FUJI FINEPIX SL300 JACK REVIEW

‘Please note, these reviews are my opinion on the cameras that I stock and sell, the reviews are not meant to be full blown technical reviews and I do not post any test images on line, they are designed to give you some assistance (in laymans terms, as requested by my customers) when choosing a camera that is right for you. I try to keep them as simple and short as possible.

These reviews are the result of requests from my customers.’

THANKS JACK

FUJI FINEPIX SL300 JACK REVIEW

This is one of the latest Bridge cameras from the Fuji stable; I actually tried my first one at the Focus trade show earlier this year on the Fuji stand, where it was generating a lot of interest from the public. The camera boast an improved focusing system and quicker start up times and ‘the lens elements used in the FinePix SL300 have been treated with multilayer Super EBC (Electron Beam Coating), the same process used for Fujinon broadcasting video lenses and large-format camera lenses acclaimed by professionals. Reducing ghosting and lens flare, the treatment promises clear image quality.’ The shell of the camera has an SLR like appearance and feel, the surfaces are covered with a nice grip texture and the grip itself fits comfortably in the hand. I really like the addition of a zoom control on the lens barrel, which allows you to zoom in and out without removing your finger from the shutter button. The lens barrel itself also has a nice textured grip around it. During my standard test, I found this very useful. The focusing was accurate and indeed fast. The close focus (2cm) listed by Fuji did give some incredibly sharp, crisp and detailed macro images and no I didn’t measure it! I also like that there is no noticeable delay between pressing the shutter and image capture. The IS (image stabilization) worked well during my test, although there did appear to be a very slight delay at 30x zoom before it ‘kicked in’ not a major issue at it certainly did not stop me accurately framing the picture I wanted.

Starting at the top of the camera, you have the shutter button and top zoom control, the shutter button is a sensible size and I like the sensitivity setting it has, you can easily focus without accidently taking frames all the time. It has a stylish chromed finished and the zoom control nob is comfortable to use. There is also a nice finger shaped recess on the camera grip below the shutter button, which helps make the camera fit nicely in the hand. Directly behind the shutter button you have the quick ‘crop’ button and the continuous shooting selection button. Behind this is the on and off switch, this appears to have been stiffened, which I like, should help accidently turning the camera on and off.  You have the ‘F’ mode button, which allows you to quickly change the ISO (film speed), image recording size and colour mode.

The main control dial is also positioned on the top of the camera to the right of the viewfinder. This has a nice gripped edge to it and appears to be stiffer than other Fuji model I have seen. You have the usual settings including, SR AUTO (scene recognition), full auto, P – program, S – shutter priority, A – aperture priority, M – manual, C – custom settings, Video mode, Panorama, SP – Manual scene selection.

Next to the main control dial, you have EVF electronic (colour) viewfinder or LCD selection button; it would have been nice if Fuji had included an automatic sensor that switched between the two. A shame but not the end of the world. The viewfinder itself is bright and clear, you see the same settings that appear on the screen, which is useful. There is also a dioptric adjustment for the viewfinder. Above the viewfinder is a hot shoe mount for a separate flashgun if required. There is a built in pop up flash directly in front of this.

On the back of the camera, you have the main LCD screen that is a 3” TFT colour monitor. I found this to be very bright and clear even when help up in bright sunshine I could still see what I was doing on the screen, I’ve just walked out of the shop and tried it again in sunshine! It was a bit overcast the other day when I did my usual test shots. The screen has all the info you need on it, including what mode you are in, focus mode, flash setting, scene mode, how many frames left, image recording size and when you press the shutter it also gives a meter reading the F stop and shutter speed. You can if you wish turn all this off by pressing a button next to the screen, which gives you the option of the following, OFF, GRID LINES (helps with framing, vertical and horizontal lines) and HD VIDEO framing. Obviously some of the info you get on the screen changes depending on what mode you are in.

To the right of the screen you have a bracketing button or ‘program shift’ button, this allows you to bracket your images (in certain modes), this means you can override the cameras metering and make images brighter or darker if required. Next to this is the ‘flat joystick’ which has the main menu button in the middle surrounded by the image delete button, macro (close up photography) button, flash settings and self- timer. Also, on the back of the camera is the image play back or preview button. On the side of the camera, there are HDMI, USB (AV OUT) connections behind a cover door and the bottom of the camera there is the battery compartment and memory card slot. The camera also has a standard tripod mount thread.

Overall then I think this is a nicely put together camera that produced some lovely crisp, sharp and nicely coloured test prints (you can views these at my shop). The cameras metering system appeared to be accurate and the auto focusing system was fast and accurate. The camera generally feels slightly better made and ‘tighter’ than the previous S range from Fuji. I think this will be a popular camera and is definitely a step forward in its class.

Thanks
Jack
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PS I have these cameras in stock now, please ring for a competitive quote.
I  look forward to seeing you; don’t forget you can take test pictures with any camera you are looking at, which I will print instantly for you to. I also set up every camera sold with my customers and show them how to use it.
Thanks
Jack
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