Rating: 
Summary: Best decision if your current camera is a
Review: My question was: Which is the best camera for my wife, if MY favorite is the Canon D60? To explain this question these were my preferences: good zooming objective + good picture resolution + ease of use + low power consumption + consistent image quality + affordable price. My first two winners were Canon G2 and Fuji S602. Now I am happy that this new camera came out before buying one of the other ones. All my expectations met with the features of the FinePix 3800. The xD card is really astonishing, but definitely buy a larger one (my advice: buy the largest available!).
Addendum after the first 10 days:
Definitely buy a 55 mm circular polarizer and a UV filter. These two will boost the picture quality even further.
Addendum after the first 3 weeks:
The first set of batteries (supplied with the camera) were disappointing. They went down after 30 pictures. Then I have bought Energizers (Alkaline), but I have left the camera attached to my PC for a night and it was out of power in the morning. Avoid doing this, because the external led is turned on during downloading... Finally I have bought Duracell Ultra batteries (immediately two sets). Surpizingly the first set keeps working after 200+ pictures.Bottom line(s) after 3 months:
1. Buy rechargeable batteries.
2. The machine has problems with autofocus in low light conditions (indoor pix)
3. Otherwise it is still very good for the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: My 3800 needed to have its power supply rebuilt twice in its first two years of service.
Rating:
Summary: Unhappy customer
Review: I purchased a Fuji 3800 last year because it seemed like great value for money. Like many things that seem too good to be true, it was. Almost exactly a year after purchase, in which it was used sparingly, the camera went dead - it just would not turn on. By the time I got it to a repair center, the 1 year warranty period was over. The estimated repair cost including tax is $150 - I can get a decent new 3.2 MP camera for that price these days.
While it lasted, it took decent photos. The 6x zoom which was a big selling point of the camera was fairly useful. Focusing in low light was difficult. Overall it felt too light and plasticky. With the breakdown, I'll never buy a Fuji again.
Rating: 
Summary: great camera for the price, good customer service from fuji
Review: After a couple months of good performance my camera wouldn't power up. Still under warrenty mailed off to Fuji in NY and got it back the next week with details of repair and they also repaired a cosmetic problem without being asked!
great service from Fuji!
Only problem with camera is a little slow to cycle pictures but for general snap shots its good.
Rating:
Summary: 2 years, no problems
Review: I purchased this camera after doing quite a bit of research on digital cameras, likes and dislikes, amateur to professional. I used to be heavily into photography several years ago, but now that I have a family, I needed something to point-and-shoot and also allow me to send pictures to my family and friends scattered all over the southeast. This camera had the requisite features I was looking for.
Pros -
3.2 MP will give you very crisp shots on enlargements, but 1 MP is great for snapshots - this camera handled both ends of the spectrum well.
The buttons are well laid out and easy to find and manipulate.
The built-in flash works reliably and is easy to employ.
The cycle time between pictures is relatively quick, making it easy to catch multiple shots (like kids at play).
Uses AA-bateries!!! No searching for an odd battery type while on a trip and no worrying about when you will have to recharge.
Cons -
A bit bulky. The camera is comfortable to hold and use, but a bit large to stow away when not in use.
Flash is sometimes a bit too strong for the picture.
Autofocus has trouble in low light situations.
Overall, I wouldn't trade my Fuji for anything. Despite a few problems mentioned above, my camera has functioned without a hitch for nigh on two years. As far as buying one, I would suggest a retailer who has a product replacement plan warranty. If you are going to throw down the cash to purchase something like a digital camera, the extra $30-$50 is well worth it. Imagine buying a digital camera, then something breaks, you take it back and it costs almost as much as the original retail to fix. These warranty plans will save you a lot of headache if this ever happens.
Rating:
Summary: My Family's Best Friend
Review: Our 3800 is an extended member of the family. GREAT camera, I reccomend it to all my friends, and once they bought it, they reccomended it to thier families. I did a lot of research before buying this camera for about three months, and was it worth it.
