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Friday, March 31, 2006 

Fuji F810 to E900 Camera. The Upgrade Rocks!

I got my new Fuji E900 and I couldn't be more pleased with the upgrade from my trusty F810.

Although the lens system is the same and the sensor isn't radically different, somehow Fuji did a lot of fine-tuning behind the scenes. it is now a 9MP camera and shoots 18MP RAW files (I shoot almost exclusively in RAW). I'm noticing that the images are noticeably sharper, have even richer color and come out of Camera RAW with little needed corrections, or just auto corrections. And that's off the first "roll" today.

The camera usability is much improved. First off I like the grip, at least for a guy it's much better, I can really wrap my hand around it and the rubber on it feels secure. Much of the camera can be worked with the right hand (don't know how south-paws are going to like it). Gone is the slide switch and roller for adjusting exposure, everything is push-buttons, which should also translate to easier use uw. Hit a button as you bring it up to your face and it's ready to roll.

The screen is a vast improvement, although slightly bigger, it is much, much easier to see in the sun and has larger numbers for us old folks. There is now a real-time histogram that you can actually see. Better feedback from the ready light, also lets you know when focus is achieved.

Why anyone makes a camera that uses other than AA batteries, I don't know. I now have an endless supply and can standardize my batteries to all my uses. As technology improves with larger capacity batteries, so will my camera. write times are pretty good, I did notice that the flash is a bit slower to recharge.

A few new features in the software; one I like is that the continual auto focus can now be switched on, and doesn't require two hands to depress the button while also shooting, like the F810. Nice feature for action shots. ISO 800 is now available in all MP settings, as well as RAW. The later might be interesting to play with for some deep available light shots using a magic filter perhaps.

They put the photometry into the menu, instead of on the 4-way button, which I preferred and I really did like the auto close of the flash on the F810, as well as the durable metal body. The RAW setting is even more buried, the setting menus now have layers, so it's like down 4, over 1, down 3, over 1 and adjust. Why they won't put it under the "f" button is beyond me. Chroma issues remain about the same, although I need to do some more testing.

But man, for $300 this is a sweet camera! Now to buy the Ike housing and Inon strobe, etc and get it wet!

Looking forward to seeing some wet shots with the new toy.

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About Jack

  • Adventurer, diver, sailor, photographer, writer and sometimes graphic designer. Proprietor of Optical Ocean Sales, LLC. Enjoy the blog, check back and please leave comments!
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