Fuji FinePix Z1 is just fine
Pros:
Great startup time. Good low light if you turn up iso. Good price: $308 ButterflyPhoto
Cons:
Fragile. Picture Quality is just OK. Proprietary software and memory card.
The Bottom Line:
I like the form; It's very small and very fast. My experience with durability may have been isolated. Price is great.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The FinePix Z1 is just fine. It does have very quick start-up time. The photo quality, however, is just OK. The 5 mega-pixel photos don't look as good as the 4 mega-pixels on me Pentax Optio S4i. I've more robust user interfaces as well on just about every other compact digital camera.
I bought this camera because my wife commandeered the Pentax, and the Pentax S5Z was not yet out (it is now, however). It feels larger than the Pentax as well. Another minor problem is that it takes the proprietary XD memory cards. These are generally more expensive than the SD cards, and they are not compatible with as many card readers. The software also was disappointing. I prefer to use Windows as the picture manager, and this program required that I used Fuji's software. I'm sure there's and end-around this, but I didn't spend long to investigate such.
Lastly, I question the product's durability. The camera fell out of my pocket when I was sitting on a patio and ruined the screen; it now looks like color calibration bars... Pretty, but with no optical view finder and no screen, it's no good. Granted it fell on concrete from about 20 inches, but it looks as if it hit a corner of the unit, not the screen. I have done as much with my Pentax (don't tell my wife), with no ill effects. I'd prefer a more durable case.
