Customer Reviews

Fujifilm FinePix 2600 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Before purchasing the Fuji 2600, I experienced a number of other digital cameras, some costing much more. Although many of them had more features, none were as reliable. I finally gave up on the expesive cameras since the extra features (that require the use of the LCD display) are worthless in sunlight anyway. This is a gadget free camera that takes excellent pictures. I've never missed a shot even when the subjects are in motion. The fast auto-focus and lack of gadgets makes this camera seemingly foolproof.

Sharp, bright and true color (No sign of color aberations, blooming or color saturation) - Quiet fast zoom lense - Downloading pictures is simple and fast - Batteries last longer than any other digital I tried - Camera comes as a complete package (includes rechargeable batteries, compact charger and a reasonable size memory card) - Camera is small & easy to carry (the future of digital cameras) - The F3.8 lens is a bit slow for low light conditions but adequate for most shots and perfect for a camera of this calibre - The optical view finder shows only 80% size of final photo (Most cameras seem to do this and I don't understand why, however, you do learn to compensate).

I've had my camera for about 2 weeks. Already 2 of my friends have purchased the same camera after seeing it. It's a reliable camera at a great price. I highly recommend it.

This is a very good camera for its price range and features including true 3X optical zoom lens which retracts very neatly when you shut the camera off. The two step camera shut off (which amazom review sees as a weak point) is actually very useful for viewing pics and keeps the lens shut. So you can see pics in bad weather without worring about your lens.

The digital zoom doesn't work with the 2 megapixel resolution, it only works with 1 megapixel or VGA mode. However the digital zoom could be done later on the computer also, so no big problems.

The battery charger included is supposed to recharge a fully discharged battery in 5 hrs. The manual refer to any fuji charger for times under 2 hrs.

The kit includes excellent accessories: 2 AA 1700mAh NiMH rechargable batteries, recharger (works from 110-240 V), 16MB smartmedia card with cover/label, a hand strap (handy when shooting or otherwise, increases the grip), a USB cable for getting pics on your PC, a CD with software including the finepix viewer, owner's manual and a software manual.

Never even needed to go through the software manual while installing the softwares on a Windows 2000 machine. The software to transfer images looks good. The software CD includes 3/4 other softwares which I haven't used till now. One is the movie player for recorded movies (the .avi movies don't play on windows media player). The manuals are easy to read and understand. There's no TV output like Canon Elph and other expensive ones. The movies recorded are not so great but then this isn't a camcorder !

Other features include a low battery warning, date/time setting, image size/compression ratio setting, flash mode/white balance settings, camera shake warning and macro setting. The flash setting does come to a good use at many times.

One downfall is that the max 1/2 sec shutter time means that night pictures on streets are not good. In case you want to do lots of night photography, nikon coolpix 775 or canon digital elph s110 or s300 are better options. But remember that others come with proprietary batteries which may become unavailable or cost a lot.

The other disadvantage in my opinion is the smartmedia card, since most things are swichting over to compact flash. However the fuji rebate solves this problem for now ! As far as the design goes it very good. Yoiu might feel that the camera is slightly thicker given its width/height. The battery/smartmedia card both go in the same compartment and the door to it looks sligthly cheap.

The playback mode for movies/pics is very good. You can zoom in and out of pics and erase one/all pics. The software menu on the camera seems pretty good and intelligent.

Another recommendation is to buy a big smartemedia card (max that can be used is 128MB). This will make your camera more useful. Finally the manual claims 150-300 frames with one pair of fully charged batteries depending on LCD usage. In case rechartgable batteries run out, you can use normal AA ones. Carrying one or two more pairs of batteries will be great and solves the problem of LCD eating the batteries (you can't do this with camera's that have proprietary ones). After all NiMH AA batteries are so inexpensive !

A Fuji kit for 2600 is also available which includes a cmaera case, lens cleaning kit, tripod, 4 NiMH batteries and one more recharger.

This camera is really an incredible deal. It has more features for the money that any other camera in its range. Other cameras that are similarly priced lack the 2-megapixel sensor or optical zoom, but the FinePix 2600 has both. It takes very nice pictures and is very easy to use. It comes with a 16MB card that provides more than enough initial storage, and new cards can be purchased up to 128MB. But even the standard card holds a lot - 60 at the default setting, 10 at the highest setting. The optical zoom is a great feature to have, and the movie mode is also very useful. Despite what some specs may read, it has both a macro mode and a self-timer. Overall, this is the best camera to buy in its range, that is, more than a toy but not high-end. It is more than adequate for the casual or amateur photographer. It should serve all your photography needs for quite some time.

I've taken literally about 1000 shots since I bought the camera 1 month ago. Yes, everyone loves this camera, but it is not perfect. The LCD cannot be seen well in bright daylight conditions, so I use the view finder and everything is fine. That's it. No big deal for such a small, reliable camera that takes great pics.
Cool things I especially like:
-Included software is VERY helpful at managing lots of photos through helpful automatic pic re-naming and storage options.
-Macro mode makes close-ups and EXTREME close-ups (to 10cms!) very crisp, clear and in-focus.
-Free Fujifilm.net service is integrated into software allowing you to post !100MBs! of pics online at no charge for up to 30 days for viewing by friends, family, etc., making print orders a snap.
Recommendations:
-Track down the ($) rebate for combined purchase of Camera and SmartMedia card or digital photo processing.
-Get a big SmartMedia card to get up to 166 top res shots onto a 128MB card.

