The $199 Fujifilm FinePix A920 is the top offering in the manufacturer's budget line. Introduced in the fall of this year, it follows up the 9-megapixel FinePix A900, released just a few months prior. The two digital cameras have the same resolution and 4x optical zoom lens. A few minor improvements were made, including the A920’s slightly larger 2.7-inch LCD screen.
We put the Fujifilm FinePix A920 through our rigorous imaging tests. It is a budget camera, so we didn’t expect its image quality to be suitable for the walls of the Smithsonian. However, there’s always an expectation that pictures from a family vacation, for instance, will look good.
The A920 isn’t perfect by any means, but it produces relatively nice-looking images. Its resolution is very impressive, but is hindered by several things. The images are sharp in the center but blurry at the edges. Chromatic aberration, which appears as odd color fringes in an image, is also noticeable at the edges. The camera's images also look slightly distorted.
The A920 keeps noise levels very low and has solid dynamic range, keeping images clean and interesting. On the other hand, it has poor white balance accuracy (especially when using the automatic setting) and struggles in dimly lit situations. Though the FinePix A920 has serious limitations, it has decent overall image quality for the price.
We’ve tested similar budget cameras in our lab. To compare, the $199 Pentax Optio A30 has less accurate colors, more noise, and less effective resolution despite its 10.1-megapixel image sensor. The A30, however, performed better in our low light and dynamic range tests. It’s a toss-up.
The A920 has mostly automatic exposure modes: 13 Scene modes, an Auto mode, and a Manual mode hidden in the Scene mode menu. The Manual mode gives the user access to a handful of options, such as the ISO 100 to 800 range and exposure compensation for brightening and darkening images. The A920 is easy enough to use that a kid can pick it up, turn it on, and take a decent picture without instructions.
The Fujifilm FinePix A920’s marginally larger 2.7-inch LCD screen gives it a slight edge on its competition. The 115,000-pixel resolution isn’t very good, but is typical for the sub-$200 category of cameras. The older Fuji A900 has a 2.5-inch screen, as do the similar Canon PowerShot A630 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55.
Most budget cameras come with 3x optical zoom lenses, which the Fuji A920 outdoes with its 4x lens. At its widest, the lens is 39mm (35mm equivalent) and extends to 156mm. The Canon A630 also has a 4x lens, but is slightly wider with its 35-140mm range. The Canon’s wider angle allows for more expansive landscape shots and larger group portraits.
The Fuji A920 lacks mechanical or optical image stabilization. Though not a prevalent feature in this price range, some competitors, including several Panasonic Lumix models, have stabilization systems that try and correct for shaky hands, producing sharper pictures.
The Fuji A920’s plastic 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.3-inch frame isn’t built to last. The chunky camera looks very plain and has three open ports on its side. Most cameras have a cover to protect these, but Fujifilm leaves them exposed, making them vulnerable to rust, moisture, and dust. Consumers who want a more attractive camera should consider the $199 Fujifilm Z10fd, which comes in five loud colors and has a much thinner body.
Both the A900 and A920 have IrSimple technology for wireless transfer of images to compatible devices. IrSimple is less expensive, but not as effective as Bluetooth technology. IrSimple devices aren't widespread in North America yet, so this feature won't be useful for all users. Fujifilm predicts the technology will be more prevalent in 2008, but for now, if you're looking to transfer images wirelessly with this camera, first check if your computer, printer, or television is IrSimple enabled. The A920 runs on two AA batteries and accepts SD, SDHC, and xD-Picture memory cards. This is an upgrade from the A900, which doesn’t accept SDHC media.
There are other budget cameras with fancier components and features, but the A920 has better image quality than its competitors. Add in its ease of use, and it’s a strong contender in the budget market.
For a more in-depth review, visit the Fuji FinePix A920 Review at our partner DigitalCameraInfo.com
