electronics Finepix A345 Zoom opinions and reviews

Finepix A345 Zoom

Finepix A345 is identical in features to A350 with the major variant being that the former encompasses a 4.1-megapixel sensor as opposed to the latter’s 5.2. That apart, you will find similar functions in both like the 3X optical zoom and 1.7-inch LCD among others.

The camera has dimensions of 90 x 60 x 30.3 mm which means it’s not ultracompact but weighing just over 132g, (without battery and memory card) enhances its portability. Designing is faulty as the zoom lever being tiny and brittle doesn’t provide a comfortable grip.

A345’s 1.7-inch LCD is bright while the menus are nicely arranged.

The camera has an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/4.7. Also, the 3x optical zoom lens which has a 35mm equivalent range can be put to good use as compared to some other competitor’s click-and-shoot camera as it has a wider angle.

Looking at the features included, there are scene modes like Portrait, Landscape, Sports, and Night. For exposure control, A345 encloses multipoint metering system. Not to forget that there are manual modes for exposure compensation and white-balance settings.

Flash features are enabled and so is the red-eye-reduction function, a self-timer, and a continuous-shooting mode.

Moreover, A345 also includes a macro mode in which it is possible to shoot pictures from a close range of 2.4 inches.

The camera also features a movie mode wherein you can capture 10fps clips at either 320x240 or 160x120 resolution.

For storing images, you are provided with a 16MB xD card which has the capability of saving 7 seven high quality 4-MP photos.

Among the major shortcomings of the camera is the absence of an AF illuminator which is meant for improving low light shooting.

Boot-up time of the camera is 4 seconds whilst reprocessing takes 3.3 seconds and 3.8 with the flash. In the burst mode, you can take three shots in 2.3 seconds.

A345’s LCD is radiant but it exposes only 90 percent which sometimes leads to poor shot framing. The optical viewfinder is even more inferior revealing only 75 percent of the subject. However, it can be put to use to extend the battery life.

Pictures taken from A345 were sharp though not exceptionally good. Colour reproduction wasn’t great but acceptable on the whole. As predictable, with no assist lamp pictures taken in low light were ambiguous.

Despite a few blemishes, A345 delivers reasonable image quality very much like A350.