Fujifilm Finepix Z5fd 6.3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Wine Red)
By: Fuji Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 29
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 On: 2008-07-02
Ive had this camera for over a year now and honestly dont have to much of a complant other than a few blurry shots every once in a while. Im a girl and im addicted to taking pictures, and this camera has been great for every type of picture i take. Great face finder, takes very clear action shots, and great coloring. easy to use on the computer. Honestly if your looking for a camera that can deal with a beating, get this one. If this wasnt a good camera it would be long dead by now, i drop it, get it wet, throw it, squish it into tight places, let all my friends borrow it, slide the cover thing a million times when im bored, and other then a few straches on the corner, it looks new. I have dropped it in my pool and also taking picture with my hands soaking wet and its been dripping with water and still works. other than the one incident i dropped it in my pool it stopped working for about an hour but then revived itself and started working again. only complaints: watch your fingers, its easy to get them in the picture, i live in florida so i bring it to the beach alot and sand gets stuck in the slide cover very easily, also got sand stuck in the lens and it stopped working until i blew the sand out with a blow dryer about 3 days later, and it does not charge in the computer, infact the battery dies pretty quickly when its plugged into the computer so watch out for that, and beware when you put it in your bag or in a purse it doesnt squish against something that flips the slide cover on, that happens very easily.
All in all a great camera, worth the buy.
 On: 2008-06-30
Bought this on Valentines...and its now June and my flash completely stopped on 5k pics. Replaced battery and still no go. Called Fuji film and they will only fix "this common problem" with an orginal recipt. Go figure. Other than that it was a Great camera while it lasted. Purchasing another but a dif model. Love the quality. Just short life spans. RIP my fav pink camera..sniffle.
 On: 2008-06-10
I bought my daughter a Fuji Finepix Z5fd for Christmas, and she loves it. She was using it all day, and still does, all the time. She says it takes great pictures and videos, and I want to get one for myself. I recommend the Fuji Finepix Z5fd for anyone who is looking for a sleek, good-quality camera.
On: 2008-06-01
SWEET:
slim size
cool design
nice colors
fairly easy and fast operation
relatively good photo quality
fast access to video mode
good value for money
SOUR:
no optical viewfinder
no 28mm wide angle
no optical stabilizer
xd card usage
battery life
On: 2008-05-31
Not a bad little camera for the price. If you just want a small pocketable camera that you can carry around for those not to be missed shots, this one is pretty good. If youre more interested in mega-megapixels, then you can upgrade to others. This one is accurate in color and clarity enough for the everyday picture-taker who just wants to capture the moment.
On: 2008-05-19
the only reason i did not give this camera 5 stars is that under really bright light(ie. outside under sunny conditions) - it can sometimes be hard to see the screen - not so much for taking pictures but for making changes for the shooting modes. the resolution of the photo and the size and style of this camera make it a winner. i read just about every review i could find online and the ones that praise it definitely got it right!!!
On: 2008-03-23
I bought this for my teen daughter and am quite pleased. She loves it, and it takes great pictures.
On: 2008-03-17
I love this camera great handy camera can fit just about anywhere. I love this camera.. small but cute easy to carry. take excellent pictures...Face reduction is fabulous. video very nice. looking for a camera this would be a excellent camera...
On: 2008-02-15
This is the second one we have bought, actually this is a replacement becuase someone stole the first one.
Anyway, this is a really nice camera and as picky as my son is, he chose this camera.:)
Great product.
On: 2008-02-14
I am very pleased with this camera and the price was good too. Arrived very quickly.
On: 2008-01-20
First of all, this thing is surprisingly rugged. For people that complain about LCDs breaking, I have worn this thing all over in a small bag on a belt loop.
Outdoors, it takes fantastic pictures. I travelled through France and the dynamic range and color are very good. I own a digital SLR but this thing is tiny and easy to carry.
Low light performance is dependent on playing with the settings which people looking for a point and shoot normally dont want to do. It still has the great Fuji option of offering a dual picture with natural light and then with flash. Results will vary with users ability.
Finally, some people overlook the user interface. This is probably a personal preference but I like not having any tiny dials to turn. Everything is pushbutton.
On: 2008-01-19
First of all, this thing is surprisingly rugged. For people that complain about LCDs breaking, I have worn this thing all over in a small bag on a belt loop.
Outdoors, it takes fantastic pictures. I travelled through France and the dynamic range and color are very good. I own a digital SLR but this thing is tiny and easy to carry.
