 Another excellent choice from Fuji |
| Review Date: November 9, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Gadgester, Mother Earth |
I just got this yesterday from Amazon. I got the orange model because it just looks so stylish (in picture and, indeed, in person). This is to be my backup compact camera, when I don't have my beloved Fujifilm Finepix F30 6MP camera with me. (Compared to the F30, the V10 is taller but thinner and shorter. They weigh about the same, I think.)
Here're my initial impressions:
PICTURE QUALITY: very good outdoors during the day, and average/above-average indoors. Fujifilm (aka Fuji) has produced a line of compact cameras, starting with the F10, renowned for their low-light, high-ISO performance. (ISO refers to the camera's sensitivity to light; the higher the ISO is, the less light the camera requires in order to capture an image with enough brightness and contrast.) The F30, my workhorse, is just superb in low-light conditions, pretty much rivaling (or even besting) my digital SLR, the Nikon D70. The V10 uses a slightly older sensor than the F30 -- in fact, the V10's sensor and "Real Photo" processor are the same as the discontinued F10. This means two things: 1) When there's enough light, the V10 turns in excellent-looking pictures; 2) When the light is dim, the V10 cannot match the image quality of the F30. In fact, it seems to be slightly worse than the F10 in capturing low-light images. But compared to most other compact digital cameras, even those from Canon and Nikon, the V10 does a quite respectable job. For example, if you use the V10 to capture a candlelight moment, the image won't steal your heart, but it'll make a nice memorable photo, provided you have steady hands or use a tripod.
VIDEO QUALITY: 640x320 (VGA) or 320x240 (QVGA) with sound. Recorded in AVI format which is great for mobile playback as almost all mobile video devices can support AVI. You cannot zoom during shooting (reason: zooming produces horrendous-sounding motor noise which could be amplified by the movie mode, hence Fujifilm disabled zooming during movie shooting). Very good video quality when played back on a PC or TV (in the VGA mode).
USABILITY: very fast, very responsive. The V10 also uses the same interface as other Fujifilm compacts, so if you've used a Fuji before, you'll be right at home with this one (except perhaps with the placement of the buttons). People switching from other brands will face an easy learning curve. The buttons are small but responsive. The gigantic 3.0" LCD viewfinder is very bright and high-resolution (230,000 pixels). It's also very fast, meaning you'll see scenes in real-time as you shoot pictuers or video.
GAMES: the only camera on the market to offer games! You get four of them. Quite entertaining, and the graphics of the games looks really great on the 3-inch LCD screen. The controls, however, are a bit awkward due to shape and placement of the four-way controller. If you have nimble fingers you'll get used to the controls fairly quick. I love the games.
BATTERY: don't know yet as I haven't run it through a torture test. Rated at 170 pictures according to the Japanese CIPA standard. My F30 is rated at 550 but I took over 500 shots plus loads of movies on one charge last time.
STYLING: not as thin as those crazy Sony or Casio models. (BTW I love Sony and Casio cameras, too. Canon and Panasonic also make great compact digital cameras - Panasonic ones have great image stabilization. I'm not hot on Nikon or Kodak or Minolta or Pentax, and to me HP cameras are too ugly. Won't even consider any other brands.) The orange color looks delicious. Overall styling is eye-catching, esp. that huge 3" LCD...
In summary, I think I like this Fuji a lot. It won't replace my F30 for important family photos, but it'll make a great tote-in-the-biker bag/handbag camera for everyday photo opportunities.
PS: I should mention this. Fujifilm is a huge sponsor of the conservation of giant pandas and other endangered specifies. I end up buying only Fuji cameras these days both because of their excellent quality and their generosity toward conservation efforts. Thank you, Fujifilm.
PPS: My unit is "made in Japan." When I first turned it on yesterday there was what looked like a green dead pixel on the LCD, but it magically disappeared after an hour or two, so now the LCD looks perfect and defect-free. |
Nice
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| Review Date: November 28, 2006 |
| Reviewer: R. Hook, Alstonville, NSW Australia |
I bought this camera on a recent trip to Japan. Its probably the most attractive camera currently available at any price. This is mainly because of its good looks, quality materials (it seems to be all metal) and 3 inch screen.
- The image quality seems to be about average for a budget camera. Dont expect too much in this area. From my experience, it seems to take excellent daylight photos. Indoor photos with flash are good to average.
- Movie quality is average but takes huge amounts of memory. Best to avoid using it.
- The screen is clear and displays photos nicely.
- The included games are pretty fun and make use of the big screen.
