97 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
Fuji J28, a simple camera for the budget-minded person
My first digital camera was a Fuji 2 MP bought in October 2004 - I still own that camera and it works great, but -- I love this new Fuji Finepix J28 even more, but only for the simplicity of use this camera affords.
If you like manual settings on a camera, you will not be happy with this camera. This camera is for the person who is looking for a...
90 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
Good for beginners, not for those with camera experience and expectations.
I was really excited to get this camera--I currently have a Canon Powershot SD600 that has started to misbehave and I was ready for a nice, new, snazzy 10MP camera. So how does the Fujifilm FinePix compare? **Let me preface this review by saying that I have read NONE of the manuals that came with the camera. I believe if I can't figure out a simple digital camera without...
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
My first digital camera was a Fuji 2 MP bought in October 2004 - I still own that camera and it works great, but -- I love this new Fuji Finepix J28 even more, but only for the simplicity of use this camera affords.
If you like manual settings on a camera, you will not be happy with this camera. This camera is for the person who is looking for a simple-to-use point & shoot camera. In the Manual Mode, you can only change the ISO setting (from 100 to 3200), exposure value and white balance--that's it.
The Fuji pictures are more color saturated and sharper in general, but the Canon A480 takes better close-up (macro) shots. You are able to get closer to your subject with the Canon, so if you are solely wanting to take close-up pictures of jewelry or coins for eBay, for example, I think the Canon may be a better choice for you.
If you play around with the J28, you will be able to get some halfway decent MACRO shots. Look at some of my pictures I have uploaded and you can see the difference between the watch shot at 5 MP from 4 inches away and the coin shot at 10 MP from farther and then cropped. I get my best macro shots from setting the resolution to 10MP Fine, and holding the camera at least 6 inches away from the subject, then cropping it. Otherwise, they turn out pretty bad.
However, for all-around picture taking of vacations, pets, people, and everything else, this Fuji J28 is superior for the following reasons:
1. The lithium-ion battery is longer lasting than AA alkaline batteries. I was able to take 224 pictures before the battery needed recharging.
2. J28's colors are brighter and more saturated.
3. The J28 LCD screen is slightly larger.
4. SR-Auto - (Scene Recognition Auto) Just leave it on this setting and you can't help but take a good picture.
5. Flash recycling time is MUCH shorter with the J28 than the A480 - recycling time is the number of seconds after a flash picture has been taken before the camera is ready to take another picture.
6. You can use the optical zoom while recording a movie with the J28. With most cheaper point & shoot cameras, you cannot use the zoom. But you must set the zoom before you start recording, it cannot be changed during recording.
7. The menus and buttons are more intuitive with the J28.
8. The plastic body of the Fuji J28 seems to be more durable. Just one complaint: The shiny body shows every fingerprint!
Older and more technically challenged people should have no trouble using this camera. On the same note, this is perfect for younger kids too, due to the price. Just set the menu to SR-Auto and six different scenes will be recognized automatically: Landscape, Portrait, Nightlit Portrait, Backlit Portrait, Night, and Macro. You don't have to do a thing but press the shutter halfway to focus, then once the focus is locked, press the button all the way down.
I've taken over 200 pictures with no blurry ones yet. My hands aren't the steadiest and I have 3 cats that won't hold still and pose for me, yet every picture of them has been perfect with this camera.
If I could find something to complain about - and I think this may have to do with the price point of this camera - I would love to have a dial on top to access the settings instead of having to go through the menu. Also, I'm really disappointed that Fuji can't come up with better photo editing software than what they supply with their cameras, it hasn't changed much at all since 2004 (Picasa is better). But these are my only complaints, and not enough to warrant a reduction in stars in my rating.
I've uploaded some photos taken with this camera, please check them out!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I received my Fuji J28 a couple of day ago and I love it! I decided to buy it over the Canon A480 because the J28 is WAY thinner and also takes a rechargeable battery. This is the perfect camera for me because the camera has a mode called SR-Auto which will automatically detect 6 different scenes. It can detect if I take a photo of my kids, a flower or landscape. I love to hike and the small size makes it east to carry in my pocket. My photos are very sharp and colorful.
