Great camera for the price. Also, "zoom error."
I'm no electronics expert but this is a great camera for the price! It's super easy to use and takes excellent pictures.
I'd highly recommend upgrading your memory card right away (I got a 250MB card). It will add greatly to the usability of your camera because you won't always be running out of pictures.
I did recently experience the dreaded "zoom error" that others have complained about after accidentally dropping the camera on a hardwood floor. After reading some of the advice on CNET.com, I tried a to pull the zoom lens out with my fingers--and it worked! Seems that this error represents the lens getting "out of alignment." I was amazed that after dropping this camera hard on the floor, I was able to get it to work by simply pulling on the lens to pop it back into realignment. There was no permanent damage and the camera works just as well as it did before.
I am very happy with this camera. Thanks, Fuji :)
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Awful Camera, Awful Support
I've used this camera no more than 3 times and it has always been kept in the box that it came in. The last time I tried to use it, however, I received the infamous "zoom error" and the camera is inoperable. The camera has been kept away from moisture, heat, and pretty much everything else that could harm it; I handled it carefully. I'm very angry with Fujifilm for doing nothing to fix this problem, despite the fact that so many older models had the same, commonplace error. It's going to cost far more than the camera is worth to have it fixed: I honestly think I'll throw it in the trash and buy a different camera (one that IS NOT a Fujifilm). Also, the support staff are incredibly unknowledgable and, ironically, unsupportive.
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Great For First Time Digital Users!
This was my first digital camera and I still use it. The ease of use and price were a couple of the factors I considered when I purchased this product. It is pretty much point and shoot. It's also lightweight and small enough to carry around if you're more of a vacation photographer.
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Nice package - poor reliability
I've had two of these cameras, both lost their ability to focus after 11-13 months of use (no drops or any extreme use). They aren't dirty or abused, the simply loose track of where the lens is (the computer moves it in and out to focus) and every (yes every) shot is blurred.
I'd recommend another camera.
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I wouldn't recommend this camera
I received this camera last year as a 13th birthday present. It worked great for about 4 months. But then I noticed that it was gradually giving me less and less pictures that I was able to take. I recently took a trip to Utah and it only alowed me to take 10 pictures when I should've been able to take 30. Last week it wouldn't let me take any pictures because it said my memory card was full but I didn't have any pictures on it. Yesterday I turned it on to see if by some miracle, it worked but it didn't work and became even worse. Now it won't close and I can't get the LCD screen to work.
I defitently wouldn't recommend this camera for two reasons:
1) The size: I found it very inconvenient.
2) It broke very easily for me and now I can't take any pictures.
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durable starter digital camera
We got this camera as a Christmas gift two years ago or so. It has lasted very nicely, which is more than you can say for most electronic gadgets nowadays. I am passing it on to my spouse as I have just gotten a newer camera. How often can you say that about an electronic toy? I totally recommend this as a first or spare digital camera.
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Made new again
Had this camera and (OUCH) dropped it. Was thrilled to find it on Amazon at an even lower $ than originally purchased. I use this camera at work and have to admit it is more consumer friendly than a digital camera (much pricier) I have at home.
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i wouldnt recommend, but it was free.
I got this camera for free, when i bought a computer from dell. I was pretty happy with it from the get-go, however a few days later i got the zoom-error screen when i dropped it. I couldnt get it to work no matter what- so i called dell and they sent me another one, no hassle. However the new one now is acting up. the lens cover that slides back across the camera has some sort of sensor behind it, that tells the lens to come out, and mine doesnt work all the time, so i have to work the cover back and forth until it catches correctly. ANNOYING! it always happens when the baby is making a cute face ...
I think it does take really great pictures, although with the little
screen you cant always tell the quality of pic, i havent been dissapointed when i downloaded to computer. THey always look crisp, and colorful like a decent camera should.
