Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera

Not so great…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I love this little cameras package. The color, the functionality, it’s waterproof (which was the main reason I wanted it) and it’s just too darn cute. However, all that aside, the picture quality is horrible. I was so disappointed. I actually returned it because of this fact. For 10mp it should have had great picture quality. My Nikon Coolpix 5mp has way better picture quality so I’ll stick with it now. For the Fuji Z33WP though, I could not believe how grainy the pictures were. I even used multiple settings and megapixels to see if I could be satisfied but it didn’t work. Keep this in mind if you plan on purchasing this camera.

Purchased twice and both failed to be water proof after 1 use each.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera twice from two seperate supliers for a vacation in Hawaii were I didn’t want to take my expensive camera and lenses. I did not expect it to do what my high end kodak does. I did want to be able to take quick easy snap shots and some snorkeling pics. The first camera I bought before leaving and the day after I tested it out snorkeling in sharks coves tidal pools only chest deep it craped out. It would work off and on but would get a purple tinged screen and seeze up after a few shots even when it did choose to work. Now it just gets a white screen and does nothing.I still have to return it. It didn’t leak into the battery and card space so those were fine. It just ruined the view finder. I figured it was a freak thing so I went to walmart which I hate but had no other option and bought the same camera again. Used it the next day in Hanuama bay, over my head but only used at serfice level. Got some ok fish shots and some great turtle shots of a friendly and curious guy who had no intention of moving. It was like he was posing! On the way back to our condo we took shots of us together with the timer along the windward coast and they are not bad for a cheap point and shoot. The next day exactly the same thing happened, purple screen worked off and on then seezed up and nothing! It did take grainy green and purpleish shots again once we hit Walmart to return it. Again my card was fine. I have no clue why they broke but I feel twice duped! Please don’t buy it for use in water if you need it to be reliable like for a irreplaceable vacation!

AMAZING camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera to take with us to Disneyworld. I used it the whole time for regular pictures and water pics. Its rounded edges slid in and out of my pocket easily. The picture quality is awesome and since the zoom lens in behind a shield I could wipe it with a wet one and not worry about scratching the lens or no fingerprints. I love that I can still do vidoes too AND play them back and hear them! I took video of me and my son going down a waterslide and its a great memory I will always cherish. VERY please with this camera and I have recommended it to ALL of my friends!

A great little camera for “wet” vacations.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This little camera is really quite fun. The 2 most important features are (a) its Waterproof & (b) its very reasonably priced. We were vacationing at a resort this past summer & I knew that quite a lot of time was going to be spent in the wonderful pool complex the resort has. In the past, I could never really take a lot of pics near or in the pool as I didn’t want to risk my very expensive Sony camera. I looked at waterproof housings but they are also $$ and seem to have issues with fogging, hard to use, etc..

I thought I’d try this little camera, in addition to my Sony & it worked great. I was able to give this camera to the kids who took it on water-slides and zip lines and all sorts of activities and it came thru fine. For the price, I have no complaints.

Pros:

Its waterproof! How cool is that?!

Construction is very sturdy, very small and portable. Fits in your pocket easily.

Decent battery life. I did drain it a few times but it was being used a LOT.

You can shoot underwater pics & video with sound! Definitely cool to capture the kids playing in and under water. The video is a blast.

Comes with a very small, portable, wall-unit type battery charger, not a giant brick. Very convenient.

There is an instant video capture button that was quite handy for quick video shooting, very nice!

Underwater pics and vids shot in daylight look amazing.

My kids were amazed at seeing themselves underwater in pics & vids. Very fun!

Cons:

Still image quality can’t compare to the Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras.

There is a fair bit of picture noise and the colors are not the best.

Video is 640×480, so sort of low res but really do you expect HD for this price?

The flash throw is pretty weak, at night this camera is not at its best.

No advanced features to speak of. This is a point and shoot camera.

Don’t get me wrong, its a very adequate little camera. To the average “joe” the picture quality probably looks fine. I would never want this to be my only camera, but as a waterproof camera whose job is to take pics in the pool, at the beach, etc I could not be more pleased. It sort of proves the rule that the best camera is the one you have with you – and if you have been wanting to take family pics in and under water – this is a great little camera that won’t break the bank.

Versatile, well-built point and shoot
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for a 10 year old, but I often use it myself because it’s actually a very good point and shoot camera. The build quality and tactile feel is very good. We’ve taken it to the beach (in the surf), water parks and have used it underwater in the pool. It does not look like the typical underwater camera, but it is amazingly water tight. I highly recommend the clear neoprene cover that comes with the kit, as well as the float wrist strap. The cover does a good job of protecting it from bumps and the float strap keeps it above water in case it slips out of your hand. This camera can go places most other camera’s can’t.

Image quality is very good, but not on the level of a quality DSLR like my other camera, a Nikon D40 – you clearly notice the differences. The video feature of the camera is fantastic. It’s great for capturing those spontaneous moments. I find myself reaching for this camera before I grab my mini DV camcorder. The videos upload right to my computer along with the photos.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the less than perfect picture quality. If you’re looking for a well built, versatile camera that can handle the elements quite well, this is certainly worth considering.

Lousy photo quality
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Don’t buy this camera. The photo quality is very grainy..even at 10 megapixels. I have an old Cannon 3mp camera that takes a heck of a lot better photos than this.

