Any reason not to get an E900?

[episodic]

I'm looking for a lower priced camera that does raw, creates excellent pictures, and is known to be reliable.

e900 prices are really low compared to the 400 something they introduced for.

I remember that there was some talk about the e550 having lots of 'issues', and remember quite a few gripes.

Does the e900 have kinks in it - or is it known to be reliable.

Looking for a camera I can get a couple of years out of as I am on quite the budget.

Thanks!

 

[Zeol1]

I had heard many bad things about the E550, specially the zoom error, but that is easily fixed. Mine still Rocks!

For the E900 i haven't read any concerns. Just that it is a plain great camera.
--
My Fujifilm Arsenal
Finepix S6000fd for adventure
Finepix E550 all day camera
Finepix F20 wife's camera

Previews Cameras: Finepix S5200, A350, A303, 2650, 2600
Olympus D-100.

 

[Isola Verde]

I remember that there was some talk about the e550 having lots of
'issues', and remember quite a few gripes.

To be blunt, the few users who were affected by the zoom error were very vocal! I'd suggest you just need to be careful as the zoom really shoots out when the camera's turned on or changed from Playback to Record mode - be sure there's nothing in the way.

Does the e900 have kinks in it - or is it known to be reliable.

I think there were reports of over-sensitivity to the state of charge in the NiMH cells. Some brands may be better than others, so check the Forum before you buy.

Looking for a camera I can get a couple of years out of as I am on
quite the budget.

Still loving my E550, bought in August 2005 when it had similarly been greatly reduced in price. A real bargain!

This one from a RAF file:



And this, shot as a JPG when running out of space on a trip away



Just be sure you've cards and room on your HD for those huge RAF.

--
Peter - on the green island of Ischia
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde

 

[BraveUlysses]

In one word - no.

Caveat - you will need to learn how to use the camera correctly to get the best out of this little gem. Yes, you can 'happy snap' with it, but it really requires (and deserves) more user input than most users are willing to give. If you are willing, it will reward you. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it is very close.

I have had no problems at all with mine. Carry it everywhere, even when I'm carting the dSLR around.
--
Rob

If you're bored...
http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/gallery
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.' Sydney Smith (1771-1845)

 

[sick]

You get a lot for the money with the E900, but shot to shot times are long in RAW mode. Also, the Fuji 9MP senor isn't as good at high ISO as the 6MP one.

 

[episodic]

Ok, maybe I can clarify.

Given these uses:

Landscape
Macro
Interesting things I find outside on hikes, etc.
The occasional posed portrait of family.
The occasional indoor snapshot. . .

Will the camera do fine?

Also does anyone know where to get an adapter tube for it, and can anyone either tell me from experience or theorize how a double element macro lens like the canon250d will do on this cam?

 

[igilligantoo]

No reason... It is a photographers camera... Lots of manual control...
--
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!

 

[tom sugnet]

I find my E900 better than my F10.

F10 has virtually no manual controls and many times you get blurry overexposed pictures (1/4s at ISO800 or 1/4s at ISO1600).
E900 is great in low light: 32mm f/2.8 1/15s ISO200 is enough for
non flash photography:

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=532366600&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=532366606&size=o

Raw format is a joy to use.
Think sharp landscapes:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=442091562&size=l

or (pseudo)HDR photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=488541032&size=o

--
Feel free to visit my homepage: http://tom.st

 

[Deleted1929]

Great compact. Just got one and plan to sell my F30. Why ? There's no RAW mode, no auto-bracketing and no manual mode on the F30 - shame on Fuji for wasting a glorious sensor !

The E900 is not quite as good as the F30 in terms of noise ( I'd say about a stop and half less useful range ), but it's still superior to almost any other compact you can name. I would say never shoot above ISO 400 on any camera.

As one poster said, you need to learn to use it ( manual mode ), but it truly rewards you. I'd say the same about the S9600 and S5200 - any camera, really. Basically the E900 is not a bad point-and-shoot, but it's a great enthusiasts camera.

Worst issue I've noticed is purple blooming ( not CA ), which is a sensor issue in very high contrast edges. I doubt any compact would do better in practice.

Value for money ? - cannot be beaten. Perfect ? - no, but nothing is.

At current prices - gobble one up and get a good book on photography to go with it !

