Rating: 
Summary: FujiFilm FinePix S5000
Review: I haven't owned this camera for long, but I've taken roughly 250 pictures with it and they are outstanding!!! If there are any drawbacks I just haven't come across them as yet. I do own two other Fuji Digital cameras and a Minolta Dimage 5, but this one is superior to the others - and the others are in the 3MP range as well. You will need a larger XD card. 16MB just isn't enough. I can recommend this camera without hesitation.
Rating: 
Summary: Fujifilm Finepix S5000
Review: I selected this model because of the fine word of mouth and magazine reviews. I found that the learning curve for the camera, despite many complex features, was very low and easy to navigate. The photo quality is excellent. The focal range of the lens offers opportunity for shots other digitals don't give, as well as the number of apeture choices. The reason I rated the camera at four stars versus five is the finepix software for downloading the photographs. The program would not recognize the camera even after two installs and my computer is a new PC with Windows XP. I finally had to call a tech friend and we found a roundabout way of retrieving the photos. The camera, when plugged in, becomes a separate drive on the hard drive. If I open the Finepix software, then search for that drive, my photos appear and I can then copy them onto a fixed drive in the computer. The program, itself, does not recognize or download the photos. The makeshift solution took two hours with an experienced tech to discover, I should mention.
Rating:
Summary: perfect for part-time pro
Review: I've been very pleased with this camera - the SLR feel of it means I don't miss a beat from my normal photo habits, and the results have been amazing. I hesitated because this does not offer a hot shoe for pro flashes, but the pop-up flash is truly awesome. I've gotten perfectly-lit zoom shots at a rock concert of subjects 15 feet away.
I spent more than I'd planned on this for the 10x optical zoom, and that makes all the difference. Closer, clearer shots. The colors are rich, and the special features are not hard to figure out.
In short, my 35mm is getting dusty, and I can't imagine feeling comfortable with any credit-card size camera. Until I can afford the digital back for my SLR, this is the way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent choice for a beginner to intermediate
Review: I've had this camera for about a month and have had nothing but fantastic photos to show for it. I am merely a photography novice, but the photo quality, features and zoom can hardly be beat for the value of the product.The Good: Good picture quality, top-notch optical zoom, easy-to-hold body design, low battery drain when using high quality NiMH batteries, tube adapter and lensecap included. The "eh"s: Slight purple glow under certain lighting conditions, TTL EVF will take a little getting use to, included software is usable, but nothing comparable to IrfanView and Windows XPs built in image handling. The Bad: Included memory card is woefully small, included batteries will last about half of a blink of an eye.
Rating:
Summary: You can't buy only the camera
Review: The camera by itself is great. It's good for the begginer and for the semi-pro photographers.
However, I will not elaborate on the camera itself, as other reviews are right on the money.
I'd like to comment on the fact that you can't go buy the camera and start working. you HAVE to get a bigger xD card, cause 16MB just won't cut it. You HAVE to get rechargable battaries, and I strongly suggest that you get an adapter that will work around the world, not just in your homeland. and keep charging time in mind (you can't go on vacation with rechargables that take 18 hours to recharge!!!)
and you absolutly MUST get a case for it.
so in short, be prepared to shell out at least a couple hundred dollars so you can start working. on the other hand, most (if not all) of the competition doesn't provide these as well.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't be happier with my purchase
Review: I purchased this camera three weeks ago before a major vacation and couldn't be happier with my purchase. Its my first digital after several years of film photography. The camera is a joy to use. I was hooked in a minute on this model. The manual is easy to understand making operating the camera just as easy. Automatic, manual, video and other modes make this camera fun to experiment with. The 10x zoom will blow you away - I got excellent shots of a football game sitting high up in the cheap seats. Love the black/white mode also. The camera will bracket for you, let you choose auto, 400 and 800 film speed, and will take five consecutive pictures - allowing you to capture subjects that just won't sit still long enough for the digital camera to finish a picture. Battery life surprised me - lasted much longer than I believed it would. Picture quality is outstanding. Installation of software was a snap and downloading of the photos takes just a second. I am very happy with this camera.
Rating:
Summary: Great all around camera for the price
Review: Definitely satisfied!
At the time I bought this camera (a few months ago), I was a beginner in digital photography. Initially I was looking for Fuji S602. Now I have Fuji S5000. Was it a good choice? Can't say yes, can't say no. There is no perfect camera yet... But I cannot ask for more at $350-400.
+: great zoom, burst mode, powerful flash + no red eyes, easy to use, nice colors, great feeling in your hand, movie mode is very good (I would have preferred 640x480), low power consumption, so very good autonomy, many manual settings (for those not happy with auto or predefined modes), RAW mode, can be used as webcamera or video capture device.
-: max shutter only 2s, EVF resolution not so high, LCD could have been at least 1.8", some pictures are noisy (ISO 200 is a bit too high), jpeg compression is quite high (and cannot be changed), low battery indicator is shown only a few seconds before camera turns off.
Recommended buys: another XD card, rechargeable batteries, case, tripod.
Rating: 
Summary: 10x optical zoom, pro feel, but not the best value.
