Rating: 
Summary: What a sweet little deal!
Review: I can't begin to express my satisfaction with this camera. It has all the features for a serious photographer like my husband but an awesome auto feature for the moms like me who want great pics of our kids but I only want to turn it on to shoot.In less than 2 hours we had everything figured out and was impressed with how easy it is to use. My immediate concern was taking indoor shoots - nothing but awesome shots. My husband was taking pics while driving at 55 mph in his car and even those came out great. I know it will be worth my learning all of the feature of the camera because his pics can achieve more than mine...but my baby spit-up looks great too. The continuous shots is great for sports. I tried it out taking pics of a TV program...it was amazing. And there are multiple ways to get continuous shots. The focus ability is amazing. You can take shots up close, far away and have objects in both places and you can achieve any focus you want (i.e., some objects in focus, all objects in focus, etc). The zoom is awesome. ANd you can add a telescopic lens to get 20 optical zoom. I do wish the camera had the ability to add an extra external flash in case this one dies. But, some things are worth the sacrifice. The price is awesome. Why waste money on extra megapixels when the biggest I would print out would be an 8x10. The optical zoom is what is fantastic. The camera says it can take pics at 6 megapixels - they look the same as the 3 so I don't think it's worth the file sizes. Of course, the 16 meg stick it comes with is useless. We purchased a 512 and don't regret it at all. I never have to change sticks so I don't have to worry about losing it, or that I could break it (it is small). We can take over 600 pics at the peak settings. 600 pics - that's incredible. Worth the extra $$. I will say the one thing about the camera is the size. I have small hands and I was looking for something easy for me to hold, easy to carry on vacation, not bulky, etc. It's awesome for me. My husband has much wider hands and he manages OK. I researched this camera and others until I got so sick of looking at another review. This is by far the best one especially for the price. After we have shown this camera to a few other people, they too went and got it. You can rest assured that the funtionality is all there. You will not be dissapointed! Happy picture taking!
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to use, lots of features, NOT good for action shots
Review: I bought this camera about 2 months ago and have been very pleased with it in all but 1 aspect: it is no good for action shots. It has the same problem as every other digital camera in that you have to push the shutter button half-way down to lock the Auto-focus, and only then can you snap an instant shot, but on top of that, this camera doesn't take the shot immediately when the shutter button is pressed all the way down, there is a millisecond delay, just enough to lose a good shot. In addition to this flaw, the Electronic view finder and the LCD both go blank for an instant while the auto-focus is locking, which means that a shot framed a second earlier is lost when the screen goes blank for that short time, and the camera must be refocused. In combination, these two flaws make it almost impossible to take action shots, even in "action shot" mode. Other than that, the colors in the photos are rich and the auto-focus works well. The details captured are quite nice, and battery life is average. The video mode is convenient and clear, and the manual settings come in handy for many subjects. The zoom is great, and even at 10x I still get clear, focused shots. Macro mode captures excellent detail, and night mode allows for some interesting lighting effects. Alltogether a very nice package if you aren't interested in taking action shots. For action shots, you MUST have an optical viewfinder.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Buy, Great Camera
Review: Looked for this camera some three weeks. I like the size and feel of the unit. Like the interchange feature between the view finder and the LCD display. The pics are clear and sharp. Like the large amount of bells and whistles. These will require much practice, but I think will make one a better photo/tog.
Rating:
Summary: really cool camera, could take better photos
Review: i just bought this camera about a week ago, and right out of the box, i thought, "this is such a cool camera!". i had done some research and wanted a dig camera with a good optical zoom on it, and this was one of few that was over 3X. i got a great price on it (from somewhere else...) and have been using it almost everyday. the good: easy to hold, lightweight, battery life seems good, lots of useful features (once you learn how to use them), zoom is great, movie mode is kinda cool. good shutter speed. pictures are pretty good. overall, it's design and use of use are pretty good. doesn't seem to have a lot of "down time" when thinking from one picture to the next. the continous photo modes are cool and some of the advanced features really turn you on to learning more about photography. the so-so/bad: viewfinder (EVF) is hard to see through. better to use the LCD instead. pictures look better and crisper on LCD versus your computer monitor. movies are only available in one resolution setting, which makes a 15 sec video about 5 MB - kinda hard to email that to anyone! difference between 2MP, 3MP and the 6MP are really unnoticable. i didn't find that this camera took exceptional photos (on 2 or 3MP). i owned a 2.1MP kodak dc3400 before this one and felt it took better photos. however, the 4x6 prints i've done look just fine. only comes with 16MB memory card which is practically useless. advice? get the 128MB card, get rechargable batteries. read the instruction manual (at least twice). auto mode works fine, but if you want to take even better photos, learn about the advances features. if you don't want to use advanced features, buy another camera. overall, i am impressed with the features, but not so impressed with the quality of photos. this might go up for auction on ebay...we'll see.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera with one major flaw
Review: I love this camera, but it's one major flaw gets in the way of total enjoyment. That flaw is the overly aggressive jpeg compression on standard shots. Great things about this camera: The movie mode is surprisingly high quality, though low-res at 320*240. I took it to a concert with a huge xD card and the video and audio quality were very good. (I listen to a lot of bootleg audio.)
