FinePix 2800 Zoom or PowerShot A40

FinePix 2800 Zoom or PowerShot A40:

Which one do you think i should get, also why would you pick it?

i want to spend around 300 for a dig cam.....

I´m about to buy a new camera as well - same price range you are aiming for!

Here you can find reviews on cameras!

Actually I´m waiting for a review of the HP Photosmart 720 - it´s a 3.3 MP camera for about that price!!

Shocker said:

FinePix 2800 Zoom or PowerShot A40:

Which one do you think i should get, also why would you pick it?

i want to spend around 300 for a dig cam.....

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Buy the A40 or better yet get an Olympus 3020Z it is the bomb very good cam for just a bit more $$

Alos Olympus has a better lens from all research I have done try

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

very good resource for reviews

Cisco KId

I own the PowerShot A40. It's an excellent camera. The reason I bought it is because when you use it to record video it records the audio along with it. Most other cameras only record the video.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Fuji Finepix. I have seen some pictures and they are excellent.

Man this is tough! lol

I've got a Finepix 2800Z, it's quite nice. It records audio along with video (although video is limited to 60-second clips, but as many as you can fit on a SmartMedia card).

Up to 1600 x 1200 resolution, 6X optical zoom (The Canon sure can't touch that) and it comes with a nice software package if you have nothing to edit pictures on your own.

To add to that, I got mine for $277 from www.buydig.com (Note though, don't get the "executive package," just get the standard package and add your own cards/batteries/pack).

Here is an unedited picture straight off the camera.

And here is an unedited MACRO pic right off the camera (the top edge of the lens protrusion blocked the flash a little bit).

Well, my wife and I just bought an A40. It has excellent quality, between the optical zoom, digital zoom, ease of use, and ability to be customized. The picture quality was quite good.

Here are some sample pics: All are taken at medium resolution and compression. No color enhancement or other postprocessing. First, a standard daylight picture.

http://www.math.umn.edu/~macklin/images/a40/day.jpg

Then, a picture taken at night of neon lights
http://www.math.umn.edu/~macklin/images/a40/night.jpg

Then a picture taken at 6" or so with the zoom-in "macro mode". Notice the grains of sand.
http://www.math.umn.edu/~macklin/images/a40/macro.jpg

We took all these pictures after maybe an hour of reading the instructions.

Another thing we liked is that it "felt" like a camera. It wasn't so small that it was impossible to get a good, comfortable grip on, as is the case for some cameras. (We felt that the Fuji suffered from this problem.) Also, I'm not sure about the Fuji, but the Canon uses standard AA batteries, so you can just buy some rechargable NiMH batteries to use, rather than proprietary batteries, which some cameras tend to use.

I'd keep any eye out for sales on the camera. We got ours at Office Max for $299 with a free 64 MB memory card.

-- Paul

thanks all, still can't make up my mind......lol
anymore opinions?

I can't take one at night, and I don't have any night shots, but I can show you the following (Warning! 750KB+ for each file!):

Here is a macro pic of one of Thermaltake's RAMsinks.

Here is a daylight shot of my back terrace.

Here is the same terrace, with 6X zoom (same angle, just zoomed).

All 3 straight off the camera, using the best settings. I think I should mention that you can lock the zoom on the 2800Z. If you press the shutter half way down while the targeting reticule is over an object, you can lock the camera's zoom to that level, so it won't autofocus on the next thing you point at. This sort of thing is useful if, say, you have 2 people standing a few feet apart, and you want them both in the shot, but if you put the reticule directly between them, the camera will focus on the background.

I say use one that u like the best, you should like it's feel, and weight and what not.

SkaGoatMaster said:

I say use one that u like the best, you should like it's feel, and weight and what not.

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I completely agree. Go to Best Buy or Circuit City or wherever, and play around with both cameras. See which one you like the feel of best, and make a decision based on that. The cameras prices reflect their individual attributes, which in all but several cases, are identical.

The Fuji feels like a studio camera, it's a 2-hander for sure. It takes 4 AA's, and can be a power hog if you use the LCD at full brightness for long periods of time. But you can turn the brightness down, or use the EFD instead (BTW, the EFD is completely enclosed, so you can use the camera in the brightest situations without any glare on the EFD. This also has the advantage of a true reticule, instead of an optical reticule, which is never dead on because it and the camera lens cannot occupy the same space). The minimum macro distance is 2.5" so you can get right up close to those cores.

The Canon takes 2 AA's, and isn't quite as heavy. I believe it's minimum macro distance is 5", but don't quote me on that.

The Fuji may appear bulky, but it is quite small, it's just square. This is to accomodate the zoom lens protrusion. The Canon is traditionally rectangular, which is a godsend if you're looking for a case (I STILL havn't found a case worth buying for my Fuji, and I've had the camera for 3 months).

So basically, if you need the Zoom, and can put up with the sometimes awkward shape of the Fuji, and want a close macro, then get the Fuji. If you want a large selection in camera cases, and a traditional easily holdable chassis, get the Canon. Heck, you could even base your decision on the shade of silver you like best, Canon or Fuji. =)

Über~PhLuBB said:

I can't take one at night, and I don't have any night shots, but I can show you the following (Warning! 750KB+ for each file!):

*chuckle* Thanks for reminding me that I wanted to go back and change my img's to URL's. It really ocurred to me, as a modem dialup user, how annoying my post was.

Nice pics. A very good level of quality.

I think I should mention that you can lock the zoom on the 2800Z.

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention the A40 has that, too.

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At the end of the day Ueber and SkaGM are absolutely right -- make sure you like not only the features and quality (not to mention price), but also how it actually feels to you. After 2 MP's, you won't notice a (huge) difference, but you will notice if the user interface, or the weight or feel, or whatnot is irritating to you. And how much you like it is the most important factor.

Best of luck, and enjoy whichever camera you end up with! -- Paul