Fujifilm FinePix 3800 3MP Digital Camera w/ 6x Optical Zoom
by Fujifilm
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $499.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

For the money, it would be difficult to find a digital camera that could match the features and image quality of the FinePix 3800. A true 6x optical zoom sets this 3-megapixel camera apart from the crowd, allowing for shots that simply wouldn't be possible with a typical point-and-shoot camera.

It uses a bright pop-up flash that stays far enough away from the lens to reduce red-eye, and pictures can be framed using either the crisp 1.8-inch LCD screen on the back or the large viewfinder, which is surrounded by a rubber sheath. The viewfinder also uses an LCD, so unfortunately you can't see anything through it when the camera is turned off.

Beginners can leave the camera in fully automatic mode and snap away, while pros can use the many manual adjustments to achieve more professional results. Either way, the resulting pictures feature excellent color saturation and impressive detail, despite the camera’s relatively aggressive image compression. Hair loses some of its texture, and reds tend to look slightly more orange in the photos than in reality, but the camera's abilities are outstanding for the price.

The only real problem with the FinePix 3800 is that it is nearly impossible to frame a picture or get the camera's autofocus to work in a low-light situation. Images seen through the viewfinder or displayed on the LCD get very murky in candlelight conditions. However, 90 percent of the time the camera works marvelously, and its light-gathering abilities once it does manage to focus in dim light are outstanding.

You'll definitely want to get a higher-capacity xD-Picture Card, as the included 16 MB card holds only 12 high-quality images. But other than that oversight, this camera provides everything you need to take some great digital photographs. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Pop-up flash
• 6x optical zoon
• Captures a terrific amount of detail

Cons:

• Needs a bigger memory card
• Low-light performance suffers

... Read more

Features

• 3.0-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create prints up to 11 x 14
• 6x optical zoom with variable digital zoom: 3.2x (at 640 x 480) or 1.6x (at 1280 x 960)
• Stores photos on 16 MB XD card--12 images at fine and 26 images at normal
• Connects to PCs via USB port
• Powered by 4 AA alkaline batteries (included)--rechargeables recommended

Reviews (124)

No power after 1 year
We purchased the camera a year ago, it wasn't used a lot and now it won't power up at all.What a pile of crap, we also have a minolta, and will never buy Fuji again!!

FinePix for short time
I was mostly satisfied with this camera until the poor engineering caught up with it.After 18 months the screws backed out of the lens ring inside the camera, shorting out interior circuits.This is a common problem for this camera. Fuji says they will fix it for $118.25. I don't think it's worth it now. I will not be buying any more Fuji products because I can't afford to buy products that self destruct.

Buyer beware
My 3800 needed to have its power supply rebuilt twice in its first two years of service. ... Read more

Asin: B00006FMPP
Subjects:  1. Digital Camera (Cameras)    2. Photograph (Photography)   

Fujifilm FinePix NX-500 Printer
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $299.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

For photography fans, Fuji offers the NX-500 FinePix printer for clear, colorful photos and immediate results delivered to your desk. Whether or not you use a film scanner, you can transfer data to the printer directly by inserting a digital "film" card. Or you can insert the card into your PC for editing, cropping, and other enhancements, and then print the images. With a substantial design and professional demeanor, the NX-500 is engineered to be compact and portable.

Although the Fuji NX-500 is a desktop printer fashioned to be a companion to PCs, it lets you print images from your digital camera without the use of a computer. The NX-500 directly accepts 2, 4, 8, and 16 MB SmartMedia cards for direct data transfer. Another option is to utilize the floppy disk adapter to transfer images directly into your PC. You'll appreciate the ability to print multiple images on one sheet of photo paper, choosing among several different configurations to suit your needs. You can also adjust the image size, accommodating paper sizes to 4 by 6 inches. Fuji relies upon thermo-autochrome printing for crisp, vivid images in resolutions of 306 dpi.

