Customer Reviews

Fujifilm Finepix E550 6.3MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Ok.. I wanted a camera that was light, could fit in my pocket, used the AA batteries or the NIMH AA batteries, and of course could take great pictures. The Canon A95 almost fits the bill, but it used 4 AA batteries while the Fuji and Sony use 2 AA batteries, and is a little too big and heavy.
Anyway, here are the Pros and Cons of each camera.

Fuji E550 Pros:
Great, very sharp pictures. (6 MP) I blew them up to 8 x 10 on my Epson Photo 700 printer and they were stunning! I have never seen such great output on my printer. The Sony DSC W1 is not even in the same league -- just look at the head shots on the Steves Digicam site and you will see how much sharper this camera is between the E550 and the DSC W1. As far as color, great color saturation It should be noted that all Fuji cameras tend to shift more toward blue, the Sony shifts more toward green (as do most digital cameras including Canon). Some say this makes grass not look green enough, but to my eye, the grass just looks like a darker green, it still looks green though on a brite sunny day. Skin tones look fine. I shot a pumpkin on the grass in bright daylight. The Sony shot had a yellow-orange pumpkin with light green grass, the Fuji shot had a very orange pumpkin with darker green grass. The Fuji shot was much sharper. I like the Fuji shot much better. Some say that the 6MP default is too compressed, I just don't see it. And the default compression allows for more pictures on the 512 XD card (over 300 I think).

2 A lens with great range - from 32 mm to 130 mm - goes wider and longer than most others. It is responsive and fast.The DSC-W1 is a 3 x zoom.

3. A comfortable grip and a large 2 inch screen

4. Lots of modes and options for the photographer to play with-
Program mode, shutter priority, aperture priority, sport mode
(the DSC-W1 doesnt have any of these) It should be noted that the sport mode is fair at best and does not compare to a real SLR such as the Digital Rebel), night, portrait mode, flash adjustment, white balance, program shift, continous autofocus, etc, etc..

Fuji E550 cons

The screen is practically unusable in brite sunlight. It washes out in the sun, images turn too bright and white and washout, you have to use the viewfinder to take your picture in many instances and then review it on the screen by switching to playback mode and cup your hand over the screen . The Sony screen works fine and you press button to instantly review your picture.

There is no autofocus lamp on the camera. Under low light the camera frequently cannot focus. In other words, you might have to turn on a light. However, indoor shots always come out better if you turn on more background lights.

The flash does not always work properly indoors - I am not sure why. The pictures sometimes have to be reshot because the flash did not fire. Sometimes I have to change my position for the flash to fire. However, when it does fire, the pictures look fine (and sharp) The Sony fires correctly all the time and has the autofocus lamp to autofocus fine. It also has the instant review button of the shot you took.. which is handy.
The Sony unfortunatly always chooses 1/50 of a second when you turn on your flash, the Fuji chooses 1/60 of a second. That may make it a litter harder to get a clear picture on the Sony.
The Fuji screen is also harder to use in lower light, but it is still more usable than in bright sunlight.

The Fuji has a pop-up flash, it tells you you need to pop up the flash, it does not do it automatically (a small annoyance). The Sony flash is built in.

The build quality of the Sony seems better- a more solid camera, well built. The Fuji seem flimsier, the pop-up flash may perhaps break one day.

And my wife will probable hate the Fuji because of the screen being pretty much unusable in bright sunlight and the darn camera flash and autofocus does not always work well indoors under low light. Of course she still likes our old Canon 2 MP S10 camera (which I was upgrading from). So.... how to resolve this...... Here is my conclusion:

I'm going to return the Sony.. I would have kept it it a heartbeat if it could take the incredible picture the Fuji can but unfortunately it just can't. And for me, it's about how much fun I can have with the camera and how tack sharp and colorful the pictures are that it produces.

I'll put up the the shortcomings of the Fuji E550 --- and Fuji, if you read this review...... fix those shortcomings and you won't be able to make enough cameras because these will fly off the shelf.

