Any comment on the Fuji FinePics cameras?

[K. Forman]

I'm thinking about taking the plunge into photography... again. This time around, I want a decent camera, as opposed to cheap 35mm, or really worthless digitals I've had before.

I was looking for a digital SLR that wouldn't force us into starvation and darkness. The Rebel looked good, really good, but too pricey, more so if I have to buy a lens seperate. The Fugi FinePic S3000 and S5000 are more in my range-$300-$400. The lens and body are one unit, but it seems to have a decent 10x optical zoom, and 2.2 digital.

Anyone used these? How are they? Do any of these come as just a camera, and not with video capable?

[Keith Loh]

I own the Fuji Finepix S7000 which is also a DSLR-alike. I like it fine but I'm not a professional. I bought a wideangle convertor, stuck it on, and haven't taken it off ever. There are also popular telephoto convertors you can put on them as well. 200-400 dollar range adaptors.

I've shot a few things with it (assembled in no particular order):
http://www.keithloh.com/photos/

Also this: http://www.keithloh.com/photos/may16/ringthing.html

The S7000 is a step below a DSLR and you could make a case that for another couple hundred dollars you should just go into DSLRs.

I recommend going to DPReviews.com for more detailed discussion.

[K. Forman]

Thanks Keith- I was hoping for more responses, but I guess it's just you and me here. I looked at that S7000, and it did look nice at 6.3 mp. But then, I started to do more comparisons to the S5000. The 5000 has 3.1 mp and a 10x optical zoom, compared to the 7000's 6x optical. I'm looking to get the most for my money... is the extra 3 mp worth the extra few hundred dollars? What about the difference in optical zoom?

Now, model differences aside, how do you find the overall quality of the Fuji? Also... where did you get yours from, and how much did you spend?

[Keith Loh]

I have a Fuji complaint I haven't yet tracked down. My camera will not switch to shooting mode occasionally when I switch the mode from gallery to shoot. I don't quite know why it fails to do this but I've worked around it. Aside from that, I like it. I'm still in the experimental phase. The body feels fine, nice and weighty. One of the reasons why I got the S7000 is because the body felt better to me.

[Jeff Donald]

The students I've had with Fuji digital cameras have all been pleased. They seem very reliable and well built (sorry about your issue Keith). Image quality seems very good and Fuji's pricing seems a little lower then competing models when you compare features, accessories etc.

[Dylan Couper]

Keith, I researched both of these cameras heavily a while back (but ended up spending the exta money on a Minolta A2).
I'd save up a bit for the S7000, if for nothing else, it feels much better in my hands. On the other hand, the S5000 is more compact if you want to carry it casualy. The extra zoom wasn't really a factor for me, since with the larger resolution of the S7000 you can just crop it to get the same effect. That negates most of the zoom advantage.
If you plan on printing the photos, the extra resolution of the S7000 is worth it.

Alternately, you can look for a used Fuji S602, which is the earlier model of the S7000. Only 3mp (well 6mp interpolated), but with almost all the features of the S7000, probably for about the same price used as a S5000.

You can't buy them without the video capture. I didn't think too much of the video at first, but now I'm hooked on it. It's a fantastic option if you want video clips of family events and stuff. I love it.

Just buy whichever looks coolest.... :)

You might also want to check out Canon's entry in that line up. I forget what it's called but it has built in IS and a 10x zoom!

[Patricia Kim]

As a starter, check out steves-digicams.com for some reviews. He usually does a pretty thorough job and posts sample photos. You can check his forums, too, for feedback on some of the cameras, and there are links to other sites which also do reviews.

[K. Forman]

Thanks for the comments folks... I'm mainly looking at this as something I can use immediately, due to price- plus the fact that it is a digital SLR "style" cam. Great for snapping quick quality images for web and artwork. It's also something to hone my skills with, and then move up later. And, it still looks like a real cam.

Sometimes looks and price aren't enough to go on, but the positive comments are encouraging. Thanks again.

[Alex Ratson]

I used to use a Fuji 602 and loved it. A vary good introductory camera that gives you the freedom of shooting in full auto or fully manual. I would not call these cameras a digital SLR style camera at all. There is much more to making a camera a DSLR then just a mirror and interchangeable lenses. If I compare my old 602 (or friends S7000) to my Nikon D70 (or other DSLR’s) there is know comparison although that should not alter your decision as you have already stated that you want to hone your skills and then move up.
The S5000 is a good camera. One of the schools I worked for has recently purchased (due to my recommendations) this camera for their yearbook class. This same school purchased my 602 off me for there art department.

