Fujifilm Finepix Z3 5.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Picture Stabilization (Silver)
By: Fuji Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 8
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 On: 2007-07-23
It took great pictures while it lasted. Then the battery would not hold a charge, so I bought a new one; but the same scenario. Guess I have to call Fuji repair center and see what I can do. The camera is 8 months old and quit holding the charge after 6 months. Im always inserting the battery just before taking pictures which is a pain in the neck because I have to reset the date and time each time and never know how fast the camera is going to quit on me again.
Also I cannot use it with a tripod; they should have pointed that out, some features one just takes for granted in this time and age.
I also do not like that you cannot zoom in/out with the video feature and when you playback you always have to slide the shutter close and open again before taking more pictures - very annoying and time consuming if you want to take snapshots.
I do too have white circles on the picture when using the flash. Boy, I sure wasted my money on this camera.
 On: 2007-05-04
See my posted images. Cloudy days, sunny days, nights, dusk, indoors - this camera takes them all using the "natural" (nonflash) mode, which is less artificial looking than flash. Comes with everything except a larger memory card ([...]) Good battery life, and recharges in couple hours. Easy to take short movie clips, which load onto computer just like the photos with included Finepix software and included dock and USB connector wire. Dock has tripod mount on bottom.
The only negative is that it does not have a viewfinder (little hole you peek in with one eyeball), meaning that you must compose photos using large LCD screen. The LCD screen is hard to see on sunny days. Just take several "blind" shots and crop.
On: 2007-04-20
I bought this camera for my daughter for Christmas. In early January the battery failed to charge. After navigating the Fuji website and then calling their repair dept. I sent the battery back and waited. Meanwhile my daughter had a school trip scheduled. After repeated calls the new battery arrived. Lo and behold it still would not charge. I was told to return the camera, battery and charger. I bought my daughter another camera to take on her trip (NOT a Fuji). I spoke to Fuji camera repair today. They have had the camera for a week. They gave me a ref # and said to call back in another week.
I cannot tell you how well this camera takes pictures because it has never worked for more than one day.
Bad product and terrible customer service. You have been warned.
 On: 2007-02-09
I bought this camera as an upgrade to the Fuji Z1 I have been using and like a lot. I felt the Z3 had enough new features to merit giving it a look. In doing my research for this camera I discovered that Fuji has an even newer Z camera they call the Z5 (no camera with a Z4 badge because the number 4 is considered unlucky in Japan). The Z5 is significantly more expensive, larger and really not all that much different than the Z3 I just purchased.
The Z3 has more understandable shooting and viewing menus that refer to several new features the Z1 does not have. The lens cover opens much more easily than the one on the Z1 and the new blue color is very attractive. Fufi sells a pink Z3 that is cheaper than the other versions, but it is made in China for some reason. This camera is an excellent choice for travel photography because it will easily fit into a shirt pocket and is ready for shooting a snapshot almost instantly. I suppose it has some photo quality warts that the pros can see, but as an "advanced amature" I find the pictures it makes to be great for the family album and sending in e-mail.
The Z3 has what is supposed to be an anti-blur feature with a new external button for activating it. I have not found this anti-blur addition to be all that great, but I use it occasionally just in case it helps. I shake a lot.
I would recommend the Z3 even knowing that it is likely to be phased out in the near future as the new Z5 comes to market.
 On: 2007-01-16
Cons:
- The lens cover often slides off in my pocket. Fortunately, the camera will shut down if not in use.
- I often see faint white circles in my flash photography. The cause is spots on the lens, which may or may not be caused by the problem above. I have to repeatedly wipe off the lens. If the camera had a permanent lens cover, I would not have to do this.
- The Fujifilm site claims the camera has a smart flash that will not over-brighten subjects. I have not found this to be the case. The flash is as bad as most cameras.
- No tri-pod fitting. This would be handy as an attachment point for a video light.
Pros:
The video is good, but no light.
On: 2006-12-17
I was very pleased with the form and size of this one, and love the natural light/flash option. I was disappointed to discover that it does not have a tripod mount screw. Didnt find out till I went to screw it to my tripod. not happening. Silly me for not having looked.