And my wife? I'll let her stick the the Canon S10. It's built well and will last for years to come.

Loren

The spec of this camera is very good, but the build quality leaves much to be desired, such as:

1.) Flimsy pop-up battery. The button is shallow to pop-up the battery and the flash mechanism is built of flimsy plastic. When you close it it latches only to one side leaving one side higher than the other. On one camera, the flash stopped mid-way from full extension. This was the third camera that had some issue with the flash. IMHO, this flash is geared for failure..........I hop on FUTURE cameras, Fuji will have the flash built-in--no moving parts please--and please no cover sliding doors like other cameras like Olympus or Canon (which also fail)!

2.) USB/AV port has an UNHINGED plastic cover. When you upload your pics, the plastic cover has to come off. Since it's unhinged to the body of the camera (unlike the competition), the plastic is engineered to be eventually lost.

3.) Cover handle creaks. All E550 cameras I tried has this creak on the handle when you gripped it. The plastic obviously is not glued on proficiently. I hope on future cameras they use a solid well constructed rubber grip like Kodak for instance.

4.) Uses ULTRA expensive xD cards. One shouldn't be buying such a camera if they don't fully intend to be using the FULL 6MP (or 12 MP interpolated) for pictures. Otherwise save your money and get a 4 or 3MP camera! Since 6MP picture files are large, you need substantial memory size (not to mention a good sized hard drive!). A 512mb memory card is a good STARTING point. In this regard, xD cards from Fuji or Olympus cameras cost 2-3x as much as the nearly universal SD or Compact Flash cards. The pice difference is SUBSTANTIAL enough to make this camera a deal breaker. For instance 1GB of Compact flash memory is $220+ cheaper than 1GB of xD!....That's enough memoy to upgrade one's camera to a markedly better level!


Now the picture quality dings:
1.) No autofocus lamp for dim light pics. The lack of the lamp causes the camera to take blurry and wrongly exposed pictures. A AF lamp (like what other competitors have), will solve much of this problem. The much more expensive brother F810 has the lamp, but it should be included on this model.
2.) Pictures has purple finging. While smaller amounts of fringing was shown in high contrast outdoor pictures than Canon, for instance, the E550 still had more consistent fringing from pic to pic. In other words, most of my outdoor pics had fringing--more than even Canon. Though, when Canon shows the fringe on a picture, it's much more egregious and noticeable on a 4x6".
3.) Many outdoor pics were overexposed on high contrast scenes. The effect caused branches, architecture, for instance, to be bleached out or whited out......While many compacts outside the digital SLR have this problem, this camera had a higher than average bleaching. So bad on some pics, as to be deleted! The preview LCD won't be of use as it's too small to capture all the bleaching going on. This bleavhing problem was much worse than the fringing. The fringing is much more forgiveable since it's smaller than the HUGE bleaching going on.
4.) Pictures such as grass shots are blurrier or muddier than competing 6MP cameras. The Fuji CCD interpolates data differently thus adding detail in a manner that doesn't contribute to better detail. The Fuji CCDs are very controversial in this regard among the pros.
5.) Flash takes 5-9 seconds to recharge from picture to picture!! This is absolutely horrendous perfromance compared to other cameras! By the time your flash is recharged, the picture taking opportunity is usually lost.

Camera PROS:
1.) Great specs for it's pricepoint! Many manual controls for the serious amateur.
2.) Good video.
3.) Glad they use AA's instead of expensive proprietary Li-Ion.
4.) Snappy start-up, zooming, and scrolling through pictures in memory. One of the best out there in this regard. Well done!
5.) Small size.
6.) No lens covers to fuss with.
7.) Lens starts at 32.5mm! GREAT JOB! Most small digicams start at 38mm which is abyssmal for close indoor or room shots. 32mm is a good repectable widezoom that I hope the rest of the industry will take heed!
8.) Good 4x zoom. Better range than most 3x zoom cameras.
9.) Good, snappy Fuji colors on pics!

