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"Picky Details" for the Fujifilm FinePix A205 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Fujifilm FinePix A205:

Fujifilm FinePix A205 Timings
Operation
Time
(secs)
Notes
Power On -> First shot
3.12
LCD turns on and lens extends forward. About average.
Shutdown
3.41
Lens retracts. About average.
Play to Record, first shot
1.25
Time until first shot is captured. Fairly fast.
Record to play
2.33
Time to display a large/fine file after capture. A little slow.
Shutter lag, full autofocus
0.96/0.90
First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. About average, slightly slow at wide angle.
Shutter lag, prefocus
0.22
Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. About average.
Cycle Time, max/min resolution
2.20 / 2.43
First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. The camera displays an auto review of each shot, which cannot be canceled. About average.


Overall, "about average" seems to describe the A205's performance. Not terribly fast, but also not terribly slow. Fine for a basic point & shoot, but not likely to be the camera of choice for sports or other fast-paced action.

Power
The FinePix A205 uses two AA-size batteries for power. It may also be powered by the optional PictureCradle or an optional AC power adapter.

The table below shows the FinePix A205's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based two NiMH rechargeble batteries with a (true, not advertised) 1600 mAh capacity:

Operating Mode
Power
(@2.4 volts on the external power terminal)
Est. Minutes
(two 1600 mA cells)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
498 mA
154
Capture Mode, no LCD
246 mA
312
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
535 mA
144
Half-pressed w/o LCD
433 mA
177
Memory Write (transient)
565 mA
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
849 mA
n/a
Image Playback
272 mA
282

 

The A205 shows surprisingly good battery life for a camera running on only two AA-cell batteries. I still strongly recommend purchasing at least two sets of high-capacity NiMH batteries and a good-quality charger though. You can find test results of high-capacity NiMH AA cells on my Battery Shootout page, or see this article for a review of my favorite charger.

 

Storage Capacity
The FinePix A205 stores its photos on , and a 16MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64MB card, preferably a 128MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16MB card at each size/quality setting.

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
16MB Memory Card
Fine
1,600 x 1,200 Images
(Avg size)
25
634KB
Approx.
Compression
9:1
1,280 x 960 Images
(Avg size)
34
467KB
Approx.
Compression
8:1
640 x 480
Images
(Avg size)
124
129KB
Approx.
Compression
7:1

 

Download Speed
The FinePix A205 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to a Sony Vaio desktop running Windows XP, I clocked it at 420 KBytes/second. This is a fairly typical figure. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 ones run as high as 600 KB/s, while cameras with fast v2.0 USB interfaces can download files at rates of several megabytes/second.)

 

A205 Review
A205 Test Images
A205 Specifications
A205 "Picky Details"
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