Just took the new camera on a white water rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. Clearly the camera met the specs for water tightness and shock ability as this type of trip had both. Pictures were of low quality, with little ability to handle a mix of shadows and light. Shutter is slow and unresponsive to the moment. In bright sunshine, or very low evening light, the lack of a view finder rendered most pictures a pure guess. Controls at the top of the camera for on/off and snapping the picture were too low a profile to allow for handling in tough situations. Worst of all was dismal battery life--only able to get about 100-125 pictures, while carefully turning the camera off in between, before battery was exhausted. Overall--very disappointing. Fujifilm FinePix XP10 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver)
I got this camera to replace my previous underwater / shockproof Canon D10, which died after about 8 months for no apparent reason. When I got the D10, it was the only low-cost point-and-shoot I could find for light underwater use, which made it good in its own way, but the electronics and sensor and etc. were already a couple of years out of date on the Canon, plus it was really big and bulky.
I don't do serious underwater work, but do want a camera I can take out in the rain and occasionally in a swimming pool or to the beach, without worrying about it. Also with small kids, the likelihood of a camera getting dropped is high, so a sturdy model is key.
This little Fujifilm advertises the same kind of water- and shock-proof characteristics as the Canon, but it's a whole lot more modern in its features, and a whole lot smaller, which is great. I haven't used it underwater yet, but for everyday use it takes good pictures.
A few issues I have with it. One, the cable connector is nonstandard. It should be mini-USB, like so many other things - I keep a mini USB hanging off my computer anyway, and if I lose a mini USB cable it's easy to find another, vs. the Fuji cable which doesn't match anything else I own.
Second, the mechanicals are not quite as polished as I'd like. The waterproof cover for the cable connector doesn't seat well - it's very hard to get in. And the battery cover has a strange hinge device that was confusing to figure out and I fear will not last well, since I have to open it frequently to extract the memory card, because the cable connector is nonstandard and hard to reseal.
All in all I would still recommend this camera, and I hope these few flaws get corrected in a future model.
Took the Fuji XP10 out twice; once camping at Lake Tahoe and again at Kern River. The Fuji functioned well on the first outting, but started developing problems on the latter camping trip: moisture started developing in the lens area, causing photos to appear foggy. The display became disrupted, as the moisture that permeated the camera began to make it's way through the housing.
I sent the Fuji XP10 back to Fuji in hopes of getting it replaced, but received an invoice stating, "Water damage in camera not covered under warranty."
Um, no kidding.
The invoice also requested a payment of approximately $118 for an exchange of the same camera, with $100 of the cost going towards "labor"... Labor for what?!?! That's like buying a new XP10 with a little over a $20 discount over what I paid originally!
What's the point of marketing a "waterproof" camera, when it's not really waterproof and Fuji won't even honor the warranty to make things right? It would serve Fuji well to learn from other companies that unconditionally back the products that they sell, like Pelican Products and Strider Knives. Don't claim your product is waterproof, freezeproof, dustproof, and shockproof, unless you can back your product under warranty. I'm going to pass on Fuji's offer to exchange my camera for the $118 fee, which I can use towards an Olympus Tough camera! ;-)
As clean and compact as the Fuji XP10 appears, I will suggest to potential buyers of this camera to spend the extra money for the Olympus Tough series, which I am now considering. The Olympus Tough series may not be aesthetically pleasing as the Fuji XP10, but, like the AK-47 and Glock, the Olympus will probably work.
Buy the Fuji XP10 at your own risk.
I bought this camera for the waterproof feature, for beach and snorkeling photos. I took it to the beach and within 30 minutes it broke. The camera was never more than 2 feet underwater and it never hit anything. Water began leaking in the back display screen and the camera stopped functioning. Water also got in the front lens area and battery. Fortunately I was able to get the photos I had taken off the memory card.
Picture quality was really nice and the display screen size is large for easy viewing. But if you plan on taking it in the water I suggest buying a different camera. - Finepix - Digital Camera - Waterproof Camera - Weatherproof'
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