All in all, this is a solid camera that will appeal to many on a budget. I'm a serious enthusiast picture taker, so I will be overly critical with any camera under $1000. I think Fuji has a near budget classic on their hands if they take my suggestions to heart and make required changes.

For me, the flimsy flash, creaky handle/construction, expensive xD cards, and bleaching/fringing in pictures is enough to supercede a purchase. If these issues aren't important to you, then you should be very happy with this camera. All in all, one of the better cameras in its pricepoint.

I was very skeptical of this camera. Since Fuji is not considered one of the "top" brands, and this camera has so much for the money. But I went ahead and ordered it, and have not regretted it for one minute! Unless it disinegrates in my hands in 6 months, this is an awesome camera!

PROS:
*Obviously, the 6.3MP (not 6.12) and 4x zoom
*2" crystal clear LCD - so much better than 1.5"!
*Long range flash - I think the manual says up to 10', but I had no problems even at about 15'.
*Super fast start up - takes <2 seconds.
*Will take standard AA batteries - they only last about an hour, but if your waiting to recharge, they'll get you through.
*I like the size - it's a little too big for a pocket, but it gives me something to hold on to. I looked at a Canon Elph and it just felt too small!
*Very solid. Doesn't "feel" cheap at all.

CONS:
*The flash takes FOREVER to recharge! In sunlight, the camera is ready to take another picture in <2 seconds, but if you're using the flash, be prepared to wait about 7 seconds!
*I'm not real crazy about the pop-up flash. I'm afraid it will break.
*It might be like this on all cameras, but the manual wasn't very useful. On advanced features, it would tell me things like HOW to change the aperture, but not WHY I would need to do that. But for normal photography, the camera is very easy to use.

I have no idea why this camera is so inexpensive (I got it for $325 from an internet company). It must just be that Fuji has not made a name for itself yet in the digital camera field. But I highly recommend it!

I am a Nikon fan and own Nikon SLR as well point and shoot camera. I am a programmner with love for technology. However, I have hesitated to dive into the digital world due to he low price performance ratio.

My requirements are 1) reasonable resolution, 8mp = 35 mm film. The camera got to be at least 5 mp or more. 2) reasonable shutter lag. 3) reasonable price for what you get.

Fuji E550 fits the bill. E550 is replacing my point and shoot (I paid 250 6 years ago). With the 50 rebates, I paid 245 for the E550. Shutter lag is .28 sec. topping the Canon A95's 2 Seconds and the miserable Nikon 4nnn cameras. And its 6.1 mp better than both the nikon 4nnnn and Canon A95.

On top of other reviewer's comments, I've found picture from the Fuji has very natural skin tone. Great for Kid's picture. Vivid color. Camera is good size for handling. (Small camera invites camera shake) It got more features (some professional features such as auto bracketing) than I expect for the price. The menus system is not the easiest to use in the world. But it is not hard either. As an advance photographer, love this camera. My wife is a pure point and shooter loves this camera. The pictures are better than my old point and shoot.

The low shutter lag was very important. A friend of mine bot a Nikn 4100. He complained the long shutter lag causing him to miss picture opportunities of his kids. He then returned the Nikon for an E550. He is one happy guy and praises my recommendation everyday!

One important aspect, E550 got low noise ratio at ISO 200 400 and 800. Try that on Canon A95 or Nikon! These high ISO sensitivities afford much more picture taking fexibility for low night shots and action shots.

The brand name Fuji have me hesitated. It's not Nikon or Canon. After three weeks, I am sure this is a winner. Of course, there are better cameras at 6, 7, 8 or more mp out there. With E550, you got much more than what you pay for at this time. That's why the 5 stars!

I will start off with the negative aspects of this camera. I agree with everyone that the flash is flimsy and that the LCD is useless in bright daylight sun. We must keep in mind that an amatuer photography would rely on the eye viewer versus the LCD screen.