On: 2006-10-30
If youre like me, you love to take pictures over and over of yourself and your friends till you get that shot juuuuust right. Crazy nightlife antics, perfecto outfits, superb hair & makeup, and lets not forget those studied, careful poses from disaffected to delicious--you want every detail captured. Well, after a trip to Asia and consulting with a bunch of Japanese digicam geeks for the average consumer who is not a professional photog, The Fuji Finepix Z3 turned out to be The One. Its practically tailor-made to people like Us.
-PORTRAIT MODE: Softens skintone for beautiful skin. Nuff said!
-NATURAL LIGHT AND FLASH: Takes TWO pictures at the same time, one in natural light, and one with flash. Both outcomes have varying nuances. You choose which one you like and pick the better one! Great for us indecisive perfectionists.
-CONTINUOUS LONG PERIOD MODE: Takes rapid-fire continuous shots of you for as long as you hold the shutter. Look back and choose which ones you want to keep (I swear, at 1/8 of a second my face doesnt do that "thing" versus at 2/8ths). Now i can take a zillion shots of myself and "evaluate the proofs" in one sitting instead of having to check back, delete, and re-shoot over and over.
-NIGHT MODE: This model is *renowned* for its nighttime capabilities (over the Casio Exilim, Sony Cybershot, and Canon non-pro models) where you can capture not only the foreground but everything in the background too. Useful for all us creatures of the night and our nocturnal activities. Overexposure is a thing of the past. Cobra Snake, be damned!
-ANTI-BLUR BUTTON: This handy button is prominently featured on the back of the camera for easy access (instead of going thru a complicated menu). Just hit it and shoot. When your friends are wildly gyrating about in various stages of debauchery, you wanna be able to capture that action without blur.
-PLAYBACK MODE: Show off to your friends by playing back your photos in fade-in, fade-out slideshow fashion. Even does a multiple frame slideshow with up to 3 photos at once on screen.
-REFLECTIVE BLUE SURFACE: it ACTS AS A BUILT-IN MIRROR, folks! hold that baby up and check your reflection while you get your self-portrait on for Myspace! Make that kissy face! Its not a real mirror but works well enough, and this is why i bought the Blue version over the Pink or Silver (brushed matte finish, non-reflective). Originally i was looking for a screen that swiveled around so you could see yourself, but those models and brands were hefty and crappy according to my asian digicam jocks. This blue is so pretty, and has an iridescent purple-y sheen to it. Narcissists, youll love it.
-TRIMMING: Crop your photos right on your camera. Eliminate that ugly dude who was standing next to you.
-LARGE LCD SCREEN
-VERY USER-FRIENDLY (Finepix is known for this, and for good reason)
see examples of features and sample shots at:
[...]
Of course its got video, voice memo, red-eye reduction, lots of flash options, and a bunch of other typical camera features, but the strength of this cam is that its great for the average user with enough options to make us self-portraiting peeps happy.
One caveat: I bought mine elsewhere, but not all models are Made In Japan. Apparently this Blue one is. The Pink one is Made In China. check the bottom of the camera to be sure.
On: 2006-10-29
If youre like me, you love to take pictures over and over of yourself and your friends till you get that shot juuuuust right. Crazy nightlife antics, perfecto outfits, superb hair & makeup, and lets not forget those studied, careful poses from disaffected to delicious--you want every detail captured. Well, after a trip to Asia and consulting with a bunch of Japanese digicam geeks for the average consumer who is not a professional photog, The Fuji Finepix Z3 turned out to be The One. Its practically tailor-made to people like Us.
-PORTRAIT MODE: Softens skintone for beautiful skin. Nuff said!
-NATURAL LIGHT AND FLASH: Takes TWO pictures at the same time, one in natural light, and one with flash. Both outcomes have varying nuances. You choose which one you like and pick the better one! Great for us indecisive perfectionists.
-CONTINUOUS LONG PERIOD MODE: Takes rapid-fire continuous shots of you for as long as you hold the shutter. Look back and choose which ones you want to keep (I swear, at 1/8 of a second my face doesnt do that "thing" versus at 2/8ths). Now i can take a zillion shots of myself and "evaluate the proofs" in one sitting instead of having to check back, delete, and re-shoot over and over.
-NIGHT MODE: This model is *renowned* for its nighttime capabilities (over the Casio Exilim, Sony Cybershot, and Canon non-pro models) where you can capture not only the foreground but everything in the background too. Useful for all us creatures of the night and our nocturnal activities. Overexposure is a thing of the past. Cobra Snake, be damned!
