To Fuji s5000 or Fuji s5500 that is the question.

[sarny]

Do i buy a Fuji s5000 from ebuyer now for £215 or hold out for the replacement s5500 in september, bearing in mind i cant really afford £299 for a camera, nearer the £200 end really.

Whats the general consensus?

Come to my aid forums!

[sarny]

up^

[NicolaUK]

I've had an S5000 for a couple of months now, lovely camera. I don't know what's being upgraded in the new version so can't say if the £100 or so is worth it.

[sarny]

New one is 4mp i think and the s5000 is only 3.1?

[sarny]

up^

[wolfkiller]

I'll be getting a 5500, it has a better range of shutter speeds and ISOs and also has the option of a 2 second timer rather than only a 10 sec. one.

[sarny]

Are those the only differences, any idea about other specs and expected prices?

[DeadKenny]

New Fujis...

S3 Pro (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072806fujis3proupd.asp)
S5500 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072805fujifinepixs5500z.asp)
S3500 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072804fujifinepixs3500z.asp)
F810 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072803fujifilmfinepixf810zoom.asp)
E550 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072802fujifinepixe550z.asp)
E500 & E510 (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072801fujifilmfinepixe500e510.asp)

[sarny]

wish people would help, cheers dead kenny, basically im wondering for £215 am i gonna be able to get a better camera than the s5000?

[DeadKenny]

Probably not for that price.

"The FinePix S5500 Zoom will be available in the UK from leading photographic retailers in September 2004. Pricing will be confirmed nearer to the date of retail launch."

I suspect it will be launched somewhere around the original RRP of the S5000, and then it will be a few months before it drops. I can't remember what price the S5000 was launched at in the UK. Maybe £350?


Basically the S5500 will be even better than the S5000, and that's a cracking camera as it is. The extra 1mp probably isn't that much benefit though. Nice, but worth the money when you can get the S5000 cheap now? Don't know.

I've currently got the S304 which is the same (almost) as the S3000, and that's a great camera. It's 3mp like the S5000 but a 6x zoom and less manual controls, but I love it anyway. If the S5000 was out at the time I got mine I'd have got that instead.

However now I'm moving up a gear (or 10) to a DSLR (Nikon D70) :D (though the Fuji S7000 had some serious consideration). If Fuji had a budget DSLR I'm sure that would be in the running too, but they don't.

[wolfkiller]

The differences/improvements are: (5000 => 5500)
3.1MP => 4MP
2.2x digi zoom => 3.6x (not a buying point IMO)
320x240 30fps movie mode => 640x480 30fps
ISO (manual selection) 200-400 => ISO 64-400
super ccd (rotated ccd) => convential ccd (no more interpolated images to get max resolution)
2 - 1/1000s shutter => 15 - 1/2000s shutter (better long exposures, better action shots)
self-timer 10 secs => 2 or 10 secs
auto white balance => manual or auto WB
higher res. LCD
USB 2
Selectable compression levels

[Derek in the Wilderness]

I've had the S5000 since January and paid £300 for it. The zoom is very handy but it comes at a cost of less light into the camera and more likelihood of camera shake - though I've used it with success at full zoom and 1/15 at an outside concert.

The compression is a bit fierce with photos losing detail but not visible under normal conditions. I use the RAW mode for any pictures I want to enlarge beyond 10 x 8.

[sarny]

so is that a yes to buy it then? i mean, i want to now jessops dont stock them anymore and ebuyer have less and less stock?

so for my first digicam which i would love to upgrade to a 300d in a year or so if i like photography, SHOULD I BUY THIS NOW?

[sarny]

and also, can i use a lexmark/olympus XD card with the fuji camera, gonna get a 512 i think?

how much bigger in MB is a raw picture?

[sarny]

up^

[MartinC]

you could always get interest free on the camera?...

lots of places do pay 10%, and the balance in 9-10 months.

the 5000 is nice but I prefer the look of the Minolta z2 (and z3 with the anti-shake when it ships pretty soon).

[Andy Meredith]

the s5000 is available from 7dayshop.com for £212 inc vat and free delivery

saving you a whopping £4, plus whatever the cost of shipping would be from ebuyer.

oh and 7dayshop now include vat in there prices so you dont get stung by customs

[sarny]

cool, oh right i was worried about their customs hence the £218 from ebuyer seemed a better purchase, right im buying this tonight, dont like the look of the z2 and i think the fuji will help me gain my experience better.
dont want to buy the 300d as my first camera AND dont want it on tick. wanna see if i like photography first.

[Sam]

If you're considering going for a 300D next why not go for a Canon Powershot? They use alot of the same settings as the 300D and any Cf cards you buy for it can then be used in the 300D when you upgrade. My husband has an A60, my mum had an A70 and now has an A80. Cracking picture quality as well.

[sarny]

Just fancy the s5000 to be honest. Not worried about swapping cards around.

[sarny]

wish people would comment on my camera choice!

[Andy Meredith]

i bought a s7000 from 7 day shop b4 they changed there vat clause, tis a top camera im chuffed to bits with it, im sure for the money you will not buy a better camera

[Derek in the Wilderness]

Just buy the S5000, if you don't like it you can sell it on.

[DeadKenny]

wish people would comment on my camera choice!

Well, we've already said the S5500 is better than the S5000. The specs speak for themselves.

You've got to judge whether it's worth waiting and spending more, or save money by going for something with slightly lower specs.

