Roundup: Compact Digital Cameras : FujiFilm FinePix Z33 WP
17. FujiFilm FinePix Z33 WP
No xD Cards for the Z33 WP
Fujifilm and Olympus used to be the only manufacturers to support xD memory cards across their entire range of cameras. The new Z33 WP is something of a departure from this, as it only accepts SD and SDHC cards.
Olympus was one of the first manufacturers to move into producing shock resistant and waterproof cameras, but they're no longer the only players in the field. FujiFilm has recently released a new line of underwater cameras, including this FInePix Z33 WP, which works at depths of up to nine feet.
Handling
- FinePix Z33WP Black...
The camera is well-finished, and we were impressed with its case, which is available in a range of very bright colors, or plain black if you prefer something a little less garish. On the back is a 2.7-inch screen with a resolution of 230,000 pixels, but the vertical viewing angles are quite restricted.
FujiFilm has redesigned the controls, which, on a digital camera are traditionally arranged in either a circle or a cross, allowing you to navigate through menus and adjust the settings. Here though, the buttons are arranged in a vertical strip, which takes some getting used to, especially because the directional controls don't quite line up in the way you'd expect, as you can see in the photo.
An automatic scene-detection mode is available, but it only works well when the conditions are favorable. In the example photo below left, the Z33 WP has correctly identified the right mode under good light, but it too often tends to switch to night mode when light levels fall (below right).
The Z33 WP is rather slow: it takes 1.3 seconds to power up, and the gap between saving one photo and being able to take the next is around three seconds. It struggles to reach a frame rate of 0.8 fps in burst mode. AutoFocus however takes just over one second, which is reasonable.
Image Quality
In general, the photos of test scenes taken with the FinePix Z33 WP were good, with accurate colors. The white balance was neutral, and A4 prints were sharp, although certain areas (especially the right-hand side of each shot) were more blurry, with visible purple fringing. Because the flash is a little too strong, some details end up burned.
Taking photos without a tripod is risky with this camera as there is no image stabilization. That's why we took our test shot at 1600 ISO with an exposure time of just one fifteenth of a second. The lack of stabilization is bad news for photos in low light, as blurriness increases at higher sensitivities.
Electronic noise handling is reasonable, and at lower ISO numbers (up to 100), there is little blurring. From 200 ISO and up, interference is more noticeable, and a definite presence at 400 ISO. Nevertheless, you can still print out at A4 for shots taken at 1600 ISO, but the colors are little washed out. Despite this blurriness, text remains legible.
There's nothing to complain about in macro mode, but FujiFilm has decided not to upgrade the default resolution for video from 640 x 480 pixels. You still can't use the zoom while recording video.
| FujiFilm FinePix Z33 WP | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
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| The Z33 WP is a charming little camera and all too easy to fall for. Waterproof at depths of up to 9 feet, there are still a few features missing from FujiFilm's latest offering, including image stabilization and a wide-angle lens. It takes good photos, but could be a little quicker off the mark. |  |
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
When you say classified, what do you mean? Do you mean the pages should go in order of price, or in order of rating? Such as the cheap ones at the beginning and the expensive ones at the end OR the best cameras at the top and the worst cameras at the bottom?
i meant group them by chosen price ranges/brackets or any feature you think is relevant since comparison between cameras is just difficult with the present format wherein it is only possible to compare models of a certain brand.
It would have been nice if all the cameras were given scores (yes I know this is very subjective, but so are all the comments and pro/con sections). Idealy they would be given su scores as well (i.e. a still picture score, a video score, a asthetics score, a usablity score, maybe some others) and then the cameras could be sorted by those scores with links, maybey a short blurb at each camera in the sorted list. Another thing that would be very usefull to myself and I assume other readers is a features table that allows us to compare all the cameras.