Fantastic value for the money!

This is the fourth digital camera I’ve purchased in four years. My first was a 1.3 MP with no zoom and the most recent was a 2.1 MP with 3x optical-zoom. The Fuji FinePix A205 was on sale for $89.99 at my local RitzCamera store. At this price I thought it is a low risk purchase. Were my expectations pleasantly exceeded when I took over 200 indoor and outdoor, shots within a 24-hour period.

First of all, the controls and user interface are very easy to figure out. I never had the need to read the manual when it came to taking photographs or transferring the digital images to my computer. If you are looking for a digital camera with a dial with many incremental picture settings or would like to spend some time learning and becoming proficient at using a camera’s menu system, then this camera is not for you. However, if you want to turn on the camera, point and shoot and at times change the flash setting or the Macro setting for close-ups then this camera simplifies the process.

The color and picture quality of the photographs I took were above average. In some aspects I thought the picture quality was comparable to some three and four MP cameras I’ve used. For indoor shots do expect the flash to come-on in ‘Auto’ mode. I’ve taken indoor shots with the flash disabled and under low lighting conditions and was able to get acceptable picture quality and detail. The level of detail on close-up shots was incredible. I was able to capture laver and small insects on the stem of my roses.

I was very impressed with the way the A205 utilizes power. First of all it uses just two AA batteries; most of the digital cameras I’ve used requires four AA batteries. I’ve been using my rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and at just over two hundred shots- taken with the display turned on and the majority of the shots utilizing flash-I’ve yet to see the ‘low battery’ indicator. Even with the camera turned on in transferring the images to the computer, I had expected to change the batteries by now. Charging of the flash does increase the lag time between shots to as much as five to seven seconds-I guess this is a limitation of just using two AA batteries.

Due to the thickness of the camera, I would not recommend slipping this into a shirt or pants pocket. The thickness does help when holding the camera. I find my thumb easily fits on the backside of the camera with easy access to the zoom in/out switch and menu button. It is lightweight and at less than four inches in length makes it easy to throw into a bag, purse or fanny pack. The camera is also easy to hold when taking self-portraits.

At $89.99 the Fuji FinePix A205 digital camera offers the best bang-for-the-buck I’ve come across in the digital photography market. If you are a beginner or need a second digital camera or would like to introduce someone to digital photography or just plain want a take good digital picture with minimal effort then this camera will either meet or exceed your needs.