FINEst PIX of the bunch (Fujifilm Finepix F601 Zoom)

Member Name: ducky17

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix F601 Zoom
Date:	14/01/03 (999 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Value, Quality, Features

Disadvantages: Shape (a bit), No image software

FINEst PIX of the bunch.

Having been using cameras for over 30 years with many previous models owned in all categories, (SLR, APS, 35mm..). I felt it was time to branch out into the exciting and possibly dangerous world of digital photography. After purchasing the Fujifilm Finepix F601Zoom, I can honestly say I couldn?t have found a better tour guide. I have had this camera for about 2 months now, and comments in a nutshell ?YOWZAH!!! No complaints so far. The story of living with a F601 is a muddled one, so I?ll start at the beginning.

Whenever I decide to purchase an electrical item, months of research, deliberation and careful consideration go into choosing a product I feel will meet my needs as closely as possible. I am the type of consumer who doesn?t mind paying that bit extra for a quality product (many various companies please note... others feel the same). I had spent months choosing a new TV a DVD, much to some people?s annoyance.

However a digital camera was not something I really needed, I had always thought about getting one but never really looked into it. I was browsing the aisles of a discount American store chain in this country recently, when I spotted the F601 resplendent in its brushed aluminium glory nestling among a small selection of camera?s. The price was unbelievable almost £100 less then other stores, totalling £380 (with VAT). Rushes of some strange chemical gushed into my blood, and I was hooked, an impulse buy maybe? Silly to squander nearly £400 on what could turn out to be as useful for taking photographs as a tissue and a broken crayon? No in fact one of the best purchases I have ever made. Christmas was approaching and I reckoned it would be nice to have a few pics of the family over the yuletide. Parting with the cash I took it home and tested it out??????..

?My camera came as a whole, with the transferring and charging cradle thrown in as well. Delving through the packages and wrappings, I foun
d


the manual?.and promptly threw it into a darkened corner. I wasn?t interested in the ramblings; I wanted to see the CAMERA.

Basic Specs

6 Million Pixel Image File (2832 x 2128),
3X optical Zoom,
3.1 Million Effective Pixels,
Super CCD,
VGA Pictures,
Capable of IS 800/1600
1.5" LCD Colour Monitor Supports
SmartMedia
USB / Battery Charger Hot Sync Cradle
7.8oz (excluding Battery)

A more comprehensive list of specs is available at

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/Pro ducts.jsp?nav=0&parent=PRODUCT_C ATEGORY_471511&product=43852002

Design/Ergonomics ;-)
At first glance the F601 looks like a well thought out piece of kit. Set in a portrait mode (as opposed to the orthodox) the camera is surprisingly comfortable to hold. Big paws to tiny hands can easily wrap a hand around the camera and take a picture with one hand. The brushed aluminium gives it a touch of class and a nice feel. This is offset with a band on shiny grey, which further adds to the camera?s visual appeal and attraction. Fuji has cleverly employed some space saving techniques and in total the camera sports just eight buttons. Brilliant for a camera with so many features. As well as the familiar ON, DISP, FLASH, BACK and shutter buttons, you will find a clever little thumb/joystick, contrary to its description; this is light comfortable and very easy to use. Also wrapped around the shutter is a mode wheel. Audio, Video, Auto Photo, Manual

Instead of having a separate playback function for each mode the Fuji employs one slider for this. Push it up and you are in Operation mode (taking photos, video, audio), slide it down and you can view your marvellous creations.

What?s all the fuss over this SUPER CCD?
Almost 4 years ago (1999) Fuji came out with a revolutionary new system called Super CCD, years of development went into a very sophisticated image sensor. Since th
en it
has been u
sed e
xtensively in a wide range of digital cameras, spanning the consumer and professional market. In 2002 Fuji released the 3rd Generation of the Super CCD system. This was created to ?further expand the possibilities of FinePix digital.? It does this by achieving ultra-high ISO sensitivity of 1600 and high quality VGA sized movie recording. In the traditional film photography, to gain the advantage in shutter speeds ISO 400 or 800 high-speed films are preferred. Allowing reduction of camera shake, improved quality in poor lighting and capture of fast moving object s. Basically with the third generation Fuji has converted this to digital creating ISO 1600. I compared a sample of ISO200 and 1600. Whatever it is Fuji has done, it seems to have worked, in poor lighting people and objects are illuminated, the darks stays dark (with no flash) and the lights are illuminated, flesh tones are more natural and the all round photo is crisp sharp and life like. Pat on the back to Fuji.

Setting Up
As mentioned with the manual disposed of I set about powering up the camera. Surprisingly easy. A little hatch opened and the battery and provided 16MB card slotted into place. I turned the camera round finding the on button. As soon as I pressed it, a satisfying whirr produced a sturdy well-built lens. The 1.5in Screen on the camera is of a good quality, however images on screen do seem to me to have an orange tone to them, however this does not affect the actual photos.

Exploring and Taking Photos
The F601 is the simplest bit of kit, it was already set to auto and on top was a button similar to the shutter on most cameras, I gave it a click and WAHEY! A photo was taken.

