Camera Model: FinePix JZ300

When Fuji asked me if I would like to do another review, I couldn't say yes quick enough. After reviewing the HS10 and having so much fun I couldn't wait to try our another camera.

I had a choice between a JZ300 or a JV100. I knew David Coppen had already done a review on the JV100 (http://www.myfinepix.es/es/blog/545/97500) so I decided on the JZ300.

I would like to thank everyone at Fuji for allowing me to review this camera. 

I knew the camera was going to be quite small as I saw the pictures from David's review. However when the box arrived I thought 'how can they even fit a camera in there'

Also inside the box there are;

USB cable, Hand Strap, Manuals and Software CD, Battery Charger and battery.

Note there is no AV cable in the box.

On first impressions I was very impressed at the build quality and deign as it felt very high quality.The entire body is made from aluminium. It felt like it should cost a lot more. All the buttons fell under the right fingers, they felt sturdy and weren't all cramped together. Also although it was small it felt comfortable in the hand and had a decent amount of weight.

One thing I also noticed was how small the batter was. It looked like a mobile phone battery. However the battery lasts ages and in a week of using the camera everyday, I only had to charge it twice.

The battery came charged so I could start taking pictures straight away. However when I did charge it, it took around 2 hours.

First thing I noticed, when I turned it on, was how fast it powered up.

I then tried the zoom, which is 10x, and it was quick but accurate, so I could adjust it to where I wanted. Also it was relatively quiet and didn't extend too far from the camera, so it is quite discrete. Whilst testing the zoom I tried out the image stabilization which does exactly what it's supposed to do and is effective.

The LCD was bright, large and didn't lag when the camera was moved quickly.

The flash is power for the size of the camera and should be adequate for most conditions. 

As I was taking my first photos, I noticed how fast the autofocus was, it is almost instant. Likewise, once I had taken a photo and pressed the shutter for another, there was almost no lag. I couldn't believe how fast it was, especially for a camera which costs under £150.

The menus were easy to operate and I had the camera set up how I wanted in no time.

Now onto Image Quality. In two words ... Very Impressive.

* One quick note - You may notice that most of my photos are macro. This is because this is what I enjoy taking most and I feel it says a lot about the quality of the lens.

This picture was taken with my cat sat on a wall using the fill flash. It was taken using the Chrome setting and has only been cropped. There are also Black and White and Sepia modes as well.

This image was taken at 8x zoom on macro mode. I think the level of detail captured at this amount of zoom is very very good

Here is a photo taken on the macro mode

Here is a 100% crop from the photo above. 

As you can see the level of detail the lens can capture is really quite good for a camera in this price point.

To contrast, Here is the same shot I took when I had the HS10 on loan from Fuji. I think it holds up quite well for the price difference.

Here are a couple more shots I took with the camera.

So as you can see, the camera takes detailed photos and the colours are accurate. The only negative I could find about the image quality was that the camera did tend to over sharpen the images. However I would much rather have photo's which were a bit over sharpened than have pictures which were too soft or blurry, which tends to be the case with other cameras around this price point. 

There are various scene modes like; 

Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night Tripod, Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Party, Flower and Text.

However if you cannot chose then there is an automatic scene selector.

Other Modes include;

Natural (Use when you want to capture and image using natural light), Natural Light with Flash ( takes one photo with and one photo without flash), Fully Automatic, and Program mode ( allows you to adjust various settings).

The face detection works very well and really helps when you are taking photos of people. It improves skin tone and exposure on the face.

Here is my brother, who helped me test the face detection. 

Last but not least the HD video's. Now you can buy other digital cameras around this price point which record video's but I think you'll be hard pushed to try and find one which has better quality video than this. The sound is also decent. Although it is only mono, it would be more than OK for a quick video. You can also use the zoom during video, although you can hear the zoom motor faintly (although on what camera can you not).

Now the big question. Would I recommend this camera? ... Definitely.

In A Nut Shell

If you are looking for a new camera with a descent zoom range, HD movies and image quality all wrapped up in a sturdy, well designed body that you can just put in your pocket,  then this is the camera for you. Also if you are looking for a fast camera for sports, this should be on your list.

For the price I don't think there is anything else on the market which offers the same feature set and product quality than the JZ300. I feel the camera excels if you want a camera which is convenient but powerful.

I wish I had more time to review this camera and take it out and about with me. However I was very busy with coursework this week, so did the best I could in the time.

Thanks For Reading and thanks again to Fuji for lending me the camera.

Jack