As far as the features on the camera, it is very easy to use
with minimal buttons, easy to find the menu buttons.
with the 16mb fuji xd picture card that came with mine, you have 3 options for photos:
3mp 25 photos
-1mp 33 photos
-.3mp 122 photos.
i think i usually use the 1mp option, and the pics are really nice. ive used the .3 option also and they honestly arent bad, they look like 2 mp. to me. ive not yet opted to buy a bigger card, although i guess i would if i was going away and planned on taking lots of pics.
i like that you dont have to use the fuji photo program to download the pics, i just plug in the usb, and the computer automatically recognizes it as a removable device, you can dowmload straight from the wizard and send them to my pics.
you will need to buy rechargables for this baby, as the flash eats up lots of power. i think i took maybe 15 pics and the battery was low. I went to wal-mart and bought a cheapie rechargable set, and they really last longer per use than the others. now i can go probably 3 rounds with the camera before it goes low.
to sun it up, i do like the camera, but its not reliable enough for me to say i woould buy another one. its very plastic and lightweight, wheras i would feel safer with a smaller denser one. however if you do think the price is right and want to risk the errors, it has good features.
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Great until it broke (2 years)
We bought this camera for $90 two years ago on Ebay. We wanted a second camera and this was a 'what the heck' buy on Amazon. It worked very well until recently. Took great pictures as well as our older $400 Toshiba. Now it acts like it's working OK, pictures look OK in the little display, but they are all grainy, exposure is off, (outdoor photos are white and washed out, indooor photos are dark) and colors are off.
Another reviewer said that they don't last. I'd have to agree.
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Great for the Price
Im going to make my review short and simple. This is a good little digital camera and you can't beat the price. But...if you ave a digital camera you already know that they eat batteries faster thanfat albert would eat a cookie. I had to save money for rechargeable batteries because it drains the batteries so fast.
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awesome camera
I've had this camera for 2 1/2 years. It works great. I load pictures to my computer...quick and easy! I don't have any problem with pictures being grainy or dark unless I took a bad shot. I use rechargable batteries....which is a good idea to use with anything like this. You certainly get your monies worth if you don't have a fortune to spend on a fancy camera.
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Great Camera
l love my fuji camera and would not recommend any amature use anything else. I have had mine for 2years (had the smaller sz.under this.) Bought this one, and I gave the old one to my grandaughter.She received a sony 6 mp for xmas. And she still carries her Fuji in her diaper bag all the time. I have the privalige to received great photos of my great grandbabies.. Wouldn't have any other brand. I gave my son and his wife a fuji last xmas. She has a Poodle kennel. And uses it for sending photos over the internet to custumers. She thinks it is great.She uses it with ease, even though she knows very little about a computer... My sister,(65) has a 6.0 mgp fuji and she cannot keep it at home.. because her daughter is borrowing it all time.. ( even though her daughter has a olympus.) the Fuji is Very easy to use..) NO Problems. If mine breaks tomorrow I will buy another fuji. And I will have gotten my $90.00 E-bay buy paid for, and much more....... A Great Grandmother in Texas I am 70 years old and Love this fuji !!!
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Good camera for the price until it broke 2 yrs later
for 100 bucks, its a nice camera, but the other day the lens wouldnt come out. It was a great camera. I shot award winning pictures with it. But, then it broke. (PS. I am buying the A350 as a replacement)
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A really bad chose
I have goten this camera as a gift and it lasted less than a year!! i change battiers, camera card and now it won't turn on! IT"S A WASTE OF MONEY!! it's not worte it.
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Pretty decent for an inexpensive camera!
This camera works great! Indoors works well and if it seems a little dark I lighten the pictures with my computer. I think people that don't like the camera haven't thought of using the other technologies they have to make the best of what they have. The lens has not come out for me before because I didn't realize my batteries were low. I have found that buying the batteries made specifically for digital cameras work the best and last the longest. Rechargeables don't work very well or as long on this camera. I have found if I pay a little more money on the batteries everything else works great. If you want professional pictures then buy a 500.00 camera. If you want to just take everyday pictures.... well, this is a great camera and more than I expected from it. I think some people want a miracle camera that does everything for them without sacrificing cost... As for me I think it's really a great camera especially for the cost.
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dont buy cheap model
only lasted a year the switch used to toggle between camera and review broke and i take care of my stuff!
dont buy any fuji!
