The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
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"Best superzoom hands down. Very Poor Review by CNet here" on by hwky556
Pros: High ISO great quality, Manual Focus Ring, Zoom Ring, Great LCD
Cons: Would like dedicated ISO dial/button, wish it had SD memory
Summary: CNet is apparently obsessed with Image Stabilization nowadays and it shows with their review of this incredible camera. I own a Canon S3IS that has IS and the pictures above ISO 200 are awful and completely unusable. This camera takes wonderful pictures up to ISO 1600 and even has ISO 3200 in a pinch. This is MUCH more valuable than having IS but being stuck with noisy images at long exposure times. I've done a ton of side by side comparison image testing and this camera wins every time against the S3. Yes, it is bigger than the S3 but I was keeping it in an around the neck case anyways so what's the difference. This cam fits into the same case and weighs about the same.
The S3IS had a terrible time focusing in both low light and at the long end of the zoom. It was no good going to manual focus mode because it took forever and you'd miss a moment. The manual ring is much faster. I also like the zoom ring instead of the S3's finger dial near the shutter. This is more accurate and much faster. Focusing is also better and the face recognition system actually works to my surprise. There have been a lot of head to head comparisons on pro camera review sites that have pretty much shown the S3, Panasonic, and Sony H5 are very similar on image quality and features. This camera blows them all away. It also has an auto popup flash where you need to manually pop it up with the S3. Much more convenient. The S3 was an okay camera but very frustrating even after all the time I spent with it. At least go to some other sites for reviews and comparison shots to see and don't just take Cnet's ratings as gospel. Every camera seems to get a 7.2-7.4 lately anyways. What's the deal with that? -
"Great feature-laden DSLR-like step-up for point-and-shooters at a good price" on by lbkamg
Pros: Fast; wide-angle & superzoom; auto face detect; manual controls galore + full auto; great low-light shooting; true smart flash; big-bright LCD, excellent color; easy to learn/use; a good buy
Cons: Yes, Fuji missed the boat by not offering true image stabilization.
Summary: As a former Sony, then Canon loyalist, I had done much research over several months before finally purchasing this camera just over a month ago. Honestly, I can't remember having more fun taking photos. When comparing this camera to others, make sure you are likening apples to apples. This has BOTH a solid wide angle and a super zoom (make sure the cameras you compare it to offer the same 28mm-to-300mm equiv., crucial if you do close group shots and don’t want to cut off Uncle Ed). It's not a DSLR so pros may be disappointed (but the semi-pro has plenty to love, and having to deal with only one installed lens adds to adventurous amateur's enjoyment). It's not the simplified one-click wonder techno-phobes need. It's a perfect primo next step for the part-time digital camera buff that wants to dabble in advanced shooting.
It feels nice to hold and the manual zoom (versus those motorized zooms) works nicely. As for carting around, we adjusted for size by buying a compact camcorder case that holds everything, including battery charger. The most glaring Fuji omission is lack of image stabilization. I.S. is especially crucial for long zooms, but Fuji tries to compensate with a Steady Mode that automatically boosts ISO and does a fairly good job of it. I took 200 rapid shot, low light action photos during a recent musical stage performance from the back of the auditorium, and only had to trash a few. A dozen other pics required some quick software image edits, but nearly all the shots were not only good, but better than anything we've staged.
Face Detection feature is incredible: It automatically senses the two eyes and mouth of a face (or multiple faces in groups) and adjusts (if you wish) all the details and settings for perfection. It literally knows when you’re taking a photo with people as the central subject! Much more than a gimmick, I tried it on full zoom in very low light, on a computer and TV screen, even on the dogs...Worked like a charm every time! And like all the other great scene modes and automatic features, you can turn it on/off as you wish.
If you don’t shoot in “Natural Light” mode (although this camera is a low-light expert), the Intelligent Flash is another feather in Fuji’s cap. It automatically senses the correct light needed for the shot (again, only if you want it to) and pops up the well-positioned flash to provide just the amount of light boost needed, with virtually no red eye and no washed out foreground, dark background. Other cameras have had this flash fill feature, but none do it as well as I’ve seen in this model. Not sure whether to take the same shot in Natural or Flash mode? Choose the feature that lets you automatically take double shots of every shot with one click, letting you choose the best result without extra effort.
