FUJIFILM FinePix 4700Z
Old vertical compact digital camera with 3x zoom and first generation honeycomb CCD
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Review
1．Usage
The Finepix 4700Z is a compact digital camera made by Fujifilm that was released on March 1, 2000.
It’s a 24-year-old camera, so it’s probably one of the oldest compact digital cameras out there. I put two AA batteries in it and started it up for the first time in over 20 years, and it started up and I was able to take pictures without any problems.
The startup time is faster than the FinePix 1500 that I introduced previously, and when you press the power switch, the lens cover opens and the zoom lens extends.
As with almost all Fujifilm cameras from this period, the 36-108mm lens in 35mm equivalent is a little lacking on the wide-angle side. Fujifilm was quite late in adopting a 28mm wide-angle lens, starting with the FinePix F100d in 2008.
The lens is an old zoom lens with noticeable distortion, and the number of recorded pixels is 4 million, 2800 x 1800 pixels, but the actual resolution of the image sensor is 2.4 million pixels, and the 4 million pixel image is saved by complementing it with honeycomb CCD information. I’m interested to know how raw data is recorded in this camera, but raw recording is not supported.
The mode dial of the camera is located around the shutter button on the top of the camera, so it can be used safely without being changed accidentally.
When using M mode, it is a mysterious specification that the image will not be recorded unless the execute button is pressed each time. I forgot to press the execute button several times and missed the next shutter opportunity, so I got into the habit of pressing the execute button several times after taking a picture in M mode.
The main specifications of the camera are listed in the table below along with the FinePix 4800Z, FinePix 6800Z, and FinePix F601.
2．Camera overview
The Finepix 4700Z uses Fujifilm’s unique vertical camera shape, is equipped with a lens equivalent to 36-108mm in 35mm format, has a Super CCD honeycomb image sensor with a sensor size of 1/1.7 inch, 2.4 million sensor pixels, 4 million recording pixels (2800 x 1800), and is powered by two AA batteries.
As mentioned earlier, it uses two AA batteries for power, so there is no problem obtaining batteries for the camera even today. Nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium AA batteries, and alkaline batteries can be used as long as they are the right size.
The recording media uses the 3.3V version of SmartMedia, and is compatible with media with a maximum capacity of 128MB. The 128MB SmartMedia was released about a year after this camera.
This camera was registered as No. 00243 in the Important Science and Technology History Materials of the National Museum of Nature and Science in 2018.
This camera is provided as an OEM for Leica’s DIGILUX 4.3. In addition, its successor, the FinePix 4800Z, which has almost the same specifications, has a Porsche design exterior, making it a camera with many variations.
3．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.
Specification and Competitor
| Name | FinePix 4700Z | FinePix 4800Z | FinePix 6800Z | FinePix F601 |
| Number of pixels | 240 | ← | 301 | ← |
| Sensor Type | Super CCD Honeycomb (1st generation) | ← | Super CCD Honeycomb (2nd generation) | Super CCD Honeycomb (3rdt generation) |
| Sensor Size | 1/1.7 | ← | ← | ← |
| Lens | 8.3 mm～24.9mm 35mm equivalent: 36mm～108mm | ← | ← | ← |
| Aperture | F2.8～F4.5 auto | F2.8～4.5／Ｆ7.0～10.8 auto | ← | F2.8～4.5/F4.0～F6.3/F5.6～F8.8/F8.0～F12.4 |
| OVF | Real image optical zoom viewfinder | ← | ← | ← |
| Rear LCD | 2 inch | ← | ← | 1.5 inch |
| Rear LCD resolution | 130,000 pixels | ← | ← | 110,000 pixels |
| Battery | 2 x AA batteries | NP-80 | NP-80 | NP-60 |
| Recorded media | SmartMedia (128MB) | ← | ← | ← |
| Size(mm) W x H x D | 78 × 97.5 × 32.9 | 80 × 97.5 × 36.3 | ← | 72.0 × 93.0 34.0 |
| Weight(g) (only body) | 255 / 310 | 258 /300 | ← | 220 / 250 |
| Release date | 2000.3.1 | 2001.4.25 | 2001.3.4 | 2002.2.18 |
| Body color | Silver | Silver, Porsche Design | ← | Silver |
Options
- Product name (on sale) Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (excluding consumption tax)
- USB interface set IF-UB/F (compatible with Windows 98/Macintosh)
- (USB cable, 16MB SmartMedia included) Open price
- Image memory card MG-4SB (4MB SmartMedia 3.3V) Open price
- Image memory card MG-8SB (8MB SmartMedia 3.3V) Open price
- Image memory card MG-8S2B (8MB SmartMedia 3.3V, 2 cards) Open price
- Image memory card MG-8S3B (8MB SmartMedia 3.3V, 3 cards) Open price
- Image memory card MG-16SW (16MB SmartMedia 3.3V) Open price
- Image memory card MG-16S2W (16MB SmartMedia 3.3V, 2 cards) Open price
- Image memory card MG-32SW (SmartMedia 32MB 3.3V) Open Price
- Image Memory Card MG-64SW (SmartMedia 64MB 3.3V) Open Price
- Floppy Disk Adapter FD-A2B (Flash Pass) 12,000 yen
- Image Memory Card Reader SM-R2 (USB compatible) Open Price
- PC Card Adapter PC-AD3B 10,000 yen
- Soft Case SC-FX27 3,000 yen
- AC Power Adapter AC-3V 4,000 yen
- AA NiMH Battery “NiMH 1600” 2-pack HR-AA/2B 1,100 yen
- AA NiCd Battery “High Power 1000” 2-pack KR-AA(HP)/2B 1,000 yen
- NiMH/NiCd Quick Charger FNH 4,500 yen
Reference links
- FinePix 4700Z News Release
- FinePix 4800Z News Release
- FinePix 6800Z News Release
- FinePix F601 News Release
Update history
- 2024.9.3
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