I've never had any focus problem with low lighting, perhaps that is because I go in and play with the manual controls and set my ISO and aperture. This is not the kind of camera that the average person should pick up for quick point and shoot pictures. A camera like this is more for the hobbiest who knows a thing or two about photographer.

This camera truly takes nice pictures and because of the high megapixels I'm able to blow my distance pictures up with little to no distortion.

This camera is worth the money for the hobbiest who can not afford
one of those high priced SLR digital camera that run at a $1,000 and better.

The Fuji E-550 digital camera is Fuji's first digital camera aimed specifically at the consum digitaL camera market. It delivers a lot for the price. With 6mp and 4X optical zoom this digital camera has a lot of advance features such as a raw image format and a manually set white balance in addition to the white balance presets.

The E-550's digital photo output is great. Like so many digital cameras its flash unit only operates out to about 10 feet with the normal settings. However that range can be extended up to 25 feet by adding a slave flash and some camera adjustments.

All in all, this is a high value camera. You get a lot of quality, features, and flexibility for a very fair price. I would buy another without any hesitation and I do enthusiastically recommend the Fuji E-550 nto others.

The photos I take with this camera have been great, however, I just experienced the same "Zoom Error" problems many have mentioned. It should definitely be factored in to your purchasing decision.

To those with the Zoom Error issue - try this!

I had the same problem with mine and I tried several suggestions, BUT the only one that has worked is to gently grab the lens, pull it out as far as it will go until fully extended. While keeping it extended turn the lens to the right until you hear a click. Once you hear the click, release the lens and turn the power button on and then back off again. This should take care of the problem. A word of warning. ALWAYS make sure your fingers do not touch the front of the lens when you power on the camera. Even the slightest bit of obstruction seems to make the problem reoccur. Another note. I had tried this several times until I finally heard the click, so please don't give up on it, just keep trying. This will work and it will save you a lot of time and money having it fixed.

I bought a Fujifilm E510 from Best Buy for $299 last year, and I liked it so much, I bought the E550 from Amazon and paid just $5 more for a superior camera. Both cameras have the same faults that Loren mentioned, yet they are "keepers". I can't believe how clear the pictures are, both in the viewfinder and in print.

I also bought the Fujifilm 512 MB XD Picture Card to go with this camera. With this chip and with the E550 in movie mode, I can take a movie for up to 14 minutes. With the E510 and a 256 MB chip, the maximum recording was just 180 seconds, and that after reducing the resolution to a small screen size. The audio playback is very clear and realistic, even though it is mono and not stereo.

One irksome thing: I have just one Fujifilm FinePix CP-FXA10 Universal Cradle, and I have the adaptors for the E510 and for the E550. The adaptors are not universal, and I have to swap them out depending on which camera I plug into the cradle. Why can't the adaptors be universal, too? (For that matter, why is there a need for the adaptors?)

Oh, and the included rechargable batteries for the E550 cannot be used with the cradle. I have to swap out the batts, too. So I ordered another set of batts that are compatible with the cradle today.

Overall, I love the two cameras. I like the quickness of the E550 when powering up vs. the E510. Both take GREAT pictures.

I have had this camera since Dec 2004 and have been very pleased with its performance. Quick turn on and fast shutter lag, excellent color and sharpness, nice video mode, and AA battery use make for a great match for me. I have had no problems with mine and my only complaint is that the viewscreen is hard to see in bright sunlight (like many LCDs). A larger starter Xd card would also be nice, but that is easily overlooked when you see the photos.

Bought this camera after reading a lot of reviews (pro and am).Mostly for fast shutter and great quality photos. I can live with focusing problems at low light and lcd not twistable. Love the optional settings. My problem is that in dozens of reviews nobody ever mentioned the fact that a small, light camera is much more difficult to hold steady than a larger bulkier camera. This camera is great for sliding into a pocket, and is only slightly smaller than previous Kodak, but is so much more difficult to hold steady (especially with zoom). I am using tripod a lot more now.