Then there’s the very good burst mode, well-designed menus, and many (but not too many) handy instant access buttons. Add the slick zoomable movie mode (sans zoom motor noise) that many expensive cameras can’t touch and some folks just have to have. And let’s not forget ease of use for those “chubby” fingers. This Fuji is a great all-around, feature-laden camera. I highly recommend it in my humble opinion. And the price continues to drop, now available below $400. It’s new enough that many stores still haven’t gotten it yet, so you’ll definitely be on the cutting edge. Say, “Cheese!” -
"I recommend it!" on by hartzjr
Pros: Excellent Zoom and easy to use
Cons: not many.......but a little bulky
Summary: Despite the negative reviews by CNET, I looked into this one because of the excellent zoom capabilities and the large LCD screen and was not disappointed. For a modest price on digital cameras, this produces great pictures in many different settings. I questioned whether or not this would work well in action shots. After a few NCAA sporting events, I was very impressed. Based on other reviews I had read, I also hoped it would do well in dark settings and it did very well. This is my first digital camera and I'm glad I made the purchase. It is easy to use and performs well in the aforementioned categories that mean the most to me. I owned a Fuji previously and loved the way the pics developed. I did not purchase the additional lense for the extended landscape photography but plan to do so sometime in the future. I recommend it.
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"Best all-around non-dSLR bargin!" on by video_guy
Pros: Near dSLR quality pictures; manual zoom ring is much better than servo-zoom; low-light pictures (wide angle) are very impressive; good looking camera with comfortable grip; excellent manual controls
Cons: No IS; slightly bulky when traveling; battery cover has finicky design
Summary: If you are looking for a camera that will 1) consistently take excellent photos under a variety of situations, including low-light environments 2) be easily to use, e.g. point-and-shoot, 3) offer lots of creative control over your shots with both 10x zoom and wide-angle 28mm range, and 4) provide full manual control as you develop your skill, the S6000fd is one of the best camera bargains available. This is especially true as this camera can be found for around $250 with a mail-in rebate through the end of June 2007. Apparently, Fujifilm is trying to get rid of them so they can be replaced with a new model. I thought about waiting for them to replace the S6000fd with a newer one that supports image stabilization (IS). However, I didn't want to wait until after summer to get my hands on the latest-and-greatest.
After using the S6000fd on my recent vacation, I found that IS is not even necessary on 85% of the shots I was trying to take. I was at a wedding and the church was dark. Flash photography was not allowed, but the S6000fd came through like a champ, except at the long end of the tele-zoom. The camera performs up to ISO 3200, but those are probably too noisy to use without PhotoShop.
Before buying the S6000fd, I looked at the Nikon D40, Canon SD800IS and the Panasonic TZ3. The latter are both much smaller and easier to carry around, but neither provide the image quality that the S6000fd does. At ISO 400 and under, it was difficult to tell the difference between the D40 and the S6000fd, unless you go down to comparing pixels. To get the zoom- and wide-angle range, the D40 requires either a new lens or you have to search for a special 2 lens kit, which pushes the price north of $800. Plus the S6000fd takes great movies (the D40 doesn't). I couldn't be happier. I highly recommend this camera. In all the reviews, people might complain about no IS, but once you learn how to take good pictures, you won't miss it. -
"Great results, especially indoors" on by lloydg2
Pros: Superb wide angle lens, with crisp shots even using zoom.
Cons: Having to reset picture mode after turnoff.
Summary: As one who does a lot of indoor photo shoots for a small town paper that I edit, I have long needed a camera with a high ISO value with a flash that doesn’t wash out a lot of subject matter within 10 feet of the camera. The Fuji 6000fd seemed to fit the bill in the ISO department, and several much more experienced camera users recommended that I give it a try. I can hardly describe how satisfied I am. I had feared that without true image stabilization there would be blurring due to hand shake when shooting in fast changing news situations, or when using the 300mm lens in full zoom mode without a tripod. So far I have experienced no evidence of the effects of hand shake, and have been astounded by the sharpness of hand-held shots taken with full zoom of kids on swings and cavorting on a jungle gym over 60 yards away. These results were achieved even after realizing that I had forgotten to activate the camera’s stabilization mode (characterized in some reviews by camera pros as being less effective than those used by Canon and Sony). To sum up: So far, I have been shooting only in automatic mode indoors and out. The indoor pictures are neat, crisp and never washed out when the flash is automatically activated. And the indoor results have been achieved without even beginning to experiment with setting the flash at different power settings. In short, I couldn’t be happier with the 6000fd.
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