Megapixel Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

Megapixel Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom

The Fujifilm Finepix S5200 5.1 megapixel digital camera with 10x optical zoom is perfect for the amateur photographer who wishes to experiment with various professional level features that are found on the typical SLR camera, including adjustments to Manual Focus, f stops, and apertures. In fact, the body of this Fujifilm Finepix is physically designed very much like an SLR as well. For less experienced digital camera users, the S5200 also has Auto settings that take many wonderful, high quality photos with little effort. Overall, this digital camera contains features that are simple enough for the casual or amateur user while remaining complex enough for the more advanced photographer. In my experience, the Finepix S5200 has proven to be the perfect choice for amateur photographers who are looking to expand their photography skills and who don't mind carrying around an 8.5 x 5.5 inch camera. In other words, if you're looking for a pocket sized camera that is only going to be whipped out for random pictures of your friends, then this one probably isn't right for you.

I bought this camera as my first foray into the digital camera world when I began to find that my 35 mm camera with its 2x zoom would no longer suffice for my expanding interest in photography. So far I've been very happy with the results. With the Fujifilm Finepix S5200, my photos turn out so much clearer and more well defined, so much more in focus, and so much more colorful than any of my 35 mm shots. It's a great exploratory camera for new digital camera users as well as for experienced pros.

The Fujifilm Finepix S5200 comes with various settings, including Natural Light, Anti Blur (which is the disappointing and insufficient feature they use instead of image stabilization), Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Video, and of course the Auto setting. My favorite feature so far is the Natural Light setting, which allows me to take natural, professional looking, high quality photos after learning to use it properly. I love the way my low light, nighttime photos turn out in the Natural Light setting.

In addition, this digital camera allows the user to choose Manual Focus for those few instances that the Auto Focus doesn't do the job. I've only chosen to manually focus my photos a handful of times in the 9 months that I've had this camera. The camera offers a wide variety of ISO settings, up to ISO 1600 for ultra high sensitivity as well. And for the exploratory photographer with the desire to experiment and expand his or her skills, the Finepix S5200 allows the user to adjust f stop and aperture settings as needed. I haven't quite reached this part of the exploratory process so, unfortunately, I can't comment any further on how these types of features work.

Another feature I like about this digital camera is that I can opt to turn off all the flash photography sound effects (impressive as they are) so I can quietly sneak photos of people without being detected by the more photophobic types. The quick and easy startup loading time of the Finepix S5200 is also a major benefit. I have been able to quickly ready my camera for awesome photo ops of kids, animals, and wildlife in just over a second, and the shutter speed is rapid enough to photograph all kinds of spontaneous moments.

The 10x optical zoom has given me tons of awesome shots as well. With this kind of zoom capability, I have captured impressive closeups of shy subjects like deer, birds, dragonflies, grasshoppers, turtles, squirrels and, of course, people.

Accessories and Add ons for the Finepix S5200

Despite its size, the Finepix S5200 is quite light, weighing in at around 3 pounds, and still manages to fit snugly in your hand, although you will definitely need to buy a small camera bag for storing and carrying this digital camera. Look for a camera bag that's designed to carry an SLR camera with a 3.5 inch lens. The ideal camera bag should also have an extra pocket or two for carrying spare batteries or memory cards, at minimum. One of the things I like best about this digital camera is that its size and shape make it fit snugly in my hand while I'm snapping away. The right hand side of the camera has a curvature that allows the hand to wrap around naturally and hold on to it securely, and it's externally textured with a rubbery grip so you'll never drop this camera. Even if you do lose your grip (which I never have), the Fujifilm Finepix S5200 comes with a camera strap that you can wear around your neck for hands free security in between shooting your photos. Also note that this camera comes with its own lens cap which conveniently attaches to the camera strap.

The Fujifilm Finepix S5200 digital camera takes xD memory cards which, due to the relative rarity of digital cameras that take xD cards, may be one of the downsides to this camera if you're planning on buying another camera without having to buy a different set of memory cards. Most cameras use the more readily available SD cards. When you do buy a memory card for this digital camera, opt for the 1 GB card. I can usually take 300 500 photos using a 1 GB xD card with this camera. With a 1 GB card, this camera can film over 30 minutes of video.

Since the Finepix S5200 camera doesn't have image stabilization, you'll find yourself relying a lot more heavily on using a tripod or some other available steady surface. Taking quality photos of distant objects with this camera can be difficult without a tripod. This wasn't too much of an annoyance for me at first, since the Finepix S5200 is my first ever digital camera, but after about 6 months of exploring the features of this camera, I grew more and more aware of the effect of the absence of that image stabilization feature. However, I'm still very happy overall with the quality photos that this digital camera can take for the amount of money I spent on it. The list price is $299.99, but I bought it on sale for $249 in August 2006.

For the Fujifilm Finepix digital camera, which takes AA batteries, I recommend buying lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are a little bit more expensive usually around $10 for a 4 pack but they last a lot longer than alkaline batteries, so the lithium batteries will probably save you lots of money and hassle in the long run. I also keep a spare set of batteries in the pouch of my camera bag, as well as a spare memory card.

The Bottom Line

Overall, I highly recommend the Fujifilm Finepix S5200 5.1 megapixel camera to those who find themselves displeased with the lack of features and flexibility of their current cameras. Whether you're new to digital cameras or just searching for an "upgrade" from your current digital camera, this one is certain to please almost everybody. Despite the lack of image stabilization, the Finepix S5200 has given me beautiful photos and supplied with me more than enough options for its affordable price tag.

Published by Samantha Newton

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