Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd Digital SLR

Sometimes you buy a product that really makes a mark, a product that surprises and thrills and that brings a certain spark into your life, and this is certainly the case as far as the great FinePix S6500fd Digital SLR Camera from Fujifilm is concerned.

I have been in the market for a digital SLR for some time now and, after a great deal of contemplation and background reading, last weekend I finally bit the bullet and plummeted for the S6500 – primarily due to the fact that I managed to haggle the price down significantly – and to say that I’m impressed with this camera is a gross understatement from someone who is not in the habit of understating anything. It really is a truely remarkable device.

You can read more about this highly affordable, feature rich digital SLR after the jump though I should warn that the post contains some extremely amateur photography from yours truely (unfortunately Kate Moss has taken to refusing my calls since that other chap came on the scene).

Firstly I really ought to qualify that I am by no means a professional photographer (being educated in Fine Art and Design) so this review is strictly from a user standpoint (your basic Joe Bloggs, if you like). Also, whilst I have tried to limit compression of the imagery taken with the S6500fd in this post, in order to keep files sizes at a reasonable level compression was unavoidable (we’re talking 3MB per picture here) – so the images shown below do not in any way represent the actual quality of the images produced.

So, what drew me to the S6500fd when there are numerous models on the market from many esteemed manufacturers? Apart from the price the big draw for me was the lens which offers a magnificent f2.8-f4.9 10.7x optical zoom as well as a breathtaking 1cm super macro (which needs to be seen to be believed) coupled to a 6.3 megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor which, though not as high as the S9500’s 9.0 megapixel capabilities is more than enough for quality prints up to A4 format.

The S6500 Super Macro in action.
Top image using full auto mode, lower image using slight zoom
with great effect.

Colour reproduction is frankly astounding.

And, whilst unlike the S9500, the LCD screen does not offer a fold out capability, the S6500’s LCD is somewhat larger at 2.5inches (235,000 pixels) – I looked at the S9500 and, though the fold-out screen was rather fascinating I found the dimensions of the screen to be a little diminutive for my tastes.

The S6500 also lacks the advanced, hybrid auto focus offered by the S9500 however I have found the auto focus on the S6500 to perform way beyond any other digital camera I have either owned or used and I really cannot find any fault in this respect – even when shooting fast moving objects on the fly (such as at the end of a runway).

Not exactly ideal shooting conditions – overcast
and failing light – but the S6500fd performs admirably.

The S6500 does offer a higher maximum ISO than the S9500, however, at 3200 and improved high ISO noise reduction (and it also features a rather nice, inbuilt flash that pops up when required).

Another one of the big draws for me was the intelligent face detection system (hence the “fd” in the title) which is able to automatically recognise up to ten faces in any single shot and adapt the focus and exposure to ensure best picture quality. And, in practice, this works extremely well with yellow boxes automatically locking on to faces and tracking them across the screen even when the point of view is changed (it very much feels like a laser designation system as used by aircraft to deploy smart weapons, and is extremely impressive to watch).

The S6500fd in all its splendor.

Another thing that strikes you about the S6500fd is the sturdy build quality and, in the hand, it feels not only comfortable, but well weighted.

If you are considering upgrading your digital camera and you long for a little more control over your pictures whilst also retaining the capacity to just point and shoot then this camera cannot be faulted and, add to that, the supreme picture quality, vibrant colour reproduction, the 10.7x optical lens (which, using digital zoom, can be doubled), the super 1cm macro mode and you’re talking about a camera that is both dependable and versatile – and should last you for a great many years.

The S6500 manages images of fireworks with great aplomb.

The only drawback I have come across is the fact that it eats batteries at an alarming rate so several sets of good rechargables are a must.

There are a multitude of reviews concerning the s6500fd on the net should you wish to read more in-depth reviews from those in the know but take it from me, this camera’s so great that I want to marry it and have its children. Period.