Alex

[Michael Sinclair]

For the money, I would get an EOS Digital Rebel or the Nikon D-70. Invest a few hundred more for the quality. Or a 10D. I don't own any of them but I have friends who do. The difference in quality compared to my Canon A-70 or my friends A-80 and Fuji point and shoot is so much greater. The Fuji point and shoots do have fantastic colors though. The small hairs on a person's face show up individually on a DSLR. You can see them clearly. I was surprised though at the quality of some of my macro shots with the simple Canon A-70. I could count the lines on my daughter's hand as she held an inch worm that fell on to her at the National One Wall Handball championship in Coney Island last summer. It was a macro shot that was hand held. I must have stopped shaking for that one moment. A link below if you want to see a scaled size from 2048x1536 to 1024x768. There is a loss in compression from 1.2MB to 99 kilobytes and it still looks fantastic. Take a look. If you want the even better quality of a DSL, which I want myself, than invest in something that costs you about $1,500 with one decent lens to start. I am looking at the D-70 or the rebel--which is cheaper but to get a better lens with it than the usual one. Take a peek at three A-70 pics at the link below.

http://www.geocities.com/matchload.geo/CANONA70PICS.html

[K. Forman]

If'n I did have the money, I'd definately jump on a 10D... Or even a Rebel. But I don't. $300 was more than I could honestly justify. But, being the child at heart that I am, I did justify the cost to suit my self. It has some really nice features (So they claim), better than some of the "better, more expensive" cams. That makes it ok :)

If there is something else out there, in the same price range, I'd consider it. But just based on price and features, the S5000 is extremely appealing. I mostly wanted to know if it was as good as it looked.

[Michael Sinclair]

I love the Canon camera's. I would like to go up to the A-80 from my A-70. I never really looked at the S5000. My sister has a Fuji 602. I was surprised at how sweet the colors and sharpness look. No noise on the lines. Very nice pictures. My brothers Sony 3.2 MP has a lot of noise and poor color saturation. My Canon sometimes washes out the sky to white even on a Blue cloudy sky. I have to trick it to capture the sky behind the subject as blue and white. Once I do, they look fantastic. My sisters Fuji does not do that too much. For the money, the S5000 looks real sweet. I had a Nikon EM. It looks like the S5000 will have the feel of the old style SLR's. Good luck and enjoy it. I have some sample pics from my A-70. I use geocities for their free web page. They allow the pictures to be at the large size on the page. These are all converted down from the 2048x1536 size that are usually about 1.2 MB per picture down to 1024x768 at about 200 KB. They still look great at that size and compression.

http://www.geocities.com/matchload.geo/CANONA70PICS.html

[Gints Klimanis]

Stick with Point&Shoot models. The Nikon 8700 is VERY nice.
Excepting purple fringe, it took better pictures in the store than the D70 in auto-mode. Take a flash card to the store and compare the two yourself.

I bought a D70 a couple of months ago. By the time you're
done with it, it'll cost you $5000 . If you buy a camera
that allows you to switch lenses, you will succumb to lens lust. The first symptom is that you believe you are able to distinguish bokeh. It happened to me. What happens is that you tell yourself "Well, I bought this thing to take really good pictures. I might as well buy the right stuff." You'll end up getting an expensive flash,
big compact flash card, the best zoom lens with vibration reduction, a top of the line portrait lens, a sharp lens that you can use anywhere without having to worry about scratching it,
and ...

Then, you have to pickup Photoshop as a hobby.

Then, you'll find that people are scared of your camera, especially with your lens hood, and you'll find that you don't take your D70 to the same places you took your little P&S camera.

[K. Forman]

I love Photoshop!

One of the things I liked about the S5000, is that it is fully automatic, or fully manual. The lens isn't changeable, but it is a 10x optical. That's better than some more expensive models. I want to be able to control the image, and this cam should let me.

[Rob Belics]

I was looking at some top of the line Canons at the photo shop. Just a year old, used. With a couple of lenses I can get a 14Mpixel unit for less than $200.