Soren Larsen was lent a Finepix 2800 to evaluate by Hanimex New Zealand. Most of the images that are reproduced in this year's Voyage Log pages have come from this very capable digital camera. Here Soren crewman Clive Tearle tells of his experience using the camera so far.

As a first time entrant into the digital stills camera area I was given the task of getting to grips with the Finepix 2800 and delivering pictures of the voyage for this website.

I was briefly introduced to the camera at 10 pm the night before the ship sailed from Auckland, with just instruction book and no chance to try out test pictures through a PC. I must say I'm delighted in how user friendly its proved to be. What has been particularly useful is the ability to view the picture through the viewfinder as the Pacific sun makes an LCD screen hard to see. (The Finepix 2800 features a small video screen inside the viewfinder, rather than glass eyepiece - so what you see is what your going to get).

Using the camera at sea posed one unexpected challenge - the time delay between pushing the button and 'taking' the shot doesn't lend itself to shots with a horizontal horizon in them, because of the movement of the deck and cameraman. This may be an issue with most digital cameras - however by shooting a sequence and deleting the one's I don't need I'm usually able to get a desirable image. The same is true of 'action sequences' such as the dancing scenes in the villages - which are quite striking.

Clive on the other side of the camera - with friends on Malakula, Vanuatu

Image original 100% size - taken on the camera's Normal picture size setting. Note image compressed for webviewing.

The first time I accessed the website I was blown away by the clarity and sharpness of the images - and the camera was not even set at the maximum pixel rate.

(The smart media memory cards are sent back to the ship's base and the images resized and rendered down to a suitable web-friendly size and uploaded to this site. Using a Fujifilm card reader and the Finepixviewer software that came with the camera this was quite straightforward- IH)

We've used a single set of AA sized NiMH rechargeable batteries which has been fine and the camera has withstood the rigors of being at sea on a traditional square rigger and a tropical rainforest environment.

I've spent the last 12 years working with professional video and film cameras and I've found this tiny camera opens up a whole new dimension to capturing the moment. Like square rig sailing - its unique and must be tried!

Clive T.

Check the local time aboard here.

SW Pacific weather map info via here

Images used in this Voyage Log are mainly taken with Fuji's Finepix 2800.
Find out more here

See our assessment of the camera here

Check
2000-2001
Global Odyssey Voyage Logs
here.