Low light performance is dependent on playing with the settings which people looking for a point and shoot normally dont want to do. It still has the great Fuji option of offering a dual picture with natural light and then with flash. Results will vary with users ability.
Finally, some people overlook the user interface. This is probably a personal preference but I like not having any tiny dials to turn. Everything is pushbutton.
On: 2008-01-16
Best thing about this camera is the lightning fast shutter. For me the shutter lag is one of the first things I want to know about a digital camera that I might buy. The picture quality is as good as Ive seen from any other non-SLR digital camera.
On: 2008-01-15
Best thing about this camera is the lightning fast shutter. For me the shutter lag is one of the first things I want to know about a digital camera that I might buy. The picture quality is as good as Ive seen from any other non-SLR digital camera.
On: 2008-01-01
This is our third Fuji camera and its the best of them all. We keep coming back to Fuji because of the easy interface and the image quality. My favorite thing about it, the glowing Z5 when you turn it on and after every shot, may be the least functional aspect, but its the most telling. These small, quality & design tweaks add to the solid Fuji technology. And I love that theres finally some color available now, since the camera has become such a fashion accessory.
It does lack some clarity in nighttime and low-light shots, but I have yet to see and small digital camera that doesnt. And it does seem to prefer ISO 400 for everything, but again, you can override this.
For a camera that is quick out of the pocket and grabs the shot you were looking for, this is it. Its got all of the current technology a digital should have for a great price and good looks.
 On: 2007-12-24
The camera is fine as long as nothing goes wrong. Fuji has the worst customer service I have ever delt with. They pass you from one person to another and do everything they can not to help you. Be prepared to deal with the worst customer service in the business. I really hope this helps you.
On: 2007-12-23
The camera is fine as long as nothing goes wrong. Fuji has the worst customer service I have ever delt with. They pass you from one person to another and do everything they can not to help you. Be prepared to deal with the worst customer service in the business. I really hope this helps you.
On: 2007-11-08
A great little product from Fuji. This camera is very small and intuitive to use. Some great features like the ability to take 2 photos in quick succession with and without flash so you can choose later which is best. Add a 1GB xD card and this will hold 500+ photos. Neat internal optical zoom keeps it all very compact. Battery life seems good so far too from the rechargeable unit supplied with the camera. Move feature gives clear sound and vision. I cannot comment on the image software as I never use any camera software - I always transfer using a card reader into Google Picasa.
The reason it loses one star in the rating? The sliding lens cover operates a little too easily when its in your pocket. I got round this by always putting it in my pocket with the lens cover facing up so that the act of putting in my pocket closes the cover.
Overall though this is excellent value for money at under $150.
On: 2007-11-07
A great little product from Fuji. This camera is very small and intuitive to use. Some great features like the ability to take 2 photos in quick succession with and without flash so you can choose later which is best. Add a 1GB xD card and this will hold 500+ photos. Neat internal optical zoom keeps it all very compact. Battery life seems good so far too from the rechargeable unit supplied with the camera. Move feature gives clear sound and vision. I cannot comment on the image software as I never use any camera software - I always transfer using a card reader into Google Picasa.
The reason it loses one star in the rating? The sliding lens cover operates a little too easily when its in your pocket. I got round this by always putting it in my pocket with the lens cover facing up so that the act of putting in my pocket closes the cover.
Overall though this is excellent value for money at under $150.
On: 2007-10-22
I love my camera! Perfect for point and shoot photos. I love the black and white setting. Has relatively low battery life but comes with charger. Great price for a great product!!!!!
On: 2007-10-21
I love my camera! Perfect for point and shoot photos. I love the black and white setting. Has relatively low battery life but comes with charger. Great price for a great product!!!!!
On: 2007-10-19
This is a great camera for the value. Everyone who sees it thinks it is great. Everything works as expected. With a 2 Gig memory card this could last for a full weeks vacation. I bought it so I could always have a camera ready on a trip. It takes great people pictures and scenery is also well balanced. It wont be a great nature photography camera if you like crisp photos that can be obtained with a 6 meg Nikon digital SLR camera. But thats not what you are buying this baby for, is it?
