Fujifilm Discovery 312 Reviews

Rating
Reviewed by: Dickinson
(Professional)

Review Date
August 28, 2001

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Review 1 of 7

Price Paid: $95.00 from Overstock

Summary:

Considering the fact that this is my first P&S, I was quite surprised. I am used to controlling every aspect of composition, and this camera gives me more control than I had originally expected. Overall, I'm pleased. It is a good "snap-and-run" camera.

Strengths:

Options for composition, ease of use, general responsiveness (considering it's a P&S).

Weaknesses:

The manual focus dial is in an inconvenient place, and could be more fine-tuned.

Similar Products Used:

First P&S. I have always used manual, older cameras (Olympus OM-1 primarily).

Customer Service:

I haven't needed Customer Service yet.

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Rating
Reviewed by: Javier Zegarra
(Intermediate)

Review Date
July 5, 2000

Overall Rating
3 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Review 2 of 7

Model Reviewed:
Discovery 312

Summary:

Its an extremely useful backup & unbeatable as 'jack of all trades'.

Strengths:

Light weight; Variety of features: adaptability. Ease of film load. "From 0 to shot in 10 seconds flat"

Weaknesses:

Lens quality? Too slow lens for crisp sharpness at normal conditions. The recommendation to use ASA 400 & up is serious.

Similar Products Used:

First P&S. Canon viewfinder & AE1; Nikon SLR

Customer Service:

On my one ocassional demand I was very satisfied.

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Rating
Reviewed by: Scott
(Casual)

Review Date
March 27, 2000

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Review 3 of 7

Model Reviewed:
Discovery 312

Summary:

Not sure what the reviewer below is talking about but my first set of pictures came out very good to excellent using a roll of 400. Very pleased with the performance and the many options the camera has (such as panoramic modes, red-eye reduction, etc). Would not have a problem recommending it to someone who was looking for an inexpenseive, easy to use, point and shoot camera.

Strengths:

-Plenty of options
-Easy film loading

Weaknesses:

-Slow zoom lens

Similar Products Used:

None

Customer Service:

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Rating
Reviewed by: Bryant L
(Expert)

Review Date
December 12, 1999

Overall Rating
1 of 5

Value Rating
1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 4 of 7

Model Reviewed:
Discovery 312

Summary:

If you have any interest in photography at all, do not purchase this camera.

Strengths:

N/A

Weaknesses:

This camera produces the worst possible pictures. It's extremely slow and pictures using its zoom lens come out unusable. Plus, it's uncomfortably large and clunky.

Similar Products Used:

SLRs

Customer Service:

N/A

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Rating
Reviewed by: Craig Pettit
(Intermediate)

Review Date
October 11, 1999

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Review 5 of 7

Model Reviewed:
Discovery 312

Summary:

I purchased this camera for $40 on clearance at a Department Store right after Christmas. For a general family camera it is a good value. It has a slow lens (5.6 @ 38mm and 9.9 @ 120mm) but when
loaded with 400 and above film it performs well. The shutter speeds go from 1.2 seconds to 1/250 seconds so it may not be fast enough for sports photography. The flash zooms with the lens and does a pretty good job for a P&S. The zoom is a step zoom type, that is it zooms in about 6-7 discrete steps. Overall for the price I paid for it, I am extremely satisfied with it's performance. It is a good alternative to some of the other name brand models. The camera looks a little funky and chunky but feels good in your hands and operates well.

Strengths:

Good sharp and contrasty lens. Has a good set of features including continous shooting, interval timer (10 secs to 60 mins), and up to 3 self timer exposures. The meter is very good and handles most situations well.

Weaknesses:

The camera doesn't seem to lock exposure when you lock focus and recompose. This can be a positive sometimes but makes the camera susceptible to backlight situations where the fill flash will not reach. There is no other way to do any exposure compensation.

Occasionally I have problems with autofocus at longer focal lengths. Not sure if this is the camera or my technique. Most active autofocus cameras are good to about 20feet anyway.

Similar Products Used:

Olympus P&S
Pentax P&S

Customer Service:

Haven't had any problems.

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