Fuji FinePix 6900 Digital Camera [3.3MP 6xOptical]

When I came to choose a digital camera, I gave a deal of thought about what I would miss in my old SLR. I concluded that one thing would be those long lens shots, with their dramatic perspective, so I looked for a camera with at least a 6x zoom (200mm 35mm equivalent), which immediately reduced the choice to about two, and I settled on the Fuji 6900. And I've been extremely pleased with it. I've had it for about 4 months, and taken 1,000's of pictures.

The first thing you notice about this camera is that while it might look a bit big and clunky in pictures, in reality it isn't at all. The second thing is the quality of construction and how comfortably it fits in the hand. It looks and feels beautiful. Every time I use it, I enjoy it and look forward to it.

OK, so now you know I like this camera. What of the gripes?

The EVF (electronic view finder) isn't as good as an optical one. The mediocre resolution sometimes makes it difficult to see if the shot is accurately focussed. There is however a neat feature that magnifies the central portion of the shot to provide greater accuracy. But the benefits of the EVF (info display, TTL view etc) far outweigh its drawbacks , so I wouldn't change it.

I miss the remote control one of my SLRs has, and that other digitals have. Invaluable for taking pictures where the camera can be closer to the subject that you can. Like all features, you have to decide if it is important for you.

An external charger is not in my view a necessity, but a second battery is. If you are well organized and recharge flat batteries in the camera overnight, then you can survive without this extra charger.

Everyone gripes about the flap over the connections sockets on the side of the camera - well, yes, it could be better placed, but really it's no big deal. If that's the biggest criticism people can find, then congratulations Fuji!

Microdrives: The 6900 doesn't support them, but I'd concluded that this wasn't something I needed. Two 128MB Smart Media cards easily lasted me two weeks on holiday - as long as you are prepared to edit out the rubbish regularly - something you're are going to do with a digital camera anyway (take lots of pictures, trash lots of pictures). Microdrives tend to be power-hungry. Also, there's an element of "all your eggs in one basket", and I'd rather trust my precious pictures to the simplest, most robust technology anyway. Some people also gripe about the 16MB card that is supplied as standard. Agreed, it's a joke, but all manufacturers do the same in providing the bare mimimum, so Fuji are no different. Just accept it and go out and buy more capacity.

Bottom line: You have to realize that all cameras have their imperfections. You just have to decide if the shortcomings are critical to you, and would they put you off buying it. For me, there are no critical shortcomings with the 6900 and I have absolutely no regrets buying this camera. I still believe it was the best purchase I could have made with the money I had.

1. Why not put a filter screw on the end of the lens ???. This will become expensive if the lens gets scratched. I understand that something is available, that looks like a bog roll holder, this is to allow the lens to zoom out on power-up.

2.The USB - Charging sockets are covered by a very flimsy cover.

3. 16Mb memory is a joke. It's like driving a Ferrari in a 8 x 6 shed.

Apart from that ...it's a brilliant camera !!!