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Buy something better than this
It worked ok for awhile, but then the colors turned weird and my pictures looked horrible. Like someone else posted, shooting video with it is useless unless your subjects are outdoors or under spotlights.
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i like this camera
I recieved this camera free with my dell computer and I used it for 3 years and loved it because it is so easy to use. Then I dropped it. So I bought another one, and i love it just as well. Life is too complicated to use something that is difficult to understand. I never remember to recharge the batteries, so I buy disposables.
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Great photos while plastic lense lasts
I got my camera in 2004, brand new. Excellent macro mode (I must say incredible) outside shots were always terrible, regardless of know how- absolutely terrible. I even found distortion, beyond bad coloring and proper focus, as it turned out, finding photos to compare to was about the same, with same camera, and others called it good. One day I decided to use the lense cleaner that came with my kit. I scratched the plastic lense with the soft cloth! Downhill from there, I tortured myself to get as many pictures as I could before it was no good (it literally got worse on its own). The 2mp is plenty, and worked great while it lasted. I found an 2mp olympus in same price range, with all glass lenses, and that is where I am headed.For the possibly 200 dollars these started off as, go get the glass lense version at a minumum. I do not recommend this a205 camera, and the servicing costs are phenomonal. I did not get the 3 years I expect from an electronic item as well.
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Great Camera!!!!!
I have absolutely enjoyed this camera. It has delivered more than I ever expected. It produces wonderful crisp clear pictures, and is so simple to use. It has lasted me 3 years of wear and tear, with MINOR cosmetic damage. I have dropped it more than 100 times, it's been through water damage, when I'd take it w/me on trips and my water bottle leaked...oops! This is a great product, has minor issues now and then, nothing a restart won't fix! There were only a few downsides to it, the zoom isn't huge, but it worked well enough for me, and the stabilization stinks on selected days... nothing a flash won't clear up though. However, I love this camera it has served me well. Hope you enjoy this product as much as I have!!!! God Bless.
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Great for 2.0 Megapixel. Also for a beginner.
I bought this camera oddly enough, on ebay. I did not need a 5 or 7 megapixel camera. I just wanted to get rid of my film cameras. So I bought it and it works just fine. Has .3, 1 and 2 megapixel modes. Works fine for my use and I don't need to spend a lot of money just for a higher megapixel camera.
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Own it, Love it!
This is really a great camera! I've had it since 04' & its still perfect!
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great value for the money
This camera takes pretty decent pictures for it's resolution and pricepoint. The included software is also good. Definitely get a larger memory card & the rechargable batteries, though; it sucks up lots of memory for higher-quality pictures and the batteries don't last as long because of that.
I love the super-zoom feature on it, that you can override the 3x zoom by continuing to press on the zoom.
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Battery Eater - Poor indoor pics
I bought my camera several years ago at Wal-Mart and I have to say I have never really liked it. It eats batteries like crazy, even the rechargable ones. The only battery I have found to not go dead within two to three photos is Duracel. Also, the quality of photos is not that great, especially indoors. I took this camera with me to Amarillo, Texas and I finally gave up trying to take photos with it and bought a throw-away camera which worked fine. I am currently shopping for a new digital camera and have given this one away as it wasn't worth selling.
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impressive for a 1st digital camera
I bought this camera brand new in late 2003 to become more "modern". I didn't really need a digital camera, but I wanted one. Now, more than 4 years later I have thousands of pictures on my PC that are priceless. The camera finally died 2 months ago and I've replaced it with a 10 MP Nikon Coolpix. Although this camera is now considered bulky by today's standards, and the LCD screen is now considered tiny (1.5") I can't just toss this camera away. It's served me very well the last few years, so I guess it'll just take up drawer space. It's taken excellent pictures, but it took a little getting used to. To focus on anything, you have to press the button down "half-way". Try saying that to someone who's not used to digital cameras. Most of the blurry pictures occured because of that. Want to take pictures of your kids playing sports? Faggedaboutit! Action shots come out blurry. Not enough light? You'll get grainy pics. Like to take videos? Hope you do it in bright sunlight and don't need sound. All-in-all this camera has gained my respect and takes great pictures under ideal conditions. A perfect starter camera.
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