slieder's Full Review: FUJIFILM FinePix S5200 / S5600 Digital Camera
I bought this camera because I wanted more control over my photos. I have had no formal training in photography, and I am basically and "experienced amateur". Still, I found myself limited by many point and shoot cameras, and never seemed to be able to quite get the picture I wanted.
I found I needed more zoom, and better control of exposure and sensitivity.
What I love about this product is the quality of the pictures, and the fact that I can take decent videos with it. I have used it to record video of my nephew marching in the drumline, and my mother singing in a choir. Video quality is good enough to post on YouTube, and the sound isn't bad either! That's not why I bought the camera, but that turned out to be a great plus.
I have taken many, many pictures of sunsets, and of flowers and wildlife, and I have been very pleased. The 10X optical zoom has been very helpful, but I have found that I need to use a tripod to get good quality if I am taking photos in low light.
This camera does have the capability to emulate ISO ratings up to 1600, but the photos seem to get grainy when you go over 400, so I don't the 800 and 1600 ISO settings very much.
It does a good job with portraits, though, and it has all sorts of modes. Continuous is good for sports, and it has a focus-assist light for lower-light situations. It also has shutter priority and aperture priority modes, plus a fully manual mode, and modes for natural light. I use the natural light mode the most, but sometimes I have to play with it, or put it on a tripod, to get pictures that are not blurry.
The camera has a nice look and feel, and it feels sturdy.
Oh, and some don't like this, but I LOVE that it uses AA batteries. I have lots of rechargeable AA batteries, and in a pinch I can buy AA batteries ANYWHERE!!! I think this is a good thing.
As far as what I don't like, there is no way to attach an external flash, and I am not always happy with photos in low light situations. And it would benefit from image stabilization. But other than that I really love this camera. Especially for the price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
5.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints 10x optical zoom (equivalent to a 38-380mm on a 35mm camera) 1.8-inch l...More at Amazon Marketplace
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