Digital Trends

Fuji FinePix E900 November 16th, 2005 | by David Elrich

Performance

The E900 starts up in a flash and is ready to go in less than two seconds. Initially I set the camera on 9MP JPEG Fine before taking RAW images. The built-in processor handled the large JPEG files with just a little lag; the much larger RAW files took longer. This lag is just a physical fact of life since the processor is handling so much information. It isn't a deal breaker but something you should be aware of. This is not D-SLR performance but then again you're not spending twice the money or lugging around another appendage.

The menu system for changing the various options is very easy to follow and simple to read with a nice clear typeface. Fuji designers went a little crazy using icons instead of text for the various parameters. And they could use some editing; although it's easy to change JPEG resolution by pressing the “F” key, you have to go into a completely different menu to move in RAW or change the compression settings. They really should be on the same screen. Note to Fuji: check out the menus on the latest Kodak cameras such as the P880 for an excellent example of menus as they ought to be. That said the resolution of the 2-inch LCD helps legibility. And note to JVC engineers: find out who supplied this to Fujifilm and use it in the GZ-MG70U camcorder.

Since the FinePix E900 is really a compact camera, I popped it into my pocket and carried it with me when I traveled around for about a week. I found holding it very comfortable and taking photos was lots of fun something you should expect from a camera. Along with the basic Auto setting, the E900 has four scene modes for shooting fast action, portraits and at night. The standout is Natural Light that lets you take good images in dim light without resorting to a flash. The E900 adjusts sensitivity (ISO) up to 800, depending on the scene so it does a decent job of eliminating blurry images from shaky hands common with dark scenes. Although there is noise at such high levels (400 and up), the photos are usable something that can't be said for most cameras at high ISOs. It's fun to watch as you move into Auto from Natural Light and immediately a warning pops up on screen to open the flash. This setting opens some nice options for photographers who'd rather shoot in available light. However, it's not perfect as the focus would try to “grab,” particularly with subjects that didn't have sharp edges or contrast. And it's not a cure-all in low light since you still have to hold the camera very steady or you'll get blur. Optical image stabilization would be a nice addition but that would jack up the price. I definitely urge you try it in non-critical situations so if it's a clunker you can send it to the delete bin.

After spending some quality time filling the card, it was time to check out the results and see if 9 megapixels makes sense. And the answer is yes. I made some gorgeous 8.5x11 prints of 9MP Fine images shot outdoors on some glorious Fall days. The photos were printed straight from the card with no edits. I even did some pretty severe crops and enlarged the files to fit the letter-sized paper. Although there was a fall-off in resolution (to be expected) the prints were acceptable. The huge file size lets you do some serious cropping, a major benefit of mega-megapixel cameras.

Working with Natural Light was a mixed blessing as I appreciated the ability to work without the flash. However I encountered some blur in really dim scenes (a vase of flowers in the corner). Popping the flash and moving to Auto took care of it but now it had harsh accents. As I mentioned earlier, this is a good feature but it's not the solution to all your needs.

The E900 goes way beyond Auto and Natural Light. Along with the other scene modes there's full manual as well as aperture and shutter priority. Changing settings is very simple although I'd like to see some better onscreen descriptions like Kodak and Olympus since this camera is geared more for point-and-shooters.

The continuous shooting mode was pretty amazing given it was taking 10-shot bursts at full JPEG resolution (it doesn't work in RAW). The camera definitely seemed to be huffing and puffing under the load but it still worked. Videos at 640 x 480 and 30 fps were OK but there's no zooming allowed; you have to set the focal length and start recording. At least it eliminates the zoom lens noise typically picked up by other digital cameras. As we always say digital cameras are not replacements for MiniDV camcorders; they're just good for grabbing a clip on the fly.

Image Courtesy of FujiFilm