This is one of the easiest cameras that I have ever owned because there are only a few buttons on the back and the menu is very intuitive. There are many advanced features available if you know how to use them.
I have already taken over 100 pictures over the last couple of days and I haven't had to recharge the battery.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase. The features and feel and look of the J28 remind me of a more expensive camera. I would definitely recommend this camera.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
Length:: 2:35 Mins
This is a nice little camera. The first thing I noticed about this camera was how light it is. It barely weighs anything, so putting it in my pocket doesn't weigh my pants down. It is also nice and small and doesn't feel bulky when in my pocket. Out of the box it is quick and easy to use.
Pros:
(1) Easy to use. The Scene Recognition Mode (SR) makes it completely auto--no switching around to landscape or auto mode, etc. while shooting.
(2) Light. I don't think I've used a digital camera that is this light before. Even my other cameras with li-ion batteries are heavier.
(3) Value. This is a great price for a good camera.
Cons:
(1) The SR mode can make it a little difficult to focus in macro mode. I tried taking pictures of flowers and it had trouble focusing. Switching to macro mode worked fine.
(2) Panoramic mode. In this mode you take 3 pictures to get one long one--you need to line each picture up on the view screen with the previous one you took. I couldn't see on the view screen well enough to match up the edged of each photo to create a good panoramic picture. They all ended up a bit off. (seen the video for examples)
(3) The battery compartment lid opened while I was using the camera. The latch seems to be a little too easy to open and because my thumb was positioned right on top of it I would inadvertently open it while taking pictures.
(4) Switching between modes is a pain. There is no quick switch button--you must go through the menu to change modes. A little bit of a pain for me, especially when switching between video and still photos.
The video shows its size and a few pictures of it. I also took a number of pictures in my back yard and while sailing. I took this camera out with me on our sailboat (an Ultimate 20--a 20' racing boat) during a regatta in the San Francisco Bay and it held up very well. I didn't get it wet, but it stayed in my pocket while I was bounced around, knocked over halfway into the water, and jumped back and forth on the boat. I took a short video of us racing to get an idea of the quality--both video and sound.
I would recommend this camera to anyone looking for a less expensive, decent digital camera. It is simple and easy to use for basic shots. I don't think it is good for someone who is an experienced photo-taker (I'm not saying photographer because I mean someone who is an everyday person who takes lots of pictures of everything). For the price, though, it is a great entry-level digital camera.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
For over a quarter century I have done photography for publication, including in the war zone of Nicaragua in the time of Reagan.
My grandfather was a news photographer, who taught my mother to use the old Speedgraphics 5x7 format outdoors. He did Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon with her long before those were way overdone. He kept a darkroom in the basement I would crawl around.
When I was in Nicaragua we used SLR's, mainly manual as that was all that there was, and did black and white darkroom work in the sweltering heat. The preferred camera body back then was the Nikon of course (I had a Canon). The preferred film was Fuji, not Kodak, especially for color slide work (slide, uh, you might not understand that if you're under a quarter century . . .).
I had started off with a Kodak Instamatic as a little kid, even a Brownie maybe, learning the basic rules we still must use such as: Keep the sun behind you (although this J28 provides for that if you ask it), fill your frame, the Law of Thirds (which this J28 can easily display at the push of a button - keeping things straight in your frame and at the juncture of the Thirds where they belong, once focus is locked in) - etc., the old golden rules which still apply today, and I went through photography classes from high school through college.
This J28 is the best thing I have met, and already was provided me with publishable shots. Of course in today's market I manage to remain obstinately, even proudly, "often published; never paid." And to remain in the war zones.
This thing is smaller than a pack of Raleighs, and half as thin, and yet has more power than any camera I have met, within its limitations. And it is intuitive.
