  Clunky, but nice pictures
Ok, bought this camera about 5 years ago. It still is alive through all the beatings we have given it. It takes nice clear pictures, but because there is a long delay in the shutter speed (FPS), we've lost some nice moments. for example, try getting a toddler to pose and smile--but by the time the image was captured in the camera, the kid is now in the next room. this requires patience!
For the price its a good camera if you plan on shooting outdoors.
I was given this camera about 3 years ago when I wanted a step up from my old (really old) 0.5mp camera. Let me jump right into the pros and cons and I'll try to explain a little about them afterwards.
PROS:
Feels good in your hands and not very heavy.
Plenty of manual features to get lost in.
Large enough LCD screen to see what you need before and after the shot.
Buttons placed for easy reach.
Cost.
Good battery life.
CONS:
Very, very bad low light images.
No manual focus option.
Even at 3.2 mega pixels the shots are still grainy.
Red reduction often ADDS red eye.
No interchangeable lenses.
Limited video sizes and bad audio.
Very slow shutter lag.
After a few years of owning this camera I really want to replace it. About 2/3 of my shots are taken indoors and this camera is useless inside unless the room is lit like a Hollywood set. The camera will not focus at any distance in normal indoor lighting. On the auto setting, inside shots always come out grainy. The flash is simply to weak to help. Since there is no way to manually focus the pictures you are constantly crossing your fingers hoping that the shot will come out somewhat decent so you can later fix the image on the computer.
The software that came with the camera does not have a red eye option to fix the red eye this camera is famous for giving your subjects. When you try to use the red eye reduction flash it always and I repeat always gives your subject red eye and always makes it worse had you left it off.
There is what looks like a screw on lens on the camera (not shown in product image) so you think you will have the ability to add a different lens. It is actually there to hold a filter. Since this camera is not a popular model FujiFilm has not made any filters (maybe 2) for you to use so its really just misleading.
The video sizes are 160 x 120 and 320 x 240. Which are ok for thumb nails but not something you are really able to watch. Since the camera is grainy at low light (meaning anything shot indoors) and the flash is only for pictures, your videos will be small, grainy, out of focus, and do nothing but fill up your memory card. The audio for the video is also useless unless you have bionic ears and can make out the mummbles.
The shutter lag is awful. No matter what trick you try you will always miss an action shot. There is a Sport mode on the camera but I'm not sure what it does since it does not help with focus, shutter lag, lighting, etc.
On the good side, it's a cheap camera but you get what you pay for with it.
I'll keep using it until I can afford a better DSLR camera but you can bet once my new camera shows up this one will be given to my teenage son to abuse.
Poor Reliability
I had this camera for less than 2 years and used it only on rare occasions - you know, holidays and special events - so it has pretty low usage. Yet it has decided not to work. It turns on foe a second or two (with brand new batteries) then shuts itself off. Rearranging batteries and resetting factory default settings no help. Had similar reliability problems with another fujifilm camera. Fool me once shame on you, twice shame on me! Goodbye Fujifilm - forever!
Good little camera - some pros and cons
Our office purchased this camera a couple of years ago. I am the primary user of the camera. (This model provided the balance between features and price at the time it was purchased.) This is a good little camera, adequate for general use, with one or two sticking points to be aware of.
This camera has difficulties in low-light -- even ordinary room lighting -- without a flash. (In fairness, this disfeature is a fairly common occurrence in many cameras of this caliber and price range, though, as is the JPEG artifacts one gets in the images.) Using the flash will help with out-of-focus photos but go through batteries faster, the resulting photographs are usually less pleasing too -- people harshly lit with drastic shadows. (This can sometimes be minimized with thought and care.)
If you are not afraid to use the manual settings, brace the camera against something, or use a tripod, it is often the way to go. Some great shots can be had, even in room light, with manual settings, a tripod or steady hand, and a steady subject. In fact, using manual will often produce a better photo, with more natural color, than can be achieved with the automatic settings usually! Well worth learning.
The use of standard AA size batteries is a plus. I thought that the use of four AA batteries (rather than two) might mean longer life. I was incorrect. Be prepared with extra batteries and/or a good quick charger, especially when flash or zoom is used.
The biggest annoyance with this camera for me personally, though, is the fact that every time the batteries die, or are changed, the date must be reset before the camera will allow any photographs to be taken. (I don't even bother setting the date any longer. I just hit two or three buttons to skip past it all, but it's required every time the batteries die or are changed.) I've often wished the camera contained a capacitor or watch battery to maintain its memory while batteries were changed. (I believe newer Fugi models may have resolved this issue though; Fugi has some newer models with nice improvements and optical zooms up to 10x, in similarly price models.)
In the end, I would not discourage anyone from buying this model. The photo quality is on par with any of the rival models, just be aware of this model's quirks. Generally speaking, Fugi seems to make a fine camera. I just wish we had held off for another year and the newer models.
My Finepix just died too
The same as the above posters, our camera just died...I think fujifilm should recall this camera due to it just stopping to work. What now a $300 paperweight? Was an excellent when working.
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