Apr
23
(2005)
New Camera: Fuji Finepix E510
Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: gadgets, photography.
My old clunky Olympus D-510Z is overdue for retirement. It’s only a 2 megapixel camera, and takes increasingly worse pictures. They’re fine if there’s a LOT of light, but otherwise, all bets are off.
So, I just cashed in my SDLW benefit (a University thing, where we get a small portion of our salary alotted to buying toystools to support our lifelong learning - computers, iPods and digital cameras appear to be the most popular way to do that).
I picked up a Fuji Finepix E510 - a nice compact 5 megapixel beauty, with a honking big 2″ screen (and it’s amazingly bright and clear). I like the controls, and the camera was reviewed well. Probably the best camera in the low-end price range - at least one of the best bang:buck ratios. (if I’d had more cash to allocate, I’d have sprung for the Canon Digital Rebel (or the XT), but that’s another story…)
Anyway, I look forward to taking a LOT more pictures, and am hoping they’ll turn out consistently better (at least photo-quality, if not aesthetically) than before. I’ll be taking the Fuji on the Sonoma State Pachyderm Developer’s Retreat on Monday, so there will likely be a Metric Boatload of new photos from the Bay Area uploaded over the next few days. I know it’s not going to turn me into a Kris Krug or anything, but at least I’m going to be having to throw out badly exposed/focussed photos as often…
Things I like so far:
- the screen - huge, clear and bright.
- the controls - the dial makes it so easy to change modes. That was a huge pain on the Olympus (mitigated by its lack of meaningful modes, so I never really changed modes too often as a result anyway)
- takes only 2 AA class batteries (or rechargeable) - the Olympus chewed through 4 at a time
- resolution - 5 MP is nice
- picture quality
- flash doesn’t pop up unless you want it - it automatically popped into position on the Olympus
- it’s inexpensive - I got it for only $299 CDN, and got a 256MB xD card for about 20 bucks after rebates. I overlooked my disgust for Future Shop to buy it there - because it was so much cheaper there, and it’s totally commodity - I just walked in and asked for the exact item that I wanted…
Things I don’t like so far:
- it’s not a Canon Digital Rebel XT
- having to plug the camera in via USB to unload it - I have a Smart Media card reader, but that won’t work for the xD card. Meaning I have to turn the camera on to unload it. This would have been a dealbreaker with the Olympus’ appetite for batteries, but the Fuji is apparently much more thrifty. Maybe this is a non-issue. If it turns out to be a problem, I may have to spring for the PCMCIA xD card reader so I can just plug the xD card into my Powerbook… (that would be nice because I wouldn’t be limited by USB 1.0 speed while transferring images from the camera)
- having to remember to activate the flash if needed - it’s got a handy and easy to read indicator so maybe this is a non-issue as well
- when activating the flash, and after using the flash, it takes 2 seconds to recharge it - and it dims the LCD while it’s charging. frustrating. this may be a side-effect of the cheap/stale AA batteries that came with it. I’ll slap in some high end batteries to see if that makes a difference
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9 Responses to “New Camera: Fuji Finepix E510”
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Congrats! I look forward to the foto boatload.
For batteries I learned a few months ago that not all AAs are created equally. I have a 2-3 year old Olympus 4040 and typically use 4 recharagble NiMH’s in the camera and carry 4 alkaline for backups. I was geting maybe 5-8 cards/events per set.
Then I found this amazing detailed review of rechargables:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM
Not only are there brand differences (I was using cheapies) but chargers make a difference as well. I had a Maha C240-F charger but had lost the damn A/C adapter. I ordered a new adaptaer and 4 new Powerex batteries directly from Maha:
http://www.mahaenergy.com/
And I literally have gotten about 5 times the battery life.
I out in my request at work for a Canon Digital Rebel XT or a Nikon D70
I have a 5 Mp Olympus E-20, a big gun, but that damn thing is so S-L-O-W to flash, to write. I am eager for the reported fast response of the new ones (and saving my pennies at home to upgrade).
Happy clicks!
Thanks for the tips re: batteries, Alan.
We’ve got a Big Canon Digital SLR at work (not the Digital Rebel, the one above that, but a couple of years old). It takes pretty good photos, and uses a tiny IBM hard drive module.
Still, I’d like me a Digital Rebel
The one we have at work is the Canon D30, the grand-daddy of all the Canon digital SLRs! It’s a bit noisy for poorly lit indoor pictures where you’re cranking up the ISO speed, but works great outdoors. I just used it yesterday to take some pictures of a lunchtime event at Mountain Equipment Co-op where they were trying to stuff as many employees as possible into a Smart car. They managed to get 9 people in!
http://commons.ucalgary.ca/~king/CCC_MEC/
D30! That’s the one. I forgot the model - just that it was older than the Digital Rebel. By a couple of years
So, are the MEC folks auditioning for clowns at the Shrine Circus this year? 9 people in a Smart Car… I don’t think they’re even supposed to hold 2…
hey d’arcy. cool post. did you just redesign? likin’ the header. cheers, kk+
Kris: Thanks. I redesigned (well, tweaked a Kubrick theme) a while back. The header rotates through about a dozen images if you reload, to quench my need-for-change fetish. (and I need to rethink the header image label text, now that the tabs have grown…)
Love the beercast photos, Kris! Keep up the great work!
I could be wrong (I probably am) but on my Fuji camera (the S300) I had the impression that when one was plugging it in via the USB to download the photos the camera was actually receiving power that way as well (not recharging, per se, but not using the batteries). I got this impression from often uploading photos when my batteries were otherwise ‘dead,’ as in not able to take any more photos. Anyways, seems like a small issue - am sure you will love the camera. This is my second fuji and they’ve worked great so far. Cheers, Scott
So got yorself a Fujifilm Finepix E510. Nice! I’m hoping I’m getting one for my birthday which is coming up really soon! Have Fun!
Kathryn, it’s a nice little camera, but after a few months with it I have some reservations about it. The biggest issue I have with it is the flash recharge time. I’m using the Energizer rechargeable batteries, and the camera can take up to 3-4 seconds to charge after using the flash - shutting off the LCD during the charging process as well, so it’s harder to set up the next shot while waiting.
The second issue is probably more serious - the lens is crap. At 5MP, you can see the chromatic aberrations very clearly when viewing an image at 100% It can do a decent job, but if you want to see the flaws in action, just poke through the Photos section here (or on my Flickr account) to see images at Full Size to see if it’s acceptable for your use.
Other than that, it’s a handy little camera. Takes good enough pictures, and is small enough to squeeze into a large-ish pocket.
Still, I’m saving my pennies to pick up a Canon Digital Rebel XT next time around. I hope this will be my last point-and-shoot camera