For instance last Friday before Sunset I was standing at a public service with a few hundred people near the main plaza of a small village in Mexico, a community I have lived with about five years, so they know me. A young girl standing on a fence watching the event I knew to be an observant, thoughtful, capable person with whom I have never actually spoken, but I knew she is bright. And she had the best angle for taking pictures of the crowd, and what was happening in the middle. All I did was hand her this J28. All she did was ask how to zoom in and out (like she knew about that!). And she took the best pictures I have seen, without reading the manual first.
I did not trust the digital zoom based on experience with other such "point and shoot" DSLR's which once you pass the point of optical zoom simply blows up the available pixels, making the result blurry. The young girl did not back away, but zoomed away with the digital zoom, and in this J28 the results are NOT blurry, but luminous, in that light of dusk, and crystal clear and crisp.
I would have been afraid to take a shot like that, wary of the results, but she went ahead and did it and the results are great.
What a camera.
This camera by the way comes in a very "green" package, with very minimal plastic except for the heavy duty indestructible stuff around the 2GB SDcard that comes included. I quickly ordered of course a standard sized SanDisk 8GB Ultra II 15MB/s SDHC SD Card Class 4 (SDSDH-008G-P36, Retail Packaging) which this camera had no compatibility problems writing and reading. As part of the "green" the camera comes with a manual on disk, multi-lingual, as well as updates included in print. Lacking a home computer, I printed out the nearly one hundred page manual twice, once blown up to full sheet size. There is more here than you can possibly imagine. It's like your cellphone (I don't know; I don't have one of this generation!); far more features than you will ever actually learn.
But this is worth learning. I started out setting everything to AUTO, including flash. Adjusting the flash is very simple for situations in which you either want to force the flash or suppress it entirely (my usual situation - and since this camera can go out to ISO 3200, not merely 1600 - who needs flash!), by just hitting the circle dial right. You can do the same for macro, hitting the dial to the left. Now I have progressed to Scene Recognition, which includes automatic macro, as well as night scenes, landscape, portrait, etc. I hope to have sufficient mastery of this marvelous machine to go to the Manual mode, but prefer for now to trust the on-board sensors. WHO has time to set up the camera before snapping a shot out here in the real world anyway?
But I keep studying the Fine Manual in the meantime. It's like going back to school, and is worth it, because this is a darn good camera, and has far more too offer than you could possibly imagine.
My greatest struggle fo course with those old manual SLR's a quarter century ago was focus. We would try to cheat by deepening the depth of field, but that made for other compromises. This camera focuses itself, accurately, and has incredible depth of field from front to back. In the old days we thought it very artistic to have only the main subject in focus with the background and foreground out of focus, a minimal depth of field. This camera produces images sharp from front to back.
And it has a Face Recognition focus feature. You can watch on the rear display the process of focusing, and can tell when the camera has found a face somewhere in the frame; a green square goes around it. The camera will focus upon that face (or faces) and not lose it (unless of course you choose to turn off the face recognition feature. This is incredible. Where was this a quarter century ago?
In fact this camera quickly sets up and shoots. Candid shots are a breeze. Point and shoot. And continuous shots are possible. Time between shots is no more than a few seconds otherwise, normally.
It is so small I can slip it into a pocket and no one knows. That is what I need most. I carry it wrapped in a handkerchief and slipped into one of those name tag pouches they pass out at professional conventions. My dream is to go to an optometrist in Mexico and beg for a large metal eyeglasses case to keep it in. Those things are nearly bulletproof and that is just about what I need. Meanwhile the ID pouch is great, and has room for an extra SD card.
Normally my gear would also include a set of AA lithium batteries, but another part of the "green" aspect of this camera is that it has a rechargeable battery. This does help keep the camera thinner than a AA battery, but I would hate to lose that charger cord. To charge you plug the cord into the tiny USB port in the camera, and then into the wall. A Red light comes on the back of the camera. When it is charged, the light goes out.
The rear display uses the image of a AA battery to indicate present state of power, with little wedges to show how much power is left. I was concerned when the first wedge went out, and wasn't sure whether you had to completely discharge the battery before recharging, or leave the dreaded false memory in the battery. I went for it and recharged, and it seems to have no ill effects.
