FinePix 2650

The LCD screens that you see in this review had to be photographed as there is no video out- port that we normally use to capture the displays with.  LCD monitors on any camera were never designed with enough resolution to be photographed. So we hope you understand why these screen captures are not up to standard.

Above is the display while in record mode. The line of info across the top starts on the left with a red box containing a camera icon and "A" which is the symbol for Auto Record mode. The "2M" represents image resolution of 2 megapixel (1600x1200), the "F" means Fine quality and the "23" represents the quantity of frames that can be recorded on the xD- Picture card at the image size set on the camera.

Pressing the DISPlay button next to the LCD toggles from the above screen to the live image without any data display. Pressing it again brings up the grid screen in both Auto or Manual Record. The manual mode isn't really a manual mode, it does allow you to set the exposure compensation or white balance options.

Record menu options:

EV: Exposure compensation, -2.1 to +1.5 in 1/3EV steps
QUALITY: 2M-F: 1600x1200 Fine Compression, 2M-N: 1600x1200 Normal Compression, 1M: 1280x960, 0.3M: 640x480
FLASH: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Fill, Off
MACRO: On, Off
WHITE BALANCE: Auto, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3, Incandescent
SET: Set-up menu, LCD brightness, Auto or Manual exposure mode

Playback mode screen with a little overlay information, folder and file number in the upper right and date in the lower left.

The playback index mode shows nine thumbnails per page so you quickly search through your stored images.

The zoomed playback option lets you enlarge the playback image to check for critical focus, color or composition.

Playback menu options for deleting images or formatting the memory card, protecting images from deletion, embedding DPOF (digital print order format) information and entering the Set-up menu or adjusting the LCD brightness.

Steve's Conclusion

It's small enough to slip in a large pocket or a purse or can be easily carried all day in your hand. It's designed as a "point and shoot" camera and you only need to turn it on and press the shutter button to capture a great picture. The color LCD is above average for this price range and can be used in all but direct sunlight. When playing images back you can magnify them up to 4x on the 1.8-inch screen so it makes it easy to check for focus, color and composition. The battery life is good, especially considering that it only uses 2-AA type batteries. As with most digicams your battery life is dependant on how often you use the color LCD for review and preview and how many shots are taken with the flash. You can use alkaline batteries but we'd prefer that you use the more powerful NiMH rechargeable batteries. These will give you more shots, they're reusable and in the long run, they'll save you money.

Under most all lighting conditions the camera delivers excellent image quality with well saturated and properly exposed colors. We did notice an occassional problem with an overall blue cast on some photos but this was generally due to the scene content which was predominantly blue sky and blue/green water. The flash is adequate for normal situations and did not over-expose closeup shots when using the macro mode. The 1600 x 1200-pixel images will print good pictures up to 8x10 inch size. They're excellent for email or web pages when down-sampled or if taken in the lower resolution modes.. If you're looking for a good starter digital camera or a stocking stuffer for a budding digi-photographer, the FinePix 2650 Zoom is a very good choice. And at $249 it won't break the bank either.