The cheapest way there is to get good digital pictures.
Pros:
At $79, this is the bargain of all time for a quality digital camera.
Cons:
I wish the camera's plastic construction was a bit more confidence inspiring.
The Bottom Line:
A good 2 megapixel camera is all that most folks need, and this is the least-expensive one I've seen.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
My daughter and I own identical Canon A20 cameras, and when hers was stolen in Mexico, I sent her mine. I replaced mine with a large, bulky (and expensive) Panasonic, but quickly realized I still needed a small camera for carrying in my motorcycle jacket.
That's where the Finepix A205 comes in. It's selling now (April 2004) for $79, so I got one.
But first, a note about 2 megapixel cameras. I believe most of the current cameras offer far more megapixels -- at a price -- than most folks need. I believe most people need nothing more than 2 megapixels. I routinely make 8 by 10 enlargements with 2 megapixel cameras, and the notion that they are only good for 5 by 7 photos is nonsense. My new Panasonic has 4 megapixels, but I bought it for its lens and its manual overrides. If you get the shot right the first time, and don't need to crop, a 2 megapixel camera is all you need.
Now let me compare the Fuji with the Canon. The A20, no longer made, is considered one of the best of its kind, so it's a good benchmark for the Fuji.
THE BAD: The Canon is built like a tank; the Fuji is not. The Fuji is lighter, and may well hold up as well as the Canon, but it gives the impression of being delicate -- something the Canon has never been accused of.
MORE BAD: The Canon uses four AA batteries; the Fuji only two. You'll be opening the battery compartment more often with the Fuji.
THE GOOD: The controls on the Fuji are simpler to use than the Canon -- the simplest I've ever seen. While the Canon has many more bells and whistles in terms of manual overrides, most folks will never use them.
For most functions, the Fuji controls work better than the Canon's. Deleting photos on the Canon requires remembering an illogical sequence of button-pushing. On the Fuji, it's logical.
The controls on the Fuji, except for the dumb placement of the zoom control, are excellent, and sensible.
MORE BAD: The Canon uses CompactFlash cards, which are large, but cheap. The Fuji uses the xD Picture Card, which is tiny, but not as inexpensive as the CompactFlash cards.
STILL MORE BAD: The Canon has a nice, crisp, viewing display. The display on the Fuji has a low resolution. You really can't tell the quality of the photo you just took by viewing it on the display.
IT'S A DRAW for the two cameras on flash output. As is typical of digital cameras, both flashes are weak.
IT'S ALSO A DRAW for the two cameras on the supplied software: I don't care for either package. If you're interested, and you probably aren't, I just download the photos and edit them with Paint Shop Pro 8.
IN THE MACRO MODE, I like the Fuji much better.
AND THE BIG FINALE: Either camera makes wonderful photos. The Fuji photos are every bit as good as the Canon's.
One more thing: Plan on buying some rechargeable AA batteries and a charger -- WalMart has them cheap. And you simply must buy a larger-capacity memory card. Plan on spending an additional $20 or so for a 64 meg card. But those two caveats apply to most digital cameras, regardless of price.
