Home > Consumer Reviews > Fujifilm FinePix A345 Digital Camera - Silver (4MP , 3 x Optical) 1.7 inch LCD

This neat little camera has been my constant companion. It takes great pictures in natural lighting, when there is enough light... that is, outdoors mostly. Great for closeups (macro function) also, and for something so small and cheap, the quality is great, even on just the 2.1MP setting. It doesn't do so well indoors with poor lighting, hard to get a steady shot, and pictures using flash are so glarry.

One gripe however, is that it seems to have "zoom errors" after a little while (maybe a few years).. so that I have to play with the zoom buttons, or turn the camera off and on again, in order to get it to focus. It could be wear and tear, or a few knocks. I was pleasantly surprised when it recovered after getting very wet in a downpour, and the lens not expanding... I thought it was dead.

The other main issue with it, is that it is battery hungry, and has a slow starting-up time, particularly when the flash is on. It also uses XD card, which is not so commonly used, and I've had issues with in the past (I don't use anything larger than a 256MB chip, for the sake of a reliabilty). If this camera used SD, I'd love it that much more!

I bought this camera almost 3 years ago and the other week the sensor broke in it. Throughout this time spent with the camera, it's been a bit of a love-hate affair. By today's standards this model is sub-par, and that's not in regards to the 4.1MP resolution, as the picture quality leaves much to be desired.

My main criticisms are that without the flash the pictures are very blurry, as well as with macro shots and low light (i.e. High ISO) photos also come out pretty poorly. The menu system could be better and if you ever make a video, the audio will go out of sync if it's longer than 2 mins or so.

I use a Nikon D40 DSLR camera for anything serious, but a compact is always useful for on-the-go shots and nights out. My friend purchased a Fuji E900 and returned it within a month for a lower priced Sony model due to purple fringing on her pictures and similarly low performance sans flash. As such, however popular a brand Fuji are and however many good reviews I hear about their superzooms (e.g. Fuji S5700), my experience with the brand has been fairly negative.

This was my first digital camera I purchased, and however well it has served me over the years, there are much better options out there.

To replace this, I intend to get a Canon A720 or a Nikon P60 (just announced, available March 2008), which friends of mine have and are both very happy with. Both of these cameras feature VR/IS (Vibration Reduction / Image Stabilisation) and easily overshadow my now obsolete paper-weight that is the Fuji A345.

Initial view:

* good value for money although cheap build quality
* idiot-proof to use, so handy for quick snaps

BUT:
* indoor shots poor - auto focus does not work unless VERY well lit i.e. all the lights on even in the daytime
* zoom error occurred just outside warranty period & will cost more to fix than buy new.

Conclusion: buy if you like, but invest in extended warranty - maybe better to spend the extra on a better model in the first place!

This was my first purchase of a digital camera takes good pictures very easy to use i upgraded to 256mb card as 16mb has little storage good choice i think.

I bought this camera 2 years ago now, and it was my first ever digital camera. I find it very easy to use and it's good value for money. Unfortunately mine has broken now (the lens does no longer focus) but up until this problem occured I have had no issues with the camera whatsoever. It was used on a very regular basis.

My experience with Fuji has been good, I used to have a Fuji film camera (35mm), which was equally good value for money.

I am now thinking of replacing the broken one with the A900 as I feel Fuji cameras are solid, don't break easily and are easy to use: Very good value for money.

I suppose the only downside to Fuji is that the A range cameras are quite chunky.