Fit For The Job.

I must start by saying that this camera (DSC-W300) is the first digital camera I have purchased. I have some experience with 35mm SLRs, but I wanted a versatile piece of kit that would enable me to upload pictures to the internet, print directly from the camera, and add images to my PlayStation 3 console.

The first thing I should note, and as indicated by the above comments, is that I think compact cameras are fundamentally utility devices. There are many people on the internet who criticise this model's unsuitability for longer-distance and wide-angle photography, and the lack of many video modes. On the first point, I would say this: compact cameras are designed for high quality close-up images (family and friends groups, primarily) and are not designed for vary-focal images (e.g., someone standing 300 yards in front of Mount Fuji and expecting both to be in focus perfectly). On the second point: movie modes on a still camera are a lovely bonus for a camera but are an add-on that should not be counted towards any final evaluation of the product. Sorry to sound snotty, but those are the basics.

So, does the W300 add up for the basics? Clearly, the Carl Zeiss lens is going to deliver on the bread and butter family snaps that is always going to be the brief for compacts. The 13.9 megapixel rating is useful, although the 8MP setting offers fantastic quality images that can be converted to 16:9 1080p for viewing on televisions. It is true that the .9 of a MP seems to have been lost in the implementation of actually taking photos, as the highest setting is the flat 13MP!

There are the usual ISO presets, automatic and night settings, as well as smile detection technology. Again, the brief of a compact camera has been observed well by Sony, weighing easy-of-use against range of use. This is again apparent in the neat Movie Mode: the 640"fine" and"standard" image settings are perfectly acceptable for on-the-fly movies showing the drunken antics and practical jokes that are the stock-in-trade of the light-hearted situations that the W300 predominantly deals with. The MPEG-1 video format is also compatible with Windows Media Player and the PS3, among others.
The software that comes with the W300 enables the user to add their photos to a calendar on their PC, and even add location details for each picture via internet maps. The standard easy-to-use image manipulation features are there, again underlining the pick-up-and-play nature of compacts. Videos can be converted to WMV, too.

On the downside, the zoom is only x3, meaning for the occasions when it is needed it is not as versatile as, say, some of the Panasonic models. Secondly, the battery life is not quite what I expected (quoted in the manual at 150 minutes -with LCD panel switched on- for taking pictures alone), and the charge time for a full battery is a whopping 330 minutes. These are the only significant drawbacks to the camera that I have found thus far.

Build quality is excellent, as expected from a Japanese-made product. The LCD screen is more durable than I had expected, and its 2.7" size is more than large enough for viewing back and editing any images.

My first impressions of this product are very positive. As a compact camera the DSC-W300 is a very capable camera, with many of the intelligent design features expected from Sony. However, for those wanting a decent amount of zoom or other quasi-SLR features, it may be best to go for another model, or just take the plunge and go for an SLR instead.

Happy Daughter

I got this camera for my daughter's birthday as she was constantly complaining about the bad quality of her camera phone. When she opened it, she stuck a couple of batteries, the pack of 24 for £1.50!, and started snapping away. She was very impressed with the results on the 2m mega-pixel resolution. She was running back in forward to her laptop because of the 8mb lack luster memory, so I recently gave her my 64mb xd card as I just recently got the 1Gb for my 6m Fuji F410, see review. All in all a good camera for outside shots and inside depending on the lighting. All her friends like it and they all want one!

great little camera

super little camera for filming water activities, great for sailing, scuba diving (100ft waterproof) and perfect for filming your mates messing in the sea, we have loads of good surf photos and video we would never have normally got, just have a nosy under GoPro surf on youtube for some examples.

Video and under water sound is the most amazing thing for something so reasonably priced.

Nice picture quality, but somewhat on the slow side

I have had this camera for about a year and a half now and so have had time to get used to its good and bad sides. The pictures it takes I have to say are of a really nice quality, especially for the price, but the focussing is slow, which means it’s very hard to get quick snaps that actually capture the moment you want, and it also does take a bit long to recharge inbetween pictures. The AA batteries that came with it lasted less than a day, but the rechargeable ones I now use are much better and last a long time. The wrist strap became frayed very quickly and I no longer use it but i do like the little tripod it came with, which is very handy for photos where you dont want shaking hands to affect the picture quality. I’d advise you to get a 64MB card at least with this or you will run out of room far too quickly on the 16MB card that comes with it. There is a handy little slot in the case for an extra card to go so you can maximise the number of photos you can take. The videos it takes are also good for the price, and with sound, which always makes them so much more enjoyable! On the whole this is a very nice camera which I have never regretted buying and it is perfect for anyone who is not an expert on cameras but still wants something which takes good pictures.

Bullet Proof

Have had this camera for 2 years now. In a nut shell this camera is built like a rock, I've taken it to the beach and got it filled with sand not a problem. Went on a canoe trip and got it soaking wet wiped it off and it was fine. Don't forget the constant dropping and smashing against things, hardly even a scratch. All in all it takes great photo's and can take whatever you throw at it.

Fits your pocket and suits your wallet!