I did a fair amount of research prior to deciding on the Fuji FinePix 2600. Other top contenders were the Canon Powershot A40 and the Sony DSC-P51. I used these reviews to make my decision, so I figured I'd offer my opinion as well.

My primary use for a camera is for family photos, vacation shots, etc. I wanted a camera that was mostly automatic with some minor manual controls. The camera had to be very user friendly. And lastly, I wanted a digital camera that was pretty much going to replace my 35 mm camera...I wanted a camera that would produce 4x6 and 5x7 prints with quality as good as (or better than) my existing 35 mm camera. After using this camera A LOT in the past week, I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with the camera and the 4x6 prints are REMARKABLE. The prints are very crisp with excellent color, both indoor and out. The prints do not look grainy at all like you might expect from a digital camera. I used the highest resolution setting for the photos and had them printed at a local camera shop lab(Cord Camera). I did not work in unique lighting situations, but for fairly normal lighting, the photos were great.

The software was easy to load (Win 98), but it's more of a photo management rather than a photo editing software. You can dump and save your photos, crop photos, or change the resolution, but the software does not allow you to do black & white, change contract, or other editing features.

Movie mode is cool, although no sound. However, the .AVI files are saved as Windows Media Player files but the loaded media player that is installed with the software would not play them. I had to watch the movies in the FinePix software or load them into Quicktime which was a bit of a pain. I think in order for me to get the Windows Media Player to play the files, I'd have to download a file off the internet. It would be free but would take forever with my slow dial-up connection...not worth it for me. I didn't buy this camera for the movie mode, so this slightly annoying way of viewing the movie files wasn't worth me worrying about too much.

The camera is very easy to learn to use. A few possible negatives that I can report is the fact that the camera actually takes the photograph a fraction of a second after you push down the button (which is a bit frustrating when photographing a 3 year old that won't sit still!) and the fact that the LCD screen is tough to see in bright sunlight or dark conditions. But I think these two factors are issues with most (or all?) digital cameras rather than just this specific FinePix 2600.

Things that helped me make my decision over the Canon A40 and the Sony P51:
1. Takes 2 batteries whereas the Canon takes 4.
2. Batteries are rechargeable and a charger is included whereas the Canon and Sony don't include rechargeables/charger.
3. Came with a 16 MB memory card whereas the Canon came with an 8 MB card.

I realize that the above items are minor but they are important considerations when it comes down to upfront cost of the camera and supplies. If the Fuji FinePix had not produced such AWESOME quality photo prints, I probably would have returned it and tried the Sony or tried a 3 MP camera. But after my first development order and a few days of playing around with the camera, I was totally hooked on the Fuji. I truly love this camera and would recommend it to anyone. This camera may motivate me to become more of a camera hobbiest rather than just a casual camera user.

I've looked at a lot of cameras, this is the first camera, in it's price range, which really delivers on it's promise. The 1.8" LCD is quite adequate and is much better than on earlier finepix models. Finally, this model comes with video and a 16MB smartcard. You should buy a larger card if you intend to use the video feature. This is a great point and shoot camera, which shares the features of other, more expensive competitors.

I got this camera early December and have used it throughout the holiday season. It's my first digital camera and I absolutely love it.

The quality of the pictures are very good (my friend using a more expensive Canon camera took same picture as I and mine was significantly clearer; I don't know if it was because of different settings, however). The LCD display is decent and the controls are very intuitive. There is also a 10-sec timer mode and a macro mode for close-up pictures. The included charger works very well (takes about 5 hours for a full charge) and the two included Ni-MH batteries are 1700 mAh, which last fairly long. One word of precaution though: the first one or two times you use the camera, the batteries will seem to run out very quickly. This is supposedly due to the "memory effect" and the problem is gone after a few full charges. It also happens if you charge you batteries before they're fully discharged (however, unlike the old Ni-Cad rechargeables, Ni-MH's are not physically harmed--they just seem to run out faster. After a few full discharges and recharges, they work fine again). I got 4 backup 1600 mAh recently at an electronics store and now I can go to a trip without worrying about running out while I'm outside (just fyi, the included charger holds two batteries max and is compatible with all voltages, which means you only have to find the proper outlet "shape" adapter if you travel outside of the country)

With a 64MB card that I got with the Fujifilm rebate (I believe the promotion is over now) I'm able to take 150+ images at the 2M, Normal resolution. But the provided 16 MB card is quite decent for starters, especially if you use a lower resolution.

The optical zoom (which makes the camera totally worth its cost) works really well and the lens are really quiet.

The movie function (limited to 20 second intervals with no sound)is quite good. They are converted to .avi format during upload on a Windows machine (I'm not sure about Mac's though). However, you cannot use optical zoom while taking movies and there's no flash, which brings us to the major gripe about this product...

