Samsung Series 3 Princeton Notebook 11.6" NP300U1A Review

Watch your back Sony! Samsung is entering the sub-notebook market big time!

12/18/2012 UPDATE
The Staples Ad for the week of 12/18-12/24/2011 just went live on their web site and sure enough, the Samsung  Series 3 11.6" Princeton Notebook with the Intel Core i3 Processor, 4 GB of memory and the 320GB Hard Drive is on sale for $349.99 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!!!!!!

HERE'S THE LINK:

http://weeklyad.staples.com/staples/default.aspx?action=entryflash&adref=staples_right_hand_nav%20&icid=HP:HP:WEKLY_AD:WEKLY_:NULL::



BLOG UPDATE 12/14/2011 PRICE DROP ALERT!!!!!!
Pssst...Want to buy one of these notebooks brand new from Staples for $349.00 ($249.00) with trade in notebook? Follw the instructions here:

Looks like Staples is blowing out the Samsung Series 3 11.6" Princeton Core i3 Notebook again and the alert is for next week (Dec 19-23rd, 2011).. If you trade-in a qualifying used notebook you can get the price down to an incredible $249.00 by way of a $100.00 Visa Gift Card. The normal price at Staples is $599.00.

Thanks to TTRAN88 for posting this tip:

Here is the link to the tip:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3712108





BLOG UPDATE 11/02/2011
To see a side by side comparison chart stacking the Samsung Princeton 11.6" NP300U1A notebook agains the latest Apple MacBook Air 11.6" SSD model click here: 

Samsung Series 3 Princeton 11.6 NP300U1A VS Apple MacBook Air 11.6"

Why Samsung is Rocking the PC and Tablet US Markets!

I just received a Samsung Series 3 Princeton 11.6" Notebook Model NP300U1A Core i3 in for review and so far we have a winner. Priced at $599.99 on sale at Staples, Samsung is aggressively pursuing the college and university market touting it as ' 2.75 pound 11.6" LED notebook measuring a little more than an inch thick with 6-8 hour battery life and a genuine Intel Core i3 processor with a 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drive. This notebook also has built in Bluetooth and 3 USB ports and an HDMI output jack. Will be posting a detailed hands on review with photos shortly but initial un-boxing impressions are very positive. This notebook will. also be snapped up by businesses as the build quality is excellent and it is powerful enough to run most windows business applications. it is very light and the LED screen is very bright and sharp. It also has wide viewing angles and the hinges are very smooth and strong. The keyboard is very easy to touch type on and has the chiclet style keys first found on Apple notebooks.

I did in fact weigh this notebook on a digital scale and it actually weights 2 Pounds 11 1/2 Ounces with the battery installed. We're in MacBook Air territory on weight and about the same dimensions and weight as the old Sony VGN-TZ Series of notebooks that are currently discontinued. Samsung is really playing hardball when it comes to price-performance and will give Sony buyers pause before they sign on the dotted line for their next Sony ultra small notebook.

I just posted exterior and internal photos of this notebook as I was in the middle of upgrading the hard drive. Although the motherboard is capable of supporting 8 GB of RAM in 2 physical DDR3 SIMM Memory Slots as confirmed by the Crucial memory Scanner tool, There is only one physical slot on the motherboard and there is an ADATA DDR3 4GB memory SIMM installed. An OEM 5400RPM 320 GB Hitachi 2.5" 9MM hard disk is standard on this machine. I swapped this drive for a 500GB Toshiba 2.5" Notebook Hard Drive.

You can see from the photos that this notebook has nice design elements and the compnent packaging and accessibility is very good for such a small notebook. The left side of the notebook has two USB 2.0 Ports and there is a third USB Port on the right side of the notebook.  It also has an SD-HC-XC memory Card Slot and and HDMI Output connector.

The 64 Bit Version of Windows 7 Home Premium comes pre-installed on this notebook. This is a wise choice by Samsung to make this notebook perform well right out of the box.

August 9, 2011 Update.
Since posting this first look hands on review, I received some emails inquiring about system performance and how this notebook compares to an HP DM1Z or Lenovo X120e with the AMD Fusion E-350 microprocessor.

I ran the Windows Experience Assessment Tool and found that the Samsung Series 3 Princeton Intel Core i3 posted impressive system performance numbers. On the Intel scale of 1.0 to 7.9. These assessment results speak for themselves. This notebook is no slouch and it does not generate a lot of heat when running productivity applications like Word and Excel. It also handles multiple programs running at the same time with no perceivable lag time or CPU slowdown. I also found the LED screen to be of very high quality and stacks up very favorably to any of the LED screens you will find in Apple or Sony notebooks. For not much more than you would pay for the latest Netbook, Tablet or entry level notebook with an AMD Fusion or Athlon processor, you can buy this little hot-rod that has the goods to power through your school or business day with some very nice A-List components courtesy of the Samsung Notebook design engineering team.

Damn the bean counters and give the notebook buying public what they want. Bleeding edge fully equipped notebooks at bargain basement prices. I hope this trend spreads to other notebook computer manufacturers as we will all benefit.

Thank you Samsung for delivering the goods and shaking up the price performance curve in favor of the consumer!!!!!!

Base Score is 4.6
Processor is 4.9
Memory (RAM) is 5.9
Graphics is 4.6
Gaming graphics is 6.0
Primary Hard Disk is 5.7


August 11, 2011 Update
To test out the built-in Bluetooth radio, I set up a Microsoft Bluetooth 5000 wireless mouse and paired it with the Samsung Series 3 Princeton in seconds. This feature allows me to have access to all three USB ports so I can have a usb scanner, am external hard drive and a free usb port for maximum flexibility on the go. I could even plug in an external DVD/ROM drive and still have my scanner and external hard drive attached. There is also a standard RGB port so I can plug into an external projector when making presentations on the road or if I want to make use of a large screen lcd or led display that has a standard RGB port in an office setting..

The wireless performance for this Samsung is above average for a notebook. It received a strong WiFi signal both indoors and outdoors and being on the second floor at the far end of the house did no affect WiFi performance significantly. Streaming Youtube videos and MP3s was a piece of cake. It was tested using a Cisco Linksys 1200 Wireless N Router.

This notebook awakes from the sleep state instantly and goes into the sleep state in a few seconds. Backing up to a hard drive is easy and I was also able to test a few USB drives and SD HC SD memory cards. File copy performance was impressive and I noticed no performance slow down even with multiple windows and applications open when backing up or copying a large number of files form external hard drives, USB drives and SD memory cards.

I can visualize this notebook as being perfect for the Pro Photographer or Field Journalist/Blogger who wants decent Intel Core i3 performance, a battery sipping system, and a form factor that is smaller than an average Apple Mac Book Air. With the built-in Bluetooth, 3 qty Built in USB ports, and the built in SDHC-XC memory card reader, you will be able to tackle any computing job. I don't foresee a problem getting this notebook repaired or obtaining spare batteries or parts as Samsung has an international Service program and organization for servicing all consumer and business notebooks in and out of the standard 1 year warranty period.

August 13, 2011 Update
For those who have emailed me with questions on how to safely remove the cover of the Samsung Series 3 Princeton 11.6" Notebook, I have posted below detailed instructions on how to do this procedure without damaging your notebook. This is also a call out to BASSAM to thank him for his informative comments on the real world battery life he is getting with this notebook and also alerting us to the fact that Samsung does not have this notebook spooled up yet in their accessories and parts database. Also wanted to let BASSAM know that he is free to pick any standard 2.5" 9.5MM height SSD drive and install it as an upgrade replacing the factory 320 GB hard disk very easily by following the hard drive upgrade instructions I posted below.

Please keep those comments and emails coming. I will do my best to provide useful technically accurate information to enhance your user experience with this notebook. I want this to be the best one-stop go to information source for this nifty little notebook. Hopefully Samsung will catch-up and introduce accessories tailored for this notebook in the near future.

October 14, 2011 Update
For those who are interested in getting educated on the other Samsung Notebook product lines here is a link to a Samsung notebook market analysis I just posted called:

Why Samsung is Rocking the PC and Tablet US Markets!  

Holy Smokes! If it were any smaller, you'd have to call it a Tablet.

Yes Virginia, you can touch type on this comfortable keyboard .

A masterpiece of miniaturization, Samsung is one of the top notebook component manufacturers.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO UPGRADE THE
HARD DRIVE IN THE SAMSUNG SERIES 3 PRINCETON 11.6"
NOTEBOOK & HOW TO REMOVE THE
BACK COVER WITHOUT DAMAGING THE NOTEBOOK

If you want to remove the back cover, it is a relatively easy process. DO NOT attempt to do this unless you are comfortable with memory upgrades and have replaced a notebook hard drive in the past. I recommend a grounding strap and removing the battery before starting. Also you will void your warranty if you replace the hard drive unless you save the old one and re-install it if you send it back to Samsung for warranty service.

Step One- Remove all 6 screws that are used to secure the back cover.You need to pry the 2 rubber feet at the lower left and right hand corners of the notebook to access 2 of the screws. One is located just north of the SD card slot and the other is next to the Microsoft Windows 7 Product Key Label.

Step Two -Once you have removed all 6 screws, then gently and I mean GENTLY pry the case from the upper shell holding the motherboard and chassis components. It should come loose without any interference. The Hard Drive is in a rubber shock sleeve and the SATA cable easily comes off. You can replace the hard disk with any size 9.5MM height notebook hard drive and that includes SSD drives too. You can purchase one from IBM Hitachi, Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung, OCZ, PNY,  etc. They all must be 2.5" form factors, have the standard SATA connector and cannot exceed 9.5 MM in height, otherwise they will not fit and will not work.

To put everything back together again, just follow the dis-assembly procedure instruction in reverse.

The outer bottom plastic shell is light in weight but very sturdy and flex resistant.

There is only one DDR3 SIMM slot so memory is limited to 4 GB of RAM.
You may consider buying  an 8 GB Memory SIMM  if you are running  Photoshop
They are now available from Newegg and Crucial Technology
www.newegg.com, www.crucialtechnology.com

The right side has 2 USB ports and a standard VGA port.
Sorry, USB 3.0 didn't make it into this design

The left side has the AC adapter port, Ethernet port, 3rd USB Port HDMI output jack and mini-headphones port.
The cooling vent is pretty efficient and the notebook runs relatively cool

It has a genuine Intel Core i3 Microprocessor and the 64 Bit Version of Windows 7 Home Premium
The Chiclet Style Keyboard is easy to type on and the keyboard layout is pretty standard
Core i3 mean more computing power, less power usage (theoretically)

3 Cell Lithium Ion rechargeable battery offers up 6 continuous hours of run-time.
Most users are getting 2.5 to 3 hours. Room for improvement here as an extended life battery would be highly desirable but not offered by Samsung yet as an optional accessory.

Cool Sunset Photos: Sunset Photo Number 1

We use to live in Honolulu, Hawaii a while back and the sunsets there were nothing short of spectacular. I want to share one of the sunsets I took with a Sony DSC-R1 Digital Camera.  I hand held the camera at an aperture setting of 5.6, ISO set to 200 ISO and the shutter speed was 1/30th of a second. I took this photo standing in the back yard of our house on top of a hill in Hawaii Loa Ridge. This camera has a full size APS-C Sensor so the detail and color rendition is about as good as you can get before looking at a full frame DSLR camera. Enjoy!

Going Green - The Pentair Intelliflow Pool Pump Mini Review

If you are a homeowner and also own a swimming pool you already know how expensive the monthly electric bill is when you are running the swimming pool pump/motor. The folks at Pentair have been manufacturing and selling the Pentair Intelliflow VF pool pump now for about 4 years and it is hands down the most efficient pool motor available for consumers that can save you some serious green as it can cut your electricity consumption by more than half as it is a software programmable infinite variable speed motor that out-performs single and 2 speed pool pump motors by a country mile. The secret is in the software programmability and the use of the latest generation electric motor (the same efficient electric motor technology that is used in the Toyota Prius) It can be programmed to run so that the average consumption measured in watts can be as low as 270 watts or even lower........and it is powerful enough to keep your pool sparkling clean with any filtration system and it can be programmed to run a robotic pool floor cleaner. The pump is so efficient that PG and E offers rebates of $100.00 to the selling dealer and $100.00 to the end user. I give this pool pump 2 thumbs up...Way Up. At a street price of $1800.00, this will pay for itself in electricity savings in less than 2 years. To learn more about this fantastic pump check it out at:

www.pentair.com

Who Are You? The Who In Concert August 4, 2002

Photos I took of the Who at
Madison Square Garden,
NewYork, NY August 4, 2002.

Backstory:
The following are photos I shot at Madison Square Garden. We had really good seats and I lucked out on the exposures. I used a Fujifilm S602 6.2 megapixel bridge digital camera that was in total manual mode with the ISO set at 200 or 400. This was one of their first concerts after their bassist John Entwistle died of a heart attack. Besides Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of course Zak Starkey on drums and Pino Palladino on bass rounded out the band. As I remember it like it was yesterday, the concert was awesome. Daltrey set a no alcohol policy after he got bonked on the head with a thrown full beer can at their last Madison Square Garden Concert so the audience was pretty tame that evening. Please Enjoy The Photos and as always, comments are welcome!

Rock and Roll Can Never Die

Maximum Rock and Roll Courtesy of The Who

Pete with His Candy Apple Red Fender Stratocaster

Roger, Zak and Pete

The Old Windmill Routine

Roger Daltrey and Zak Starkey

Who Are You?

 

The Allure of the Guitar-BBC Interview with Pete Townshend

Quotations Of Note Part 1 At The Movies

You forgot to submit your TPS reports from Office Space

No Matter Where You Go......There You Are..............Peter Weller (Buckaroo Banzai)

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai - Peter Weller & Ellen Barkin

You're going to need a bigger boat!!!!  Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) From the Movie Jaws

Who ARE those Guys? Robert Redford and Paul Newman from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Who are those guys?

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." Don Vito Corleone Marlon Brando The Godfather


"Say 'hello' to my little friend!" Tony Montana Al Pacino Scarface


"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Michael Corleone Al Pacino The Godfather part II


You Talkin' to me? Travis Bickle Robert DeNiro Taxi Driver

Steve McQueen standing up to Robert Vaughan in Bullitt

Kentucky Fried Movie-Take Him To Detroit!!!!!

Scent of a Woman - Final Speech by Al Pacino

Canon Powershot S80 8 Megapixel Digital Camera Review

Pros: Small for a digicam with such an extensive feature set, Full manual control options, extra wide lens, Superior Resolution at 8 Megapixels, 2.5" Color Screen, Great Battery Life, Durable Body & Above Average Build Quality, High quality video capture, DIGIC II Image Processing makes this camera ultra fast and responsive, fast start-up time and very little shutter lag, Fast Auto Focus, Intuitive Menus, All controls are accessible through buttons in addition to menus, Powerful Flash (User adjustable) Fast Lens (in Wide Angle Settings).
Cons: May be too bulky for those who want a tiny pocket digicam, No RAW capture option, Takes SD memory cards, instead of Compact Flash Type I and Type II microdrives, Lens is not that fast when using telephoto (compared to other digicams in this class)
My search for a portable pocket-able digital camera ended when the Canon Powershot S80 came on the market a few months ago. I wanted a truly portable high quality digicam that had full manual and automatic settings. Having the extra wide-angle lens capability was also a desirable feature for landscape and general photography requirements. Although Canon switched from an all aluminum casing body (on the Powershot S70) to one that is both aluminum and high impact plastic in a move I suspect to shave even more weight off the camera it still feels durable and has a nice heft to it. The image quality is several notches above the average 5-7 megapixel digicam in the $300-500 digicam class which I atttribute to the excellent lens and the DIGIC II Image Processing Engine. You can also crop and enlarge to a greater degree since the 8 megapixel resolution CCD provides sharper pictures. 11" x 14" will come out razor sharp even after moderate crops. The wide angle lens will provide at least 15% more coverage than the competing point and shoot cameras so if you are shooting building interior and exteriors or landscapes, the added wide angle coverage will come in handy.
Bottom Line:
You will not find a better compact 8 Megapixel Digital Camera for the money. If you are looking for a portable digital camera that won't weigh you down like the typical DSLR, the Canon Powershot S80 cannot be beat.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18S 8.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Review

 After using the Olympus SP-550UZ, the Canon Powershot S3 IS, the Sony DSC-H9 and the Nikon Coolpix S10 Super Zoom Digital Cameras, I have come to the conclusion that the new Panasonic DMC-FZ18K beats them all on features, performance and quality. I bought mine about a week ago and I am amazed at the quality and sharpness of the photos taken with this camera. Even at the full 18X zoom, the results are spectacular. It starts up quickly and shot to shot times are very fast. Exposures are accurate and being able to quickly access the manual controls and settings is really useful when you want total control over the aperture and shutter speed settings.

The Panasonic Mega OIS image stabilization system is superior to all of the other super zoom cameras. Hand held 18X zoom shots are crystal clear thanks to this stabilization system.

The camera is a little bigger than the DMC-FZ8K but still easy to hold and still retains a nice solid feel when aiming and using the camera.

I will add/update this review after I have had more time using the camera in outdoor and indoor lighting situations.

Feb 2008 Update
I've taken about 400 pictures since acquiring this camera and the image quality at low ISO settings (below 400) is excellent. This camera excels with hand-held long zoom shots attributed to te excellent OIS (optical Image Stabilization) system. In a pinch, you can shoot higher ISO (800-1600) but artifacts still appear and though sharper than the older super-zooms, you can still obtain a decent photo albeit with some graininess.

I have found the flash to be powerful with adequate coverage for up to 25 feet in range. Color balance and white balance are very accurate and the factory settings for sharpness are more than acceptable.

I think the Leica Lens contributes a lot to the sharpness of the image. The latest generation of the Venus Imaging engine makes the camera much more responsive (than competing Super zooms and earlier Lumix Models) with minimal shutter lag and snappy menus and image playback.

For the money, I think this camera is worth every penny. If you want a fast responsive super zoom that can capture those fleeting once in a lifetime photo ops, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K will handle any photographic challenge you can throw at it swiftly and efficiently.

Alternatives to the Ipod-A Portable Video Buying Guide

This is s simple guide to help the first time buyers of portable PVR hand-held media player/recorders. Apple's introduction of their video IPOD players has accelerated the new product introductions of portable video media players that use high capacity hard drives. The four most popular manufacturers of these units are Archos, Creative, Samsung and Cowon. There are numerous other manufacturers like Mustek, iRiver, etc. that originate from the far eastern countries that are also sold in the North American marketplace. The key purchasing criteria based on my past experience with these players is:

1. Size and Screen Resolution. How big is the screen. 2.2" diagonal should be a bare minimum and anything above 3.7" is probably optimum. Screens max out at 7" to 8.9" but you begin to sacrifice portability (heavier units) and battery life (shortens as you go to a larger screen) as you move to these larger screens. 
2. Video File Format support. Does it support MPEG I, II MPEG 4, or DiVX as well as the Microsoft AVI format? Are the Sound CODECs compatible? Does it playback action scenes artifact free without blocky or blurred scenes. Does the soundtrack synchronize properly with the video? The CPU must be powerful enough to decode the video and audio files for smooth video playback performance but also be energy efficient for long run-times on batteries. Try before you buy to ensure that the videos are watchable on the small screen and that the sound is of a high enough quality for extended viewing periods. 
3. Battery Life - Average for these units is 2-2 1/2 hours of continuous viewing. Some units like the Cowon claim up to 8-10 hours. Your mileage may vary based upon the brightness setting of the screen and the codec playback settings. Anything over 2 1/2 hours is exceptional battery life for a portable Video unit. 
4.  Does the unit feature full video/audio recording capability...that is can you use it as a PVR (Video Tape Recorder) to tape shows from your cable box or movies from a dvd or other video analog playback source? Can you plug in an optional video camera? Does it allow you set recording schedules for taping shows at different times, dates and channels un-attended? How flexible is the programming? Is there a break-out box/dock or can you do everything with a set of AV cables? 
5. How complete is the documentation? Does the player support DRM? Can you copy copyrighted material? Does the player include a Video Conversion Utility?How easy is it to get customer support? Can you upgrade the hardware with BIOS upgrades to support new features or file formats and to extinguish bugs? What is the warranty period? How easy is it to get accessories? Is the battery fixed or removable. Can spare batteries be obtained easily? Can I get a 12 volt Car DC adapter for the unit? How hard/easy is it to obtain and connect an external third party extended life Battery Pack? 
6. Durability and build quality - How solid is the player.What materials are used? Aluminum and/or plastic? Does it feel fragile when holding it? How easy do the controls move? Is there a hold/resume feature? Can it also be used as an external USB drive to store PC and multimedia files such as jpegs from digital cameras? It is also rumored that both Microsoft and Sony are working on a portable PVR Video media player. The Sony unit will most likely carry the Video Walkman moniker and the Microsoft unit will have tight integration with their Media XP PC software and XBOX 360 infotainment systems. 

Some other good manufacturer's websites to obtain additional information about these portable Video Players are listed below: www.archos.com www.creative.com www.cowon.com, www.creativelabs.com, www.samsung.com www.mustek.com www.iriver.com I hope you found this guide helpful. I tried to be manufacturer agnostic and the usual disclaimers apply. Let the buyer beware and if the advertising claims seem too good to be true, they usually are. Also try to buy from a reseller that has a decent return policy so you can try before buying. Additional research is also a good thing. PC Magazine writes pretty objective reviews for these type of devices. Thanks and happy viewing out there in the field!!!

June 21, 2009 Update:
Faster Processors have appeared in the Cowon A3 and Q5, the New Archos 5 and 7 Internet-enabled PVRs and the new Creative ZEN X-Fi and Creative Zen credit card sized MP3/Video players. Videos load much faster and support for other video file formats has expanded to include WMV, AVI, MP4 and MOV formats. The Cowon Q5 has built in Bluetooth support and the Archos 5 and & have built in WiFi and USB support for attaching USB peripherals like a memory card reader, mouse or external keyboard.

Unfortunately, Creative has stopped producing the Creative Zen W which is the wide screen 4.3 inch wide PVR player that is extremely small and thin but has a decent sized bright and sharp color screen. They are only available used as 30 and 60 GB models and you can sometimes find upgraded 100 and 120 GB models on eBay. This player has proven very popular due to it's small pocket-able size and built in compact flash slot which makes it much easier to transfer video/audio/photo files into the unit.digital photographers will find the Creative Zen Vision W as an excellent portable back-up device which allows for instant viewing of their digital photos. The bundled software for converting videos to play on their devices has improved greatly with OEM deals arranged with vendors like Arcsoft to provide the codecs and software trans-coding engines to convert existing video files to play on their players. House brand Insignia (Sold by Best Buy) and Philips Go Gear offer credit card sized video players with small 2.2-3" TFT screens at the low end and also offer models with integrated Bluetooth. This is a very nice feature as it allows you to pair a set of Wireless Stereo Headphones with the video player. You can buy decent wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones from vendors such as Sony, Motorola, Panasonic, Oakley, and Samsung that are perfect for bicycling, treadmills, running, etc as you can get high quality music on the go without worrying about tangled earphone cords. Battery life is excellent for most of these new stereo headphones with some averaging up to 4-5 hours of continuous usage time on a fully charged battery.

Fujifilm F30 Point and Shoot Camera Review

FujiFilm F30 Digital Camera Review
10 OZ Pocket DSLR - Low Light Champion -@ 3200 ISO!!!!
Review created: 06/18/06 (updated 06/25/06)

I just got my Finepix F30 on 6/12/06. It was on back order with J&R Computers for 4 weeks but worth the wait. Low light performance is ASTOUNDINGLY GOOD! You will never have to turn the flash on. Noise crops up from ISO settings 400 up to 800, 1600 and 3200 but the trade-off is acceptable especially if you are in a situation where flash is prohibited and you need to capture that once in a life-time shot at a Concert or Museum. You will be able to get clear shots and use higher shutter speeds with the higher ISO settings. The camera springs to life almost instantly and the zoom lens retracts in an instant. When you need the flash, it's there and does a great job of adjusting the intensity based on the light metering real-time readings. Although the camera is still not fully controllable in the traditional MANUAL SETTING mode, it still offers you enough flexibility in setting the aperture and shutter speeds to adapt to various challenging lighting and action shooting scenarios.

This camera is a HUGE upgrade over the original Finepix F10. It outperfoms that camera in almost every way. I know because I owned the Finepix F10 for about a year before upgrading to the F30. Faster, Sharper images, more responsive and higher light sensitivity with lower noise and artifacts. I call it a DSLR (Digital SLR) in a pocket. For those times when you do not want to break out the heavy artillery (which is more than 85% of the time for me) the Finepix F30 is the camera of choice for getting those indoor shots that could only be captured by a much larger (and EXPENSIVE) Digital SLR camera. Kudos to Fujifilm for continuing to push the bleeding edge of compact digicams that can produce high quality images without a flash in extreme low-light conditions. You will be capturing truly candid photos as the lack of flash will put your subjects more at ease and encourage spontaneity. I carry the Finepix F30with me everywhere because it is small and pocket-able. Although it is about 4 ounces heavier than the ultra-small pocket zoom point and shoot cameras it gives me much more capability in terms of low-light performance and getting the shot only a much larger and heavier Digital SLR is capable of. Most of theF30's capabilities can be attributed to the latest generation of Fujifilm's Super CCD Imager which provides higher ISO sensitivity than most if not all of their competitors while keeping the images at very low noise levels.

Check it out NOW!!. Fujifilm has a limited-time $50.00 manufacturer's rebate promotion (whic expires the end of July 2006). You can get one for as little as $349.95 from an Internet Reseller. At $299.95 net cost, after the rebate this is one of the best bleeding-edge digicam deals out there today.

Watch the DSLR guy's mouth drop as you take existing light photos that are about as good as his $1500.00 set-up at the school play or graduation. ALL WITHOUT A FLASH. Existing light photos with accurate white balance from a $300.00 digicam. Amazing. That's what the Finepix F30 delivers. This is the real deal. Now watch Canon, Sony and Olympus re-group after their Marketing Dept. gets a Finepix F30 to evaluate.

Mr Gondo gives this Fujifilm F30 digicam 5/5 Stars. The Fujifilm Engineers did their homework on this camera and it shows. I now leave the heavy artillery home (Olympus E-1 and Sony R1) for the more challenging photo shoots. Thank you Fujifilm for lightening my load and putting the candid factor back into digital photography.