This was purchased for a young relative as a first camera for his birthday - and we like it so much that it's tempting to buy another.
Beautifully finished and does what it says on the tin; in the great tradition of good simple cameras it takes super pictures in most conditions. It looks the part, too.
The flash is useful at closer range, and there is a CD full of software that we would not bother with - just connect it to most computers and you'll be able to see the photos in a folder, then they can be copied into your picture manager (eg Picasa) and edited with your own tools - eg the GNU IMP (GIMP).
A soft bag, connecting cable, 2xAAA batteries and a lanyard complete the kit.
Since the internal memory is tiny we got an SD card for the photos - 1 GB cards are around 3 or 4 quid if you shop around - 2GB as low as 5 or 6 quid.
The robust sliding cover protects the lens when the camera is in a pocket (with who knows what else) and the lens itself delivers sharp-enough-for-us results that print out surprisingly well on A4.
The 'Zoom'is _digital_ - so it is not _really_ a zoom - it just crops the picture. On a 1MP camera a 2x digital 'zoom' that throws away 3/4 of the pixels leaves you with 1/4 MP - not a lot. On this camera it leaves you with 3/4 MP, which is acceptable to us - an 800x600 screen is about 1/2 MP and 1024x768 is about 3/4 MP.
So despite being digital the zoom is useful at 2x, although it can get blocky at 4x zoom on a larger print. OK for small prints, but at 4x you only get 3/16 MP or less than 0.2 MP.
Having said that, it works exactly as advertised.
This is a small camera that would fit in a small shirt pocket - beware of it falling out! But it still has a simple yet sophisticated user interface that is easy to use; ther is a poster-size introduction sheet, but it is still worth reading the manual for hints and tips. The manual is a thick one, but most of it is 'other languages' so don't be put off by its thickness.
Batteries seem to last OK, but we got some NiMH AAA cells for it - we already had a charger. It uses two, so we got a set of 4 for 6 quid. The manual recommends this, which is a relief, since some cameras will *not* run well on rechargeable cells and can cost a fortune to feed.
So it looks good, works well, and seems to be well made.
Would we recommend it? Too right!

All Round Excellence!

I was a little skeptical about digital cameras before I was given the 6900 as a present. What a delightful surprise! It is a superb camera with incredible resolution and perfect light metering. The quality from the camera is as good as the very best SLR, but with the flexibility and convenience of a digital camera. No other digital camera touches the Fuji Finepix 6900Zoom, it is in a class of its own with an amazing 6.0 megapixels- though at 6.0megapixel mode it can gobble up your memory so keep stocked with extra smartmedia cards!

Excellent Ultra Zoom Camera ....

It is a very nicely built a power packed camera witha 38-380 mm cinema camera lens like zoom and a very fine quality picture quality.

The only thing to care about is the battery door. please handle with care ....

Cheers !

My first digital camera is a winner!

I've never really been one for taking photos, even with a traditional 35mm camera, but having seen a friend's digital camera on a couple of recent trips abroad, I was really impressed and decided to take the plunge.

I had two or three requirements: - greater than 2.1 megapixel (more on this later) - CompactFlash or SmartMedia - Linux-compatible (if possible)

The Fuji 4700 fulfilled all of these requirements, and has a whole range of great features as well.

I'm impressed with the quality of standard pictures, plus it has portrait, landscape and an incredible night mode. There's also a movie mode which can take short (80 second) AVI films, which are relatively low quality; I've not found much of a use for this yet, and treat it as a bit of a gimmick - particularly since it eats the batteries like mad!

Connection with the PC is a snap. I use the camera with Windows and Linux, where it appears as just another drive. I also bought a separate SmartMedia / CompactFlash card reader, which I leave permanently connected to the PC for easy access to the"film", but that's not required.

The image quality is achieved by this interpolation which Fuji claims gives the camera 4.3 megapixel quality. I'm not sure this is really the case, and it's certainly a controversial feature, but the images are very good... I've read that they may be softer focus than some other cameras at 2.5 megapixel, but I don't have anything to compare with.

The menu system is really easy to use, and the controls are intuitive. If I have one major complaint, it is that the battery life is pathetic when the LCD is used, so I really need to train myself to only use the LCD for organising the images on the SmartMedia card and tweaking the odd option! Definitely worth buying an AC adapter for use when the camera is connected to the PC, and probably worth picking up a larger SmartMedia card too, to store more pictures when you are out-and-about!

*Sigh* now I just need to invest in that photo-quality colour printer!

Good Second camera

Bought for my wife and as second camera on assignment. There are two problems so far.
1. The flash is not bright enough for pictures taken at full times 3 zoom so you can end up with very dark faces etc
2. If working against a medium dark subject but with something fairly bright nearbye the auto aperture system takes too much notice of the bright out of focus item. Worse the flash is not strong enough to fill in properly.
Pity really as otherwise it is a super point and shoot device and almost wife proof !

Good Purchase

Very satisfactory purchase. The camera is easy to use, and has a well-made feel and nice design. Pictures are of high quality. The rubber flap covering the USB socket is a poor design feature and frequently comes loose, but this is a very minor niggle - otherwise a great purchase.

seems the shizzle all around...except the battery life

Got this camera when didnt really know about them, recommened by shop assistant as you are, and then at a hefty price- way he demonstrated it, looks like an amazing little piece of gagetry, and it is:

Simple, clear, useful menus, large LCD display, no unnecessary buttons, nice design, not overly heavy, and takes great pictures...

That is until youve used it for the first time for longer than the 3 mins in the shop and when youre about to take your 5th photo with it ever of that unforgettable...[insert exotic landmark] in [insert tropical country]...the little picture of a crossed out battery starts flashing on your screen and the battery is dead, although five minutes ago that 'clever' little dispay read that you had 132 mins of battery life left and you felt secure and happy.

Buy this camera if you want to carry round 10 spare batteries, only take photos within one metre of the mains plug, or just prefer living life on the edge and taking 0.10 sec shots...otherwise, i wouldnt