- The menus are well laid out and easy to navigate.
- It uses XD memory cards. For most people this is a negative because most PDA's and other cameras use SD cards. Most importantly, XD cards are a tad more expensive than SD cards. I bought a 256mb card which quickly filled up. I wish i bought 512mb.
One feature that i have found useful is the voice notes. You can select a photo and attach a 30 second voice note to it. The audio quality is very good too. It takes about 400kb of memory to use this feature.
If your after a reasonably priced camera that is refined and well built then get this one.
PS: One plus about this camera is that its made in Japan. Most budget ones are now made in China and feel cheap by comparison (plasticky and ugly).
PS2: Be prepared for people to compliment your camera wherever you go!
PS3: Yes i really have the orange colour. |
Great buy!
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| Review Date: March 2, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Vissi d'arte, |
| I just bought this amazing camera today, played with it WHOLE day and the result was SUPERB! It has a large 3 inch LCD that is bright and clear! Picture quality is the most impressive part that the Fuji has improved their color in general but especially on skin tones. Addition to their "Real Photo Technology", it has a function that takes two pictures at once, one with natural light, one with flash! This is quiet useful! This camera IS easy to use, has fun games, nice design! You won't be disappointed! |
A Very Satisfied Customer
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| Review Date: January 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Cinemandy, |
| I did exhaustive--almost excessive--research before settling on the Fuji Finepix V10 and so far it has paid off. This may be the best priced, ultra-compact camera with a 3-inch screen on the market at this time! That's because the price has dropped as the camera's been out for a while now. That shouldn't deter you. I got mine at B&H. Beginners, you don't need more than 5 megapixels unless you're printing 11x14--or larger prints. Higher and higher megapixel cameras are merely a marketing ploy that misdirects unknowing customers. A 5.1 mp (as this model is) is more than enough for 8x10's--and even the shots I took with this camera where I reduced the megapixels to 3 produced lovely 4x6 prints. (I reduced the pixel size to get more images on that 16mb memory card it came with before installing my larger 256mb XD card.) I've had the camera for about a month and am extremely pleased. Some of my research involved comparing images on photography websites using test still-lifes and set-ups pitting this model against those of the top-rated and similar Canon models and I found negligible differences. This one had, at that time, a better price and I preferred it to Canon because of its design and larger screen. The only main Canon advantage I found was their closer Macro setting. I disagree with the reviewer who said it produced grainy shots. If you hold the camera steady and know how to focus with a digital camera it produces beautiful sharp prints, especially if you have enough light. You'll see the sharpness when you look at your prints. The camera's LCD screen can look a little pixelated and at times a little dim in the brightest outdoor sunlight. Then all you need to do is hold it at another angle to see the image you snapped. You will probably not find a better deal for such a large screen with a known brand at this price. Solid, uniquely retro, yet futuristic at the same time, this is an easy-to-use, chic, stylish little camera as well as a quality one with it's metal frame. This camera's price has really dropped down in the past month so it's a great deal and a good time to buy. |
Perfect Little Camera
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| Review Date: March 17, 2006 |
| Reviewer: C. McLeod, |
I bought this camera for an upcoming vacation, and I'm very pleased with it so far. The price was a little more than what I wanted to spend ($320), but for a 3" LCD there's no better deal on the market right now.
Pros:
--Attractive camera that's slim enough to fit in a big pocket or small purse.
--3" LCD is stylish and will impress all your friends. Seems pretty strach-resistant.
--Super fast start-up time. Its literally about a second.
--Pictures are clear and beautiful!
--Rechargable Li-ion battery means you won't fly through expensive AA batteries.
--Menu options for flash, picture quality, ISO, self-timer are very intuitive.
--In particular, there is a great flash setting takes two consecutive images for each picture; one is the pic with flash, the other is without. You can go back later to decide which picture looks better
Cons:
--When you're using the LCD viewfinder the picture always looks grainy, but the pictures are perfect on playback so it don't really matter.
--If you're comfortable using only the optical viewfinder, like I was, using the LCD alone can be an adjustment.
--Menu options for more advanced manual features like white balance are not as clear and accessible as they could be
--3.4x optical zoom is good, but not great
Summary:
This is the camera I love to keep in my purse for those moments I never anticiapate needing a camera for. You can whip it out, turn it on in a second, use the huge LCD to find the image you want to take and snap. At the most you might spend a few extra seconds changing the settings.
While this camera is perfect for me, its not for everyone. If your priorities are an optical viewfinder, powerful zoom, or great manual controls consider something else. |
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