Fuji FinePix 2800 ZoomTwo megapixels, a 6x zoom lens, great pictures, and a bargain price: Another great "value leader" from Fuji!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 02/06/2002 |
Test Results
Throughout my testing, the 2800 Zoom produced accurate color with good saturation. The camera's White Balance system handled most of our test lighting well, though I often noticed a warm cast in the studio shots. I generally chose the Auto setting as the most accurate, but noticed a slight warm cast in many images. The tough incandescent lighting of our Indoor Portrait (without flash) did give the 2800 a hard time though, as both the Auto and Incandescent white balance settings resulted in warm, yellowish images. The 2800 Zoom had no problem distinguishing the tough tonal variations of the Davebox target, and reproduced the large color blocks with good saturation. Skin tones looked very good, and even the tough blue flowers in our "outdoor portrait" shot came out nice and blue, with only a hint of the purple coloration that's a common problem among digicams with this color.
The 2800 Zoom performed well on the "laboratory" resolution test chart for its two-megapixel class. I found "strong detail" out to at least 800 lines, although there were very strong artifacts in the vertical direction as far down as 600-700 lines.
Optical distortion on the 2800 Zoom is about average at the wide-angle end, where I measured an approximate 0.8 percent barrel distortion. (This is "average", since many cameras produce about this much barrel distortion. It's really too high though, and I'd really like to see digicam makers come out with lens designs with less than half this distortion.) The telephoto end fared slightly better, though I measured approximately 0.6 pincushion distortion. (Most lower-zoom cameras have only about 0.1-0.2 pincushion distortion at their telephoto settings. Still, for such a long-ratio zoom, the lens on the 2800 does a pretty good job. Chromatic aberration is very low, showing only about two or three faint red pixels of coloration on one side of the target lines.
The 2800 Zoom features full automatic exposure control and a maximum shutter duration of one-half-second, which limits its low-light shooting capabilities quite a bit. The camera captured bright, clear images at light levels only as low as four foot-candles (44 lux) during my testing, which is about two stops brighter than average city street lighting at night. Though slightly dim, the test target was still quite visible at the two-foot-candle light level (22 lux). Thus, you'll really need to use the flash to shoot under conditions any darker than twilight. Color looked good in the low-light shots, though I again noticed a slightly warm color balance. Image noise was very low, also likely due to the rather short maximum shutter time.
The 2800 Zoom's electronic optical viewfinder and LCD monitor showed great accuracy, with identical results. I measured approximately 92.5 percent frame accuracy at wide angle, and about 95 percent at telephoto, with both viewfinders. Since I normally prefer to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the 2800 Zoom performed well in this respect.
In the Macro category, the 2800 Zoom turned in about an average performance, capturing a minimum area of 3.8 x 2.8 inches (96 x 72 millimeters). Resolution was high, with a lot of fine detail visible throughout the frame. Color was also good, though the Auto white balance produced a warm cast. I did notice some softness in all four corners of the frame though, as well as some barrel distortion. The 2800 Zoom's flash throttled down for the macro area nicely, actually overcompensating slightly, producing a darker image.
Given the 2800 Zoom's fully automatic exposure control, the camera performed well throughout my testing. I'd like to see more a more accurate white balance system (for indoor shots under incandescent lighting) and extended low-light shooting capabilities though. That aside, the 2800 Zoom produced good color and image quality, with high resolution in most cases. Overall, I think the 2800 Zoom will do well in typical "consumer" shooting situations. Considering its low price and full 6x optical zoom, the 2800 Zoom's performance was really excellent.
Conclusion
When I tested the 2800's "little brother" the 3x zoom-equipped FinePix 2600 Zoom, I found it to be an exceptional value for the money. It's no suprise then, that the 2800 Zoom follows suit, since it's based on the same chipset and CCD. The 2800's image quality is great for a budget-priced digicam, and its 6x optical zoom is great for reaching out for distant subjects. It lacks "enthusiast" features such as flexible exposure modes and manual options, but would be an excellent choice for the "point & shoot" user who wants a bit more in the lens department than other inexpensive 2 megapixel cameras offer. Overall, a nice feature set, a long lens, and very good picture quality at a real bargain price!
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