Fujifilm FinePix S5500 > Reviews (21)

I have always been a compact camera user and very much the amateur snapper, However after spending some time with a friend of mine who is a semi-pro photographer I discovered just how addictive it can be to get "The right Shot". Following this I recently decided to move up a step and get a better camera.

I was concidering going down the Digi SLR road but decided that would be too expensive in these early stages and was recommended to have alook at the Finepix S5500.

They Retail at about £280 but after a bit of internet bargin hunting I managed to get one with 256mb of XD memory for £200.

The only downfall with this was that the entire user manual was in GERMAN!!

This ceased to be a problem when I Registered the camera on the Fuji website and was able to download the English version in PDF format.

The camera itself is superb and has most of the functions that a digi SLR ( such as the Canon EOS 300d) would have apart obviously from the megapixel count and the SLR action and the ability to change lenses.

In Auto mode it is simply point and shoot, with some great results.
In manual mode you are in complete control of the camera functions including apeture, Focusing and shutter speed.

in between there are several settings for specific situations such as sports or night shooting, as well as apeture and shutter priority modes which give optimum settings but still alow you to compensate manually for desired effects.

there are a selection of Tele/wide lens's and filters avilable, both Fuji and compatible makes which can broaden your scope without having to change camera.

The inbuilt zoom lens however gives 10X magnification and is adequate for most everday applications.

the 4.3 MP sensor gives great resolution.
The Built in flash is adjustable , both in brightness and duration for Rd eye reduction Etc.
and it is easy to interface via USB connection.

The only draw back I found is that it is quite heavy on battery power if you use the LCD screen to view images but I solved this by switching to rechargeable batteries and just keepng a couple of extra sets with me in the bag.

Overall I am very pleased with the camera and would reccomend it to anyone who want to take the next step up from simple point and shoot cameras.

I still have much to learn but feel that my money was well spent!