Fuji FinePix 2800 ZoomTwo megapixels, a 6x zoom lens, great pictures, and a bargain price: Another great "value leader" from Fuji!<<Executive Overview :(Previous) | (Next): Viewfinder>> Page 3:DesignReview First Posted: 02/06/2002 |
Design
Small and lightweight, the Fuji FinePix 2800 Zoom adds to Fuji's growing line of very portable digicams. The 2800 Zoom easily fits into one hand, but is a little too chubby for most shirt pockets. Still, the 2800 Zoom could easily find its way into larger coat pockets and purses, and the accompanying neck strap provides some extra security. Measuring 3.7 x 3.0 x 2.8 inches (95 x 77 x 71 millimeters), the camera's all-plastic body keeps it fairly light weight at 12.9 ounces (370 grams, with batteries and SmartMedia). With only a handful of control buttons, the 2800 Zoom's silver exterior is very curvy, with smoothly sculpted protrusions for the handgrip and optical viewfinder mechanism.
Built into the 2800 Zoom is a two-megapixel CCD, which produces image resolutions as large as 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. Camera controls are somewhat sparse, as the majority of features are automatically controlled by the camera. This keeps the user interface uncluttered and clean, as well as simple to operate, but doesn't present the sophisticated exposure controls "enthusiasts" look for. With that in mind, let's take our virtual walk around the camera.
The front of the 2800 Zoom is sleek and stylish, with shiny silver highlights on a matte silver body. The lens barrel protrudes from the camera front about an inch or so, and features the same matte silver finish as the rest of the camera body. When the camera is powered on, the lens telescopes a little further from the camera body. A plastic lens cap protects the lens from scratches when not in use, and tethers to the camera body to prevent it from being lost. The lens shares the front panel with the flash control sensor, flash, microphone, and self-timer LED (the small, red LED just above the lens). The bulky handgrip on the left side of the front panel ensures a secure hold on the camera, is bulky enough to be useful without detracting from the camera's portable size.
The right side of the camera (viewed looking from the back) is pretty empty, showing only a neck strap attachment eyelet.
The DC In and USB connection jacks are on the opposite side of the camera, and lack any protective covering. I generally like to see some type of covering over these terminals, as dust and dirt can easily find their way into these small openings, especially on a highly portable camera such as this one. (A minor design strike against the 2800.) Also on this side of the camera is the second neck strap attachment eyelet, speaker, and SmartMedia slot. The card slot is protected by a hinged, plastic door, which snaps firmly into place.
The 2800 Zoom's top panel features the Mode dial, Shutter button, and Power button.
The remaining camera controls are on the back panel, along with the LCD monitor and TTL viewfinder eyepiece. Positioned on the right side are the zoom controls and arrow buttons, as well as the Display, Menu/OK, and Back buttons. A sculpted thumb rest on the right side of the back panel facilitates a tight grip on the camera, reinforced by the bulky hand grip on the front. Beneath the optical viewfinder eyepiece is a small LED, which reports the camera's current status (such as when focus is set, flash is charging, etc.).
The 2800 Zoom's bottom panel is nice and flat, though a series of raised bumps gives your fingers something to grip when opening the battery compartment cover. This sliding cover protects the battery compartment, and slides outward (toward the side of the camera) before opening on a hinge to reveal the compartment. This is a great design for maximizing the camera's space, but bad for tripod work as you have to dismount from the tripod to change batteries. I suspect this won't be much of an issue for users of this camera however, as its designers were clearly intending it for on-the-go use, not studio shooting. The tripod mount features plastic threads and is a bit off center from the lens. The off-center mount is awkward for shooting panorama photos (a fairly arcane practice, I suspect), but the position places it close to the camera's center of balance, increasing stability and reducing strain on the tripod threads.
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