I was able to take hundreds of shots and review and delete, etc., before the battery went low, but this was only a few days. I think the lithiums last longer in the other camera, but I will just have to be attentive to this. I fear losing the rechargeable battery (very small, very thin) or the charger cord, knowing how I am. Also the manual indicates that eventually the battery will burn out; so I might want to get a backup in any case.
There really is so much here that I have only barely touched the surface. This camera is fantastic, and takes ten megapixel images. You can also set it up to take much smaller images, and the ten megapixels can be set up for normal or for finer. The next step up in this series is the Fujifilm Finepix J38 12MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD which takes twelve megapixels in this tiny camera, with no apparent loss to quality.
Read the manual. There is far more here than I can quickly share at this time and in this forum. I should mention as well that it does movies very well.
My last review here was of Japanese Black Pine seeds, and I used this camera to film planting a seed. I used the LOWEST resolution (320) rather than the higher resolution (640) simply for the smaller file produced, meaning less time uploading to amazon. I was not sure how much room would be taken up by the film in any case. As it was, it was a much smaller file than I had imagined. All and all, in both still and film files, this camera produces very economical, small files.
You can see at that review there is great depth of field, fine focus even at this lowest resolution, no real loss of quality, and good color balance throughout.
An excellent camera, the best one I have, and I also have Nikons in my arsenal (Coolpix and D series).
This camera is my new BFF!
(OMG!!)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
I was really excited to get this camera--I currently have a Canon Powershot SD600 that has started to misbehave and I was ready for a nice, new, snazzy 10MP camera. So how does the Fujifilm FinePix compare? **Let me preface this review by saying that I have read NONE of the manuals that came with the camera. I believe if I can't figure out a simple digital camera without reading the manual, it's probably not the camera for me. Also, there's no paper book--it's all on CD.**
Well, first, the actual model number of the camera isn't printed anywhere on the camera, so I had to find my product packaging to see just which version I got (the box tells me it's the J28). That's not a deal breaker, of course, but I just find it odd.
One big surprise? There is a tiny bit of internal memory which will allow you to take up to 11 pictures (at the lowest settings) or 1 picture (at the highest setting). I haven't seen a camera with that feature in a LONG time. That might be a bonus for someone who wants to test the camera and doesn't have their own SD card ready to go.
A strange thing? This is the first camera I think I've ever seen where the battery can actually fit in more than one way! Now, that doesn't mean it will WORK in more than one way--there is a definite right way to put the battery in to get it to charge. But since I am used to batteries that only fit one way, I put in the battery (it fit!), locked it in, and closed and locked the camera door. And it wasn't charging. Hmmm. Tried another outlet. Still not charging. Unplugged and replugged the charging cable. Nothing. I finally thought to look at the battery and yep, I had it in backwards. I turned it around and the charging started right away. Oh, and yes, there's no battery charger--you leave the battery in the camera and have to plug in a mini USB-looking connection and then plug it into the wall. This action doesn't seem like it would lend itself well to having a backup battery.
At first glance, the camera is slick. And thin. And the display screen is HUGE. The button placement seems nice enough--but the first thing I noticed was that there was no video mode! I knew the camera did video, so then I was on the hunt to find it. Well, I found it, and it's buried three screens in (menu, shooting mode, then scroll to Movie). This is a pretty big fault in my opinion, as usually when I decide to take a movie, it's a spur of the moment thing and I just want to flick a switch one-fingered (like on my old Canon). Having to stop to hit a few buttons and scroll to make a selection...well, it might become easier/quicker with time, but I don't like it.
The camera boots up/turns on and takes pictures somewhat quickly, but I am finding that it often takes blurry pictures. I think this is mostly due to how long it takes to focus if the subject is moving AT ALL. (Which, I am taking pictures of my 8-month-old, so movement is something I pretty much always have.) For a bunch of tries, I got a red AF! on the screen which I'm guessing means autofocus isn't working or hasn't yet focussed enough to take the picture (remember, I haven't read the manual). This actually seemed to happen more often than not--very frustrating. Other times you could see the green square jumping around the screen trying to decide what was a face so it could focus. Of the approximately 130 test shots, half were blurry. HALF! That's CRAZY.
