Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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256 of 257 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Astonishing Performance and Great Value, 19 Aug 2006
I bought camera on its repuation as being the top pocket camera for performing in lowlight. The results are simply stunning, whether used in automatic, scene mode or manually the high ISO performance whilst still maintaining detail is simply unsurpassed in a camera of this type.
One of the commonly overlooked criteria with cameras is usability. What's the point in have every feature going if the camera is too difficult to use in real world situations. Fuji seemed to have got it just right. The dimensions are just about right, easy to hold with grips on front and rear and a high quality anti-glare LCD screen which doesn't go right to the edge of the camera chassis, thus allowing you to hold the camera with your left hand without finger smudges all over the screen. The menus are definetly better than those of Canon with a dedicated 'F' key with access to ISO, Resolution and Colour settings only. The menus are relevant to the mode selected and options available as required.
Outdoor performance is well above average and once you can start taking advantage of using the camera manually the results can start to rival a digital SLR camera.
Battery life is quoted as up to 580 shots but as we all know quotes never compare to reality. In this case I'd suggest over 400 shots between charges which is better than the vast majority of the competition.
There are always comprimises with any digital camera and with the F30 there is a lack of a viewfinder and optical image stabilisation. That said the F30 does have anti-shake processing and if you wanted all of these features together you'll have to pay more to get more. As it is there isn't a pocket sized camera that offer these features and match the lowlight performance of the F30.
The other cameras I looked at before buying the F30 were the Canon Ixus 800 - Feature packed, small, viewfinder and probably the next best lowlight performance for its size but more expensive and not so easy to use. Panasonic FX-01 - Wide angle and optical image stabilisation and slightly cheaper but awful lowlight performance and no manual mode. Casio EX-Z850 - A great deal of features, viewfinder and manual mode but low quality LCD screen and not so easy to hold and use. Casio EX-Z1000 - Many features, wide LCD screen and 10MP but sensor not capable of utilising those 10MP and ease of use similar to EZ-850.
Basically the F30 is a real winner if you want a camera that can take brilliant pictures in almost any situation. Add to that usability, good looks, long battery life and real genuine camera manufacturer and you've got a great pccketable camera that will last for many years.
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90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
best in class, 14 Oct 2006
The Fujifilm F30 was announced earlier this year, and its selling points were clear... up to ISO 3200 light-sensitivity, ultra fast start-up speed with imperceptible 'shutter lag', all in a small form-factor with a huge, bright LCD, and excellent battery life. It became available in the UK last week. I purchased one last Friday.
It looks beautiful, the design is elegant, yet robust, with the two main niggles being the fragile, fiddly plastic cover for the USB and power sockets, and the plastic tripod thread.
The LCD screen is so clear and bright (when you select the 60 frames per second refresh rate) that the lack of an optical viewfinder is not missed, and the menu system is ugly but well thought out, with the most used functions available via buttons on the rear of the camera.
Focussing is fast and accurate, even in very low-light... which is fortunate, as this is a camera that works in VERY low light. Indoor and evening pictures can be achieved without flash, allowing natural-looking shots to be taken in nearly any situation, especially as the shutter-lag really is imperceptible, you press the button, and the picture is taken. There is even a superb function where you keep the shutter held down, and the camera takes a stream of pictures, only keeping the three just before you 'release' the shutter. Great for those 'waiting for something to happen' shots
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just superb, 8 Feb 2007
I have spent over 1 year waiting to buy the right camera. In that Time I have switched between a Canon and Panasonic as my brand of choice. I finally plumped on the F30 for three reasons;
1. Battery life, it is fantastic, I have filled a 1GB card twice and it is still on full charge from its first charge.
2. Low light capability, ever since I saw some test photos from the F10, I have been convinced about the value os high ISO. At 3200 it is way ahead of others in the sub £200 range. Most of my photos are indoors, birtdays, Christmas, parties etc. It is great for these scenarios. It also has a neat feature that takes 2 photos in quick succession, first at a high ISO with no flash and then at an average ISO with the flash. You compare the photos and choose to keep or delete both etc.
3. Video capability. I have a Canon MV650i camcorder, which is great. However it is usually only taken out on holidays, etc. For everyday video clips the F30 is great. 640x480 30fps is fine. My main use is to convert to .SWF and quicktime files for the net. It has given great results so far, both inside and out. Of course the quality is not as sharp as a my Canon MV650i, but perfectly suitable.
Pros:
Battery life
Low light capability
Picture quality, crisp and clear.
Very compact, good build quality
Clear screen 2.5" is great
Lots of options to fiddle with
Good options to preview shots on a TV with some simple transitions
A few minor gripes:
1. XD Cards!!! It seems that Fujifilm have seen sense and newer models have SD cards. I managed to get a 1GB xd card for £17 from Amazon, which is OK but not as competative as SD cards. Overall this is not a major issue.
2. Colour can be a little flat, I have iPhoto and nearly every shot needs a little colour correction, nothing too serious. The camera does have a solour enhanced mode which boosts the colour, however it goes a little too far. Again not a big problem.
3.USB charger flap is a bit fiddly, I have scratched the metal around it as the lid is stiff and unpredicatable...
Over all these are minor gripes, it is still a great camera and well worth 5 stars. Amazon were spot on, as ever on deliver and cost.
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