Fuji FinePix A101 - Just Fine (Fujifilm Finepix A101)

Member Name: devevre

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix A101
Date:	30/01/03 (307 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: small, good quality, easy to use

Disadvantages: short battery life, best in daylight, doesn't come with image editor

A few months ago I was looking for a cheap digital camera (but not too cheap!) and settled on the Fuji Finepix A101 after quite a bit of research. In the end I bought it from Boots for £95. I still think that's an excellent price for an enviable little bit of kit.

The menu is easy to use, as is the camera itself. The A101 is probably one of the cheaper cameras on the market in the 1.3 megapixel range, and unlike some cheap models it has an LCD screen. This was a must for me, and I'm glad that I got it.

The picture quality is very good but to have it on the highest resolution setting, the 8mb card that comes with the A101 will only fit about twelve photos on. You will definitely need a 32 mb card if you want to wander far from your computer.

The battery life is not long, so I'd advise that you get a battery recharger and some NiMH batteries. With an extra set in your pocket and one charged up in the camera, you should last a couple of days taking lots of photos. Remember that using the flash uses significantly more battery, so if you plan to take lots of daytime photos you won't use up as much battery, but if you plan to go out at night and take flash photos, the batteries will go down quickly.

When you do use the flash, sometimes the image comes out with small white circles on it. I don't know why this is, but it might just be mine. It is not a real problem anyhow as the circles are very small and can be edited out. There is no problem in medium-light situations, and without a flash the quality is wonderful.

This camera even takes short silent films! They are of poor quality but are great fun. You wouldn't buy the A101 to use as a camcorder or anything, but it is a nice little perk to discover.

If you do buy this, I'd advise that you invest in a cheap photo-editing program because the camera does not come with one. It comes with a good viewer, but not an image editor.

Edit: this camera is now out-dated and probably not even sold widely. There are far better cameras out there now for the same price!

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