Fuji printers are intended to be easy to set up and get you straight to work. Light and portable, even in small workspaces, the NX-500 is compact enough to fit comfortably into your life, your home workstation, or small office. --Barbara Price ... Read more

Features

• 306 dpi print resolution
• Option to print on 2-, 4-, or 16-cut sheets
• Vivid eye-pleasing prints
• Thermo-Autochrome printing
• Portable and versatile desktop digital printing device

Reviews (3)

Film quality prints - from digital
I use this with a 4 MP camera.The result is stunning.You cannot tell the prints were digital originals.The quality is that good.One caveat... will not work with Windows 2000 or XP.Win 98/ME only :-(Other than that, highly recommended.

Good Home Photo Quality
I think this has great photo quality.The colors aren't as bright as an inkjet but they are closer to the real thing.No ink cartridges to deal with. Much smoother appearance, no inkjet dots.The down side is the size of the photo but most of the photos I print are in 3 1/2 x 5 or 4 x 6 anyway.

Great
This printer is not bad. It's not brilliant though just OK. Good quality pictures printed too. The price though is a bit to much. I am getting a digital camera and our printer is not very good so I will probably get a new one. This is the one we will most likely to get. ... Read more

Asin: B00004U9HP
Subjects:  1. Inkjet Printer (Ink Jet Printers, Printing)    2. Photo Printer (Photo Printing)   

FujiFilm 256 MB xD Picture Card
Average Customer Review:
Electronics (15 April, 2003)
list price: $149.99 -- our price: $49.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Designed to minimize power consumption, Fuji's xD-Picture Card offers fast read and write capabilities for smoother digital camera operation. Extremely compact, it is comparable in size to a penny and weighs less than one-tenth of an ounce. The 32 MB capacity card can record data at 1.3 MBps and offers a read speed of 5 MBps. ... Read more

Features

• Ultracompact--.10 ounce weight in the size of a penny
• Designed to consume minimal power
• High-capacity flash memory format for digital cameras
• 256 MB storage capacity
• 1.3 MB/sec record speed, 5MB/sec read speed

Reviews (10)

How many pictures will it store?
How many pictures will it store?It is the most commonly asked question from digital camera enthusiast but usually the question that is the most difficult to get a straight answer about.Well, considering I worked in the memory industry for over 7 years I can help clarify this perplexing question and do so unbiased as I have since changed industries.

The FujiFilm 256MB xD Picture Card, like most 256MB cards, will store on average 284 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 213 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera,128 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 102 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 80 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera.These numbers are based off the assumption that you are going to shoot your images at the highest quality JPEG setting available for the camera and understand that they are estimates and may be off by as much as 10 percent due to numerous factors including the complexity of the scene being shot and the compression algorithm used by your specific camera.

I truly hope this review was helpful to you in determining whether this card is the right capacity for your specific needs.

overpriced, slow
Check web resources.You will find that in all published timing
tests writes to xD cards are slower than writes to the best CF
cards despite xD cards costing 60% more.So forget about buying
xD cards because they are faster; they aren't.

I could find no independent verification that xD cards decrease
battery drain in a digital camera.Even if I were willing to
believe the claim, it is still far cheaper to purchase two or
three extra sets of rechargeable batteries and carry them with
me.

There is no good reason to buy an xD card.

Perfect for my needs and more
I bought this card in conjunction with my Fuji S5000 (which I HIGHLY recommend), and for the three months that I've been using them, they have done absolutely EVERYTHING that I could have wanted.I generally take photos at the 2MP (1600x1200) setting, which gives me reasonable photo size/clarity without taking huge amounts of space--each photo is between 550kb and 650kb, which allows me to take 410 at 2MP.I can get 550 on 1 MP, 325 on 3MP, and 173 on 6MP.On RAW 6MP, I can only get 37 though... this is what makes me consider getting a 512 card, or waiting for the upcoming 1GB card Fuji is developing.I've taken thousands of photos in the few months that I've owned this card, and none have been less than perfect as far as the card's impact on them.

The entire line of xD technology is revolutionary and is REALLY great.It has low battery-drain, it's REAL fast, and it's very versatile.Not to mention small--I'm able to have a rather small camera bag (6"h, 5"w, 3"d) partly because I don't have overly large, bulky cards and cases taking up more space than necessary.

