F30 build quality bad?

[truflip]

my gf just got the Fuji F30 and so far its been great (esp indoors, best ive seen for compact camera) but it feels as if it wasnt built well.. the little knob that says "6.0 megapixels" u know.. the silver thing on the side? hers is loose, like it nudges a lil bit.. and the rubber cover for the ac/dc charge and usb port, i feel thats gonna break (at least its not plastic which could easily snap)

picture quality wise, I have nothing to complain for about this camera's abilities, the purple fringing issue is easy to avoid. its only there 10% of the time anyway plus it can be easily removed with software i think (didnt even bother trying) battery life is awesome too, took a few hundred pictures before the battery died (my gf went on ahead n used it out of hte box without charging :eek: )

but she complains a lot how the 'feel' of the camera is kinda on the cheap side compared to the Lumix FX01 or Canon SD700 IS.. I personally think it feels solid except for the stupidly stiff rubber cover for the charge/usb and the plastic battery/xD card cover..

anyone else feel the F30 is lacking build quality? do you guys get that nudgy silver '6.0 megapixel' thing ?

[swgod98]

Mine feels very solid and my 6 mega pixel piece is in there good (no movement). My only complaint is that it is more difficult to hold than my S200 (which is nearly identical in size/shape). I think it has to do with the zoom adjustment being adjusted by the thumb. It was so much easier adjusting zoom with my pointer finger.

If the place she bought it from will let her exchange it, that would be a good idea. Though I hardy feel that piece being loose is going to affect the camera's functionality. Just wouldn't want my new camera to be like that! :\

[sft109]

No my F30 feels very solid, even more pleasing since its not as light as my old P&S so feels even better built as I can actually feel it in my hands, my previous cam was way too light. No BTW, the silver front grip that says 6.3MP's doesnt nudge or feel loose on mine at all. The rubber port cover is well..rubber, it might feel like it could break off but Im sure it will probably be OK unless you really yank it. I wouldnt really care if that thing fell off anyways :-)

[truflip]

I'll definitely look for an exchange for her.. She payed nearly $600 Canadian (after camera + xD Card + taxes) and to have the 'grip' by nudgy liek that is quite unacceptable.. as for the rubber cover on the sides, im only worried because the battery takes a while to charge and the plug will be pushing it to the side overnight.. might feel loose in the morning and doesnt go back in properly.. at least the store demo felt loose.. but then again its a demo.. (and oh yea the demo didnt have the nudgy 'grip' thats why i cared to ask theforums)

anywho, thanks so much for the input guys. I think 2 is all I need to say this camera is a keeper given that nothign is lose =D woot here comes an exchange *crosses fingers*

[Pinion]

That rubber/plastic cover for the i/o ports does feel really cheap but I suppose the engineers at fuji tested it out, I hope so anyway. Nothing else on mine feels loose or overly shoddy though.

You do realize that if you pull it gently it comes out far enough that plugging things in doesn't bend it much right?

[MindBender]

The little grip thing on mine is solid, no movement. The battery compartment thing wiggles a little but stays closed, so I can accept that since it's a swinging spring loaded door and pretty much couldn't be avoided. The little coverplate rubber thing is annoying, but doesn't seem like it's giving my any problems so far. I bought a card reader though, so the cover is only removed to charge the camera, I hardly use it for the I/O cable at all. The one thing that concerned me is that the gold metal surround on the top by the trigger and mode selector seems to be raise slightly. Has anyone else noticed this on the F30? It seems like, just on that side, that it's raised up slightly from the silver back housing area. Not enough that I could see inside the camera or anything... but it's definitely not completely flush. Not sure if it's something to be worried about. The buttons don't seem loose and everything is working just fine... but just made me concerned. Since this was purchased mail order (buydig.com) I'm trying to avoid exchanging it and having to pay shipping and wait for 2 weeks while it gets resolved, assuming they'd exchange it anyway.

Overall, I like the build quality, feels solid and I like the placement of things. I personally like how the zoom/rubber nub things are setup as I can operate the camera pretty effectively one handed. Seems a good size, and comfortable. The focusing/apeture noise is a little disconcerting, but apparently that's normal (?) and I've gotten used to it.

[truflip]

Pinion - yes i do realize but it only comes out so far, maybe yours comes out more? cuz mine doesnt.. I tried to pull it out as much as I could gently oh well, its not as bad as my Canon S3 IS's rubber cover but hey at least that one comes all the way out :p (note to self: buy a memory card reader)

MindBenber - thanks for your input, I guess my grip thing is bad.. like said, I will be looking for an exchange for defective workmanship, or something like that. I think i read about your concern about that gold metal surround on your shutter/trigger.. why is it gold? mines silver.. everythigns silver.. hmm anyway thanks for your input and yes my focus is also loud and noisy.. but thats ok. camera takes great pictures =D

[sft109]

Ahh thanks for pointing that out, I didnt realize that the rubber thing comes out when you pull it. Convenient. Thanks.

[MindBender]

why is it gold? mines silver.. everythigns silver..