It does take very, very good shots. Make sure you have a steady hand, as the incredible range of zoom, shutter and exposure can lead to blur. Fuji's non-square CCD technology makes great shots.
The features available to control your shots rivals that in digital SLRs. In fact, I moved to this camera from an Olympus digital SLR. At the cost, there is no comparison to any other camera on the market in late 2003/early 2004.
It takes wonderful low-light photos but you must learn the exposure/shutter features (like on any camera). The ability to emulate ISO 800 is great.
Coming from an SLR, I thought having an electronic viewfinder would be disadvantage. It is, but this viewfinder has great quality for a pro-sumer class camera.
10x optical zoom: need I say more? OK, so the major flaw. The jpeg compression on the pictures it takes is way too aggressive. The wonderful Fuji CCD quality is simply thrown away in 90% of the shots you will take unless you leave it in RAW mode and the RAW mode disables several features. Sharp details and fine texturing are lost because of the compression. My last camera had three quality settings in addition to RAW, this has none, well, one, and it's too agressive. My dream is that Fuji releases a firmware update for this, but I doubt it. Nitpicks:
The RAW mode saves in it's own RAW format requiring Fuji's software to be installed. If it weren't for that RAW format, I'd have no need for more software clutter on my computers. Other Fuji cameras I have used save RAW as TIFF, so what was Fuji thinking on this one?
The included xD card is entirely inadequate. Again, what were they thinking? I only used the included card for test shots before putting in larger cards I bought at the same time. If this was a marketing decision to sell larger cards, the 16MB should have just been thrown in as non-removable base memory.
It does seem extremely sensitive to hand movements. Maybe some mild stabilization would have been a good design, they fit in much, much smaller cameras.
The shutter press results in the photo being taken a signifigant fraction of a second longer than I expect. Though true of many cameras it is particularly exaggerated on this one when compared to my last Olympus. It is frustrating to take good candids with this camera. The focus lock (half the shutter button) should actually lock the focus for true instant shots. There isn't a better pro-sumer camera out there in this price range! But the compression settings don't allow me to give this a full five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful 3MP camera with a long list of useful features
Review: With this camera, Fuji apparently decided to put the bucks into features rather than megapixels and to build the best 3mp camera they could -- like building an expensive Audi with a 1.8-litre engine -- resulting in a product that is extremely versatile at the price. Really, few will ever need more than 1mp for typical picture-taking, and the sharpness and accurate color balance this camera produces even at that "low" resolution are more than satisfying, even in low light conditions. And, at 1mp, you can shoot and store a number of photos equal to approximately twice the meg rating of your memory card. The lens is sharp and as good a quality as I've seen in any consumer camera, even at its vaunted 10x optical zoom (where you'll need a tripod or other solid brace -- it doesn't have the digital stabilization found on pro cameras). Photos download in a few seconds direct from camera to computer. I like the locked-down flash -- it doesn't fire off inadvertently when you're inside a museum -- and the battery life is as good as I've ever seen on a digital camera. It's unlikely, but should your rechargables ever expire while you're in the field, you can pick up a set of ordinary AAs. The digital WYSIWYG thru-the-lens viewfinder with diopter adjustment is superior to the typical optical rangefinders found in this bracket of cameras. A full range of manual priority settings, the ability to shoot black-and-white and "Kodachrome" (color-saturated)photos and a lens hood that accepts standard 55mm filters complete this very attractive package. Drawbacks: the camera, while small, is oddly shaped and is too large for the typical digital camera case or your pocket but rattles around in a 35mm camera bag. The zoom motor is a bit too fast and difficult to fine-tune. And it could use a remote shutter release.
Rating:
Summary: Your Search is Over!
Review: I've owned several digital cameras, and my Fuji S5000 is BY FAR the best BANG FOR $$$ out there! It looks like a DSLR, but is much lighter. Don't let the light weight fool you -- it's been PLENTY durable, having unfortunately been repeatedly dropped (I don't recommend doing this!!!), bounced around in a jeep, gotten wet several time, most recently photographing in the rain, handled roughly by myself and a photography student -- it's light, with a lot of plastic, but it must be very tough plastic. Because I paid so (relatively) little for the camera, I have no great financial investment to worry about... no need to 'baby' it. This is liberating -- a tremendouosly capable digital camera at a very low price. I was shooting out of the box in 5 minutes, taking fantastics pics. I've put over 4000 images on the camera in 6 weeks without a hitch, and if I do my part, the camera does its part. I did research, read the forums, and the only criticism you can find is from people who think that because the S5000 looks like a mega$$$ DSLR, it should perform like one. You know what? -- it performs da#m close! for a small fraction of the cost of some mega Canon DSLR with all the lenses, just get this camera, enjoy the awesome zoom range, and start shooting. You won't regret it. The claims of noisy images, too much jpg compression, etc., just don't matter. You can reduce the in-camera sharpening, and this solves the problem. Sharpen later if you want. Prints up to 8x10 are amazingly crisp and sharp. If you really need 'perfect' images from this camera, you can always shoot in RAW, convert to your file of choice (psd) and adjust in photoshop, no sweat, but the jpegs LOOK great, and print out great out to 8X10. XD card is a joy compared to CF cards -- get the 512MB because, like peanuts, once you start you just can't stop! Battery life (rechargeable NiMh) is the best I've ever seen in a pro-sumer digital camera.. after using several energy-thirsty Coolpixes and others. Take a couple of replacement packs of AA, enough XD storage, and you're set for a very pleasurable photo safari with the S5000. Have faith, trust me, JUST GET IT.. DEALS LIKE THIS DON'T COME AROUND TOO OFTEN!!