Love it because:
-So easy to use, auto-focus does everything for you
-Quality of picture is superb for the amatuer picture obsessed family (best quality I've ever had in a camera, better than my pentax zx-50). Friends and family always compliment my pictures.
-Looks good, everyone asks me "What camera is that!?"
-Still small enough to tote every where (I take mine shopping with me, so I don't miss ANY great shots of my two yr old)
Only complaints are:
-Like any digital camera the batteries wear out FAST, this is annoying, but I invested in rechargeables and keep a spare set already charged--problem solved.
-The lens frame fell off and the screws got lost (this prevents the protective adapter ring from going on, which is CRUCIAL to protecting the delicate lens)... HOWEVER, this leads me into another pro for Fuji: 6 days before my one year warranty was about to expire, I sent it in for repair, and within one week they sent me back a completely new camera FREE of charge. I will definitely be more careful with this new one and prevent knocking it around or dropping it.
I've never been so pleased with customer service as I was when I got my precious camera back with such speed! I highly reccomend this camera to you! I absolutely love and depend on it, and wouldn't trust anything else with all my family's milestones!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT CAMERA, No malfunctions...
Review: I got the Fuji Finepix 3800 in 2002 and I really Loved this camera until I Stupidly LOST it. I have 3 children and this camera captured 2 Births with beautiful images. I took pictures every single day(several times a day) and I never had any malfunction problems with it. You have to buy quality batteries(name Brand). The ONLY thing that I wish was better was that when capturing video its only about 60seconds and if the lighting wasn't good either was the video! I was EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THIS CAMERA. Being that I must buy another one I was thinking of getting another Figi Finepix but maybe a newer model. The problem with this so far is that I want something with all the features of the 3800 and more but the next best thing is the the Fuji Finepix S3100 and theres even a way to make it like a web cam BUT the one feature that is missing on this that the 3800 has is the SOUND on the video there is NONE. That S--ks. I have children so the sound is important there is no in between its either the 3800 again or the S3100 with no sound. I wish Fuji had one right in the middle but they don't. By the way lookin on the Fuji site they have many cameras but strangly the 3800 is not on there at all. Hope you enjoy your new Cam!
Rating:
Summary: Still a pleasure to own and use
Review: I got my Fuji Finepix 3800 in February 2003; I've taken it on trips near and far (including Hawaii) and have used it extensively at home. I've been completely pleased with it; it has proven to be durable enough to be carted around, pulled out and used with very little fuss.
My only problem with it is that it's a bit bulkier than I would like; can't just pop it into my purse. That said, it's taken quality pictures in a variety of situations with wonderful detail. I do not regret this purchasing decision and I am not casting covetous eyes on newer digicams, but anticipating a few more years with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great camera...until it falls apart
Review: I bought the Finepix 3800 last year, 2 months before my wedding. It was a great camera! I loved the zoom. It took great pictures before the wedding and during the honeymoon. I used it to take pictures as the unofficial photographer at my sister's wedding last month. The pictures turned out great! For our first wedding anniversary, we went back to our honeymoon location. I captured some excellent pictures there. On the flight home, I took some breathtaking pictures of clouds through the airplane window. Halfway through the flight, the lens extender became loose. By the time we got to the airport, the ring around the lens had come just about completely off. We went to a restaurant for dinner, and the camera would not even turn on. It was as if the warrenty had just expired, so it fell apart. I thought perhaps the batteries had died. I tried 3 different sets of new batteries. That wasn't it. Today I took the camera to a place I found on Fuji's website to get it fixed. The technician knew what the problem was right away. the screws holding that ring on got loose and fell inside the camera, frying the circuit board. It will cost me $199 to get it fixed. It sounds like this must be a common problem with the camera since he knew the answer right away. I will buy a new digital camera, but I will not buy another Finepix 3800!
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