Mint blue old compact digital camera FUJIFILM FinePix 1500
A review and photo examples of the Finepix 1500, a 2-megapixel compact digital camera made by Fujifilm and released in 1998.
- Please see the disclaimer regarding advertising here.
- Italicized links in the text are advertisement links that take you to other sites.
Table of contents
Gallery
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”1072″ gal_title=”FUJI-FINEPIX1500″]Review
1．Overview
The Finepix 1500 has a classic horizontal camera shape, a 1/2.2-inch image sensor, 1.5 megapixels, and is powered by two AA batteries.
As mentioned earlier, because it is powered by two AA batteries, it’s still easy to find batteries for the camera. Nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium AA batteries, and alkaline batteries can be used, as long as they are the right size.
The recording media is 3.3V SmartMedia, and it supports media with a maximum capacity of 128MB. When this camera was released, the maximum capacity was 32MB, so I was surprised to learn about the high compatibility of SmartMedia cards.
2．Usability
The Finepix 1500 is a compact digital camera manufactured by Fujifilm, released on June 22, 1999.
As a 25-year-old camera, it’s probably quite old even among old compacts. I inserted two AA batteries and turned it on for the first time in over 20 years, and it started up and took pictures without any problems.
The startup time is a bit slow, as you can imagine. Sliding the power switch to the right turns it on, but it starts up again after a few seconds. If you slide the power switch while it’s starting up, thinking it might be off, the power will shut off, so be careful.
The 38mm lens (35mm equivalent) is a little lacking on the wide-angle side, but distortion and other issues are well-corrected, making it a worthy example of a FUJINON prime lens. The recording pixel count is 1280×1024 pixels, a size known as SXGA (Super eXtended Graphics Array). While the camera claims to have 1.5 megapixels, the actual resolution is only 1.3 megapixels.
The mode select dial on the back turns easily and has no specific positioning, so it may change position in your bag. This can be a drawback, as you have to check the position of the dial on the back before taking a photo.
The previous model, the FinePix 700, is a legendary compact digital camera with a vertical design that became a huge hit. The FinePix 1500 successfully refines the FinePix 700’s features while reducing its overall size.
The previous model, the FinePix 700, uses the dedicated NP-100 rechargeable battery, and compatible batteries are already difficult to obtain. If the battery deteriorates, there’s a risk the camera will stop working. When purchasing an old compact digital camera, it’s important to check what kind of battery it uses and whether it’s readily available.
The typical specifications for the FinePix 700 are listed in the table below.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the FINEPIX 1500, it is a well-put-together camera for an affordable 2-megapixel camera, and with body colors of silver, mint blue, and orange, it was like the forerunner of compact digital camera color variations.If you can accept its relaxed usability, it is still a camera that is fully usable.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
Comparing the specifications of the FinePix 1500 and its predecessor, the FinePix 700, it’s clear that the FinePix 1500 is a camera that maintains the traditional horizontal camera style of the FinePix 700, with a smaller sensor and LCD monitor size to reduce costs.
The FinePix 1500’s lens is technically shorter and slightly brighter than the FinePix 700’s, but when calculating the FinePix 700’s lens specifications based on the 35mm equivalent focal length, it’s highly likely that Fujifilm’s stated actual lens focal length of 7.6mm is incorrect and actually 6.6mm, and the FinePix 1500’s lens specifications are also somewhat questionable. Below are the results of my calculations.
Because it’s an older model, it’s difficult to say anything about numerical accuracy, and there’s no point in pursuing it.
- FinePix 1500: 6.6mm * 5.99 = 39.5mm
- FinePix 700: Conversion factor for 1/2-inch sensor: 43.27 / 7.95 = 5.44
- FinePix 1500: Conversion factor for 1/2.2-inch sensor: 43.27 / 7.227 = 5.99
- FinePix 700: 7.6mm * 5.44 = 41mm, 6.6mm * 5.44 = 35.6mm
| Name | FinePix 700 | FinePix 1500 |
| Number of pixels | 150 | ← |
| Sensor Type | CCD | CCD |
| Sensor Size | 1/2 | 1/2.2 |
| Lens | 7.6mm (35mm equivalent) | 6.6mm (35mm equivalent: 38mm) |
| Aperture | F3.2 / 8 | F2.6 / 7.2 |
| OVF | Real image optics | ← |
| Rear LCD | 2 inch | 1.8 inch |
| Rear LCD resolution | 110,000 pixels | ← |
| Battery | NP-100 | 2 x AA batteries |
| Recorded media | SmartMedia (128MB) | ← |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 80 × 101 x 33 | 104 × 69 × 31 |
| Weight(g) (only body) | 245 | 195 |
| Release date | 1998.3.4 | 1999.6 |
| Body color | Silver | Silver,Mint blue,Orange |
Options
・About Smart Media
SmartMedia cards come in two operating voltages: the 5V version released early on and the low-voltage 3.3V version. The 3.3V version is the most commonly used SmartMedia card, so you won’t see the 5V version very often, but you should be careful when purchasing one.
And I had a hard time getting my PC in 2024 to read the data on my SmartMedia card.
The first card reader I bought second-hand, Melco’s MCR-SM (USB 1.0 compatible, SmartMedia card reader), seemed to recognize the hardware on my Windows 10 PC, but it couldn’t recognize the memory card. Looking at the Windows Device Manager, I saw a yellow triangle mark, and looking at the details, I saw that the device driver had failed to install. I couldn’t update the driver, so I couldn’t use the card reader.
I found some information on the web about memory card readers not being recognized after upgrading the PC’s OS to Windows 10, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to be interested in doing anything about it, and I couldn’t find any information that would lead to a solution.
When I connected it to a Mac running macOS 14.5 Sonoma, the light indicating that the device was being powered lit up, but the OS was unable to recognize the media.
Next, I purchased a second-hand card reader, also from Melco, the MCR-6U/U2 (USB 2.0 compatible, multi-card reader compatible with SmartMedia, CompactFlash, SD cards, and Memory Sticks), which was recognized without any problems by a PC running Windows 10 and a Mac running macOS 14.5 Sonoma, and I was able to read the SmartMedia.
Based on this, I surmise that support for devices that only have USB 1.0 controllers with the standard drivers has ended for both Mac and Windows.
Reference links
Affiliate Link
- Fujifilm Camera・Ads by Amazon
- Fujifilm interchangeable lenses・Ads by Amazon
- Fujifilm Books・Ads by Amazon
Update history
- 2025.8.21
- 2024.9.3
Leave a Reply