On: 2007-10-17
This camera is great! In terms of photo quality its not going to best a bigger bulkier camera - but its VERY good, I would say better than most (all?) subcompact cameras in its class. The best part about this camera is that its quick. Its quickness is a combo of two factors, design and processor. The sliding lens cover doubles as the power switch - its very easy to pull it out and slide back the cover very quickly. If you have the flash disabled its ready instantaneously, with flash itll take just a second to charge. The focusing mechanism functions very fast and the auto exposure is very robust and can handle many situations - faster and better than other cameras Ive used (the exposure is notably better than the F series in regular or high light level situations)
The construction of the camera (build quality) is incredible at this price point. Its really built solid - and has the finish of a luxury product. I have it in the brown color and have gotten many compliments. The logo on the front also lights up at power up and when a photo is taken. Its a nice touch that adds just a little extra polish; you can disable it if you like (another nice touch!). Ive used Sonys offerings in this class (W50, W80) and they feel cheap by comparison.
I bought this a couple months ago - its not a super new camera at this point, but its still very current - especially with the "lower" resolution - you avoid the noise and file sizes of those first generation cameras with the 10-12 megapixel CCDs. Plus youre not paying out the nose for that higher pixel count which really doesnt help the quality of your photos. There is a newer version of this model (Z10), but Im not a big fan of where theyre taking it design-wise.
I also have a Fuji F30. Obviously the image quality of that camera is better with its bounty of manual options - however the F series isnt the greatest in terms of compactness. The F30 also bothered me - it takes a while to get a decent picture - even longer to get the ideal exposure, theres just a lot of fiddling to do to get the job done - something thats not always possible in every situation. The Z5 is the opposite, you might not get the highest quality possible, but youre going to get a great shot in the shortest amount of time in just about all the situations the F30 can handle.
Low light performance isnt on par with the F series, but its head and shoulders above everything else in its class.
Face detection works pretty well - not every time, but it generally does a good job regardless of light level and is a welcome addition.
My only quibbles with this camera are that the lens cover can sometimes slide open in your pocket, it would have been preferable to make it slightly harder to open, but its minor - only happened a couple times so far. I also wish that there was another quality setting for the 3:2 aspect ratio - for the lowest compression level (best quality) you have to use the standard size. Fuji has another camera coming out that is similar in design to this model (I think its going to be the Z100 - its not on the site yet), but adds optical image stabilization. Ill probably pick that model up after it drops in price a bit. I really love my Fujiflm cameras, very high quality in every regard, definitely the best value out there.
On: 2007-09-27
I really like this camera. Ive only had it for a few weeks, but I really like the quality of the pictures. I wanted a small camera that I could carry in my purse without too much bulk and weight. This camera takes much better pictures than my cell phone camera and has lots of other features, which I still havent used yet.
On: 2007-08-31
Bought this (in the nice brown color) after great experience with two other F30 cameras. It has the same sensor but not a great lens, so I was a little skeptical of image quality.
As expected, the sensor is good (but not as great as the F30) and the lens is a letdown. Colors are very accurate, but images come out fuzzy due to noise. Camera loves 400 ISO when on auto.
I set it manually to 100 ISO and took an indoor shot. The center of the image was very sharp but the edges came out pretty soft and *noise is visible* at this lowest ISO setting; an important issue to note. I bought the Z5fd mainly for indoor shots. Outdoors, on a bright day, I have no doubt that the results will be excellent.
I agree with most other reviews about the excellent metering. Pictures come out very nice.
It is a good pocket-able camera at the ~$150 price-range. My only other experience with a similar camera is with a Sony T9 which takes horrible indoor shots. The T9 has an image stabilizer while the Z5fd compensates with face detection.
People looking at the Z5fd camera may instead want to pick up the F20 while it is still available. I would return the Z5 but wife loves it (sleek and brown in color) so it stays.
I have mixed feeling about this camera. It has a good form factor, great build quality and ease of use, but image quality is a letdown.
In short:
Image Quality: above average for folded zoom optics; below average when compared to an F20/F30.
Build Quality: Excellent
Lens: barely Average
LCD: Nice and fluid
Metering: Excellent
Image stabilization: NO
Face Detection: Yes
On: 2007-08-23
I bought this camera for my husband and he absolutely loves it! Great price, great pics......
On: 2007-08-01
I own a Fuji S3000 big view finder, 6x zoom, takes the best pictures in the world BUT it was too big to carry at an outing all day long. Loving my Fuji, I decided to stick with what I know, so I purchased the Fuji Z5fd 6.3MP.
