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“The Fuji Finepix 2400z is the followup to the 1400...”

written by Derek McCabe. on 30/10/2001

Good Points
Easy to use, great quality, and competitivly priced

Bad Points
Lens cover does not double as a power switch
When transfering data, the back light goes on. This could lead to power drainage.

General Comments
The Fuji Finepix 2400z is the followup to the 1400 series. On the outside, it is nearly identical, however, this new version boasts little more than twice the megapixels, and is only marginally more pricy. This digital camera has a built in USB card reader, meaning that, if you wanted to, you could transfer data such as MP3's for use in popular players.



The camera includes 4 "AA" Batteries, and though usually these go fairly quick, I found that they laster for at least 20-30 shots. This is good, considering that I was constantly using the flash.



The Fuji 2400z includes a backlit display that allows you to aim more accuratly or preview your images. This can be disabled, though I found a few things odd with it. For one thing, in order to tell for sure whether your flash is on, you need to enable this display. Also, when you transfer data from your camera to the computer, it goes on automatically. I cannot tell for sure if this uses much power, as it's dark, and only the text "USB" appears.



As for ease of use, this camera is a winner. I would have preferred that I got details like compression %, as this device uses JPEG, however, for most users, details such as resolution and quality settings that can be read by humans (As opposed to techs) such as "High" or "Normal" should be sufficient.



The CD rom package includes software that allows you to install the camera as a "mass Storage Device" in Windows 98. Note that XP includes all device drivers for the camera. The driver and included software installation may daunt some users at first, but overall most people who have installed new hardware should be safe. It will create a new entry in "My Computer", labeled as a "Removable Disk". As for Macintosh users, it should mount on the desktop, though I cannot confirm this.



Users should note that this camera absolutely requires USB, and that no provisions are supplied for transfering data via serial cable. This is a mixed blessing; while you cannot use this on legacy computers, this method is much faster. Note however, that Fuji tells of an adaptor that can fit in the floppy disk drive of most PC's and will enable accessability to Smartmedia.



The included 8 MB smartmedia card is superior to most camera's included 4 MB card. I've run out on the 8 MB, I fear the 4 MB. I intend to get a 32. Smart media is very versitile, and as mentioned, MP3 players support them. There are also printers availble that can utilize smart media. Fuji provides a diagram that shows you some of the versility of the media.



My only real beef is the annoying lens cover. It should have been a power switch. If they had done this, than I would not forget so often to close the door ;)



Over all, this is a great camera that produces quality images. If you want a head start in digital photography, than this camera is yout ticket!