The expected sharpness of typical digital photos just isn’t there no matter what setting you use.

Even after taking about 50 test shots I just can’t believe a digital camera’s photo quality could be so bad.

If you are looking for a spare camera to take to the beach where you are not too concerned about quality, this one one would be OK I guess. But for an all purpose camera for shooting everyday things, holiday photos or important occasions I’d steer clear of the Fujifilm Finepix Z33WP.

Just what I was looking for!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is just what I wanted. A relatively inexpensive little underwater camera that takes very decent photos, is easy to use, easy to carry, and even does great video. I was headed to Tahiti and Bora Bora, and HAD to have something like that for the trip. It easily paid for itself in the savings from my old 35mm underwater camera’s costs for film and development, as well as allowed me to go crazy and snap away like mad. I got some great underwater photos of sharks, rays, and the coral reefs.

only lasted 3 days
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Bought one of these brand new for a family vacation to St. John. Took great above & below water pictures for 3 days then it just died. Would not turn on. We’ve had digital cameras in the family for many years with no similar DOA experiences, so we know how to handle them & don’t think it was caused by mis-handling. NO water got inside the camera. Thank goodness we had a backup Nikon with us. Unfortunately we missed pictures of sea turtles and starfish (our favorites) because the Nikon was above water only. We plan to return this Fuji to the retailer for refund, NOT replacement. Would not buy this camera again.

Decent Camera
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this Fuji camera after I lost my Canon SD1000 (which I really liked). I didn’t want to spend almost $300 for another one of those. I bought this one while at the PX in Iraq, so I kinda overpaid what it is selling for here but that’s ok. Beggars can’t be choosers. That being said, I am being choosy. This camera is good for outdoor daytime photos. It does not do so well indoors in low lighting or at night. The pictures come out blurry or not as crisp as you would expect from a good megapixel camera. The lag time it takes to get a photo is infuriating. You have to press the shutter and hold the camera still for about 2 seconds before the shot is captured. This is not a good camera for live action shots, like moving kids and pets or sports.

The buttons are simplistic and easy to figure out. I enjoy the fact that the camera is waterproof and rugged. I am going to give it to my husband for his fishing adventures. But I am going to buy a Samsung Dualview TL225 next, it seems much more fun and creates better photos than this camera. So in the end, this camera is great for rugged outdoor watery fun, but it wouldn’t be my first choice in digital cameras if you know the quality of better Canon point and shoots or SLRs. Great camera for beginners.

No regrets!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera for a trip to Hawaii. I knew that I was going to do a lot of snorkeling and wasn’t happy with the quality of the disposables in the past. I was very impressed with how easy this camera was to use while being underwater and the picture quality was good.

I also went on a parasailing trip. They wouldn’t allow my regular digital camera in case it got wet. I pulled out the Fuji underwater and took it up with me. Even out of the water, the pictures turned out great.

For the price point, I fully recommend this camera for anyone wanting a good point and shoot for basic underwater pictures.

If I had to say anything negative thing about this camera, I would recommend something with a better zoom. Also, get an underwater strap that will secure the camera to your wrist.

Had it for 5 days
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I am a long distance trail runner and very often carry my Canon 8MP Digital ELPH camera with me. Unfortunately, with sweat and rain, I can’t always take my camera to capture the gorgeous scenery, wildlife, etc. that I encounter on the trails. My wife purchased this camera for me for Christmas because it was affordable, rated well at the local big box electronic retailer, and waterproof.

Please keep in mind that I am comparing it to nearly any current Canon product as I have been and am still using Canon, for years now.

10MP?: you’d never know it. On the LCD, it looks extremely grainy. For an average size of 4 megabytes, you’d like crisp and clear…and it wasn’t. When loaded onto the computer for editing, it was average at best with no cropping or enhancement. Any brightening would greatly distort picture and any zooming made the pic look absolutely horrible with pixels everywhere.

Battery Life: within TEN pictures on the initial use, the red battery indicator came on. Keep in mind that I fully charged the battery before initial use as directed. To put this in comparison, my SD1100 by Canon lasted through 200 pictures and a 5 hour trail marathon in November without even warning me of a low battery. 200 pictures! That’s a lot of turning on and turning off…thus lots of mechanical motion by the camera without dying. Unacceptable, FUJI!!!

Moving people/objects: often, I take pictures of fellow runners while they are…running! I tried this and they were all blurry. I quickly realized I couldn’t be moving (like I could with the Canon) but even when I froze and tried to capture fellow runners on the run, they were blurry. The ability for my Canon to capture moving objects or even things like waterfalls is far superior to the FUJI.

Delay between pictures: Again, with Canon it is very quick. With this camera, there is a long delay between pictures. Enough said.

Powering on the camera: In the winter, I wear gloves. The super tiny, recessed power button on this FUJI is nearly impossible to push with anything but a pointy finger. Very frustrating especially when you consider the delay in powering up. Bad when I see something I want to capture (like wildlife) and I only have moments to do so before they run off.

All in all, I am now without a waterproof camera because this FUJI went back very quickly. There is simply no comparison with Canon. I recommend any of the ELPH cameras. They basically have the same features/technology. Pick any one of them from 8MP to 12MP and I think you’ll be very happy. For me, I just need to avoid the moisture on my runs!

works underwater, but
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Its not the best quality lens I guess, although it works well underwater. the above water vacation shots are about the quality of a 2 megapixl old camera.