Fujifilm Finepix SL300 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom (Matte Red) (OLD MODEL)

Fujifilm Finepix SL300 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom (Matte Red) (OLD MODEL)

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• 14MP CCD
• High Quality Fujinon 30x Optical Zoom Lens
• 3.0-Inch LCD
• TTL Hot Shoe
• 720p HD Movies

Buy Now : Fujifilm Finepix SL300 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom (Matte Red) (OLD MODEL)

Brand : Fujifilm
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,Point & Shoot Digital Cameras
Rating : 3.8
Review Count : 214

Fujifilm Finepix SL300 14MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom (Matte Red) (OLD MODEL)

• First of all, I am not a professional photographer, nor do I expect professional photos from this camera. I am an artist however. One reason in which I needed a camera is for occasional reference photos in which I will make paintings from. As I do not do photo-realism, great photos with perfect detail retention are not necessary for this purpose. The 24 mm wide angle of the lens is nice when I need a photo of the bigger picture. And the panorama feature provides an even wider view...at an extremely easy to use method. It practically does it for you if you keep it set on auto panorama. And the 30x zoom is wonderful to bring distant objects closer. Like I said, they only are required to be used as a reference, so the quality doesn\'t need to be great. The \"dual image stabilization\" feature is a bit of a farce. \"Dual\" means sensor shift, coupled with high ISO, so that the shutter speed can be faster, thus less blur. So with the high ISO, it produces quite grainy pictures. It would be nicer if the camera had the option to separate the \"dual\" into \"just sensor shift,\" \"just high ISO,\" or \"both,\" so that you wouldn\'t be forced to get a grainy picture. But that is not an option, so I question its effectiveness.The other reason why I needed a camera was to take photos of my artwork. For this purpose, I set the camera to P \"Programmed Auto\" so I can chose the ISO, and set it to 64 or 100 ISO. I set the painting in an outdoor courtyard on a bright sunny day...in the shade. I use a tripod (this camera has a tripod mount) to get it framed just so, and use the 10 second delay to avoid shake when pushing the shutter button. One problem I had was there was sometimes a bit of pincushion distortion on a few shots. But at other times it was perfectly square with no such distortion. So I think that it depends on how much you zoom, for such distortion is apparently avoidable. I have a large format printer that prints 13 x 19 size paper, and the quality of the prints of my paintings is acceptable after photo editing (cropping etc.) and minor color correcting. It seemed that emeralds and teals were a bit cool and washed out. But that may just require me finding the proper settings for white balance and saturation, for which the camera is adjustable. But photo editing and color correcting is almost always necessary even with a much more expensive camera, so this is not a big deal. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 to manually color correct and crop. This program also lets you eliminate any pincushion or barrel distortion that such a camera may impart. So for such a procedure, this camera produces quite acceptable results...although I do intend to upgrade to a DSLR for this purpose in the distant future. But for now, this camera suits its intended purposes.There is a product video on Amazon which does outright state some incorrect information. It says that this camera has manual focus...it does not. It says it has 60 X intelligent zoom...it does not. It does have a regular digital zoom however, and it is up to 201 X digital zoom...I just don\'t recommend using it. The video also says that the camera has a back-side illuminated EXR Cmos sensor...it does not. It is a CCD sensor. It also shows that the camera has \"advanced anti-blur mode,\" which takes several pictures at once and merges them together. This is also not true. It also claims that you can take 360 degree panorama pictures both side to side and up and down. It can only do up and down panorama pictures if you hold the camera sideways. And either way, it is definitely not 360 degrees...maybe 180. And one huge misleading bit of information that the video shows is that the 3\" LCD screen tilts. This is also not true, as it is completely fixed. As I researched for a camera for some time, I already knew that these misleading claims were not true and actually apply to the higher end Fuji models HS25EXR and HS30EXR cameras. Since I wasn\'t expecting these features, I wasn\'t fooled or disappointed. But for the price, I wasn\'t expecting everything, even if these features were stated to be on this camera according to the video.So for the price, and for my needs, I believe that this camera does just fine. If I expected to sell landscape or birding photography, I would be disappointed. But that is not what I expected or required from this camera. The pictures of grass and leaves are a bit \"watercolory\" looking (Is that a word?) when looked at closely. But even those photos will look just fine printed on 8x10 paper. The lithium ion battery works well and really lasts a pretty long time. It would be nice if I could put on a UV filter to protect the lens, or a polarizer filter to make skies blue and to adjust reflections...but there is no filter thread. One part that bugs me is the lens cap...it jams if you turn on the camera and attempt to zoom if you forget to take it off. But I think I will learn to get used to that. I looked at other cameras that just had the LCD screen, but I like the fact that this camera can use either the 3\" LCD screed or the electronic viewfinder, for there are times when the viewfinder just works better...such as in bright light. I will not comment on the video feature, as this is not something that I use or need. It also has other features that I probably will not use, such as smile and blink detection. But they are nice features to have if your camera is meant as a Facebook tool. I also do not like the fact that the full manual is on CD only. Before I received the camera, I went on the Fuji website and downloaded and printed the manual for this camera so I could read up on it...but I did kind of expect a nice printed book with the camera, but there was just the CD.But for a capable camera at an affordable price, I give this camera four stars. High ISO pictures are pretty grainy, but low ISO pictures in good light still takes quality pictures of my artwork. So for what I use it for, and for my budget, I think I made a good choice.