Something else I was unhappy with? The Picture Stabilization. It's ONLY a "mode" available three screens in (where the Movie mode is). Which means it's not something that's on all the time! This is a BIG fault for me, as this is something that is a default feature on most cameras these days (and not just a selectible mode). But the J28 is more of a budget camera, so I guess they offer some budget settings as well.
I also found that if you try to take a second photo too soon after the previous photo, you can't. Plain and simple, it's like you've locked it out and you can hold the button down until the cows come home and it will not take a photo. So I hope you don't want to take pictures in quick succession! I thought it might have to do with viewing the photo on the screen--meaning, if you had the camera set to show the photo for 1.5 seconds, if you tried to take another during that first 1.5 seconds, you couldn't. So I turned off the photo viewing completely--and still had the problem. There doesn't appear to by any rhyme or reason to it... Sometimes I press the button quickly and it snaps a photo. Other times I have to do the halfway-hold to get it to focus and THEN it snaps a photo. Other times I hit the button and...nothing happens. I tested for like 10 minutes trying to figure out what was going on and I just gave up.
Then I tested the macro setting. I have taken many macro photos in my life...and I could NOT get a good macro shot to save my life. The closest I could seem to get was about 3-4" away, otherwise it was totally blurry. This distance limitation might just be part of the camera, but even so, I believe a true macro setting should be able to get up to an inch away. Again, this may be part of the "budget" aspect of the camera.
The auto scene selection isn't the end-all-be-all that others have said. It seems to pick the wrong setting about half the time. I took two pictures of my dog sleeping on the couch (at a normal distance, maybe three feet). I then zoomed in, not moving, and suddenly it switched to Night setting and the pic turned out blurry. GRRRR. I then took two pictures of my son sitting on the floor. The first setting popped up as Auto and the photo came out okay. The second photo, where I physically moved a bit closer to him, changed to Night setting and came out blurry. WHAT?!? And of course there's no chance of taking a macro shot while on the auto setting (at least that I could see).
One somewhat neat thing is that when you move through the menus, you get a short text description on the screen of what the mode is--or when you scroll through the different flash options, it tells you what each one is. That said, I didn't see anywhere to turn those off, and it quickly became annoying.
So, overall, I unfortunately have to say I am NOT impressed with this camera. I have been using digital cameras for 10 years so I am not new to their abilities...and while this camera seems able to take some good pictures, it is also not as good as I wanted it to be. It is probably a good camera for a beginner...but for someone with as much experience (and expectation) as someone like me has, it falls a bit short. For now, I think I will go back to using my Canon PowerShot SD600 and give this camera as a gift to a niece or nephew or maybe my mother-in-law. To get the features I want and expect, I'm definitely going to have to go up in price.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program(What's this?)
Before using this camera, I was skeptical about the quality of the pictures from such a low priced camera. I was shocked that right out of the box, this camera produced nice pictures.
The J28 is simple to use. It's good for beginners who don't want to mess with a lot of settings. The picture quality out of the box is far better than the out of the box pictures with higher end digital cameras.
Users can control important settings, such as ISO. I like using a low ISO, so that's the only setting I immediately changed. The flash is quite strong, so using a low ISO is feasible. On the other hand, the flash remains strong even in areas where the light is more and adequate.
The picture quality is nice. The colors look vibrant, although the camera skews towards pink hues. The pictures looked great when viewing them at about half their original size on my computer screen. As I zoomed in to full size and beyond, I could notice fringing and artifacts. I haven't yet printed pictures from this camera, but I speculate that the pictures will look good as 8x10s and below.
The J28 is small and light and can easily fit in a purse or pocket. The battery seems to last for over 200 pictures.
This camera has a lot of good points, but there are a couple downsides - The camera is slow turn on and zooming in and out takes much longer than higher end cameras. The body is plastic and feels slightly "cheap." At this price point, these aren't complaints as much as warnings to a potential buyer.
