Perfect Pix. (Fujifilm Finepix 2200)

Member Name: Bish

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix 2200
Date:	11/05/02 (825 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great quality pictures., Excellent value for money., Nice design and compact in size.

Disadvantages: No Optical Zoom., No lens cap/cover., LCD screen can be hard to see in bright sunlight.

Like many people I own a 35mm compact camera but I really only used it on the odd special occasions. There were plenty of times that I fancied taken a photograph but either never had a film handy or couldn't be bothered taken 24/36 pictures and then going to get them developed. So the thought of a digital camera certainly appealed to me. With the ability to store pictures on CD, your own web space or even print out the one or two you wanted to display and pass them around friends and family.

The Fuji Finepix 2200 is a strange camera in the fact that it doesn't really exists. Basically it's identical in every way to the Finepix 2300 with the only exception being the model number. The idea behind this is that the 2200 was exclusively sold only in Dixons, Currys & PC World. Ironically I bought mine online from a different company but more about that later. The 2300 has a retail price of £249 but I'm not sure the exact price for the 2200. Although before Christmas 2001 the Dixons group did have it on offer for only £150.

The 2200 is a 2.1 mega pixel camera which uses Smartmedia cards to store the photos taken. It's very lightweight (200g) and compact in size (110 x 77 x 34 cm) making it ideal for the first time user. The back of the camera like many digital cameras features a 1.6inch colour LCD screen. Using this is by far the best way to take your photos but sadly in bright sunlight it can be extremely hard to see. So you may need to revert to using the view finder just like you would with a regular compact camera. This however is not a fault not confined to the Fuji and is prevalent in most digital cameras.

Also on the back of the camera are a simple on/off switch, a four directional button including a separate ok button, a simple mode dial and a on/off Display switch for the LCD screen. On one side of the 2200 there is a macro switch for taking close up photographs. Below that there's a USB port for connecting to yo
ur PC and a AC-5V socket to enable the camera to use a mains adapter. The opposite side of the camera has a compartment where the Smartmedia is stored.

Finally underneath the camera is where the batteries are located. The 2200 can accept four standard AA alkaline batteries, Ni-Cd rechargeable or by far the best option is to use Ni-MH rechargeable ones. To be honest I wouldn't even consider using the standard Alkaline batteries as it would prove far too costly and the Fuji like many cameras just eats them up way too quick.

You have several quality and file sizes to choose from these are 1600x1200 (Fine, Normal, Basic), 1280x960 (Normal, Basic), 640x480 (Normal). The amount of pictures you can store on the Smartmedia card is dependent on the options you choose and the size of the card installed. As an example see the chart below.
These figures are based upon a file size of 1600x1200 and are approx:

Mode.....8mb 16mb 32mb 64mb 128mb
Fine........10...20....41.....82.....166
Normal....19...39....79.....160....319
Basic......39...75....152....303....613

At it's highest size/quality pictures can be printed out at very respectful size of 10x8 inches. For pictures intended to be displayed on a web page 640x480 is ideal and more than sufficient.

In the set up menu you can also select any of the five flash modes, these are Auto, Red Eye reduction, Suppressed flash (no flash) or Slow Sychro which allows you to use the flash combined with a slow shutter speed. In most cases the flash seems ok but doesn't have much effect with objects further than 10 feet away. For those who want to play around with other settings there's the ability to set both the brightness and white balance but many of you will simple want to point and shoot.

One thing the 2200 doesn't have is an optical zoom, it does instead have a 2.5 digital one which while adequate may not be enough for some people and it&#
39;s worth considering whether you really need an optical zoom prior to purchasing the 2200. Also I would have liked to see some sort of lens cap but this is a minor quibble and if handled carefully should not be any problem.

In playback mode you can view your images individually or by pressing the Disp button twice you can see nine thumbnail images. This is very useful when you're looking for a certain picture and saves going through the entire card looking at every frame taken. When viewing images you also have the option to delete selected pictures or even erase/format the entire Smartmedia card. Other features include a Continuous Shot facility and a Self Timer.

Just bear in mind that a mains adapter, battery charger and Ni-MH batteries are all must buy items. You could possibly get away without the adapter but when connected to a PC it's far easier to have it working off the mains than using batteries. A genuine Fuji adapter can set you back a further £29 but most camera shops sell third party ones for under £23. Make sure it's 5v one, so unfortunately there's no buying a cheap one from Argos.

I would say it's a real bargain especially if you can pick one up for under £150. I managed to get hold of mine for an amazing £100 but this was from an online retailer selling refurbished ones which were in mint condition.

So the big question is, are the pictures any good? Well I'm more than pleased with it and think it's a superb camera which produces better pictures than many more expensive ones on the market. Both indoor pictures and those taken outside producing excellent results and I fully recommend the Fuji Finepix 2200 for anyone looking to get into digital photography.

Summary: