3x zoom & first honeycomb CCD FP4700Z

A review and photo examples of the FUJIFILM FinePix 4700Z.

Gallery
Review
Specification and more
Reference links

Gallery

Review

Overview
Usability
Summary

1．Overview

The Finepix 4700Z is a compact digital camera manufactured by Fujifilm that was released on March 1, 2000.

The typical specifications of the camera are listed in the table below for the FinePix 4800Z, FinePix 6800Z, and FinePix F601.

The main features are as follows:

The body is vertical.
Equipped with a lens that is 36-108mm in 35mm equivalent.
The image sensor is a Super CCD honeycomb.
The sensor size is 1/1.7 inches.
The sensor pixel count is 2.4 million pixels.
The recording pixel count is 4 million pixels (2800 x 1800).
The recording media is 3.3V SmartMedia, and supports up to 128MB.
Operates on two AA batteries.

As mentioned earlier, since it uses two AA batteries for power, it is still easy to obtain 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 used is a 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.

With FINE, which records at 4 megapixels with the highest resolution, each image is 1.6MB to 2MB, and if you use a 128MB SmartMedia, it will say that 74 images can be taken immediately after formatting. The method for formatting a SmartMedia for recording images is as follows.

Change the camera mode to the image playback position and press the Menu/Execute button to display the format menu.

Older digital cameras often have menus in different locations, and the settings often change when you go to Function Selection > Menu. It is a little puzzling that this camera does not have a Media Format option in the set mode.

2．Usability

The Finepix 4700Z is a 24-year-old camera, so it’s probably one of the oldest among old compact digital cameras. I put two AA batteries in it and started it up for the first time in over 20 years, and it started up and took pictures without any problems.

It’s equipped with a first-generation honeycomb CCD sensor, and the body shape is Fujifilm’s unique vertical type.

The startup time is faster than the FinePix 1500 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’s adoption of 28mm wide-angle was quite late, 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 supplementing it with honeycomb CCD information. I’m interested to know how this camera records raw data, but raw recording is not supported.

The camera’s mode dial is located around the shutter button on the top of the camera, so it can be used safely without being accidentally changed.

When using M mode, it is a mysterious specification that the image will not be recorded unless the execute button is pressed each time. There were several times when I forgot to press the execute button 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.

3．Summary

In conclusion, to summarize the Finepix 4700Z, as an early digital camera, it has many features such as a unique image sensor, a 3x zoom lens, and a vertical body. It is unclear how well it sold, but as of 2025, it is a camera that is often seen second-hand.

The depiction is of its time, and there are many negative aspects that are unique to old digital cameras, but it is best to enjoy it as such.

This camera was registered as No. 00243 in the Important Historical Materials of Science and Technology at the National Museum of Nature and Science in 2018.

This camera is provided as an OEM for Leica’s DIGILUX 4.3. In addition, the successor FinePix 4800Z, which has almost the same specifications, has a Porsche design exterior design, making it a camera with many variations.

Add info. :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

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

Update history

2024.9.3

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