Because I'm special... my mommy says so... ;) hehe

It's not quite "gold" per se... just "off-silver". Just quicker to describe it as gold since it's slightly more yellow tint than the back body area.

The rubber cover on mine comes out about 1/4 inch...and is on kind of a bend so it slides out of the way for the charger. You can just flip it to the side for the USB cable hookup... but the charger it's better to pull it all the way out. Seems okay to me though, doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. For convenience sake I just figured it was better to get a card reader. Found a 10 in 1 reader at Fry's ( Outpost.com ) that was $25.. marked down to $10... with a $10 mail in rebate. So... free. Can't beat that. Keep your eyes open... they like to do that. :)

I still wish I could mount the camera with the internal USB as a volume in OSX... but I'll work around it. heh

[truflip]

Because I'm special... my mommy says so... ;) hehe
silly rabbit.. anyway she got her camera exchanged, the grip thing is not fiddly anymore.. woot woot! shes happier now :) how often do u have to recharge? Im wondering if a car reader is worth it.. I think if u charge the battery once every few days its worth it to use the I/O port... cuz if that breaks, its not as bad as breaking the battery cover (where memry card is) from opening it and closing it everyday or two.. hmmm just my 2 cent..

[MindBender]

I've been carrying my F30 in my pocket since I got it without fail and shooting every chance I get (about 10-12 days) and I've recharged twice. Neither time did I lose power, I just decided that I was close enough to the bottom to go ahead and charge. First time was probably too soon... second time I actually got the meter to turn red, but never ran out of power even in "high speed" mode.

Good batteries? Hell yes.

[Pinion]

Same here, very impressed with the battery life.

[truflip]

sounds good. thanks for the input guys! good stuff =D

[leme]

I am considering F30 and SD700 IS.

A guy in this link was concerned about the build quality of this camera

http://www.redopinion.com/digital-camera/fujifilm/finepix-f30/best-low-light-performance-fujifilm-finepix-f30.htm

Are your F30 'made in China'??? And if you had F10/F11 Japanese made, do you have concerns about quality of the F30.

Thanks.

[sjseto]

My F30 has a "Made in China" label on it. I've had it for two months and so far have had no problems at all with the build quality of the camera. It feels quite solid. I do tend to take very good care of it - it goes with me everywhere, but I always keep it in a small Lowepro camera case inside my backpack. If you plan to keep it uncovered inside a pocket, you may experience different results - but the same would be true of any camera.

Stephanie

[MindBender]

A guy in this link was concerned about the build quality of this camera

http://www.redopinion.com/digital-ca...inepix-f30.htm

Are your F30 'made in China'??? And if you had F10/F11 Japanese made, do you have concerns about quality of the F30.

Everything is made in China these days. heh

I read through the "cons" section of that link you posted and half of the information is inaccurate, the other half just isn't true. I get the impression that they don't actually have an F30. Could be wrong, but they said things like it used a proprietary USB adapter... the F10/F11 did but the F30 replaced it with a standard mini-USB port. Little details like that made me question the credibility of the review.

So far, I've had some minor cosmetic nitpicks with the F30... but nothing that would make me think that it wasn't built well. Feels much more solid than most other cameras I've used in it's class. It's all metal and feels comfortable in one or two hands.

I also carry my F30 in a LowePro Rezo 30 case in my pocket or bag. I probably wouldn't carry many digicams just in a pocket for fear of scratching them and scuffing the LCD. Some are built more for it... while you could pocket an F30 due to it's size, and a jacket pocket might be okay, I'm just a little paranoid about using a case. Plus, I can give it to my girlfriend to carry if she wants or leave it lying around on my desk at home without fear of it getting banged around or scuffed since it's in a case.

$0.02

[jdhu]

to me, the F30 feels great...its a great camera as everyone seems to agree..

and actually to me, feels quite sturdy and well built...

[truflip]

theres always a bad apple.. or two. the first time my gf got one the "grip" was loose.. replaced it.. totally solid and doesnt nudge. camera's been with her for 3 weeks and its still solid as new. =D

anyway the camera is 'made in china' meanign assembled in china. fuji is a japanese company so id assume the parts in it are made in japan =P

[PeterEdin]

I bought a brand spanking new F30 one Tuesday and by the Sunday I had dropped it off a bridge about 24 feet in height. I was in the process of putting my hand through the strap, but events happened while doing so and well...my hand never made it.

Anyhow, it fell onto hard concrete. The battery went in one direction, the xD card the other. I tried turning the camera on once I put the battery and card back in and of course it didn't work.

However, when I got the camera home, I found I could turn the camera on and access the cards pictures by pressing the playback button. So I thought nothing to lose I opened up the camera back by removing the tiny screws and found that a laminated/flat cable had come away. I reconnected it and despite the physical damage (which wasn't that bad) the camera has worked ever since.

Had the lens been extended, it may have been a different matter, but for a camera to drop off a high bridge and still work at the end of the day, well thats a well made camera. (Mind you, I did sell it to a friend and buy a new one)