If it was me, if the budget stretched I'd get the S5500, but if I wanted a camera for £215, I'd get the S5000. It's up to you though, but it looks like it's purely just down to how much you are prepared to spend. Both cameras will be excellent anyway and you'll probably get almost identical results.


Though, to throw a spanner in the works, if you are considering spending more for the S5500, then I'd also consider the S7000 which is far superior (£359 from InternetCamerasDirect.co.uk) ;)

[maubp]

Old thread resurection time!

Over in the bargain forum, you can get the S5000 for £150 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325922) at the moment, or a refurbished S7000 for £280 / S20 Pro Zoom for £240 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325458).

I have a Fuji Finepix S304 (x6 zoom) and have been fairly happy with it. As always, more zoom would be nice. I would also like to have manual focus, and for generally better performance in low light (including indoors!).

So, I am torn between the S5000 (esp at £150) with its x10 zoom but no manual focus, and either the S7000 or S20 Pro with only x6 zoom but more pixels.

All three appear to have manaul focus.

Anyway, the big question - Does anyone know from personal experience how these compare to the S304 in terms of low light performance? - If they are much the same, I may look elsewhere...

[maubp]

Anyway, the big question - Does anyone know from personal experience how these compare to the S304 in terms of low light performance? - If they are much the same, I may look elsewhere...From this review (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s5000-review/):
Auto focus speeds are about average, with the camera taking under a second to lock focus. Using C-AF (continuous AF) will speed things up a bit. Even though the S5000 has an AF illuminator, it still gave me the !AF warning in dim light situations.Sounds very familiar :(

[DeadKenny]

Focus lock delay was one of the major reasons I jumped from the S304 to the Nikon D70 DSLR. I was finding with moving subjects, by the time it had focused (and it blanks the screen whilst it does it), the subject had long gone :(.

There are few non-SLR digital cameras that really get around the issue.

Not that the S304 isn't great. I love it and I'm reluctant to sell it (I'm thinking maybe of using it as a backup for situations where the big DSLR is not practical).

I don't know about the S5000's low light handling, but it does have the AF light which in theory is an advantage, and the continuous AF would be useful for moving subjects.

I'd splash out a bit more and get the S7000 though, assuming you're not tempted by a DSLR ;).

The 6mp sensor and extra features of the S7000 outweighs the 10x zoom of the S5000. It may be the S5000 has 10x zoom due to using a smaller sensor (though I don't know if that's true, but I believe it's the same lens so there must be some reason such as this for the greater zoom). Smaller sensors tend to introduce more noise which is a bad thing.

As for the S20 Pro... It's basically the match of the S7000 but with the emphasis on dynamic range instead of pixel count. It's actually a 3.1mp sensor but with each pixel being made up of two photodiodes handling low and high sensitivity independently which supposedly increases dynamic range. When the data from both sets of photodiodes are combined it's able to generate a 3.1mp or 6mp image (the latter interpolated). The S7000 is a 6mp sensor of single photodiode pixels that can generate up to 12mp interpolated (no where near as good as a true 12mp sensor though).

[maubp]

Thanks Kenny, some useful feedback there. While I might be tempted by a DSLR like the Nikon D70, its someway out of my budget ;)
As for the S20 Pro... It's basically the match of the S7000 but with the emphasis on dynamic range instead of pixel count. It's actually a 3.1mp sensor but with each pixel being made up of two photodiodes handling low and high sensitivity independently which supposedly increases dynamic range. When the data from both sets of photodiodes are combined it's able to generate a 3.1mp or 6mp image (the latter interpolated). The S7000 is a 6mp sensor of single photodiode pixels that can generate up to 12mp interpolated (no where near as good as a true 12mp sensor though).
I had read something like this on Fuji's own site, but have yet to work out what this really means in practice. It sounds like the S20 Pro might be better in low light :shrug:

Meanwhile, I need to check my Fuji S304 and when I bought it, as it seems to have developed a dead pixel near the center of the image :(

[jester]

I have a brand new (not a refurb!) s5000 with a fuji 128mb Xd card, yours for £150+p&p

[DeadKenny]

There's an article on SuperCCD SR technology (as featured in the S20 Pro and also the upcoming DSLR, S3 Pro) here...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0301/03012202fujisuperccdsr.asp


The alternate SuperCCD used in the regular range of recent Fuji cameras is the HR (this is the 4th generation of Fuji CCDs)...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0301/03012201fujisuperccdhr.asp


Interesting to note that of those two articles, it's the HR (as in the S5000/S7000) that lists the benefits of low noise and low light. The SR benefit is mainly dynamic range.

[maubp]

Meanwhile, I need to check my Fuji S304 and when I bought it, as it seems to have developed a dead pixel near the center of the image :(Taking pictures of white things doesn't show any problem. Taking pictures with the lense cap on gives a white/green spec which would appear to be more than one pixel in size. Dust on the sensor maybe? But the camera body doesn't open does it...

P.S. And the camera is a year and a half old, so out of warrenty now :(

I have a brand new (not a refurb!) s5000 with a fuji 128mb Xd card, yours for £150+p&pThanks for the offer jester, given the memory card its a better deal than Empire Direct's £150 offer (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325922). But I think I will probably go for a different model instead of the Fuji S5000. Maybe the S20 Pro or S7000, which both have a zoom / manual focus ring which sounds interesting. Maybe time for a little shopping trip this weekend to try them out :)