No regrets, I love it. It is user friendly, most can figure it out without reading the owners manual. Its small, I like the slide over the lens to protect it when not in use. The pictures and videos are outstanding!! The function to shoot the same scene with and without flash is my favorite.I have found a lot of my pics inside look better w/out a flash since using this. The button for this setting is right on the back of the camera (no having to look through menus to get to it) Im not going to retire my big Fuji, but now my little fuji can go every where with me without carrying a camera case. My one dislike, no view finder But it seems all other brands are omitting them on the compact cameras also.
On: 2007-07-29
I wanted to like the Finepix Z5fd - sleek looks, nice interface - but the images it produces are awful. I am aware of the noise issues that all digital cameras have to a greater or lesser extent, but this camera produced only adequate images and all showed substantial artifacts and noise when viewed 100 % in any image viewing software.
Im returning this camera and will probably end up with a Leica. The Fujifilm seemed almost too good to be true at the price - and it turned out that it was.
On: 2007-07-12
I bought this camera for my daughters birthday after we had compared prices at Best Buy and other online companies. This seller saved us $30.00
compared to Best Buy and other companies. I received the camera within 5 days and it was in excellent working condition. My daughter was very happy, she loves her new camera. I would absolutely use this seller again.
On: 2007-07-05
This is a decent camera. Like most compact cameras is suffers a bit in low light but its still better than any I tested in the Sony line. Every time I pick the camera up, Im blown away by how light it is. It almost doesnt feel like Im holding anything. The photographic power of the cam is pretty good... to the point that I gave up the 8mp Sony T20 for this 6mp. This cam doesnt take pics as fast as the Sony but it is still unlikely that you will miss a shot. This camera isnt slow, the Sony is fast. I always say go to a store and try before you buy as I did and I can say Im pretty satisfied with this buy.
On: 2007-06-13
Id give it five stars if it wouldnt open in your pocket all the time draining the battery.
It does what it should exeptionally well for its size.
snapshots outdoors and indoors without flash and little movies that is.
More than enough features like face detection and normal flash where you take an image with and without flash automatically and later on choose wich you like best. The Macro function is great and picture quality and start up speed, I would rank amongst the best in this category. Dont forgett this thing is way smaller than yor blackberry ...
thumbs up
On: 2007-06-12
Id give it five stars if it wouldnt open in your pocket all the time draining the battery.
It does what it should exeptionally well for its size.
snapshots outdoors and indoors without flash and little movies that is.
More than enough features like face detection and normal flash where you take an image with and without flash automatically and later on choose wich you like best. The Macro function is great and picture quality and start up speed, I would rank amongst the best in this category. Dont forgett this thing is way smaller than yor blackberry ...
thumbs up
by: joerevolver8 On: 2007-06-10
the lens gets blocked by your finger too easily, the lens has lots of barrel distortion, and low light shots have too much digital noise. other than that its OK. I guess it would be fine for some but most people dont care about good pictures anyhow,,I know because I work in retail and most just want prints and will accept crappy prints. For those that do care, skip this. small size is not worth bad results.
by: mermaid_angst On: 2007-05-28
Im very pleased with this camera. I love that:
1) Its smaller than an iPod. I can carry it in my purse or slide it in my pocket.
2) All of the pictures look great--even shots of animals. I take a lot of photos for an animal shelter, and my old camera took horrible pictures of pets. The animals were always blurry with neon green eyes! This camera has taken great pictures of the animals, with and without flash.
3) It is PINK. Its really not wine red--its actually an adorable, iridescent pink. Love it.
Oh-- I also love the video camera option, and the battery, which lasts a really long time, even when I watch and re-watch the videos.
by: Anonymous On: 2007-03-28
It has a very cool feature: the face recognition, it works very nicely. I have been toying with it just for fun and the camera recognizes most of the faces as long as they are fully facing the camera or not looking away more than 50% to the sides. Its a very cool feature and it does its best job in focusing and color compensating to make the faces look better.
The camera is very slim and fits nicely in any of my pockets. To turn it on you just slide the cover to the side and are ready to shoot. Plenty of manual settings and some buttons to get to specific functions.
With a 2Gb memory card I get almost 30min of video at VGA resolution, more than enought to get the funny little videos and show panoramic views of a place.
Another cool feature is the "normal & flash" option, which takes one picture with ambient light and immediately another with flash, so you can be sure to get a good picture at least.
Im very happy with this camera.
Only low grade I can give is the lack of an optical viewfinder, I find that the large LCD display is not very useful on harsh daylight (as Im used to reflex cameras) and I dont like to hold the camera so far away from my body because of the instability that causes. It would be nicer to hold the camera against my face to provide support.
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