There will be times when you want to stab yourself after you've purchased a product, to find out two weeks later an upgraded model claiming better performance and specifications. Let's put it this way. The Fujifilm FinePix S9600 offers only minor upgrades to its predecessor -- the FinePix S9500. But at least the upgraded model didn't come two weeks after -- it took a year.
Announced in August prior to Photokina 2006, the FinePix S9600 touts better low-light performance with the Real Photo processor that allows the user to shoot up to ISO 1,600. Like the FinePix S9500, the 9-megapixel S9600 comes with 10.7x optical zoom (28mm-to-300mm, 35mm equivalent) and a flexi 2-inch LCD for shooting at difficult angles.
New features on the S9600 include Picture Stabilization which bumps up the sensitivity level and shutter speed in order to reduce blur due to camera shake and subject movement. There's also an Intelligent Flash (i-Flash) that automatically controls flash output to avoid over-exposing parts of your pictures.
A quibble we had with the previous model was with the FinePix Viewer software that converts your RAW images to TIFF files, and that's about all it does. Good news here as Fujifilm now bundles the Hyper Utility Software HS-V2 which gives exposure, tone curve and white balance controls rather than basic file conversion. We'll reserve our comments until we have fully tested the shooter.
The rest of the features on the S9600 are pretty humdrum. There's Super Macro shooting from 1cm, movie recording with sound at 30fps, an electronic viewfinder, manual shooting modes and dual media slots for both xD-Picture Cards and CompactFlash/Microdrive cards. The S9600 uses four AA-sized batteries.
Fujifilm's FinePix S9600 is expected to be available in March 2007, with pricing in the same range as the S9500.
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aim54x
26/08/2007, 10:25 PM
rating
10/10
I have played with this beast quite a bit and was quite set on gettin one until i found out that it was out of stock at least until mid september, so i dug really deep and shelled out for a D40X. it is truly the closest thing to a SLR at about half the price
Pros: SUPER CCD - one of the best sensors on the market
manual features - so SLR-like
movie mode - something a SLR cant offer
quality of image - eons better than competitors and compacts
feel in hand - large enough to feel comfortable but light enough to be portable
lens - great all round performer
twin card slots
Cons: Lack of mechanical image stabilizer
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nitinbose
10/06/2007, 04:09 PM
rating
10/10
Very Good Value for Money, Excellent Image Quality & Features comparable to other branded SLRs
Pros: Very Good Value for Money, Excellent Image Quality & Features comparable to other branded SLRs
Cons: Could be supplied with LiON Batteries, perhaps at extra costs, as Alkaline Manganese/NiMH wear out faster.
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Nina
13/04/2007, 04:17 PM
rating
10/10
Fantastic Camera I highly recommend it. Read the manual first though.
Pros: Zoom, macro, colour of images. Low light photos. The camera also feels good to use. Perfect for someone like me who wanted to get into the DSLR's but couldn't afford it.
Cons: none
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n206
27/02/2007, 06:08 PM
rating
10/10
Perfect camera, at least for my amateur aims, good quality
Pros: zoom, manual af, manual zoom, manual focus, quick power-up time, image quality, lot of adjustable functions
Cons: none
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dbargel
30/01/2007, 08:39 AM
rating
10/10
Very good compact camera!!!!
Pros: Zoom, quality of optical, light weight, quality of images,CF card, standar battery
Cons: Image stabilizer
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shlomsky
16/12/2006, 06:41 AM
rating
9/10
Great image quality. easy to use camera.
Pros: - Very good photo quality
- 10.7X zoom lens with great 28 - 300 mm range
- uperb high ISO performance, especially if you shoot in RAW and post-process
- Nice movie mode; zoom can be used
Cons: - No image stabilization
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