Fujufilm 8.2MB FinePix J50 Digital Camera €99.99. Any thoughts?

deadwood

Hope you don't mind posting this enquiry here. Please move if i'm in the wrong spot.

Lidl have this camera for sale. It looks fairly good with enough features for my needs - family stuff and the odd overturned wheelbarrow (:D).

These are the specs.
34.5 Total Magnification(Did they just multiply 5x6.9 and come up with this figure - does it mean anything really?)
5x optical zoom and 6.9x digital zoom
Video mode with sound
2.7" LCD display
Digital image stabiliser
Focal length 6.2-18.6
Max. photo resolution 3264 x 2448
video resolution 320 x 240 pixels
Compatible with xD, SD, SDHC memory cards
Flash with red-eye reduction
Shooting modes: auto, manual, image stabilisation, video, natural light, baby, portrait, landscape, sports, night, beach, snow, fireworks, sunset, flower, party, museum, text, manual
Shutter speeds: 1/4 - 1/1500
Self-timer 2 or 10 seconds
USB 2.0 InterfaceIncludes: rechargeable battery NP-40N, battery charger, hand strap, USB cable, A/V cable, & CD-ROM
Compact dimensions: 9.6 x 5.5 x 2.3cm
Lightweight: 141g

I've been looking to get a pocket sized camera with good zoom and I like the idea of a point and shoot with (if i'm reading it right) variable shutter speed. I'd prefer an ordinary view finder included but these seem rare in compact digitals.

What puts me off this one is a couple of poor reviews on amazon about fuzzy picture quality but with the lidl money back policy I reckon it's worth a try.

If it's a no-go, any other recommendations for similar money?

And just to squeeze the last bit of advice out of the photography forum - i've a friend who travels to China regularly so can get a reliable one there. Any tips? Digital, slr, video not important. Maybe with changeable lenses to upgrade later if I go for the pulitzer.

Thanks in advance.

cyclonite

Hi There

I have not used one of these but as usual Lidl is not always the cheapest

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/r/fuji-finepix-j-50?srcid=391&mctag=uk_16067&gclid=CI3RuKyVz5kCFZCD3godNTOptw

For 77 euro

Brian

Toine

Review here : http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_fujifilm_finepix_j50.php

I wouldn't buy it because of the below average image quality

ttcomet

My wife has one, it is grand for what it is. We had no issues with fuzzy pictures. Any that were wrong were simply caused by movement due to long exposures.
My main gripe with it was the you can choose the zoom or you can choose the stabiliser but not both at once as they are seperate shooting modes.

deadwood

Thanks for the tips. I'll skip it this time so.

gary82

deadwood wrote: »

34.5 Total Magnification(Did they just multiply 5x6.9 and come up with this figure - does it mean anything really?)
5x optical zoom and 6.9x digital zoom

Digital zoom means nothing by the way - it's the exact same as cropping the photo on the computer afterwards!

dakar

cyclonite wrote: »

Hi There

I have not used one of these but as usual Lidl is not always the cheapest

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/r/fuji-finepix-j-50?srcid=391&mctag=uk_16067&gclid=CI3RuKyVz5kCFZCD3godNTOptw

For 77 euro

Brian

Pixmania beats Lidl's price by a spectacular €0.09 by the time you add in the minimum €12.90 delivery charge!:D
(Edit / oops can't add. Make that €10.09! )
Either way, I agree with the above, give this one a miss. Have a look at the review of budget compacts on www.dpreview.com and pick what suits you best.