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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> FUJI FILM 3800
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 12/11/2005 09:53:48 AM · #1
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.

12/11/2005 10:01:28 AM · #2
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


Welcome Jeremy!! I had a Finepix 3800 and I loved its quality and ease of use. There are lots of thing you can do with it!! Check it's page and you'll find wonderful pictures taken with it.

Happy shooting!!
 12/11/2005 10:06:18 AM · #3
having a dslr doenst mean you'll take better pictures. The one you ahve nore is a very nice camera that will help you learn a lot :)
12/11/2005 10:24:05 AM · #4
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


I have the same camera. I'm getting a rebel XT next year; however, the 3800 has been good to me in the interim. It is limited. Low light situations make for a challenge to really be a challenge. Of course, we can't really do much with focus or settings manually. Well, we can set some settings manually, but a lot of messing around with them to get them right causes a lot of missed shots too. Yesterday I was at a nice location for some wildlife action shots, and I missed a LOT because of setting adjustments needing to be constantly adjusted. The sun was just in a bad spot for most shots, but I did get a lot of great shots, but not without the cost of total mental exhaustion.

Folks here I don't think realize just how much goes into my entries. The hours, hundreds of shots in some cases, and the exhaustion in working with a point and shoot that has a mind of its own one needs to try and control. I know, after handling the Rebel XT that I can do the same shots with a lot less work. However, the passion of photography and challenges keeps me shooting to exhaustion with the 3800, and that isn't all that bad. It's a learning experience. Sort of like the dieting phaze before you reach your goal weight.

Last night I was at a lake that had 2,000,000 Christmas lights. How I LONGED for my Rebel XT. I got a few good shots after calculating and calculating adjustments, but only about 5% of all shots taken were worthy of keeping. BUT, next year that lake will be quite a bit more beautiful to me, and to others. Same with our Christmas Parade of Lights. It was just a tease with the 3800. Lots of missed shots.

Macro's are difficult to, especially in low light. However, you will find outdoor shots with good lighting and the right settings to be your friends with the 3800. It is a "good" camera for a beginner, but soon enough you will be drooling for an upgrade. BUT, that doesn't mean the 3800 won't make you smile now and then. Sometimes it just takes a lot of adjusting to get that smile. I tried the Rebel XT in the store, and once you have that hot little number in your hands, the 3800 seems like a child's camera :) So keep saving, but don't stop shooting. The 3800 can surprise you beyond expectations sometimes as well, and is certainly good enough for a class, I would say.

My profile only shows my entries, but at another site I have a lot of uploaded photos and a couple of top three placements with the 3800, so it IS a good beginner camera. Just keep the word "beginner" though, in mind, and get a better camera as soon as you can afford it. I've been shooting for about 4 months now with the 3800 for contests, and here it is obvious to me that the 3800 will absolutely NEVER get me any top three placements (well, it seems that the "Windy City" did come in third, but mine has 3 dead pixels, which is another downfall it seems of the 3800 after so much use). Sometimes it just depends on the contest and the subject matter (and being very lucky) so that I can hope for a top 10, but for my own personal placements and score expectations, I have been doing well.

Of course, if you notice the landscapes and in special lighting effects, etc, the best shots out there are not by the 3800. Yup, soon enough it will have to go (meaning mine), and for me, it can't be soon enough if I want to really compete in some of these challenges here.

Rose

Message edited by author 2005-12-11 10:42:08.
 12/11/2005 11:49:39 AM · #5
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


I think as long as the camera has an Aperture priority and Shutter Priority mode it will be great in an introductory class. Those classes usually cover the theory behind getting the right exposure and how aperture and shutter speed work together.

Also, there are classes geared towards P & S which are for learning how to get the most out of the camera you have.

Have fun with whatever class you decide to take.
 12/11/2005 12:13:54 PM · #6
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


I think as long as the camera has an Aperture priority and Shutter Priority mode it will be great in an introductory class. Those classes usually cover the theory behind getting the right exposure and how aperture and shutter speed work together.

Also, there are classes geared towards P & S which are for learning how to get the most out of the camera you have.

Have fun with whatever class you decide to take.


The aperture is always 100 on the 3800. It never changes, or at least mine never has. And you can't set it. The shutter speed is whatever it is at the time of the shot. It changes according to settings you make in the manual modes, but you can't actually set the shutter speeds. Mine have ranged anywhere from 1/2 seconds to 1/478 seconds, and so on. Just depends on what your set at for lighting, macro, sport, etc. If I set it on "night scene" the shutter speed is longer, but nearly always does the shot come out blurry. I don't have a tripod, but I have used a stable surface, and still, nuttin good really comes of the shot. Like I said, it is really an excellent daytime (late afternoon is best), camera. It's very hard to get it to do anything more than that without a ton of patience and adjustment after adjustment, not to mention a ton of time and shots even then. It makes you work, but "sometimes" you can come up lucky.

Rose
 12/11/2005 12:23:18 PM · #7
Originally posted by Rose8699:
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


I think as long as the camera has an Aperture priority and Shutter Priority mode it will be great in an introductory class. Those classes usually cover the theory behind getting the right exposure and how aperture and shutter speed work together.

Also, there are classes geared towards P & S which are for learning how to get the most out of the camera you have.

Have fun with whatever class you decide to take.


