Simple Technology Choices - Digital Cameras - Fujifilm FinePix A500 Review

The Fujifilm FinePix A500

Ease of Use:Overall Rating:

Reviewed by Jamie Lendino 9/6/06

The Fuji FinePix A500 is a good entry level camera at a tempting price of just $149. For the money you get 5.1 megapixel shots, 3x optical zoom, a 1.8-inch LCD, 12MB internal memory (unlike the Canon PowerShot A430, which comes with none), and a lightweight body that weighs just 4.4 ounces without batteries or cards installed.

It’s difficult to press the A500’s recessed power button, and we never got comfortable with the up/down optical zoom control. A simple four-way control pad would have been nicer. The A500 seems to be built well; it’s not as comfortable to hold as the Canon, but there’s an appealing smallness to its size. The auto-focus works well, and the LCD viewfinder is a bit brighter than the Canon, though it still washes out a bit in daylight.

The A500’s menu system is clear and colorful, though it presents much fewer options compared to other cameras. The text size is quite readable; Canon should hire someone from Fuji’s User Interface team. You have to kick it into manual mode in order to change the exposure settings, though, which requires many key presses. When adjusting the optical zoom, the A500 warns you with a double zoned graph and requires two presses before entering digital zoom.

The A500 takes very good outdoor shots, and slightly soft-focus indoor shots, much like the Canon PowerShot A430. It also has the same problem with blown out highlights when using the flash. Please note that this example photo has been compressed for the web site and does not show the full quality. Things went south once we went into video mode, however. To get there, you have to press Menu, select Movie mode at the bottom of the list and press Select. You won’t want to, though. Recorded video was extremely grainy and jerky, easily the worst we’ve seen from a digital camera in recent memory.

Overall, the A500 is a good value, though poor video recording and some usability issues with the hardware controls detract from its appeal. Both the FinePix A500 and the Canon PowerShot A430 take good pictures, not just for the price, but in general. If you need a digital camera and don’t want to spend a lot of money, either of these $149 digital cameras will serve you well, though we’d give the nod to the PowerShot A430.

Pros: good photo performance, easy menu system, lightweight
Cons: useless video recording mode, fiddly controls, slow response time (shutter lag)

Details:

Price: $149
Dimensions: 3.7 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches
Weight: 4.4 ounces (without battery)
Sensor resolution: 5.1 megapixels
Movie Recording: 320x240 at 10 fps
Optical Zoom: 3x
Screen Size: 1.8 inches
Internal Memory: 12MB
Card slot: xD

Ease of Use Rating: 3.5 stars
Overall Rating: 3 stars