Once the 2800 is turned on the expandable 6X optical zoom lens expands 21mm to its full operating length. When the unit is powered off the lens is fairly well protected from bumps and drops as the lens housing is integral with the entire unit. The flash is stationary and the lens offer no direct manual focus capabilities, although focus is optional from the OSD menu. The lens is a Fujinon 6X optical zoom, 1:2.8-3.0, f= 6-36mm.

The rear of the FinePix 2800 is pretty well layed out, but some of the control buttons were too small for my large fingers (notably the menu navigation/zoom buttons). The large 1.8" TFT LCD viewfinder is protected by a plastic screen and the user also has the option of looking through the 0.55" LCD EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) which has a resolution of 110,000 pixels. The main LCD has a total of 62,000 pixels.

The camera can be operated by either viewfinder, and it takes about a second to switch between the two by pressing the "EVF/LCD" key. The eyecup is rubberized and is comfortable to use.

The three buttons on top right side allow the user to navigate OSD menu's and to zoom in/out.

The small speaker on the side of the camera produces pretty terrible sound, so I'm not sure if it has any real significant value. The FinePix 2800 is pretty slim in terms of ports, with only a jack for an optional 5V power adaptor, which can be useful in place of batteries, and USB connection. The camera cannot charge any type of battery, but the optional kit apparently can charge Ni-MH batteries.

The mini-USB port is used to transfer images off of the camera and when you want to use the FinePix 2800 for video conferencing (the picture is a bit choppy). The little flap next to these two ports holds the SmartMedia Flash card. Push in a card, or pull one out for quick and easy media changes - very simple. Opening the flap shuts off the camera to prevent any damage naturally.

The FinePix 2800 works off of four 1.5V AA Alkaline batteries which are stored in the hand hold. The camera can be attached to a tripod via the standard thead mount in the center of the base.

The top of the FinePix 2800, like the rest of the camera, is pretty simple in what it offers. The flash looks like it can pop-up because the material is slightly different, but that is not the case.

The shinny silver shutter release is a pleasure to use as there is a good down stroke for auto-focusing, and a very sharp release which lessons the chance of the camera jiggling around. Behind the shutter release are controls for camera mode.