Beyond its obvious application of excellent use in digital photos, I've actually used it like a removable mini-drive, similar to my pen-drive.However, as this card is larger than my 128MB jumpdrive, i was able to bring what i needed even when my jumpdrive was full.this is more useful than imaginable.i'm getting a Fujifilm DPC-UD1 xD USB Drive Reader and a second xD card, either 256 or 512MB to use it just like my jumpdrive. Again, this is EXCELLENT technology, and the BEST OPTION for new digitals. ... Read more

Asin: B00008O0P3

Sony VAIO PCG-FRV25 Notebook (2.66-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)
Average Customer Review:
Personal Computers
list price: $1,399.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Far from the smallest mobile computer in Sony's notebook lineup, the VAIO PCG-FRV25 is nevertheless extremely powerful and nicely equipped. If size and ease of portability are not overriding factors, the capable VAIO PCG-FRV25 is a wise and cost-effective choice.

By today's ever-decreasing standards, the 13 by 10.8 by 2.26 inches, 7.72 pound VAIO PCG-FRV25 is of slightly above-average size. It is, however, more powerful than many desktops. Featuring a muscular 2.66 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512 KB Level 2 cache, a 533 MHz system bus, 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory (upgradeable to 1024 MB) and a 64 MB ATI Radeon IGP 345M graphics chipset, the unit will quickly carve through most any task it is given, including many 3-D games and applications.

Sony has fitted the system with an adequate 40 GB hard disk and an internal CD-RW/DVD drive through which you can burn and listen to audio CDs, backup important files and watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters. You'll monitor your activities on a large 15-inch XGA TFT display capable of 1024x768 resolution.

Other desirable amenities include an internal V.90 modem for low-speed e-communications, an Ethernet interface for high-speed connectivity, headphone and microphone ports, an 86-key QWERTY keyboard with electro-static touchpad, and a pair of stereo speakers with surround-sound imaging. Home movie and digital picture buffs in particular will appreciate the unit's two high-speed USB 2.0 ports and single IEEE 1394 interface, through which they can quickly transfer video and still images.

Sony has pre-installed an impressive variety of software, including Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2003, Microsoft Works 7.0, and a broad array of audio, video and photo utilities. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

very poor customer service, below average hardware
I have had the Vaio for several months, and the software installed on Vaio has finally crashed out completely. Sony now freely admits the cd recovery disk program included with the machine does not work, in fact has never worked, and they still want you to shell out 60 bucks for the cd recovery kit, which takes up to four weeks for delivery.

The Keyboard on my unit arrived with the 'delete' key not working, and Sony told me that since I had purchased it mail order, I would have to send it to them for repair, and it would take three mothns MINIMUM to fix. I have instead learned to live without a delete key.

Overall, a very poor experience with Sony. I will stick to Toshiba or Dell in the future, companies who were far more supportive of their products and customers.

Vaio thoughts
Fastest machine I've ever used for video games and programming. Hooked up with a Cable Connection and high speed internet action, I've got state-of-the-art power.A little large for a laptop, but probably because of its speakers, built in.Performance of XP on it is very reliable, crashing at most once a week.When it does crash, not very graceful.Sometimes when it has been on a while, it refuses to shut down, and must be DQ'd.Otherwise, no complaints really.Does NOT appear to come with adequate virus protection.Figures.I've compared and considered about 15 machines since, including popular items such as HP and Dell, and even after 6 months, I still have no regrets.Two and a half thumbsup.

Good - but more of bad
Bad things:-
1. All usb ports on the left side - make sure to buy a mouse with long cable
2. External cable connection next to CD drive - why complicate things dear SONY
3. Many keys not working - Just after two months. Am still try to figure out the SONY dealer in ISRAEL.
4. There is no International free one year service like what TOSHIBA offers. ... Read more

Asin: B00009EEIS
Subjects:  1. Notebooks (Note Books)    2. Notebook Computers    3. Laptops (Lap Tops)