• I\'m back to update this review just a little and note that over time I found myself more and more happy with this camera, enough so that I opted to get one (with the red body) for my brother\'s widow. She\'d taken some pictures with mine (with the black body) when we were all on a vacation at the beach back earlier this fall and found herself very much enjoying the experience. In her words, she\'d never had a nice camera herself, so getting to use this one (mine) was a treat for her. The photos she took were all quite nice and demonstrated that she had a decent eye for getting nice pictures.There is NO difference between the red and black bodies other than the paint finish. The red looks very nice and does match the pictures you see here at Amazon. By getting the red one for my brother\'s widow it remains easy for either of us to pull out our camera\'s at family gatherings without worrying over mixing the two cameras up. On the other hand, having two cameras that are otherwise exactly the same makes it very easy for either of us to pick up the other camera and just start snapping photos.I remain awed by the relative value of these cameras. With typical Amazon pricing these cameras deliver great value for the purchase price. They do \"feel\" a little flimsy, but again, I\'d soften my original review a bit by saying these are good quality cameras that are easy to operate and light enough to carry around while being out and about where you think you might want to capture some pictures.Still not quite perfect, but closer than I might have said earlier. :-)Original review follows:Yet again I\'m left wishing that I could give a product a rating somewhere between \"I really like it\" and \"I absolutely love it\". Sadly that isn\'t possible, so I\'m left rounding down a little as I try not to hand out perfect ratings unless, well, I\'m dealing with perfection.It is hard for me to put my finger on exactly why I couldn\'t rate this item perfect, perhaps it\'s the bulk and heftiness; perhaps it\'s the \"feel\" of this camera which somehow misses on feeling as sturdy and durable as the Sony DSC HX1 ( Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 )) that started me down lovers lane with the whole range of high-zoom digital cameras. Even compared to the Nikon Coolpix P100 ( Nikon Coolpix P100 ) that I later bought as I wondered if it was any better (for my uses) than the Sony, well, I\'m still not sure... it\'s just this Fujifilm FinePix SL300 feels obviously different than either of those two cameras. Note, even in comparison to the Sony DSC HX30V ( Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V ) that I\'ve grown to like more than I originally thought I would, this feels much more cheaply made even though I don\'t think it really is.I would have to go a little further here though and note that the price tag on this Fujifilm FinePix SL300 is considerably lower and highly competitive compared to either of those previously mentioned cameras and that perhaps explains a bit of the difference in the feel of this camera versus those. I suppose it is also entirely possible that Fujifilm made this camera feel as it does because it was part of a very conscious design decision to remove some of the heft and weight that those other cameras have, knowing that on optics alone, they were already faced with a camera that could be hefty compared to what most people might typically carry around as their primary digital camera. Carrying around a good high-zoom camera can leave a user feeling a bit worn down depending on the length of time they have to carry the camera, not to mention any accessories (additional batteries, a camera bag/case, etc.) so eliminating some of the weight would be a good thing to aim for.In a previous review of lower end point-and-shoot cameras I noted that given the continued improvements in the cameras that are built into today\'s smart phones the more traditional camera manufacturers needed to do more to set themselves apart and offer a highly competitive product and I would say that perhaps was a large consideration for Fujifilm with this camera.There\'s an awful lot to like here. A list that I really think is a bit too long to even start on. Other reviewers and/or Amazon themselves may list those things in the product specifications or in their reviews, but I\'ll try to more succinct here (though I have co-workers and friends that would be amazed if I ever truly pulled that off ;-) ).I do like the rubberized grip around the lens area. It offers a very comfortable and firm grip to the user. Go beyond that and I\'d note that I like the zoom controls on the left side of the lens (when you are facing the camera at a target). It is nice to have those controls available to either hand and may help to leave lefties feeling some sense of inclusion in a world dominated by those that are right-handed.The zoom capabilities are impressive. 30x optical is near the top end of the affordable range.Add on affordability for that same 30x capability. The pricing of this item is incredibly competitive, especially when compared against the other cameras (or the current versions/products in those lines) that I listed.I like the viewfinder and the option to NOT be forced to looking at the LCD screen for aiming at photo subjects.Not necessarily an advanced high-zoom camera, but not bad at all for someone looking to get into that realm without breaking the bank. Really, when compared to other cameras feature for feature, a pretty darned competitive camera at a very competitive price. Certainly worth considering as a great beginners high-zoom camera.

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