Fuji Finepix F401 or Canon A40?

B

beavis

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All

Previously had a Fuji 2600 before it died on me, only had it a few weeks, and getting my money back so need to decide on a replacement.

Quite like the look of the Fuji 401, 2mill pixels and sits in a cradle for easy transfer of images. Also quite thin or I've seen several good reports on the Canon A40 (and lots of other Canon's actually!).

Anyone got any positive/negative feedback about the 2 models above? Would like something in the region of between 2 and 4 megapixels and don't wanna spend anything more than about £350 if possible. Currently the 401 is about £315, the A40 about £200!

Cheers

B.
 
I looked at the canon A40 before finally settling on the S45. Thisis a great little camera with a lot of creative features. It was incredibly easy to use for simple point and shoot but had all the controls to override the auto settings. Would have gone for this camera if it wasnt for the resolution. Things I liked about it were:
Size
Uses AA batteries
Simple controls
Well thought out menu
 
beavis,

Dixon's shops (not online) have the F401 for £299.99 at the moment.

I am considering getting one also. I have read good reports on it, and I think it looks great aswell.
 
Sparrow, I think you'll find the model is the F402, which is the newer model but it ain't got an optical zoom, only 3x Digital Zoom! Which is major bad news on Digi cameras.

Seriously tempted by the Canon Powershot G2, seen it discounted quite a bit now the G3 has come out.

Cheers

B.
 
Look at the S45. Its a compact G3 and the difference between G2/G3 (and therefore S40 and S45) is worth going for the later models.

But regardless the G2 is still a fantastic camera. Please dont say how much you have seen it as it will only upset me.
 
Originally posted by beavis
Seriously tempted by the Canon Powershot G2, seen it discounted quite a bit now the G3 has come out.

Beavis,
Whats the best price you've seen?

(sorry nunew33)
 
Sorry Beavis, you are correct, my mistake. I checked my local Dixons shop window on my way home & it is the F402 for £299.99.
I should have known really, how often are Dixons the cheapest!!!!!!!!!
Still, the F401 is available online for about £310 including docking station.
I will pay attention more carefully next time!
 
I'm a keen amateur SLR user; bought Canon A40 6 months ago; very pleased with the results. A few pointers :

* It is quite large - jacket pocket rather than shirt pocket - but this means it's good to hold - good ergonomics - and solid quality feel.
* Takes 4 x AA's; it only comes with alkalines (last a day), so you'll need to buy 8 high power NiMH rechargeables.
* Auto settings are excellent, but it is one of the few (at this price) to offer manual over-rides of most settings.
* Excellent at low-light & long shutter-speed night shots.
* No problems at all integrating with my XP PC.
* There's a great users forum here - http://forums.powershot-a.com/ - where you can checkout loads of sample pix.
* Bought from Amazon for £200 with free 32MB card (offer no longer running).

A little one-sided, but hope this helps !
D8
 
Thanks for all the info, still can't decide!

Went to Currys on the way home but seriously not a good place to buy a digi camera (not that I would anyways!), as they are all behind a glass cabinet and everytime I handled one I felt that the store's security cameras were zooming in on my every move!!!

From what I saw, the Powershot G2, was bulky but not as heavy as I thought, Currys were selling this for £499, the Fuji Finepix 401 looked very slim and cool, but only 2mill pixels@£349 and the Canon A40 felt alot heavier but solid. Also tried the Fuji F601 but don't think I could get use to the funny grip!

Any further feedback welcome, and I'll post a review of whatever camera I get!

Cheers

B.
 
You can now pick up a Sony DSC-S85 for £399 (even Jessops will do it for this price now). It's a lovely camera - check the review on www.dpreview.com for details.

I've seen the Canon G2 advertised at £429 which is also a bit of a steal - see: http://uk.pricerunner.com/photography/digital-cameras/77939/prices

Pricerunner also list the S40 at £399 and the S45 at £432.99.

I'd be tempted to go for the S85 or G2 rather than the S40/S45 due to the longer battery life - bigger camera, bigger battery etc.

The G2 is a bit more flexible than the S85 e.g. more storage options, proper hot-shoe, more lens attachments but the Sony has a corker of a lens on the front of it. Both fine cameras IMO.

Matt.
 
Why did you have to tell us the price of the G2:( . I paid £430 for my S45 and would have gone for the G2 at that price!!!
 
Yep, I've seen it for that price as well and that's why it was in my thoughts!

Generally all talk of the G2 seems positive and I'm still tempted to go with that, even though that it's a bit bulky and more expensive than my original choice of a Fuji Finepix 401.

Some people say go for a S30,S40 or S45 as it's newer technology than the G2 which has been out for a year,nunew33 - would you have still gone for a G2?

Me thinks a trip to Jessops is in order for some more tests!
 
Id be severely tempted. Heres a quick brain dump of why (it was a couple of months back so I may get things wrong):

G2: Better lens
Flash hot shoe
Better in camera flash
fold out LCD
Better battery life and I think you can have in camera charging/AC adapter included (S45 needs you to buy AC adapter and battery has to be takenout to be charged)

S45: Improved autofocus
Selectable autofocus point(literally anywhere in frame but you could argue that its only slightly easier than using AF lock)
Custom setting that allows you to save commonly used settings
Improved menu (its much easier than the G2/S40)
Was cheaper than G2 when I was looking!!!
Supposedly better processing with digic chip, cant provide quantifiable evidence of what it means

I had a budget of £200 which I stretched to £400 at the time I couldnt justify the extra £100 for the G2, but at £430 for the G2 I would most probablyvalue the practical extras of teh G2 over the S45 more than the technological improvements of the S45 over the G2.

Hope that makes sense
 
Originally posted by beavis
Some people say go for a S30,S40 or S45 as it's newer technology than the G2 which has been out for a year...

The S45 uses newer technology than the G2 but not the S40. Basically, the S40 is a shrunken down G2 and the S45 is a shrunken down G3.

The S45 is a very nice camera but, if you are happy with the bigger size, I'd say the G2 is the one to go for. I'd also have a look at the Sony DSC-S85 as well - it's specs are very similar to the G2 - it actually outperformed the G2 for resolution on dpreview.com - having said that the Canon offers better storage options and has a more powerful flash.

I've been toying with the idea of getting something like this myself - I think the battery life is a really important issue i.e. something that you will really appreciate when it comes to using the camera every day and that's why I think I would go for an S85 or G2 rather than the compact S40/S45.

Mind you, that G3 with it's 4 x optical lens looks rather nice ;)

Matt.
 

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