shots on our Fuji a210 camera, depending on flash usage. The simple connection to the PC makes it easy for my family to e mail picture to friends or to Ofoto for great processing.

I am so impressed with the preformace of this little device. I am very happy, with the high qualitiy of the Fujifilm Finepix CP-FXA210 Digital Camera, and found that the Battery Charger I paid $40.00 for, didn't do the job of keeping my voltage up and ready to go. So I invested in this Cradle at Amazon.com and it works perfectly. Absolutley no problems what-so-ever I have used it now for about 3 months or so. I can take my camera out without having to worry that I won't be able to use the camera. For the money, and I don't have alot. It is a class act and the pictures rival my friends $600.00 digital Camera. I paid $179.00 for Camera, and didn't buy the Cradle where I bought the Camera. When I saw the Cradle for about $33.00, I jumped on it. Money should not be confused with Quality concerning this product. Or the Quality put out by this device. Its always ready. I love the whole package. I recommend it to anyone who wants a Quality product for very little investment. I love it. Hope everyone gets as fortunate as I. I am a tough critic believe me. Fujifilm lives up to a very high standard. I'm impressed thats for sure.

I was constanly losing power when I downloaded pictures and then I would forget to recharge the batteries when I wanted to take some pixs later on. This cradle only charges the battery but give it power from the dock so you dont waste battery power when you download your pixs....It works great as a PC camera with this dock! Highly recommeded!!

easy to set up--holds camera securely--recharges battry during process-no download problems--what more could you ask for

The cradle does everything it is supposed to do and does it well.
It makes uploading pictures on to the computer a breeze as well as editing, emailing, and creating folders.
Thanks,
Happy Customer

I got my Universal Cradle for the A210. The only problem I have with this is that it doesn't come with the cradle adapter (I lost the one that came with the camera) and you can't buy it separtely, and it states in the materials that come with the cradle that you might damage the camera by putting it directly on the cradle. All in all, it works well for me when I am using my camera with my computer.

For the money, I'd say the A210 and cradle work well for me.

After just purchasing the FujiFilm Finepix A210 camera, I decided that the cradle would be a great complement to it.

I had researched which batteries were the most dexterous for power-intensive digital devices. After some browsing on the web, I decided that the MAHA Powerex 2300 mAH NiMH's were the best choice.

The cradle arrived from Amazon today and I was shocked, after reading the manual - to find that Fuji says that other consumer-brand NiMH batteries either a) will not work with the cradle, or b) are not recommended to be used with the cradle.

There was no in-depth explanation given, other than that the manual recommended only the Fujifilm NH-10 NiMH's be used with the charger and camera. What gives? Is Fujifilm forcing you to buy only their brand of batteries in order to make use of the cradle, when there are other batteries which have proven to have more longevity?

My second problem is with the cradle's design. The camera itself comes packaged with a cheap, and somewhat flimsy plastic adapter/housing for the camera to sit in. Don't be deceived by the picture above - the holder seen on top of the cradle does not come with the cradle. It is only sold with the a210 camera or other appropriate model.

Rather than just make the adapter/holder a part of the cradle, it's a separate accessory - and makes the unit seem chinsy and not "solid". I would rather slide the camera into something that feels like a glove around the camera while it recharges. You are not afforded this with the cradle, because the plastic holder does not fit around the camera with a snug fit. Instead, when I find myself trying to put the camera into the cradle, I have to wiggle it around a bit in order for the bottom of the camera to mate up properly with the male plug which connects from the adapter to the camera body.

Overall, it's just a very poor implementation in concept and design.

Thirdly, the USB cable which comes with the cradle is only about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long!

Remember - the a210 supposedly features a webcam mode. Unless your computer tower is in the direct vicinity of the cradle, you're probably going to have to move your computer in order to get the camera/webcam where you want it to be. a 3-foot usb cord is simply not long enough for most webcam to pc configurations. 6 feet, even 10 feet would be much more ideal.

I had wanted to put the camera/cradle on the other side of my monitor near the light source on my desk. Unfortunately, I can't do that - the usb cable simply can't reach. 6 feet would have been perfect. Alas, I'm out of luck. Now I have to move my tower just to put the camera and cradle where it should've naturally been able to be placed. You might say - "Sure, well just go buy another USB cable."

It's not that easy. The cradle requires a specialized usb cable, because the connector on one end of this cable is a proprietary design, something I've never seen used with other digital devices.

Those are the three biggest problems I've found with this cradle. I really do hope that it is possible to use other NiMH batteries with the cradle, if not - Fujifilm has just forced you to continue buying only their batteries for your Finepix camera, and their offerings are certainly inferior to the MAHA Powerex's in terms of longevity. Many sites around the internet offer comparison graphs revealing which batteries are the best performers, and the Powerex's are #1.

So I have to say, shame on you Fuji, for misleading your customers. Your cradle's charger should be compatible with any brand of rechargeable NiMH batteries which are ideal for use with the Finepix a210 - not only compatible with your brand of rechargeable batteries.

Proprietary usb cable connector on the short included usb cable, proprietary rechargeable batteries - shame, shame.

As I stated previously, I had lost my cradle adapter. I found it on the fuji website, its $5.99 to replace and $6.00 for shipping.
Go figure!

Beware if you are purchasing this for a Fuji Finepix E550. In the picture the cradle is shown with the top plastic adapter you need to properly use this with a E550. When I recieved mine this piece was not included. It will still work, but it is not stable in the base.

After all is said and done, I commend the customer service managers at Ace Photo and Digital. However, it took a month, two phone calls, and a very angry email to finally get all the parts that this Fujifilm Universal Cradle comes bundled with. Just make sure if you order this (excellent, excellent, excellent Fujifilm product)cradle through Ace Photo and Digital that you get all your parts. If not, don't waste your time calling customer service- email the manager straightaway. This is probably a fluke that I had to deal with and you won't, but be aware. Fujifilm Cradle works great, even without the adapter. Four Stars to Fujifilm.