9Dec/095
Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
- 10.0-megapixel resolution for large, photo quality prints
- Waterproof up to 10 feet
- 3x optical zoom; 2.7-inch LCD screen with Micro Thumbnail View
- Blog Mode with 12 editing functions
- 50 MB built-in memory; capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Product Description
The FinePix Z33WP is Fujifilms first waterproof digital camera. No longer do you need to worry about damaging your camera in less than optimum shooting conditions. The FinePix Z33WP ensures youll never miss capturing any of lifes precious moments, any where, any time, under any conditions, and be able to share them easily with your extended network of friends and family members. The 10-megapixel FinePix Z33WP is ready for any adventure including underwater activity up to 10 feet. The Z33WP uses a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens, has Fujifilms Automatic Scene Recognition SR AUTO mode, and features a 2.7-inch, 230,000 pixel resolution LCD screen.
Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
December 9th, 2009 - 16:53
(I gave it 2 stars to reflect the low price)
I bought this camera for my 14 year old daughter for her birthday. She liked the looks, small size, and it being waterproof. I liked the price and hoped it would be ok. I read reviews here and dpreview . com, and accepted the fact that image quality would not be great, especially indoor/low light. It seemed like a good compromise camera. I never read about the Z33 being fragile.
[updated 9-2-09: for some reason over half of my review was truncated]
The short story is the camera fell out of my daughter’s pants pocket and broke. From this 2 1/2 foot drop the battery cover had a small crack and there was even a smaller crack in the bolt hole where the 2 halves of the case bolt together. Unfortunately, no one noticed these cracks until too late. She took the camera underwater and after a few minutes it stopped working.
I called Fujifilm US support and they said it was not warranted against dropping at all, and their site makes no such claim. They told me that for approx $80-$100 plus postage I could mail the one week old camera to them and they would try to repair it, but no guarantee it could be fixed. I declined this offer and now wish that I had purchased the more expensive Pentax W-60, which is on sale these days for a great price. My youngest daughter has that model and it has survived almost a year now!
Photo images: with strong contrast post adjustments you can get acceptable underwater photos.
[update: 17 Nov. 2009]
I am sure impressed with Amazon and will continue to buy from them! My daughter sent an email to Amazon telling them what happened, the camera broke, Fujifilm won’t replace it, etc. Amazon replied in a few days telling us that we could return it for a full refund. Fortunately I saved the original shipping box, but we got really busy for a month+ and forgot about it. A few weeks ago we sent the camera back with a note apologizing for being so late in returning it, and in less than 1 week we received in the mail a full refund credit at Amazon. Thanks!
Now what do folks think of the new Pentax WS80? (I won’t be buying the Fujifilm Z33 again.)
Rating: 2 / 5
December 9th, 2009 - 17:03
This camera is not only adorable but easy to use, takes great photos. The best photos are actually taken in the ocean! A must for any vacation lover!
Rating: 5 / 5
December 9th, 2009 - 17:45
The camera was defective from the outset: it emitted a clicking noise and the image pulsed. Be warned!
Rating: 1 / 5
December 9th, 2009 - 19:27
I really like this camera. So far, the pictures are turning out great. I haven’t had the chance to use it in the water yet, but I’m looking forward to that. The only down side is that I wish it had a little more zoom, I didn’t realize I’d miss it. I was confused by the battery a little at first… I thought it didn’t work. It looked like it was in right, but I had to flip it around to get it to work.
Rating: 4 / 5
December 9th, 2009 - 21:17
I am by no means a photographer…I do have 2 toddlers and do enjoy trying to take quality shots of them. I bought this camera to replace my Olympus Stylus 770 which recently died (the waterproof camera suffered water damage…go figure). So I try to put my SDHC memory card in and it won’t work. So I use the internal memory to take a few pictures of non-moving objects (the sleeping cat, kitchen table, bed)…just ‘stuff’ to try out the camera. The shutter speed is SLOW. Like the slowest camera I’ve ever seen. Every single photo I snapped was blurry beyond recognition. I immediately returned this product. I was really dissapointed because the price was good but I guess you get what you pay for.
Luckily I had some gift cards come my way and I have a Canon D10 on order. Hopefully that’s as good as the reviews say
Rating: 1 / 5