Put a smile on your face with this digicam (Fujifilm Finepix 1300)

Member Name: dragonone

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix 1300
Date:	16/11/01 (375 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Inexpensive, reliable, light, expandable

Disadvantages: Poor Battery Life, no WebMode, no slipcase

As I write this opinion I should in all honesty inform you that dispite having played with this camera for some time, I am still in the 'new toy' phase of ownership. If I should start to rave - hit me on the head with a brick and tell me to get on with it.

<<< The whys and wherefors >>>

It has been about 7 months since my old Fuji DS-7 digital camera gave up the ghost and had to be put out of it's misery. It was a sad day when it was laid to rest after giving such faithful service and travelling the world (Jamaica, Philippines, Singapore & Australia) with me. As I have been given an annual bonus (shock!) I decided to purchase my third digital camera, but which one? Kodak, Olympus, Fuji, Jenopik etc. so many to choose from. I sat down and made a list of what I features wanted. Expandable/swappable Memory, flash, USB connectivity, LCD screen, external power unit for extended use/PC connection, with a budget of £150. After doing some hunting around the usuall shops (Jessops, Dixons) I narrowed it down to two cameras. Essential research on an excellent site called DOOYOO.CO.UK, you may have heard of it, convinced me to go for the Fuji FinePix 1300 average selling price £149.99. A little more digging led me to an internet site, NOMATICA.CO.UK, offering it at £95 + VAT & Delivery (£120). Not being someone who normally goes for the lowest price, I ummed and r'ed over it and decided to give them a chance. I will be do an opinion on this site when I have gathered my thoughts.

<< In the box >>

After carefully opening the box, read ripping the outer packaging to shreds in my enthusiasm, you will find the following items: -

- Fuji Finepix 1300 Digital Camera
- 3.3V 8Mb Smartmedia Card, with index lables & protective sleeve (try not to loose this)
- 4 AA alkaline batteries
- hand strap
- CD-ROM containing Windows/MAc drivers and other software
- Owner manual, actually 3 of them in di
ferent langauges (English, French, German)
- 2 Quick guides in English, French, German

<< About the Camera >>

The camera measures 4.3" x 3" x 1.5" and is finished in the traditional Fuji silver grey pastic with the various controls and features on each of the sides. Looking from the front...

Front: Lens, Viewfinder Window, Flash, self timer LED, Auto-flash sensor.
Back: LCD Monitor, Viewfinder, Viewfinder LED, Power on/off, Menu/OK button, menu control button, Mode dial.
On Top: The Shutter button
RightSide: Macro Zoom button, Mini USB port, 5Volt DC in.
LeftSide: Strap Mount, Smart media Slot, cover & release button
Bottom: Battery & Tripod Mount

If I write about all the features of this camera I will will be rewriting the manual, so I have picked out a few that I use/really like: -

- FLASH is available in 5 modes enasbling you to use the camera in a num,ber of lighting conditions.
- AUTO, leaves the camera to decide on when to use flash. RED-Eye, helps to eliminate the glowing eye look in lowlight conditions.
- FORCED, useful when the background is brighter than the foregraund subject,
- SUPPRESSED, good for mood lighting conditions such as sunsets.
- SLOWSyncro, allows you to slow the shutters speed to get in a darkbackround but still highligh the foreground with a flash.

Four Quality/Pixel Modes, allows you to choose the size and quality of your picture. At 1280x960 Pixels there are 3 available Qualities prodicing images of varying size - Fine (610KB), Normal (310Kb) & Basic (160KB). At 640x480 there is only normal Quality procing a 90K image.

SMARTMEDIA, if you are going to take a lot of pictures and or have limited access to a PC/Mac for download. An addition SMARTMEDIA CARD is a must. The number of imaged stored depends on the Pixel/Quality combination you select. On the 8Mb standard card you would get the following:

1280x9
60 Fine = 12 Images, Normal = 24 Images, Basic = 47 Images
640x480 Normal = 89 Images

LCD Screen, displays the menus and enables to you compose/review a picture. Turning it off and using the viewfinder like a traditional camera will save on the batteries

other fetures include MACRO, Digital Zoom (only at 640x480), Timer

<< Extras >>

As you would expect from Fuji there are a number of 'Expansion' options available for this camera:-

- SmartMedia Cards, 3.3V in 4,8,16 & 32MB
- PC Power Supply, very usefull if on the PC for extended period
- Rechargable batteries, NiCd & Nickel Hydride
- Battery Charger
- Floppy adaptor, SmartMedia transfer to PC on the FDD.
- PC Card (PCMCIA) adaptor, SmartMedia transfer to Laptop via a Type II slot
- Card Reader, USB Device to Transfer to PC
- Soft (slip) case

<< Conclusion >>

This camera has proved to be a lovely little device, giving me some excellent shots. It is easy to use for the novice with some good additional features for an intermediate / Advanced user, once you have got used to the menu system. For a happy snapper like me it has definately nailed down the coffin lid for the 35mm compact camera, however I still love my Fuji APS. I have not explored all the features as yet, but I am due to go on holiday soon, lookout for an update of this opinion :-)

In a perfect world I would have liked to have a couple of additional items in the box: Rechargeable batteries & charger, 16/32MB SmartMedia rather than 8Mb, a Webmode would be nice and slip case to help protect the lens. Ain't I a greedy fellow? However for the price I paid I can't complain!


<< Prices >>

All prices listed are for Fuji products at highstreet prices, incl VAT, search the web for best deals

Fuji Finepix 1300 £150
16Mb SmartMedia £30
USB Card Reader £60
Soft Case £20
Rechardab
le Batteries £8 for 2
Recharger £25
5V Power Adaptor £35

Summary: