Fujifilm Finepix S3100 4MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: This digital camera lured me away from film
Review: I have been a film photographer for over 20 years. I've exhibited on and off through the years and have always developed and printed my own black and white film and enlargements. My old Minolta 35MM was getting really old and I was seriously thinking of buying a Nikon FM3 because I love manual control. As the time to buy a new camera got closer, I began to notice the Fuji S3100 at a local store.

While I have never liked the feel of plastic bodied cameras, at least this Fuji was substantial in size. I hate tiny camera. They might be great for sticking in a shirt pocket, but they seem too small to hold and use.

So, one day I'm in the camera store and wow...the Fuji S3100 is on sale at an incredible price. I buy it on impulse.

I think because my expectations of digital photographer were so low, I was able to fall in love with this camera. Like the other reviewer said, this may not be a camera for beginners. While I expected to not understand digital photography in the same way I do understand manual film cameras, I have to admit this Fuji is easy for me to use. I guess I should also say that I opened the box in my car and instantly lost the manual. I was able to figure out everything I needed to know by scrolling through the numerous menus. Though I have to admit it was a relief to find the manual when I cleaned my car.

I just recently went to Toronto and the Fuji was the only camera I brought along. I selected 7 pictures from the trip and had 8 x 10's printed. I could not tell they were digital pictures. They were as sharp and clear and colorful as I have come to expect from film.

I have shot pictures in full auto and in manual. Both produce equally great photos.

All my friends have had digital cameras for a few years and I have seen prints and 8 x 10 enlargements taken with other cameras and I had never been impressed.

The highest praise I can give this camera is that it is the camera that finally lured me away from using my film camera.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent camera to replace a 35mm SLR
Review: My 35mm is 35 years old with multiple lenses and a mini suitcase to carry it all. I was looking for the right digital camera to replace this old and cumbersome companion in my travels. I found it in the Fuji S3100 after having done my research homework and handling the camera in the store.

Picture quality was the #1 requirement. My first test shots (in the auto mode) were downloaded to the PC and test printed as 3x5's at home. The quality was outstanding in all respects. My prior research did not disappoint. Coloration was perfect. Focus was perfect. Light balance was wonderful with the flash within its range. The pictures were velvety smooth to the point I couldn't stop looking at them. The WOW factor was evident in every shot.

I heavily cropped one picture of my son from a full length view of him (6 feet) standing in our dinning room to a view of his chest and face. I printed a 5x7 of this shot and there was neither a hint of graininess nor any deterioration of quality.

Optical zoom was the #2 requirement. I like to capture all kinds of details in buildings and monuments, etc. when I travel. The 6X optical zoom gets me close to what I want without the weight and bulkiness of my old telephoto lens.

Comfortableness/Grip was the #3 requirement. This camera fits my hand like a glove. Its grip is perfect. It is locked securely in the hand with fingers around its grip area - little or no chance this camera will ever slip out of guys' bulky hands. The shutter button can be hit with the index finger and the thumb can work the back of the camera without ever loosening the grip. The left hand can easily stabilize the camera as the shot is composed by holding beneath the lens hood with little chance of obscuring the lens or flash with fingers.

A Manual mode was the #4 requirement. After years with a totally manual 35mm SLR, I did want only a point and shoot digital. I wanted the ability to have some control. I took one test shot of myself in an area well lit with fluorescent lighting, testing the use of the Self Timer and with the camera in Auto mode. The camera warned that I needed flash, so I popped the flash, set the timer and ran into the camera's view. In Playback mode I could tell from the LCD that my face was a bit light. I went into Manual mode and stepped down the intensity of the flash, retook the picture and liked the result. With Manual mode, you can still be a bit of a photographer.

I mentioned that I popped the flash after the camera warned me. I like the fact that the S3100 does not pop and auto fire the flash, even in Auto mode. It gives you one more aspect of control in how shots are composed and one less electronic connection that can go bad. My daughter owned a Cannon Rebel with an auto pop up flash that stopped popping, and the cost to repair was not worth it. It was cheaper to buy a dedicated flash for the hot shoe connection.