Overall, I highly recommend the J28 to anyone who is looking for a simple starter camera.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I will make my review simple and straight to the point. The reason why this camera caught my eye is price. A name brand camera (Fuji) with 10MP for $79, AND, Amazon gives you a free Fuji 2 GB SD memory card ($9) and a free Case Logic DCB-16 ($9) with it (look for that deal next to the picture of the camera where it says a limited time offer). So top that with my Amazon Prime free shipping and I got a great deal (equivalent to $45 if bought locally). Now for the rest of the story. At first glance, the camera is slick, thin and the display screen is nice size. However, when I gave it to my daughter, who is into youtube, the first thing she said was that she wished I bought her a camera that does video. (?) initially I thought I made a mistake and bought one that does not do video, since looking at the J28, it did not have a video mode button. However, we had to hunt that feature down ... and found it buried three screens in (menu, shooting mode, then scroll to Movie). This is NOT practical in my opinion since video shoots are usually on a spur of the moment. Still the Price is Right and its a Fuji. The second issue to look out for is that the battery does not go in "one way - the correct way". The slot is not designed to accept a one way. You can put it in the wrong way and it fits, yet will not charge. Make sure to line up the two power strips of the battery to the the two charger strips and you're good to go. All in all, its a non-refurbished Fuji (new), with a large screen, 10MP, 2GB card and a case for a very good price.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I just bought the Fujifilm FinePix J28 and I can't believe the great pictures I have already gotten. The Black finish and thin body design makes the camera sleek and stylish. The J28 really looks and acts like an expensive camera. I can't believe it cost less then a $100. I love the Face Detection & the Auto Scene Recognition modes too. Fujifilm has made an awesome camera for the price. It is so easy to use and the menu is very user friendly. The Fuji FinePix J28 is simply a great camera for the price!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I got this camera several days ago while it was on BF Sale. For the most part I am very pleased. The camera takes very good pictures and has great battery life. The anti-shake or Picture Stabilization mode works well. As some others have stated, you will have to manually select the Picture Stabilization mode if you want it enabled. This camera is small and as others have stated a fingerprint magnet because of the glossy black finish. The fingerprint issue doesn't bother me. The only five negatives that I have are:
1: The camera housing is a little too much plastic (most cameras are at this price point).
2: The camera close up shots are hard to focus, so forget about any real close up shots within a foot or less.
3: Indoor shots that I took mostly have to use a flash under low lighting (pictures came out looking excellent with the flash).
4: You have to manually select the Picture Stabilization mode if you want it enabled.
5: Plastic battery cover is somewhat flimsy (be careful when opening). Open by pressing down firmly on the cover and then gently sliding cover out away from camera. Too much force will probably break the cover.
Aside from the negatives this is still a very nice camera. Overall pictures come out looking excellent. I own Canon and Kodak cameras and I would rate the FinePix J28 as good as anything in its price range compared to those brands. Another thing to mention is that the image stabilization is digital controled on the FinePix J28, not optical. Optical stabilization is considered to be better than digital. I will say that with this camera, the digital image stabilization works great. I deliberately shot some pictures with excessive movement, and all of the pictures came out 100% perfect.
Positive Points Are:
1: Excellent Battery Life (rechargeable lithium ion).
2: Small Battery charger.
3: Excellent pictures (outdoor and indoor).
4: Excellent digital image stabilization.
5: Very nice small camera size.
6: Movie mode works very good along with the audio.
7: LCD is sharp and vivid.
8: Menus are intuitive or easy to understand.
9: Shutter lag between shots (with or without flash) is good.
10: Good price vs quality + features.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I had a Sony Cyber Shot and broke it so I needed to replace it for cheap. This camera seemed to be the best quality for the price that I could find. I was definitely not disappointed. The pictures are not as high in quality as the Sony Cyber Shot or Canon Elph, but it is comparable considering it is much less expensive. It is very small and it has a sleek look. For an every day camera it is perfect. The flash seems to really blow out the pictures at times which is the only complaint I have with the camera. Outdoor pictures are great and indoor pictures are very good. I definitely would recommend this camera. I don't think you can find a better camera for this price.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
(
Saving...
