OT Cameras Fujifilm s3300

[Baz]

I am thinking of buying a fujifilm s3300 Super Zoom Camera. Spec

x optical zoom

14mp £170 squid Anyone here had experience with this model?

[geoff]

In message , Baz writes

No, but read some reviews

and prices, e.g.

[Steve Firth]

I've always liked Fuji cameras. Fujinon lenses are good quality and the colour balance that Fuji prefer suits me. I've also liked the fact that they tend to have lower noise than the competition. However the fuji

14Mp compacts aren't getting good reviews for low light noise and it looks as if upping the pixel count to win the ratings wars has resulted in cameras that are actually inferior to previous models.

FWIW, the Sony DSC-HX9V seems to be the one to beat and the Fuji doesn't beat it, however the Fuji is cheaper.

It's worth comparing the Fuji to the Lumix TZ20 and the Sony DSC-HX9V. Of the three the Fuji is probably the least good.

I also thought that the S3300 was a model made for India, not the UK. The UK model seems to be the S4000 or the S3200, but given the staggering numbers of near-identical cameras that Fuji churn out with different model numbers I could well be wrong.

[Nick Odell]

I agree with Steve about the pixel count: I own a couple of S1500 cameras (10Mp; 12x optic & 3x digi zoom) and whilst the gee-whizery seems to have increased through later models the finished result seem to have peaked somewhat earlier.

I presume you have a specialised reason why you want to use a 26x zoom and a very, very stable base to mount it on: even the 12x on my s1500 takes a lot of patience and planning to use effectively.

You might ask why I have two of them. The first one was a birthday present and I broke the battery compartment door. The second one is so that the birthday-present-giver doesn't find out. But I mention this because a trawl on the internet after my accident suggests that breaking the battery compartment door seems to be an issue with this design. But I like the feel and the handling of this general design and I like the results I get with my 10Mp - and it has a viewfinder I can use without having to change my spectacles.

Nick

[Alan]

In message , Steve Firth wrote

The camera manufactures are playing the numbers game because the customer erroneously believes that the greater the number of pixels (sensor elements) and the greater the zoom number the better the camera.

In general and for the same size sensor, the more sensor elements the poorer the performance in low light conditions such as outdoors on a dull day.

The camera also has an "impressive" x24 zoom (24mm to 625mm equivalent in a 35mm film camera). Unless the OP is going to carry around a cumbersome tripod all the time he is never going to get any acceptable hand held pictures with the zoom at more than x5 or at best x10. Added to the lens having a maximum f5.9 aperture at full zoom means that it cannot be used for any quality photo unless it is a bright sunny day.

If you read the hype, the camera is ideally suited to YouTube videos that are not noted for their quality. Even in its other key featured role (720 HD TV) it would only need 2m pixels!

Reading the FULL specification I doubt if some of the modes actually give any acceptable results at the end of their ranges, such as the sensitivity figures of ISO 3200/6400.

Take the required specification back to 10M pixels and a lens with something no more than x10 zoom (or smaller if it has a wider aperture ) the OP may actually find a better camera for the price.

[Tim Streater]

Yes, I can't see the S3300 here:

But I saw the S3250 and noted it had a tiny sensor. I wouldn't touch anything smaller than Micro 4/3 to give any quality at all to the images (although it'll be interesting to see reviews of the Pentax Q. A 24x optical zoom is ludicrous and I endorse other posters' comments about it.

This page is useful when considering sensor size:

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1

I think my Nikon is 6Mp. I use some of the best lenses ever made for film Nikons on it.

Unless I use the very very best lenses, at the absolute optimal aperture the lens defects comfortably exceed the pixellation.

Even a 200mm lens is a bitch to hand hold without VR. Fortunately one can dial in a fast film speed and get reasonable results with some reasonably lit subjects, but at 400mm a tripod is mandatory.

[Baz]

Thank You All for you replies.

All very much what I expected.

What I thought, that for the price it may be worth getting, more of a plaything that a serious camera. I am never going to spend huge amounts on an SLR + lenes.

I am now going to look at the few that some have mentioned.

Baz

[Alan]

In message , Baz wrote

As a play thing think carefully what you want from a camera After a while you may find that a larger camera is a PITA to carry around and more often than not you will want to leave it at home or in the car.

I have a couple of compact cameras and while they don't produce studio quality shots one is small enough to carry all the time in my trouser pocket and the other can be fitted into a small case worn on a belt.

[Part timer]

As the owner of an S5 Pro I agree on the colours. It's great when people ask: How many megapixels? How much? How many shots per second? It's not a real Nikon, is it?

Can't comment on Fuji glass as I have a 18-55VR, but it takes most F mount lenses back to the 70s with a few exceptions.

[tony sayer]

In article , Tim Streater scribeth thus

Got a Fuji S1800 ?, thats got 12 x and thats bloody good it has got a sort of image stabilizer thing built in and for what I use it for at work its excellent . Only downside seems to be picture noise as it does tend to use the fastest shutter speed all the time..

Is uk.camera still around thats good for this sort of advice..