Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Fujifilm FinePix z20fd - Photography Fun for all in the Family

By Matt Ryan

Known for their stylish digital cameras, Fujifilm has released yet another astonishing camera - the FinePix z20fd. This compact camera comes in a variety of colors and is compact enough to carry anywhere you go. Whether it is a childs first digital camera, or an adults 20th camera, the FinePix z20fd offers numerous features along with quality images.

The FinePix z20fd is a pocket sized camera with measurements of only 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches. Additionally, it only weighs 4.4 ounces. The combination of size and weight make this camera compact enough that just about anyone can comfortably operate it with the use of one hand. For those of you who like a little spice, you can choose from a red, green, pink, blue, or even black exterior.

This is a 10-megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom. With just these features, and no added bonuses, you can produce images with 3,648 x 2,736 pixels, which is great for any picture frame - digital or printed. There is an additional 5.6x digital zoom; however, these zooms are known to cause distortion in photos.

There are many functional and user friendly features on the FinePix x20fd. The automatic exposure control allows users to take nearly perfect pictures without having to adjust anything. The camera senses the proper settings, automatically adjusts, and snaps the shot.

Other features include preset shooting modes, face detection with or without red eye removal, photo stabilization, IrSimple, blog mode, white balance, ISO settings, and even color modes. Features that can easily be adjusted manually would be the ISO settings, color modes, and white balance adjustments. Again, this really should not be necessary with the automatic exposure control.

As for the preset shooting modes, there are numerous different options. These modes make your life easier as you do not have to figure out what settings to adjust for different scenarios that you are shooting. Some of these modes are beach, snow, sunset, and even night. (There are 14 preset shooting modes.)

Blog mode is another phenomenal feature. This feature allows consumers to - effortlessly - share images with their friends and family. Simply enter the IrSimple menu to adjust picture sizes, and send them on their way. The camera will automatically rename the resized photos so that you do not lose the originals.

The backside, of the FinePix x20fd, is where you will find the 2.5-inch LCD display. The combination of this display and the two 4-way navigational buttons allow you easy access and navigation through all of the cameras menus. Fujifilm made the camera so user-friendly that even a child can navigate and operate the unit.

The camera also has a expansion slot for memory cards. The FinePix x20fd supports xD-Picture, SD, and SDHC memory cards. You may need to pick up a decent sized card since the camera itself only has 45MB of storage.

This pocket-sized fashionable camera is perfect for any level photographer. Kids, teenagers, moms, and even dads can produce high quality pictures with the FinePix x20fd. For only $200, it fits nicely into most budgets and works well as a great gift. - 16651

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