--
StephenG

Fuji S9600
Fuji S5200
Fuji F30
Fuji E900
Canon A710IS
PCLinuxOS

 

[sick]

One area E900 isn't too great is macro with macro mode only at full wiideangel. You might be able to fit a macrolens on the E900 by using the treads made for the teleconverter, but you'd probably need something with the right size threads to mount it on. Make sure you can find a solution before buying though.

You could check the Canon A630 if macro is important. It's not unique in macro capability, but better than the E900, and combined with a tilt and swivel LCD I'd reate it as pretty good for macro use.

Other cameras (more expensive though) is the Canon S3IS (just replaced by the S5IS, so it could be on sale) and the Panasonic FZ8. Both Canons have movable LCDs, but no RAW, while the FZ8 has RAW and actually is one of the few current P&Ss with a usable RAW-mode (less than 3.5 seconds from shot to shot in RAW mode).

 

[kmruk]

Hi!

Here are some samples from my E900. Maybe they will help you in your decision somehow













Best regards
Krzysiek

 

[Jon Schick]

As you can see from posts above, E900 can produce some fantastic results. Gripes I have are minor but include:

(1) focusing could be faster, especially in poor light. It's a shame the camera has no AF assist beam, and the manual focus is next to useless

(2) I've struggled to get good macro shots out of it - again partly due to focusing issues

(3) noise at ISO800 is not as good as some would have you believe. It's fine when the light levels are good, but noise and noise processing become very apparent in poor light. This is generally true of all compacts with small sensors - but don't expect the noise ability of the F series, you won't get it. ISO400 and below are very good though

(4) sometime get less than sharp results with some odd smeary effects even at ISO80 - see the review on DC Resource for some examples. Camera processing seems to sharpen up nicely at ISO200 for some reason!

(5) some things (like RAW) buried deep in menus but you can live with it

(6) purple fringing is definitely the worst of any camera I've owned. You will get it and notice it, but it's relatively easy to get rid of it with PP.

On the other hand, the E900 is now fantastic value, can produce superb results with some work and knowledge, has incredible battery life from just two AAs, has viewfinder which can come in handy on occasion, and is neither too small to hold securely nor too large to go with you everywhere.

 

[gecarl]

It is a fantastic little camera and will beat the pants off anything in its class. My only very minor niggle is the size of the RAW files ( 18MB) so be prepared to get a large Xd card. Beautiful Fuji color and a fairly wide lens. Grab one while you can.
--
FUJI E900, FUJI F30, PANASONIC FZ30, Canon Rebel XT, SONY R1, PENTAX K10D.

 

[igilligantoo]

Now you are just showing off... I love these photos!
gus

Hi!

Here are some samples from my E900. Maybe they will help you in
your decision somehow













Best regards
Krzysiek

 

[igilligantoo]

I am considering a K100d... kit lens and a DA 50-200 for $568 after rebate. You have the k10... any thoughts.
--
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!

 

[gecarl]

I love the K10D. As you can see, I am a bit of a camera junkie but the K10D is a great camera and from what I've read so is the K100D. From what I have read, the 50-200 is a great lens for the money. I'd say go for it and shoot some photos.

I mostly use mine for corporate photo stuff (people, facilities, groups etc.) and I have a Sigma 17-70 attached which exactly fits my needs.
--
FUJI E900, FUJI F30, PANASONIC FZ30, Canon Rebel XT, SONY R1, PENTAX K10D.

 

[Jon Schick]

I have K100D ith kit lens, 50-200 and a couple of Tamrons (90mm macro and 500mm mirror). It's a fantastic camera which offers just about everything you could need. Its 6 MP produce much better images than the 8-10 you get from most new compacts. Noise performance at high ISO is probably a little better than the K10

What it doesn't offer that you can get in K10 is weatherproofing, more access to controls without digging into menus, fast continuous shooting, and RAW plus JPEG. K10 viewfinder a little better too, and its shutter a little quieter. If these aren't important to you, I'd highly very recommend the K100.

 

[yiannakas]

I have the E900 and F31 cameras.
The E900 takes excellent outdoor images!!! much better than F31
It has more manual controls than F31
The clarity of the images are remarkable

 

[tom sugnet]

This is so true about outdoor pics. A recent one:



--
Feel free to visit my homepage: http://tom.st

 

[igilligantoo]

Thanks you guys, I appreciate the response.
Sorry E for the thread Jack. Very inappropriate. --
gus
Get what makes you happy...
Anything less makes you less happy!