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"Picky Details" for the Fujifilm FinePix A345 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

 

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, 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 A345:

Fujifilm FinePix A345 Timings
Operation
Time
(secs)
Notes
Power On -> First shot
3.3
LCD turns on and lens extends forward. About average.
Shutdown
2.2 - 7
First time is time to retract lens, second time is worst-case buffer-clearing time. Average.
Play to Record, first shot
0.8 / 2.5
Time until first shot is captured. After 8 seconds in playback mode, lens retracts, and time to switch back to record mode increases to 2.5 seconds. A little slow.
Record to play
4.4 / 1.3
First time is that required to display a large/fine file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the memory card. A little slow.
Shutter lag, full autofocus
0.81 / 1.44
First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. Wide angle is good, telephoto is very slow.
Shutter lag, prefocus
0.292
Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Average for this class of camera.
Cycle Time, max/min resolution

3.17 / 3.09

First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. Buffer clears after each shot. On the slow side, but typical of cameras in this price range.
Cycle Time, Flash exposures 6 Flash at maximum power output
Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution 0.74
(1.34 fps)
Times are averages. Shoots 3 frames this fast in large/fine mode, or 18 frames in TV mode, before stopping to clear the buffer. Buffer clears in 5 seconds for large/fine images, 3 seconds for lowest resolution.

 

Power

The Fujifilm FinePix A345 uses a two AA batteries for power, and ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera. The table below shows the power drain I measured in various operating modes, and the corresponding run times to be expected from a standard set of 1600 mAh NiMH cells.

 

Operating Mode
Power
(@3.3 volts on the external power terminal)
Est. Minutes
(two 1600 mA cells)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
469 mA
149
Capture Mode, no LCD
416 mA
168
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
500 mA
140
Half-pressed w/o LCD
427 mA
163
Memory Write (transient)
490 mA
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
1240 mA
n/a
Image Playback
187 mA
372

 

Storage Capacity

The Fujifilm FinePix A345 stores its photos on xD memory cards, and a 16 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16 MB card at each size/quality setting.

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
16 MB Memory Card
Fine Normal
2304 x 1728
Images
(Avg size)
8
2.0 MB
16
996 KB
Approx.
Compression
6:1 12:1
1600 x 1200 Images
(Avg size)
- 25
626 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 9:1
1280 x 960
Images
(Avg size)
- 34
465 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 8:1
640 x 480
Images
(Avg size)
- 124
128 KB
Approx.
Compression
- 7:1

 

Download Speed

The Fujifilm FinePix A345 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 848 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)

A345 Review
A345 Test Images
A345 Specifications
A345 "Picky Details"
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