Audio
The audio feature is a great inclusion. The audio is recorded through a receiver at the front of the unit. The reception is amazing; sound from a great distance is picked up by this amazing receiver. The sound playback is through a small sp
eaker on th
e back of the u
nit, and a
lthough this is no 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround sound, the playback is of a very high quality. They can be transferred later to be listened through a PC. Typically a 16MB card is able to hold about 32:00 of sound, this is a good figure and can be expanded to over 4hours with a 128MB card, this is a great tool for meetings, quick notes and memo?s. Audio is taken in .WAV format.

Video
The video feature is another great feature. With sound on 28secs is an accurate figure for recording, without videos of up to 1min can be made. As mentioned with the Audio, bigger cards can hold more video. A camcorder it ain?t but fun it is. I have had tremendous fun embarrassing members of my family and work colleagues with this mode. Images are captured at 15frames per second. Another great inclusion. Videos are taken in Motion JPEG

Auto
The main photo-taking mode is for the basic user. Quality setting can be changed to take anything from 6 to 120 photos on the provided card. Quality has a large range and spectrum. When using Auto mode the camera automatically sets the parameters of the camera to the optimum.

VGA ? 120

1M (1 million pixels)
Norm: 48
Fine: 24
3M
Norm: 25
Fine: 12
6M
Basic: 33
Norm: 13
Fine: 6

3.1 Million effective pixels is the true resolution of the camera. Although it says 6 Million output pixels, this is achieved by some technical wizardry through the lens the Super CCD and other systems in the camera. Software can be purchased which can improve the pixel no. of a photo, this is done on PC. An example is if a picture had a red pixel next to a white one, a pink one will be placed in-between. Picture quality at most setting is a revelation, crisp, clear, neat and sharp just the quality you?d want from your pictures. Flesh tones life like, blacks jet, not lifeless grey, they really ha
ve to be seen. I
printed a few of my
snaps on gloss
y paper using a HP Photosmart P1000 and they came out great. You can also add voice memos to those special capture. A macro and self-timer are also included.

The flash on the unit, although small pops up from the top of the camera. Despite its size it can make a good job of illuminating a room and is sufficient over longer distances


Scene Position
When taking different shots, different settings are needed. The Fuji has 4 settings already included. Portrait, Landscape, Night Scenery and Sports Mode. The last icon on the scene position mode is for a continuous shooting mode at a rate of 1.8 frames a second.

Manual Mode
I found the manual mode surprisingly comprehensive. In manual mode, as the name suggests, a user can manually alter the functions of the camera such as shutter speed and exposure. This is much like an SLR and makes the F601 into a semi-professional (almost) camera. There is an in-depth amount of settings to change, guaranteed to keep the enthusiast happy. However to use this mode some manual reading is required.

The extra kit
As well as the obvious camera a battery and 16MB Smart Media card are provided. The battery is good for about 300 charges and tends to last a decent amount of time; I would on the camera like to see a more comprehensive battery time checker. The 16MB is slightly poor but generally okay, you can hold anything from 6 to 120 images on the card. Remember the camera uses the Smart Media format, which can only physically hold 128MB, which can hold near 1000 images. Card upgrades are very reasonable some standard prices are quoted

16MB Card £7.99
32MB Card £15-17
64MB Card £24-26
128MB Card £45-47

The cradle is a nice addition. It can be connected to the PC to transfer pictures and charge the unit, although this can be done without the cradle. The other advantage is it can b
e hooked up to a TV (
with supplied cable) to v
iew images and video
s. A carrying pouch and string are provided to protect the camera, its nice to see everything bundled in one package. Optional accessories include a USB card reader, a leather case, underwater housing, Smart Media card case and a starter kit including a Large camera bag, Microsoft Picture-It Express 2002 software, Travel Charger (which charges faster than the AC adapter provided and a Mini tabletop tripod. A floppy disk adapter can be purchased, as can an Image memory card reader and extra AC adapters. Unofficial accessories by other manufacturers include things such as a card printer. Its nice to see Fuji hasn?t forgotten the little thing, which make so much difference, like a pouch in the case for more Smart Media cards etc?

Transferral
In older OS?s it is necessary to install the Finepix viewer software, this is useful and does its job well. In windows XP as soon as the camera is detected an option screen pops up allowing you to choose to copy the pictures. You can either use the cradle or a USB cable straight to the camera. When finished make sure you eject. Dissapointing to see no bundled image software, no demo's even.

What else should I consider?
In this mid range price bracket, n my opinion, nothing beats the Fuji, the value and quality and excellent for the price, it encompasses many features and is so versatile and adaptable. Certainly in the price range some of the various Sony Cybershots (Note, Nikon and Fuji carry experience from making film cameras, Sony are an electrical manufacturer) and Nikons are a good bet, alternately the Fuji F602, which has a lens, is probably worth a look, however you can?t go far wrong with the F601. Fuji have put a lot of work into a great piece of kit, and it shows. Well designed, well laid out, well stocked, brill value and easy to use, what more could you ask for

Summary: