Fuji FinePix XP20

Doesn't do what it says and doesn't do what it does very long, but while it does do it...it does it reasonably well.

So I have been giving a lot of great reviews...what can I say...I like to let people know when I find a great product! However...it is just important to help people avoid terrible projects...maybe more important? So...without further delay I present an electronic lemon...better known as the Fuji Film XP20.

Well, there are really only two good points about the camera...the price is excellent...I think I paid right at $100 for this camera...and in a perfect environment it takes excellent photos and video. I've owned the camera for about two years...and during that time the camera only failed to work indoors once (the final attempt to use it).

So now to the terrible...the camera is not waterproof at all. It quit working when a few drops of water hit the camera while taking video of a friend kayaking in a class III rapid...standing on the shore there couldn't have been more than a few drops that got on the camera...yet when I put the camera in a dry-box the moisture within the dry-box was sufficient to prevent the camera from ever working again.

I've let the camera dry out and have attempted to use a new battery. It has as far as I can tell voluntarily retired from service (it still looks great!). I want to be clear that I never much believed the hype about it being waterproof to 16'...but I did think such a claim gave me cause to use this camera with care on rivers...apparently that is not the case.

Given that the camera quit working before I had the chance to drop it or expose it to freezing and very dusty conditions...I cannot speak to the camera's capacity to handle these challenges...but from my experience damp air seems sufficient to cause the camera to malfunction. If you want a cheap camera for outdoor use...or perhaps use in dry climates for less than two years...this might be the camera for you...otherwise I would caution its purchase!