Is this too good to be true?

Running Bing

Okay here's the deal, for a good while now photography has been something I was thinking about getting into. I always enjoy good photography and I think now is the time I will finally make the splash and get myself a camera.


Now the thing is I know absolutely nothing about cameras, so I come on here and a few other places to see what I can dig up and I come across this http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/135359/art/fuji/finepix-s5600-zoom.html

Now this seems exactly what I am looking for but for 175 euro's? whats the catch? I intend to do a some more research myself but what are peoples thoughts on this? is it genuine and is it a decent camera?

I would'nt be massively into it and I would just be taking photos from time to time...nothing serious but I would like a decent camera to experiment with and one that takes good quality snaps.


Any advice is greatly appreciated.

digitalbeginner

Nothing untoward about the deal, they're not much more expensive in shops here,

Dave

Running Bing

digitalbeginner wrote:

Nothing untoward about the deal, they're not much more expensive in shops here,

Dave

Thought I was gonna have to fork out a bit more than that.


How would that compare to this one http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/382527/art/fuji/finepix-s6500fd.html# ?


I wouldnt mind spending the bit extra if I thought it was worth it, but would I get any benefit out of the extra features or would I be better sticking to the basic model? Thanks.

Xiney

It isn't an SLR camera, although it does look a bit like one. So if that's what you think you're getting, it certainly is too good to be true.

I only mention this because I had a coworker make a similar mistake.... to the point of arguing at me that she had purchased a professional camera for $300 when in fact it was something like that one there.

I'm sure you could take some very nice shots with it though, and it's certainly more affordable than an SLR and more practical for the average person.

digitalbeginner

Much better. DP Review give it a highly recommended here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilms6000fd/page14.asp

Running Bing

Xiney wrote:

It isn't an SLR camera, although it does look a bit like one. So if that's what you think you're getting, it certainly is too good to be true.

I only mention this because I had a coworker make a similar mistake.... to the point of arguing at me that she had purchased a professional camera for $300 when in fact it was something like that one there.

I'm sure you could take some very nice shots with it though, and it's certainly more affordable than an SLR and more practical for the average person.

Thanks for pointing that out Xiney but thats one of the few things I know(Im picking this stuff up slowly but surely:o ).


Like I said I wouldnt be doing much heavy duty stuff, but I will probably have it for a while and I want something that will take nice pics and also give me a bit of freedom to experiment.

Has anyone used the s6500? Im having a bit of a hard time finding info on it. Thanks.

Running Bing

digitalbeginner wrote:

Much better. DP Review give it a highly recommended here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilms6000fd/page14.asp

Thanks for posting that review digitalbeginner.:)

Xiney

Babybing wrote:

Thanks for pointing that out Xiney but thats one of the few things I know(Im picking this stuff up slowly but surely slowly but surely:o ).


Like I said I wouldnt be doing much heavy duty stuff, but I will probably have it for a while and I want something that will take nice pics and also give me a bit of freedom to experiment.

Has anyone used the s6500? Im having a bit of a hard time finding info on it. Thanks.

Good stuff, I didn't mean to be patronizing either if I seemed that way but I'm still somewhat upset about the argument that occurred. (Don't you hate it when you know you're right but you can't shut them down 'net style because you're at work??)

Anyway follow digitalbeginner's advice and take a look at DPReview.

Running Bing

Xiney wrote:

Good stuff, I didn't mean to be patronizing either if I seemed that way but I'm still somewhat upset about the argument that occurred. (Don't you hate it when you know you're right but you can't shut them down 'net style because you're at work??)

Anyway follow digitalbeginner's advice and take a look at DPReview.

Not at all Xiney, I appreciate every bit of advice I can get and like I said I am pretty clueless.:)

pansyflower

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/135359/art/fuji/finepix-s5600-zoom.html
Check out Bermingham Cameras. Quite a bit dearer.

DaireQuinlan

I'd recommend any of those fuji cameras. I bought a fuji s602 start of 2003 and it's still working just fine. I think the more expensive one there is possibly the successor to mine, or at least one of them. Good mix of automatic and manual controls on them aswell, so you can start off easy and experiment a bit when you get comfortable. Funny thing was, when I bought mine it was 900 euros and the 1gb card I bought with it was another 300 euros. Yikes. DSLRs at the time were even more insanely expensive.

Running Bing

DaireQuinlan wrote:

I'd recommend any of those fuji cameras. I bought a fuji s602 start of 2003 and it's still working just fine. I think the more expensive one there is possibly the successor to mine, or at least one of them. Good mix of automatic and manual controls on them aswell, so you can start off easy and experiment a bit when you get comfortable. Funny thing was, when I bought mine it was 900 euros and the 1gb card I bought with it was another 300 euros. Yikes. DSLRs at the time were even more insanely expensive.

FVCKIN HELL!:eek: Times have changed.........and thank god for that.

Victor

Realise you also have to buy a bunch of accessories.

Running Bing

Victor wrote:

Realise you also have to buy a bunch of accessories.

Really? I was planning on buying a case and a meory card. The father has a battery rechrger and loads of rechargeable batteries so Im alright there. Would I need anything else?

digitalbeginner

Victor wrote:

Realise you also have to buy a bunch of accessories.

With a 10x lens there's not much you need to make a good start. There are adapter lenses on for extra wide shots but not much else. Here's the link to the Accessories page on Fuji's website: http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/digital/cameras/s6500/index.php?page=accessories&lpage=/digital/cameras/range.php

Dave

Victor

Babybing wrote:

Really? I was planning on buying a case and a meory card. The father has a battery rechrger and loads of rechargeable batteries so Im alright there. Would I need anything else?

Are they the right batteries, the correct charger? Do you need a data cable or will you use a card reader? One memory card or more?

pansyflower

It takes AA batteries so I think he's sorted for charger.

Xiney

Also, I would be surprised if it didn't come with its own USB cable. I've got 400 of them lying around for all of my various devices anyway.

As for memory cards... 1GB is fine for most people with that camera but 2GB wouldn't cost much more.

Running Bing

Im in a conundrum now which to choose out of the S5700 and the S6500fd. The 5700 has image stabilisation and takes SD cards which is a plus but the 6500 seems a lot more sturdy, better built and is dearer so, given there both Fuji, I assume is the better camera?


A lot of reviews seem to point to the lack of image stabalisation on the 6500 as a major problem. Anybody have any opinions on just how important it is? Thanks.

Xiney

the S5700 is also known as the S700 in the US:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s700-review/index.shtml

likewise, the S6500fd is known as the S6000fd in the US:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s6000fd-review/index.shtml


Personally, my first instinct would be to go for the S6500fd, but that's for the manual controls. Image stabilization is useful, though, and if you're not going to be using those manual controls it might be alright to go for the S5700. Also you're not going to get the level of manual control that's satisfying on a bridge camera so really, I'd just go for the cheaper, image stabilized one if I were you.

Xiney

scratch that - upon actually reading the reviews I posted, go for the pricier model. The performance shots viewed next to each other speak for themselves, but also the s6500 looks like it's easier to use, the buttons are all squished into a very small package on the s5700.

Certainly more clear cut to me after reading those two articles, anyway.