Fuji finepix S5000 replacement

[sir-les-mp]

Well Xmas is almost apon us and like many i get out the digital camera to make sure everything is as should be.
Memory card empty and in place, all 4 batteries are fully charged, lens and sensor nice and clean.
So i turn it on reset the date and time and go to check its taking pics as it doe's normally only to find i get a black screen.
Nothing nada zip no matter what i piont the camera at ( and yes i did remove the Lens cap before anyone suggest's it )
So to check i set it to use the EVF instead and again Nothing Nada Zip
So as a last and final resort i take out all the batteries and fully recharge them (just it case) and again Nothing Nada zip

So now i have to face facts my lovley expensive camera is bust (i bought it when it first came out on the market )
So ive been having a look round Fleabay to see about a suitable replacement and think ive finally decided on the new Fuji Finepix S2000 HD which seems to float around the £200 mark which suits me as i do not wish to spend more than this

So my question is this would the s2000 hd be a good replacement for my broken s5000 or are there other cameras similar in sytle that would give me the same or better features than the s2000 hd for £200 or less. Dont mind 2 hand if the quality is there

Must have features

10x or more Optical Zoom
10 MP ( will accept less if it will produce great pic's )
Face recognition
Image stabalizer (as wife will be using it as well )
Red eye reduction


Please note this will be the main camera in use at home But i will be buying a cheaper compact camera for wifes bag so there is one on hand something on the line's of this
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...film FinePix J12 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera

 

[sir-les-mp]

Any suggestions

 

[yantorsen]

fuji s9600? it's the best bridge camera you can get.

there about £180

www.joshuathomson.co.uk that's my site, feel free to take a look most the pics on there were taken with it.

 

[sir-les-mp]

some nice pics there
however looking at the spec,s of the new model s2000
do you think it is as good as the s9600 you are using

one of the features i really like on iy is the 15x optical zoom
should give really nice close ups like my old 35mm cam did (which i still have)

 

[3dcandy]

S9600 still regarded as a superb bridge camera, super ccd sensor, manual (like a dslr) zoom lens. I've got an S5600 and the electric zoom isn't as good as a manual because it's just not as precise. The 9600 is the closest I've seen to a dslr in a bridge camera period!

 

[yantorsen]

some nice pics there
however looking at the spec,s of the new model s2000
do you think it is as good as the s9600 you are using

one of the features i really like on iy is the 15x optical zoom
should give really nice close ups like my old 35mm cam did (which i still have)

Well the s9600 has better quality glass than the s2000 and a better censor, so image quality should be better, but it is only 9MP, but that is plenty really.

It is only about £20 more as well, but it is a lot bigger and heavier than the S2000.

The only bridge camera that might beat it is the S100FS but that is £300 :/

 

[sir-les-mp]

Well the s9600 has better quality glass than the s2000 and a better censor, so image quality should be better, but it is only 9MP, but that is plenty really.

It is only about £20 more as well, but it is a lot bigger and heavier than the S2000.

The only bridge camera that might beat it is the S100FS but that is £300 :/

I know from previous experience that megapix is not the be all and end all of quality as ive seen pic's taken by a 6mp cam and the same pic been taken by a 3mp cam and the 3mp cam gave the best pic.

I have seen some reviews of the S100FS and yes i agree it is great looking cam and the pic's it can take could rival some of the DSLR's but as you said it unfortunatley it is outwith my budget.

So would you say Bang for Buck the S9600 is the cam to go for then in the £200 range.

 

[yantorsen]

So would you say Bang for Buck the S9600 is the cam to go for then in the £200 range.

Well I would personally, but there is a certain amount of subjectivity about it.

I mean if you don't want manual zoom and focus (which if your just a casual photographer you probably won't) then the Canon Powershot G10 is supposed to be a very good compact for a similar price and has all the manual settings, and is more compact.

But there's quite a few things I like about the S9600 though which are very useful like the flip out screen. Often I would have found myself with my old compact to embarrassed in public to get down low to take a picture, but with the flip out screen it no longer matters.

Anyway, bottom line I'd probably say for under £200 your best bet is a S9600 if you want the most creative control and good image quality, and aren't too bothered about it's bulk.

 

[sir-les-mp]

the s5000 was not exactly small so im not worried about size.

but looking around the web they seem to be a bit thin on the ground
only seen a couple on the bay not found any etailers with them in stock

any other suggestions if i cant get a hold of the s9600

 

[yantorsen]

the s5000 was not exactly small so im not worried about size.

but looking around the web they seem to be a bit thin on the ground
only seen a couple on the bay not found any etailers with them in stock

any other suggestions if i cant get a hold of the s9600

Yeah there's loads of other bridge cameras available, sony do some, Panasonic do some, don't really know much about them tbh though.

I can't link to where I got my S9600 from since it's a competitor.

Google uk shopping is your friend though.

 

[turtle1000]

The Canon SX110 IS might be worth a look.
I had a play with one of these last week in a local store last week and was quite impressed with the build and features it had. I didnt get it as I wanted to have another look around the web at user reviews etc, and they don't seem too bad.
Price was £185 in my local shop but I see it is slightly cheaper elsewhere.

 

[3dcandy]

Panasonic got some good models around that range too - bu they aren't really like the Fuji's, more a point and shoot with bells...or something like that!

 

[sir-les-mp]

Panasonic got some good models around that range too - bu they aren't really like the Fuji's, more a point and shoot with bells...or something like that!

Im not really looking for a point and shoot camera although they do have thier use's at time's

My old S5000 was the best of both worlds when it came out
gave me the option of point and shoot when a quick pic was wanted
but had the extra features that allowed me to fine tune the pic when i wanted too
similar to my old 35mm Pratrica MTL3 with a pentagon 2.8/135 lens the standard 35mm lens and if needed an APS Optomax MC 3X

But the way things are i cant afford a DSLR that will give me the same results as my 35mm Pratrica id need around £2000 to £3000

 

[yantorsen]

If you don't want a point and shoot I think the S9600 is going to be right up your street then.

Also I'd recommend getting a Raynox DCR-250 with it, great lens.

 

[sir-les-mp]

If you don't want a point and shoot I think the S9600 is going to be right up your street then.

Also I'd recommend getting a Raynox DCR-250 with it, great lens.

It seems to be the best choice so far and with the Raynox DCR-250 it will help with the macro pic's as ive seen from a couple of reviews that seems to be the only weakspot of the S9600

My other option is the S100FS if i can squeeze a few extra quid out of the wife
i can get a Refurb for just less than £300 and i like a lot of the available shooting options especially the film colour option

Would like to know whats happened to my existing cam i can only assume the the super ccd sensor is broke as everything on the cam seems to work including the lens movment
it just does not produce a picture

 

[yantorsen]

Only thing I would say is the S100FS doesn't have as good glass as the s9600 because it is more compromised because it has to be able to work at more focal lengths.

TBH, unless you especially need a 400mm lens are more than 9MP I'd get the s9600, because there the only real differences.