Review: the s5000 has a very nice professional feel. it also has 10x optical zoom which is great. but the superCCD system that fuji uses doesn't give as much detail as hoped for, and in the end, you have to conclude that there are better camers at this price point out there. pros:
- 6-megapixel interpolated still mode.
- vivid colors.
- 10x optical zoom!
- flexible: point and shooters have automatic selections and scene modes while creative shooters have plenty of control with manual and priority exposure modes.
- continuous shooting mode.
- RAW file output.
- bright LCD works well even in low light.
- xD card features short write times, less battery usage.
- non-proprietary batteries used. this means replacement batteries are as close as the nearest convenience store (i recommend rechargeables though).
- good macro performance.
- supplied lens adapter gives camera a more professional look and serves as a lens protector.
- supports add-on lenses.
- unlimited 30 fps 320x240 video.
- adapter ring (which doubles as lens hood) included.
- low redeye occurrence.
- built-in AF illuminator.
- not as big or heavy as i thought. dimensions are 4.4"W x 3.2"H x 3.1"D, weighing 11.9 oz. (excluding batteries and media). cons:
- image quality not as good as competition - too noisy and over-compressed.
- visible purple fringing.
- noticeable vignetting.
- lens shading visible in everyday shots
- no gain in resolution using the 6MP image size setting.
- no direct adjustment for tone or color saturation.
- no manual white balance.
- limited night exposure capability.
- flash exposures slightly underexposed.
- ISO 800 limited to one megapixel image size (1280 x 960).
- you're on your own when using manual focus - it doesn't show focus distance.
- this camera is made of plastic and it doesn't feel very solid.
- no exposure info for photos in playback mode.
- slowest shutter speed available is 2 seconds.
- although i like the fact that fuji uses non-proprietary AA batteries, 4 of these definitely add bulk.
- the supplied 16MB xD card is inadequate. be prepared to shell out a few more bucks for more memory (at least 128MB).
- the AA batteries supplied by fuji are not rechargeable so add a few more bucks to your budget to buy a charger and rechargeable AAs. i hope this helps your buying decision. peace.
Rating:
Summary: A great camera
Review: I initially bought the Fuji Finepix 3800 for my wife -- but it was *terrible* in low light conditions. What do I mean... it couldn't focus in somewhat dim conditions like you'd experience in a restaurant. I traded up for the S5000 and we couldn't be happier. It takes absolutely great pictures. Lowlight isn't a problem anymore with this camera as Fuji added a focus-assist lamp. I also love the fact that it works as a point and shoot but can be controlled manually as well. The zoom is incredible (10x) and is in a class all by itself. Battery life seems pretty good compared to other cameras I've used. What are things that people may not like? Well, it's not a small camera that will fit in your pocket. But that's ok for me. The xd memory cards are more expensive than the other formats right now but on the other hand they're faster and use less battery power.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Extended Zoom Camera!
Review: When I started researching for my first digital camera, there were three main qualities I was looking for: powerful zoom, good picture quality and adaptability (I wanted a camera a newcomer could "grow" with). It also had to be affordable. I considered the Minolta DiMAGE Z1 and Olympus C-740 before deciding that the Fuji FinePix S5000 was by far the best value for the money. And I couldn't be happier! The Fuji Finepix S5000 is relatively easy for a digital beginner like me to learn with, but also has enough features to satisfy the creative needs of a more advanced user. Set the dial to "AUTO" and you can pretty much just point and shoot. More advanced users can adjust shutter speed, aperture, focus, flash, etc. The camera itself seems sturdy and is ergonomically designed so that it "feels good" in your hands. When taking pictures you can easily toggle between the LCD (which is small compared to some models but very bright and easy to see) and the camera's Electronic Viewfinder (EVF). Fuji FinePix S5000 has a special "Continuous Shooting" mode that enables you to take 5 frames at intervals as short as 0.2 seconds-perfect for capturing the action at sporting events or getting good pics of moving subjects like kids & animals. Other features include "movie mode" (allows you to shoot brief moving pictures w/sound - the length of these movies is limited by the size of your memory card), a macro setting for close-up photography, red-eye reduction, a self-timer & a lot more. I've taken a number of pictures indoors under very poor lighting conditions. With the flash, the resulting picture quality is amazing (you'd think the subject was standing under studio lights). I've had this camera for several months now, had no problems with it, and am very pleased with the picture quality. The best part about it-and what distinguishes it from its competition-is its 10x optical zoom. If extended zoom is important to you, put this one on your short list! Some notes: The included 16MB xD-Picture card will take approximately 19 pictures in 3.0 megapixel (MP) mode, 25 in 2.0MP mode, and 33 at the lowest resolution (1MP). You'll probably want to upgrade to a larger-capacity card. I purchased a 128 MB card, which can take approximately 162 pics at the 3.0MP setting. The camera comes with 4 regular AA batteries, but you'll definitely want to get the rechargeable ones. A tripod is recommended when using the full 10x zoom - although in a pinch (with some practice) it's possible to get clear shots at full zoom without one. Good luck with your decision!
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