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(More customer reviews)I've been using the Fuji Finepix 3800 for 10 days and I am extremely pleased with all aspects of this camera. Back in July, I had read an excellent magazine review of the Finepix 2800, and, after further research (including user reviews on Amazon.com), I had almost decided to purchase it. However, I was a little reluctant to buy a 2-megapixel camera, as consumer cameras were already getting to 4 megapixels. I decided to wait, hoping Fuji would update this model. A few days later they announced the 3800, and six weeks later I ordered mine....
In addition to increasing the resolution to 3 megapixels, Fuji has added several features that give you more picture-taking control, such as an aperture priority mode, sharpness adjustment, flash intensity, exposure adjustment, and several white balance options. Also new is the media card type. It's called xD Picture Card, and it's quite small, about the size of a postage stamp. The camera includes one 16 MB xD card, which holds about 26 pictures at the setting I use most (3 MP / normal). The other settings are 3 MP / fine (12 pictures), 2 MP (39), and 1 MP (49). You really need a larger capacity card if you're going to be away from your computer for any length of time, such as a vacation. (I plan to get a 128 MB xD card... as soon as they are available.)
The camera comes with a USB cable and various PC/Mac software applications for managing your photos. I haven't used their software; I have an iMac with iPhoto (free) for photo management (and a whole lot more) and PixelNhance (free) for photo editing. After taking a few pictures, I connected the cable to the camera and the iMac, and turned on the camera. iPhoto started up; I clicked one button and my pictures were downloaded. It was literally seconds from connecting cables to viewing my pictures. No configuration of software nor drivers nor anything else was required (thanks, Apple). The first thing I noticed was the picture quality. It is superb. The colors, the detail, everything, is quite amazing.
Taking pictures is easy, once you get used to the quirks of digital photography. Press the shutter release halfway and the camera focuses (after a brief image freeze). Keeping the button down, you can reframe the picture if necessary. Press down all the way to take the picture. There is a momentary delay while the picture is stored into memory, and then your picture is shown for about 2 seconds. This lets you know if you got the picture you wanted without having to change the camera mode to view your pictures. The 6x optical zoom (equivalent to a 200 mm lens on a 35 mm camera) was a big selling point for me. I like being able to quickly frame a picture, especially from a fair distance.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) takes a little getting used to (compared to an SLR). I only use it when I have to, such as in bright sunlight. Otherwise I use the small LCD screen on the back of the camera. If you've read reviews of the 2800, you know that low light situations can be a problem for this camera. Not having used the 2800, I can't say whether Fuji has made improvements in this area for the 3800. However, it is still true that if there's not enough light, you won't see anything in the EVF or LCD. You can still take pictures in low light; you just have to set it for the widest angle, aim as best you can, and then check the result. If you missed the subject, re-aim and try again. You can always crop the picture when you get it on your computer. This camera, by the way, takes excellent pictures with the built-in flash, even when there's little or no other light.
The 3800 has a movie mode which allows you take a minute of 320x240 pixel video (or 3 minutes of 160x120) at 10 frames per second. This works great for those moments when you want a quick video but don't have the video camera. You can view the video on the camera, just like you view photos. And it's easy to download and view on your computer.
Photos stored on the camera can be easily viewed and deleted if you don't want them. (You can also mark photos as "protected" to prevent accidental deletion.) The buttons on the camera back are laid out well and easy to use. The menus for changing the camera settings and viewing/deleting photos are intuitive and easy to learn.
Like most digital cameras, this one goes through batteries very quickly. The four AA batteries included won't last very long. Better to invest in a good charger for AA NiMH batteries (the Mahi MH-C240F works great).
Also included is an adapter for optional zoom or wide angle lenses. The manual actually recommends leaving the adapter on the camera at all times (presumably to protect the telescoping lens housing) though you never see any photos of this camera with the adapter on it. I don't use the adapter because the lens cap doesn't fit on it very well (pops off too easily). The lens cap works fine on the camera without the adapter.
The bottom line: Fuji took an excellent, widely praised, highly regarded camera and made it better. I took a chance and bought this camera before all the reviews were in, just based on reviews of the 2800 and the additional features announced by Fuji. I have not been disappointed in the least.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Fujifilm FinePix 3800 3MP Digital Camera w/ 6x Optical Zoom
MD) FINEPIX 3800 XD DIGITAL CAMERA
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