Rating:
Summary: Viewfinder isn't as glasses friendly as it could be.
Review: * I received it a few days ago and have taken a bunch of indoor, outdoor, overcast, & sunny pix. For the most part they are all outstanding compared to my old Kodak 1 Megapixel. It is pretty much point and click, which is a feature I wanted (I'm not a photographer). * The sample pix I've taken are pretty darn good. I used the camera before reading the instructions, so you can imagine that photos will be very good with proper settings and such. * Don't care for that viewfinder though. I have to wear glasses and they are not ideal with the electronic viewfinder which is a tad fuzzy by the way. I can't really tell if the thing is focused or not so I just have to trust the autofocus feature. * I wish the lens cap had a tie point instead of just looping arouns the lens. It has fallen off during use several times already (minor complaint). * The zoom works awesome. I was expecting a fair amount of fuzziness in zoomed pix but they look fine. I've since read that you need to hold the shutter release down halfway to allow for focusing before fully depressing and "snapping" the pic. I think that I will have even better results next time out. * The camera uploads pix FAST to the computer compared to the old serial connection. A huge leap for digital cameras.
Rating:
Summary: After lot of research, I've found my camera!! Fujifilm S5000
Review: I absolutely love this camera! I did lots of research into the digital camera realm and finally decided on the Fujifilm S5000. This camera takes GREAT pics. It is so easy to use right out of the box. It is perfect for an amateur, but has lots of SLR type features for those wanting to experiement into the technical stuff. I haven't even began to delve into the more indepth features. I have taken all of my pics on automatic. The only thing I do change from occasion is the megapixel quality (1MP, 2MP, or 3MP) and the ISO features (200/auto, 400, & 800). Before deciding to go digital, I was looking at a SLR camera, but wasn't impressed with the picture quality. At first I was hesitant to go digital because I knew that I wouldn't want to print the pics off on my printer and I didn't want lots of pics on my computer slowing it down. Then, I discovered the many online digital photo processing sites (i.e. Shutterfly, Ofoto, Snapfish). While I loved the features of the camera, the deciding factor as to whether or not I'ld keep the camera was how they turned out in print. One word...WOW! These pictures were as clear and crisp as my 35mm camera (which by the way is also a Fujifilm). Also, the pictures that I took on 3MP quality, can be printed off as large as 16x20. I am so excited that I've finally decided on my new camera! As far as the cons I listed...the flash does not popup automatically. However, there is a green blinking light that will remind you that you need the flash. And as far as the 16MB included card. Fuji could have sprung for at least a 32MB card. You definitely will need to get a larger xD style card, however, I found a 256MB card for a really good price (well under retail) on a popular auction site. Some cons I have read is that you will need to buy a battery charger. However, this camera takes regular AA batteries and I am still using the ones that came with the camera. Environmentally speaking, I suppose I should use rechargable batteries. But for now, I'll just have regular AA's on hand.
Rating:
Summary: HIGHLY RECOMEND
Review: I bought this camera for almost $100 cheaper somewhere else, but that's not for me to say and ruin business for Amazon. The camera is great and all...but if you are an amatuer like I am the other special features seem almost frivilous. I do love the digital camcorder part a lot though. With my 256mb card I can hold about 15 mins of video or close to 300 pictures. Very simple to hook up to the computer, and I highly suggest getting the lexar flash media reader with it also, which is about $30 on this site, and you won't find it cheaper anywhere else. The software with it isn't so great so I hope you have other editing software. If not, go buy Picture It or something. I don't think that I know how to use most of the camera features yet, but I haven't really tried to either. The pictures come out slightly better than a normal 3.1 megapixel camera that you would buy for $260 in a store. I say for the price of this camera the amount of features it comes with are EXCELLENT. I don't like the auto-focus, it doesn't seem to do much for me. I also don't like the multiple-pictures it can take for when there is movement...I thought they would be nice and crisp or something but you still get the motion blur in it, so if you thought that's what it's about...it's not. It looks like a very big and bulky camera but really, the only thing that's bulky is the zoom lens and extra lenses if you should get them. The zoom is great. I do recommend this camera.
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