-ANTI-BLUR BUTTON: This handy button is prominently featured on the back of the camera for easy access (instead of going thru a complicated menu). Just hit it and shoot. When your friends are wildly gyrating about in various stages of debauchery, you wanna be able to capture that action without blur.
-PLAYBACK MODE: Show off to your friends by playing back your photos in fade-in, fade-out slideshow fashion. Even does a multiple frame slideshow with up to 3 photos at once on screen.
-REFLECTIVE BLUE SURFACE: it ACTS AS A BUILT-IN MIRROR, folks! hold that baby up and check your reflection while you get your self-portrait on for Myspace! Make that kissy face! Its not a real mirror but works well enough, and this is why i bought the Blue version over the Pink or Silver (brushed matte finish, non-reflective). Originally i was looking for a screen that swiveled around so you could see yourself, but those models and brands were hefty and crappy according to my asian digicam jocks. This blue is so pretty, and has an iridescent purple-y sheen to it. Narcissists, youll love it.
-TRIMMING: Crop your photos right on your camera. Eliminate that ugly dude who was standing next to you.
-LARGE LCD SCREEN
-VERY USER-FRIENDLY (Finepix is known for this, and for good reason)
see examples of features and sample shots at:
[...]
Of course its got video, voice memo, red-eye reduction, lots of flash options, and a bunch of other typical camera features, but the strength of this cam is that its great for the average user with enough options to make us self-portraiting peeps happy.
One caveat: I bought mine elsewhere, but not all models are Made In Japan. Apparently this Blue one is. The Pink one is Made In China. check the bottom of the camera to be sure.
On: 2006-08-07
The Fujifilm Z3 is an upgrade of the Z2, which in turn was an upgrade of the Z1, the latter which I owned. With that in mind, Ill be referring to the Z1 quite a bit.
All three look alike; sleek, extra svelte, slide the front back to reveal the non extending, refracting 3X optical zoom lens, with a 2.5 inch LCD which adapts to changes in light condition of the surroundings, enabling one to see (almost always) no matter what, from bright light to darker interiors. The LCD is made of toughened glass, which I unwittingly tested when I accidentally dropped my Z1 LCD face down on a cobbled road and it survived (apart from a few nicks in the steel casing, not even a scratch on the LCD). I wont be testing this though, Ill take Fujifilms word for it!
The Z3 comes with 10mb internal memory. However, youll need a lot more than that if you are to fully utilize all those 5 megapixels; at least 256mb for starters.
Very fast start up, and like all Fujifilm cameras I have used (Ive owned 6), very easy and intuitive to use. The AF/AE lock is a breeze to use and takes exceptional shots every time. Photos dazzle with breath taking clarity! You can pick out fine details in the background of the subject. Colours and contrasts are good and sharp. Flash modes are easy to access and dark indoor shots taken using suppressed flash yielded amazing results. Pictures taken without the flash come out amazingly natural looking, thanks to some new low light feature. Outdoor shots on a bright day are unbelievable in their clarity. Lots of the time, I found indoor shots taken without the flash and using the low light settings to be much better than those taken with the flash. Theres also a new anti-shake button, useful for taking photos without flash.
The flash is a whole lot more powerful than that of the Z1, so photos are sharper and closer to natural tones. A real neat thing the Z3 does is take two shots near simultaneously, dual mode its called; one using the flash, the other using natural lighting. You can then decide which to keep.
There is also a rapid burst mode, which was lacking in the Z1.
Movies are excellent; shot at 30 frames per second which is TV quality, giving smooth, jerk free clips, lengths restricted only by the amount of memory available. The lens also rapidly adapts to changes in lighting, e.g. a clip moving from the sunny outdoors to the dimmer indoors, with amazing results.
For those more technically inclined, the Z3 has a wider ISO range; from 64 to 1600, the better for shooting in low light conditions which the Z range cameras excel at.
Battery life is excellent! I keep forgetting I have to recharge it, and the battery charges very quickly too; under an hour.
The video out function enables you to connect the camera to a TV to view images/movie clips.
The camera has a nice cradle needed for downloading, and for charging the camera. The Finepix software is very easy to use, and you can get prints of up to A3 which look very good.
In summary, a very good compact camera, made even better. For those who arent too hot about fiddling about with adjustments and settings (like me!!!), this is an excellent camera. Ive had this for just a few days now and Im loving it!
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