Fuji Finepix S5600 and S5800

I bought a 5600 a couple of years ago to replace an HP 4 Mp camera that developed some interesting stripes on the sensor, and really liked it. The one problem that I encountered with it was that the battery compartment was a real faff, and if you knocked it, joggled it, jiggled it or looked at it funny it spat its batteries out in a fit of pique.

As a result SWMBO bought me a S5800 as an early birthday prezzie, and I must admit it is even better than I was expecting. Fuji have taken the niggles of the 5600, such as the on/off switch being where you'd expect the zoom to be, and the zoom buttons being where you shove your thumb up your nose trying to grab a quick shot, and the fairly poor quality screen, and of course the dodgy battery compartment, and have sorted them. The zoom now works on the hand grip, where God intended, the screen is much larger and has a greater pixel density, and the batteries stay where you put them!
On top of that the camera body itself is smaller, and the lens more integral (although that detracts, IMHO, because it looks less like a 'spencive DSLR now ) and have also added a lot of new features, including a rather wizzard super-zoom feature, which means my £101 "cheapo" camera and lens actually out-perform my brother's super whizzo £1,000 Canon DSLR and lenses. Which annoys the pants off him. Which is as God meant it, too

Thoroughly *thoroughly* recommended as a beginers camera, and also for much more advanced users, as it has Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program mode, Manual, full Auto and a number of pre-selectable modes, such as portrait and firework settings, slow shutter, auto bracketting...yes, I do like it. And it also takes both XD and SD cards, which is a bonus

They are nice cameras Gaz - before deciding on getting a DSLR I almost bought the S5700.

Post some example pics in this thread too

Good idea
Let me see....

This was snatched under very even light, and the autofocus didn't have time to snap in properly, but it isn't too bad

S5800




Much happier with this one



This one is on the 5600, and is of Thrust SSC, the supersonic land-speed-record-holding jet car, now on display in Coventry Transport Museum.



Back to the 5800 for an almost contra-jour shot of a heron in a tree late evening. A little blurred because it was at 10X zoom, in low light, but I like the effect

http://pics.livejournal.com/the_hunter/pic/00036e56

A cheeky sparrow here...S5800 again

http://pics.livejournal.com/the_hunter/pic/00033er9

And finally back to Flickr and the s5600 for two industrial shots.





The above, I think, go to show that cheap does not have to equal poor quality, bad focus, bad light handling...but with a bit of effort even a £100 'compact' can take more than just a snapshot

Some great photos there Gaz and I agree, it's not the kit but the 12 inches behind it!

I don't use my foot! I use my head

Yep I love these cameras, fab for beginners. I've got a S6500 and I chose it because I felt I didn't have enough knowledge for a DSLR, but you can learn as you go along with these cameras and I really feel like I've come a long way in the 6 months I've had it.