The aperture is always 100 on the 3800. It never changes, or at least mine never has. And you can't set it. The shutter speed is whatever it is at the time of the shot. It changes according to settings you make in the manual modes, but you can't actually set the shutter speeds. Mine have ranged anywhere from 1/2 seconds to 1/478 seconds, and so on. Just depends on what your set at for lighting, macro, sport, etc. If I set it on "night scene" the shutter speed is longer, but nearly always does the shot come out blurry. I don't have a tripod, but I have used a stable surface, and still, nuttin good really comes of the shot. Like I said, it is really an excellent daytime (late afternoon is best), camera. It's very hard to get it to do anything more than that without a ton of patience and adjustment after adjustment, not to mention a ton of time and shots even then. It makes you work, but "sometimes" you can come up lucky.

Rose


The 100 you're referring to is not the aperture. I suspect it's the ISO.

Looking at what specs I could find there is an aperture priority mode with the following settings.

Auto, F2.8, F4.8, F8.2

No mention of shutter priority though.

Message edited by author 2005-12-11 12:28:23.
 12/11/2005 12:48:43 PM · #8
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by Rose8699:
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Originally posted by rupypug:
I am a new member here and just getting into photography. The only camera I currently have is a fuji 3800. Is this camera good enough for a beginner and will it be sufficiant to take to a digiatl photography class until I can afford a new slr. Thanks in advance for the advice.


I think as long as the camera has an Aperture priority and Shutter Priority mode it will be great in an introductory class. Those classes usually cover the theory behind getting the right exposure and how aperture and shutter speed work together.

Also, there are classes geared towards P & S which are for learning how to get the most out of the camera you have.

Have fun with whatever class you decide to take.


The aperture is always 100 on the 3800. It never changes, or at least mine never has. And you can't set it. The shutter speed is whatever it is at the time of the shot. It changes according to settings you make in the manual modes, but you can't actually set the shutter speeds. Mine have ranged anywhere from 1/2 seconds to 1/478 seconds, and so on. Just depends on what your set at for lighting, macro, sport, etc. If I set it on "night scene" the shutter speed is longer, but nearly always does the shot come out blurry. I don't have a tripod, but I have used a stable surface, and still, nuttin good really comes of the shot. Like I said, it is really an excellent daytime (late afternoon is best), camera. It's very hard to get it to do anything more than that without a ton of patience and adjustment after adjustment, not to mention a ton of time and shots even then. It makes you work, but "sometimes" you can come up lucky.

Rose


The 100 you're referring to is not the aperture. I suspect it's the ISO.

Looking at what specs I could find there is an aperture priority mode with the following settings.

Auto, F2.8, F4.8, F8.2

No mention of shutter priority though.


Right, sorry, the ISO is always 100. Those are the only aperture settings as well, and not all do what you want them to do, but sometimes it makes a very subtle difference. There is no shutter priority, no. It's a very limited camera, but sometimes it can surprise you. Just yesterday, I got a good pic of a bird flying in my direction. Now, normally I hold the camera as steady as possible, but this was sudden. So I swung the camera and took the shot, and luckily it just so happened to come out in focus, whereas the usual would be a slur of wings and feathers. So sometimes it hits, and sometimes it misses. Unfortunately, for me, it is usually a miss.

Now I am probably not partial to the 3800 cause I know I am getting a rebel this spring. LOL...But when I first discovered what the 3800 could do, I was thrilled to death at that time. Like everyone else, the upgrade bug has hit me hard, so I don't have much good to say about the 3800 now. I've also pretty much used it into the ground. I must have taken well over a thousand shots in the past 4 months, if not more with it. It's a tired camera, and I get frustrated cause I am tired of it. BUT, in all good concious, it isn't the worst camera in the world and lots of a good pic have come from it.

Rose
 12/11/2005 01:00:02 PM · #9
These were all shot with Fuji 4900Z, which uses same sensor but was one generation newer. At this stage of your development, the 3800Z is more than adequate for your needs. It has adequate dynamic range, it focuses close, it lets you learn just about everything you need to learn as a beginner.



Enjoy and grow!

R.
 12/11/2005 01:14:29 PM · #10
Originally posted by bear_music:
These were all shot with Fuji 4900Z, which uses same sensor but was one generation newer. At this stage of your development, the 3800Z is more than adequate for your needs. It has adequate dynamic range, it focuses close, it lets you learn just about everything you need to learn as a beginner.



Enjoy and grow!

R.


I like the first two. With number one, I can make that in just about any photo. If not raw, with a bit of contrast adjustment, no problem. Photo number two, I have a million of them. But photo number three. See the drops? They look bad. Not clear, crisp, etc. I have yet to get a good small drop shot, no matter the setting, the light, focal adjustment in distance, etc, with the 3800. That sucks for me. I'm a macro fan, and can't wait to take those bug-eye shots! LOL...I've gotten some droplet shots I'm happy with, but not a drop on a branch or the tip of a stick. The branch or stick or tip of the leaf takes over the auto focus, and it just won't happen. Had I had manual focus, not a problem, but when you have to rely on cameras that are limited and have a mind of their own, its a real pain in the tushy sometimes.

Here is one I did get, but not without a LOT of adjustments in PSP.



I have a lot of images up here. Some with editing, and some without. It will give you an idea, but I have about 900 or so more not yet on the net :)

//www.fotofight.com/albums/manage_photos.php?id=1711

Rose

Message edited by author 2005-12-11 13:20:20.
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