Cons: Cons: xD card doesn't fit my PC card slot – use cable, poor battery indicator
The Bottom Line: Buy it - you'll get two for the price of one. A fantastic still camera and great video w/sound camera where your only limitations are from a lack of imagination!
cjayjr's Full Review: FUJIFILM FinePix E550 Digital Camera
I moved from a Toshiba PDR-4300 Digital Camera to the Fuji FinePix E550 after reading a couple of reviews and wanting to get rid of the heavy and large Toshiba that has video but no sound. The E550 with sound video is just what I was looking for in a compact digital still camera. After having taken lots of video with a bulky old video camera while stationed in many oversea locations while in the military, I wanted something smaller because I knew I would not be taking nearly as much video since retiring. Although my wife and I have many more still photos than VHS videos of our oversea experiences, I prefer still photos and what you can do with them now that I have Photoshop Elements 3.0.
I’ve been using the E550 for about a year now and although I was happy with the resolution of the Toshiba, the E550 resolution capabilities are very impressive. If you go to Flickr.com and type in the tag “cjayjr” you will see photos taken with both cameras. If you look specially at the photo entitled “Face time in the backyard” of one of our pet miniature pinschers you’ll see the details of this photo which really impressed me as an example of the resolution you can obtain with this camera (you can leave a comment if you so desire).
I love creating photo slide shows with the photos I’ve taken with the E550 and having the capability to add little video clips (w/sound) using the same camera is also a feature that I am thoroughly impressed with and enjoy. I have not bought the huge 1 Gig xD card as if yet but the 256 card has proved sufficient so far. From everything I’ve read about digital photography, its better to take photos at the higher resolution and resize to a lower image when necessary and if you like to work with raw footage, this is your camera.
Not being a professional photographer, I take a lot of photos that are not what I would keep (they’re messed up) and with the E550 you can delete in camera photos with easy. The 2 inch LCD screen’s resolution (154K) is way better than my old Toshiba at 16.3K and can be turned off to extend battery life.
As you can tell (if you have visited Flickr.com) I take a lot of photos of our pets and to be able to operate the camera with one hand, I can hold it down at their level and take great photos. Because I have long arms I can take one hand self-portrait shots when my wife is to busy to take my photo and its light weight make it so easy.
Although the E550 uses two AA batteries for power, it comes with a pair of Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and a wall charger. I bought extra rechargeable batteries because the battery power indicator only comes up when it’s to late so you need to have extras handy just in case. It would be nice to have the indicator reflect remaining power before the camera power is so low you can’t operate it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 325.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.