Reviews4,313 Reviews

All Reviews > Hardware > Cameras > Compact cameras

June 3, 2009

Fujifilm FinePix J20 review

Product Code: P10NC01100A

You can certainly find cameras packed with more features than the Fujifilm FinePix J20, but its combination of price, image quality, stylish looks, and ease of use makes it a great deal.

The 10Mp Fujifilm FinePix J20, a slim, durable and metallic camera, is one of the better bare-bones entry-level cameras we've seen this year.

Equipped with a 3x optical zoom lens (35.5mm to 106.5mm), the Fujifilm FinePix J20 also offers surprisingly effective digital image stabilisation - it did a pretty good job of retaining a crisp, clear image when we shook the camera around vigorously. Mechanical and optical image-stabilisation systems are still more effective, but the Fujifilm FinePix J20's stabilisation is a great feature for that low, low price.

Besides Auto mode, Scene Recognition mode (which is fully automated), Manual mode (to adjust white balance, ISO equivalencies, and exposure compensation), and Movie mode (standard-definition, 640-by-480 AVI clips at 30 frames per second), the Fujifilm FinePix J20 offers 17 additional scene modes - the usual cast of characters (such as Portrait, Landscape, and Sports) and some less common modes that complement them well (Fireworks, Museum, and Text, for example).

Manual ISO adjustments let you increase the Fujifilm FinePix J20's light sensitivity to ISO 1600.

Despite its nice range of features, the Fujifilm FinePix J20 has a minimalist, almost elegant button layout to accompany its 2.7in-diagonal LCD screen. The top of the camera houses the on/off and shutter buttons, which the back of the camera supplements with just four other controls: a zoom rocker, a button to adjust display settings, a playback button, and a four-way directional pad surrounding a menu button.

As on many other cameras, the four directional buttons also provide one-touch access to the Fujifilm FinePix J20's flash settings, timer, macro mode, and deletion function.

With so few controls, there's not much competition for space on the Fujifilm FinePix J20, leading to well-spaced buttons that are easy to use regardless of your hand size.

The SD/SDHC card slot is tucked away in the all-plastic (and flimsy) battery compartment, but the mini-USB connector is located on the bottom of the Fujifilm FinePix J20.

According to our Test Centre jury evaluations, the Fujifilm FinePix J20's image quality rates as Good for a camera in its price range and rivals the image quality of some significantly more expensive cameras.

Sample images had low levels of distortion and good exposure quality, though their sharpness wasn't rated as highly. In our hands-on testing, we noticed about a second of lag time between when we pressed the shutter button and when the camera auto-focused and snapped an image.

Digital photography news and reviews

The Fujifilm FinePix J20's battery life earned a rating of Good, as the J20 took 221 shots on a single charge of its rechargeable lithium ion battery. That's well short of the 300-plus shots we've seen on many point-and-shoot cameras, but still a decent amount of juice.

NEXT PAGE: our expert verdict

PCWorld.com

Buy it now: click here

VERDICT >
1 | 2 | NEXT >

Independent customer reviews from

Fujifilm FinePix J20 scored:
8.7 out of 10 100% real reviews

The 2 most helpful reviews based on 38 reviews:

03 May 2009 Michelle, Carshalton

10

Good Points

Excellent light weight camera & great value for money.

Bad Points

Reviewer left no comment

29 May 2009 Jacqui, Godalming

8

Good Points

Its very light to use, and fits nicely in bag or pocket. Great camera for someone who is not technically minded very simple to use.

Bad Points

None maybe could be abit too small, could fall out pocket or could lose easily.

See more Fujifilm FinePix J20 reviews on Reevoo.com

Best Prices

£76
Go»
£80
Go»
£83
Go»
Prices, delivery and availability at 10 retailers
Go»

Keep up to date by adding PC Advisor Reviews to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader

What is this?

Subscribe to PC Advisor now and claim your FREE gift

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

% of PC Advisor readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

What tasks can your smartphone do that would have traditionally been done on a laptop?

119 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @SmartphoneFocus

web browsing, search facilities, voip, email, word processing everything RT @Graham_D_C

Mainly email but getting better at spreadsheets etc, RT @IDGdan

Total reviews: 4,313

Click here to buy now

See product specs

expert rating

Overall

3.5/5

expert rating

Fujifilm FinePix J20

READER REVIEWS


Google


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Latest reader reviews

Latest reader reviews


Top news

News index


Latest blog entries

Blogs index


Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now