Fujifilm FinePix 3800 3MP Digital Camera w/ 6x Optical Zoom

In addition to increasing the resolution to 3 megapixels, Fuji has added several features that give you more picture-taking control, such as an aperture priority mode, sharpness adjustment, flash intensity, exposure adjustment, and several white balance options. Also new is the media card type. It's called xD Picture Card, and it's quite small, about the size of a postage stamp. The camera includes one 16 MB xD card, which holds about 26 pictures at the setting I use most (3 MP / normal). The other settings are 3 MP / fine (12 pictures), 2 MP (39), and 1 MP (49). You really need a larger capacity card if you're going to be away from your computer for any length of time, such as a vacation. (I plan to get a 128 MB xD card... as soon as they are available.)

The camera comes with a USB cable and various PC/Mac software applications for managing your photos. I haven't used their software; I have an iMac with iPhoto (free) for photo management (and a whole lot more) and PixelNhance (free) for photo editing. After taking a few pictures, I connected the cable to the camera and the iMac, and turned on the camera. iPhoto started up; I clicked one button and my pictures were downloaded. It was literally seconds from connecting cables to viewing my pictures. No configuration of software nor drivers nor anything else was required (thanks, Apple). The first thing I noticed was the picture quality. It is superb. The colors, the detail, everything, is quite amazing.

Taking pictures is easy, once you get used to the quirks of digital photography. Press the shutter release halfway and the camera focuses (after a brief image freeze). Keeping the button down, you can reframe the picture if necessary. Press down all the way to take the picture. There is a momentary delay while the picture is stored into memory, and then your picture is shown for about 2 seconds. This lets you know if you got the picture you wanted without having to change the camera mode to view your pictures. The 6x optical zoom (equivalent to a 200 mm lens on a 35 mm camera) was a big selling point for me. I like being able to quickly frame a picture, especially from a fair distance.

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) takes a little getting used to (compared to an SLR). I only use it when I have to, such as in bright sunlight. Otherwise I use the small LCD screen on the back of the camera. If you've read reviews of the 2800, you know that low light situations can be a problem for this camera. Not having used the 2800, I can't say whether Fuji has made improvements in this area for the 3800. However, it is still true that if there's not enough light, you won't see anything in the EVF or LCD. You can still take pictures in low light; you just have to set it for the widest angle, aim as best you can, and then check the result. If you missed the subject, re-aim and try again. You can always crop the picture when you get it on your computer. This camera, by the way, takes excellent pictures with the built-in flash, even when there's little or no other light.

The 3800 has a movie mode which allows you take a minute of 320x240 pixel video (or 3 minutes of 160x120) at 10 frames per second. This works great for those moments when you want a quick video but don't have the video camera. You can view the video on the camera, just like you view photos. And it's easy to download and view on your computer.

Photos stored on the camera can be easily viewed and deleted if you don't want them. (You can also mark photos as "protected" to prevent accidental deletion.) The buttons on the camera back are laid out well and easy to use. The menus for changing the camera settings and viewing/deleting photos are intuitive and easy to learn.

Like most digital cameras, this one goes through batteries very quickly. The four AA batteries included won't last very long. Better to invest in a good charger for AA NiMH batteries (the Mahi MH-C240F works great).

Also included is an adapter for optional zoom or wide angle lenses. The manual actually recommends leaving the adapter on the camera at all times (presumably to protect the telescoping lens housing) though you never see any photos of this camera with the adapter on it. I don't use the adapter because the lens cap doesn't fit on it very well (pops off too easily). The lens cap works fine on the camera without the adapter.

The bottom line: Fuji took an excellent, widely praised, highly regarded camera and made it better. I took a chance and bought this camera before all the reviews were in, just based on reviews of the 2800 and the additional features announced by Fuji. I have not been disappointed in the least.

Some of the bad reviews touch on problems with this camera, but you're not going to find a perfect, or even a professional grade camera with these features in it's price range. None of the problems are fatal flaws, in my opinion.

The worst flaw is that neither the LCD screen or the EVF are bright enough when the light is very low. There are other digital cameras that do this better, but if you're going to be doing a lot of low-light shooting, and you want your framing and focus to be right every time, don't get a digital camera. Get a 35mm film camera.

If you're just taking snapshots at an indoor event, this can be annoying, but you can always reframe things when you edit the digital pictures. Let's face it. You're not going to have a perfect picture every time no matter what camera you use, so you're going to be doing some editting anyway.

There were a couple of other issues brought up in some of the reviews I read. For example, in anything but bright sunlight, when you have the zoom fully extended to 6x, you're not going to be able to hold the camera steady enough. That would be true with any camera, digital or film. The longer the zoom, the more your minute shaking will affect the final result.

Also, each time you erase the memory card, the numbering on the filenames starts over again at 1. If there is an option to change this (as I had in the Fujifilm 1300 I replaced), I have not found it yet. That means when you store your originals you'll either have to change the filenames, or store them in seperate folders.

As for battery life, the first 200 pictures I took were inside shots, many using flash. Because I wear glasses, I find it easier to use the big LCD. I was able to take almost 200 pictures before the original batteries started to die. Still, I pop 4 AA alkaline batteries into my pocket when I take the camera with me.

The 16MB card is too small. It's inclusion is similar to the half-full ink cartridge included with new printers, or the 10 test strips included with a blood glucosse meter. Your first purchase after deciding to keep the camera should be a 128MB card. A 128MB card will hold 90-100 pictures at the finest resolution.

The camera fits perfectly in my average sized hand, but it may not fit in your hand. Of course if you have very big or very small or oddly shaped hands, you already know to check it out by holding it in your hand at a local store. The weight is quite low, and it's balanced fairly well. For most people there won't be any ergonomic issues.

Three people I work with also purchased digital cameras in the same price range as the Fujifilm 3800 about the same time I did. As we compared notes, and passed our cameras around, the other three wished they would have considered the Fujifilm 3800. And while a couple of those other cameras had some neat features mine didn't, I was still satisfied with my choice.

Is it a professional camera? No. Is it a perfect camera? No. Is it a great value? At the time of my purchase, and even now at the time of this review, yes it is. I have no regrets about choosing the Fujifilm 3800.

This camera has the ability to change settings as you might on an SLR, but you will unlikely find yourself able to use any aperature setting above 2.8 in normal situations due to the light requirements.

I decided to keep my camera because in spite of the frustrations, I found myself using it regularly, and it does take excellent pictures. I do not think there is an alternative to this camera in this price range with these features. The Canon that is similar to this camera has digital artifacing problems (purple fringes at contrast areas) that are more unacceptable to me than the high light requirements of the 3800.