Fuji S5600

Mikey · 23 May 2007 at 14:15

I need a camera for the up and coming trip to Le Mans for the 24 hour race. I haven't owned a camera before and was looking at this one as it seems resonably priced for £115.

Anyone got one and can share their thoughts on this.

Thanks

Arsey · 23 May 2007 at 15:14

I have one as do a few others on the board and at that price I don't know what else can compare. I have never taken pictures of racing before but all the manual settings on the camera allow you to do pretty much anything you want. Check my gallery (in sig) to see the kind of pictures I have managed to achieve.

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 15:23

I've got one too, and I love it. Plenty of manual settings to play about with for racing photos, but for best results you'll need to spend a while learning how to use the manual controls, otherwise your images will either end up out of focus, or you won't capture the sense of motion of the cars, and the image will look a bit static.

Mikey · 23 May 2007 at 15:37

Looks I better hurry up and get one as I understand they are cheap due to last years model, but that sounds ideal for me to save money for this.

As for Le Mans, I don't I have the skill for fast moving cars etc. but still want to get pics for when we're in the pits etc.

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 15:51

Mikey said:
As for Le Mans, I don't I have the skill for fast moving cars etc. but still want to get pics for when we're in the pits etc.

Get yourself a tripod and go learn! That's what photography is all about, after all.

In case you've not read about car pics, the idea is that you keep the shutter open a little longer than usual and 'follow' the car by spinning the camera on the tripod. This blurs the background while keeping the car in focus. I think I've got that technique right, but feel free to correct me, anyone who knows more. I've never had cause to try it myself.

Mikey · 23 May 2007 at 16:07

Sounds like fun. How heavy is it?

I'm look at this type of model as I find them easier to handle compared with the small ones etc.

Looks like I might be ordering one...

Is it worth going to the S6500

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 16:20

I don't happen to have a set of scales to hand, but it's reassuringly chunky, rather than outright heavy. It's heavy enough for your hands to shake a little when you're holding it with the zoom up high, but I'd imagine most 10x zoom cameras would do the same.

As for the S6500, I don't honestly know. It seems to have a higher resolution, as well as better manual zoom and focus controls, but I'm not sure if it's worth extra over an S5600. I think I'd probably just go for the S6500 if I were in your position, but I'm the kind of person who goes for the best I can afford. Whether you'll use the extra features of the S6500, I don't know.

Why not take a wander down to any local camera shops and have a play, see if the S6500 is to your liking?

freebooter · 23 May 2007 at 23:36

The difference with the 6500 is the manual zoom. It is much quicker and more accurate then buttons. If you can get to a shop to try them both you will be able to decide whether it is an important feature for you. Several high st shops had the 6500 going for £150 a couple of weeks ago, it may be worth checking to see if they still have it at that price.

The other plus for the 6500 is that it uses the same 6MP sensor as the f30/31 so it gives the best high iso performance in a compact/bridge camera.