Until I started working with the camera, I didn't know I would come to appreciate the electronic view finder as much as I do. When you look through this bright viewfinder you are looking at what the lens sees and exactly what the picture will look like. Because this view finder is so accurate and bright, displays the necessary information and is so comfortable to the eye to use, I use the liquid crystal display only for playback. One push of the dedicated button next to the LCD toggles between viewing by the LCD or view finder. Very nice and much less a draw on the batteries.

Finally, the camera uses alkaline AA's or Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeables. Very cost effective. I use the Hydrides and after one month of ownership and using the LCD heavily as I learned the camera, and then taking Christmas and New Year's shots, the batteries are still going strong.

T.C.
New Jersey




Rating:
Summary: A nice camera, but not for the beginner
Review: The Fuji FinePix S3100 is capable of taking pictures that look great, even enlarged to 8x10 size, when operated correctly; and therein lies the rub. The very things that add value to this camera unfortunately remove it from the list of those suitable for the beginner or those who need point and shoot convenience. The S3100 requires slightly under three seconds "warmup" with the included 16mb memory card before you can see your subject in the viewfinder. This delay appears to increase with a larger card installed and can be a hindrance in candid or spontaneous shots. The FinePix imitates an expensive SLR-type film camera where what you see in the viewfinder is actually what is coming through the lens, but displayed on an electronic screen inside. I found this to work well (and I wear eyeglasses), but one may also toggle the image to the 1.5 inch LCD monitor at the back of the camera with the push of a dedicated button. As with other cameras that feature automatic exposure and focus, the operator must push the shutter button part way down and wait for a confirmation that the adjustments have been made before pushing all the way down to take the picture. Failure to do this usually results in poor-looking photos which inevitably get blamed on the camera. Unfortunately, the image in the viewfinder/LCD freezes for a second or so during the adjustment procedure, meaning the position of a moving subject may have changed by the time you're ready to snap it. For this reason, the camera doesn't recommend itself to action photography. Autofocus is not foolproof on any camera that has it and under certain conditions I found the images I got weren't as sharp as they should have been. This subject is covered in the very complete and informative 100-page manual and as one gains experience it should be possible to forsee and work around those situations that confuse the autofocus. Beginners may find the pop-up flash confusing and forgetting to extend it in a dark setting will spoil the shot.

There is a lot to like about this camera. Although certainly no lightweight mini you can slip into pocket or purse, it is comfortable to hold with well laid out controls. The 6x optical zoom, which was a big selling point for me, brings subjects about twice as close as most zoom cameras will, albeit at the expense of some of the wide angle capability. Two accessory conversion lenses are sold for this camera that enhance its optical capabilities, but are very expensive. The user may select from three sharpness levels and five picture quality/size settings. The included memory card will store eight pictures at the absolute highest quality, or double that number one step below. You may also select from four scene modes; for example, portrait and night. Red-eye reduction and slow synchro flash modes, as well as forced or suppressed flash may be chosen. Limited-quality AVI movie shooting without sound is possible and there is a macro mode for shots as close as a tad under four inches. For those advanced amateurs who like to tweak settings, limited manual adjustments of flash brightness, EV, white balance and aperture-priority are possible. Current settings, along with any cautions, are normally displayed around the perimeter of the viewfinder/LCD screen, but may be turned off.

Several pages in the manual are devoted to discussing the rechargeable Ni-MH batteries consumers typically use in their camera. Over time, these apparently suffer from reduced life and the S3100 includes a discharge feature that may be used to (hopefully) restore their performance. The camera is supplied with four alkaline AA batteries and an optional AC power adaptor is available. In addition to the USB cable for downloading picture files, a cord is included for viewing the images through the video input of an ordinary television monitor, which I found to be a handy feature.

Probably the best photo I've ever taken, a zoomed in close-up of a seagull on a piling, came out beautifully even without using a tripod. Another, of a mostly black cat, was somewhat fuzzy, owing to autofocus confusion because of the dark fur. A hand-held macro shot of a flower blossom looked fine, even though it was taken under low light conditions without a flash.

For the money, I find the S3100 to be a good performer.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Camera
Review: The S3100 is an awesome camera for the price. I took it out of the box and started taking very nice photos. It is easy to use and takes great pictures. I have no grips at all with this camera.