superb camera all round! (Fujifilm Finepix 6900 Zoom)

Member Name: mark_scott

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix 6900 Zoom
Date:	30/12/01 (335 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to use, feature rich, good quality images

Disadvantages: limited bundled memory, no carry case

being in the market for a new digital camera, I was bewildered with the range and capabilites of the models out there. I was going to settle for a kodak with base station but the following day my PC magazine came through the door and I noticed a group test of cameras.

The Fuji finepix 6900z was best of the bunch so I decided to go for that one instead. I was glad I did!

yes, it does cost twice the price of the kodak unit but you are buying a well made camera with one of the best lenses in the business. I am not hot on all the numbers but the pictures that come from this unit are second to none in terms of image quality.

The best thing about this camera is its resolution. it has a 3.3 million pixel CCD but it markets itself as a 6.1mp unit. This is not a con as the pixels are rotated through 45 degress giving a honeycomb like pattern to them. This allows the resolution to be brought up to the 6.1mp level. It isn;t a true 6.1 but the pictures surpass those from other 3.3mp cameras.

This can be a point and shoot unit or it can be a hands on unit where you can control exposure, appature, flash and other parameters to suit the conditions. I will advise that you read the manual and experiment with the camera so that the settings are right for the situation - I noticed it has a lag effect when taking moving images. THis isn;t a fault in the unit and is inherent in most digital cameras.

The battery lasts for around 100 shots but it is a proprietry cell - I would reccomend buying another one along with their external rapid charger. ANother thing i'd reccomend buying is their camera case. I felt that the package should include the camera case as this is not a camera you would want broken in a hurry!

The camera comes with a 16mb smartmedia which will alow you to store a grand total of 0 pictures at maximum resolution - very good going fuji! however, the price of memory these days has come right down - y
ou can pick up a 128mb unit for £60.

Overall I would reccomend this camera to the enthusiast who wants more than a cheap point and shoot model. I would however reccomend that you buy the smartmedia and case to compliment this

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