The flash is exceeding white, which can change the tones of the pictures (making the colors less vibrant, in my opinion). However, the problem is if you turn the flash off, you must not move your hands *at all* or else the pictures become really blurry. However, if you use a tripod or put the camera on a steady surface (e.g. table) when you take the picture, it comes out just fine and the colors are really nice. But usually I'd rather just leave the flash on and have slightly "whiter" colors. This is stated in the camera's included manual. However, when the environment has enough lighting, if you or the camera's auto-flash mode chooses not to use flash, the pictures come out really nicely, which leads to the conclusion that the camera needs enough light (either from the flash or enough external lighting) to produce clear pictures, or else you'd have to have really steady hands. One of the reviewers before me mentioned the camera's inability to take pictures with slight movement. I believe his problem was the one I mentioned. He probably decided to turn the flash off or something along those lines and so consequently got blurry pictures.

The other problem with this camera is that it collects dust and dirt really easily. Therefore, you should find a case for it ASAP (as I did for mine). Just one day after I got it, I discovered a scratch/stain-like spot on the lens, which fortunately has not affected the pictures but is still quite frustrating. Just today I found a small piece of dust collected inside the peek-through viewfinder, which also fortunately does not affect the functioning of the camera. All in all, I did months of research before finally buying this camera (it came down to this or the Kodak 3600, and I'm happy about my choice--however, Amazon can be a little sketchy in terms of...)

In summary,

pros
-- good picture quality
-- good LCD display
-- intuitive controls
-- included quality rechargeable batteries and charger
-- good optical zoom
-- movie function
-- "bang for da buck"

cons
-- flash too bright; alters colors
-- pictures in dark areas get blurry without flash unless a tripod or other steady surface is used to hold the camera
-- collects dusts, dirt, grease really easily

I've had this camera for a couple of weeks and it really has greatly exceeded my expectations. The following will be random thoughts so far about the product:



1. The camera is even smaller than I expected, which is certainly a good thing. For those who do not want to carry around a bulky camera, this is excellent. It fits comfortably in my top shirt pocket.



2. The build is fairly strong, although not terrific. As with any piece of equipment, you have to be careful to not drop it.



3. The camera takes 2 AA rechargable batteries. The battery life in the camera is impressive. On a recent day, I took 152 pictures (using the LCD screen for some shots, only looking through the viewfinder for others, no flash) and the camera still wasn't showing "low battery" at the end of the day. These batteries cost about [$-$]each battery and are available at CompUSA or most speciality camera stores. A battery charger is also included.



4. The memory card slot is a little risky. By that I mean you have to be careful when putting it in. The cards are delicate and to put them in and pull them out requires not a huge amount of care, but you can't be walking and change it while you walk.



5. The camera is wonderfully user friendly. There is a manual lens cap of sorts (slide it over, it clicks twice and you're ready to shoot, turn off the camera and then slide it back). The LCD screen offers bright, easy-to-read options. You can control the flash (red-eye control, etc.) and adjust things like white level/EV. The camera is a max of 2 megapixels, but the user can adjust the levels - 2 megapixel fine, normal, basic and then 1 megapixel normal/basic and finally, VGA (which is something like 120k, I think) The LCD screen is also a very nice size. While it's not easy to take the memory card out on-the-fly, it's very simple to quickly change up quality, effects, etc.



6. The camera can take 20 seconds of video. These files are about 3 megabytes in size and you can take multiple little videos, depending on the memory card.



7. The camera includes a 16 megabyte memory card, which is very nice to start off, although I highly recommend at least a 64 meg. card. (at the lowest resolution, the camera can take over 400 pictures on a 64mb card)



8. The LCD screen offers how many images are left, even when you switch to another resolution.



9. The camera only takes SmartMedia cards. Still, amazon.com, for example, has plenty of these cards to choose from and they're not terribly expensive.



10. Overall, an excellent camera. While this maybe not be profession-level, it takes excellent pictures that make for strong prints.

This camera excels in the ease of use, features and quality over any other camera in its price range. Setup is a snap and the quality of photos are great. The corresponding software is easy to install and very user friendly. Transferring the pictures to my PC is very easy and quick.

This camera a true value for the money. My only complaint is the fact that it eats batteries like candy. But then again, that is a typical day in the life of any digital camera. A quick charger and a handful of batteries will keep the camera happy:>

I wasn't happy with results of Sony and HP digital cameras that my friends had. So, I was skeptical about purchasing a digital Camera.
That's why I decided to purchase a camera from a company which is known for photography.

I am very happy with this product.

Good Points :
* Excellent quality of photos.
* Very simple to operate.
* Auto mode takes very good photos.
* Great photos even when there is less light.
* LCD Display makes it very easy to compose a photo and you can't go wrong.
* 3x Optical zoom really makes difference.
* Software interface with PC is very simple.

What I didn't like :
* Drains batteries. But I guess that's true with all digital cameras.

Further Recommendations :
* Purchase an extra 128 MB Memory card and a pair of rechargable NiMH batteries (1700 mAh) and you are all set.