The Q1 Digital is a breeze to operate, so is therefore ideal for anyone taking their first steps in photography, or for those looking for a second camera to keep in their pocket or bag at all times. It's a little uncomfortable to operate with one hand however, and your thumb tends to cover the LCD screen. Images look good though, and the camera is ideal for those wanting to capture images to e-mail to friends and family, or for those wanting to post images onto a Web site.

Pros: Robust; good picture quality; can be used as a Web camera
Cons: No A/V connector; flimsy USB flap; no xD-Picture Card supplied


Fujifilm's latest digital camera, the Q1 Digital, looks more like a Web camera than a digital camera. Aimed at those looking for a low-cost introduction into digital photography, or those after a pocketable (94x75x34.5mm) solution for taking quick snaps, the camera's silver and white plastic case can't really be considered stylish, but is relatively robust and should withstand everyday knocks when carried around in your pocket or handbag. Unfortunately, Fujifilm doesn't supply a carry case, but you do get a matching neck strap, should you decide you want to wear the 108g unit around your neck.

Based on Fujifilm's Q1 film camera, the Q1 Digital's 0.5in. CMOS sensor offers an effective pixel count of 1.92 million pixels, allowing you to capture still JPEG images up to 1,600x1,200 pixels. You can also capture images at 1,280x960 or 640x480 pixels, which is ideal for gathering low-resolution images to use on a Web site. While experienced photographers will instantly notice the lack of any advanced features, you do get an automatic flash, automatic white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten and Fluorescent), red-eye reduction and a movie mode for capturing AVI (MJPEG) files at 320x240 pixels (12-15fps).

There's also a built-in 1.5in. TFT LCD monitor (62,000 pixels) on the back of the camera for reviewing stored images and movies, and the 4X digital zoom lens (equivalent to 46mm on a 35mm camera) automatically focuses from 120cm to infinity. A switch on the front of the camera also lets you quickly select between Macro mode for close-up shots (60-120cm) and Landscape mode for shooting scenes.

The camera ships with 8MB of built-in memory for storing JPEG and AVI files, but there's also an xD-Picture Card slot for adding removable memory (no card supplied). The camera's built-in 8MB of memory is enough to store around 10 images at a maximum resolution of 1,600x1,200 pixels, but a 512MB xD-Picture Card will let you store around 756 images. Power comes in the form of two removable AA alkaline batteries (supplied), but Ni-MH rechargeable batteries can also be used. The camera connects to a PC or Mac via USB 1.1.

The Q1 Digital is a breeze to operate, so is therefore ideal for anyone taking their first steps in photography, or for those looking for a second camera to keep in their pocket or bag at all times. It takes just three seconds to power up, and image processing takes around just 2.5 seconds once the shutter button has been depressed. Controls on the rear of the camera have been kept to a minimum and consist of just three buttons (Power, Mode and Menu) and a four-way button, which is used to select image quality (1600x1200 Fine, 1600x1200 Normal, 1280x960 or 640x480), activate the digital zoom (up to 4X) and set the flash mode (Auto, Red-eye reduction or Off). Incidentally, the flash has an effective range of about 1.2m-2.0m.

As the camera lacks an optical viewfinder, the 1.5in. TFT LCD monitor is used to frame images. The LCD monitor also displays the camera's settings, including image resolution, number of remaining shots, flash mode, zoom level, EV compensation, white balance, battery level and whether macro mode is activated.

In terms of performance, the Q1 Digital offers good macro focus, auto focus speed and flash performance for such a compact camera. Its fast startup time will help to make sure you don't miss out on impulsive shots, but the 4-way controller's 'OK' button can be a little tricky to press when using just one hand. Also, the rubber USB port cover tends to flap open, and it's a shame FujiFilm didn't make this a flush fitting compartment door. Captured images generally look sharp and the least-challenging shots show good colour reproduction. There's only two scene modes - one for landscape shots and one for macro shots - but this can be overlooked considering the camera's relatively low cost.

Links:
Q1 Digital Web site

BIOS, Nov 28, 03 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Digital camera