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Fujifilm FinePix S6500FD Digital Camera Review

Others/Miscelleneous by wutske @ 2007-09-09

The Fujifilm FinePix S6500FD was introduced at the end of 2006 for a MSRP of €370 ($500). Nowadays you can get this dSLR-like camera for €270 ($365), which is incredibly low if you see what it´s capable of.

Package & Camera Up Close

Package Contents

The package:

Fujifilm Finepix S6500FD
Lens hood, lens cap and neck strap
4 (non-rechargeable) AA batteries
256Mb XD Type H memory card
Printed Manual
USB cable
A/V cable
CD featuring Fujifilm software and drivers

I was quite surprised to find a 256Mb XD card in the box, Fujifilm normally only supplies you with the 10Mb of on-board memory which is hardly enough to store 3 photos in the highest quality. So when you buy the camera don't forget you'll have to buy an XD card too, they are a little bit more expensive compared to SD cards, but the difference is marginal.

The Camera

Madshrimps (c)

The Fujifilm Finepix S6500FD (in some countries known as the S6000FD) is best described as a fixed lens camera in the body of a dSLR. The big lens with its manual zoom and focus ring only emphasize this feeling.

This 10,7x Fujinon Zoom Lens has a focal length of 28-300mm (35mm equiv.) and is operated using the big zoom ring. You can steplessly increase or decrease the focal length at any speed you wish, making it a lot more easy to frame your subject. With its maximum apertures of F2.8-F4.9 you'll also get a fast lens, making it a good camera for shooting in low light conditions.

A small switch on the left side of the camera selects the focus mode in which the camera should operate. If this switch is set to MF (Manual Focus), you can adjust the focus distance by turning the focusring clockwise (further) or counter-clockwise (closer). I did notice a delay while using it and this makes focusing a bit harder, especially because there is no focus distance indication on the screen. A one-time-focus button is available to help you in manual focus mode.

The two other focus modes are single (when you halfway press the shutter release button) and continuous.

Madshrimps (c)

Inside the camera you'll find a 6,3MP SuperCCD, what makes this CCD super is the fact that it has a very good SNR (signal-to-noise-ratio) resulting in less noise when you use a higher ISO value.

The S6500FD features Fujifilm's Real Photo Technology, meaning that the camera has a 6th generation Super CCD and RP Processor II:

Through the "eye" (or lens), you now can capture more light, more efficiently, with less light loss. And the "brain" (or RP Processor II), receives the images with less noise. Featuring enhanced double noise reduction; the RP Processor II lets users take full advantage of the FinePix S6000fd's ISO 3200 sensitivity.

As you'll see later in this review, the double noise reduction isn't always as good as one might expect, because it causes a loss in detail, even at lower ISO settings.

Comment from Sidney @ 2007/09/09

Price in the U.S. is down to around $270

Nicely done review. I never like high ISO result, always try to avoid.

Comment from Sidney @ 2007/09/09

wutske is an unknown reviewer from [M], time to get to know you.

Comment from geoffrey @ 2007/09/09

Nice article, I might get one of those

Comment from wutske @ 2007/09/09

My first review

.

For the interested ones, I'm Phillip, 19 years young, still studying (electronics-ict) and if you want to know more about me, just send me a PM

Comment from Sidney @ 2007/09/10

You're the one.

Nice camera for the price; good buy here in the U.S.

Comment from jmke @ 2007/09/10

Hardfreak, can I change your username on the forum to "wutske"? easier to track

Comment from wutske @ 2007/09/10

absolutely, no problem

Comment from jmke @ 2007/09/10

Done

Comment from EsaT @ 2007/09/26

Nice watercolour effect at high iso.
(BTW, PCB traces are best for seeing lessening of details when ISO increases)

Quote:

S6500FD is best described as a fixed lens camera in the body of a dSLR.

dSLR? Except for shape it doesn't differ much from all those Point&Pray aka P&S cameras with that button tapping driven menu based UI.
This is SLR-like user interface.

I think this would be better to leave to their BS... err marketing material:

Quote:

Inside the camera you'll find a 6,3MP SuperCCD, what makes this CCD super is the fact that it has a very good SNR (signal-to-noise-ratio) resulting in less noise when you use a higher ISO value.

After all it's clear that sensor itself isn't so much better than others and that most of low noise level is achieved with strong noise reduction.

Quote:

Picture Stabilization: this boosts the ISO value

More PR BS, image stabilization is system which allows using longer exposure time without camera movement blurring picture.
(this isn't even so called digital image stabilization)

But you forgot plus for wide angle, those 38mm unwide angles are horrible... but it's fun to look their users to step backwards for fitting every people into frame. 28mm is much better and "minimum" for landscapes.

Comment from wutske @ 2007/09/26

Quote:

Originally Posted by EsaT

Nice watercolour effect at high iso.
(BTW, PCB traces are best for seeing lessening of details when ISO increases)

1)dSLR? Except for shape it doesn't differ much from all those Point&Pray aka P&S cameras with that button tapping driven menu based UI.
This is SLR-like user interface.

2)I think this would be better to leave to their BS... err marketing material:
After all it's clear that sensor itself isn't so much better than others and that most of low noise level is achieved with strong noise reduction.

3)More PR BS, image stabilization is system which allows using longer exposure time without camera movement blurring picture.
(this isn't even so called digital image stabilization)

4)But you forgot plus for wide angle, those 38mm unwide angles are horrible... but it's fun to look their users to step backwards for fitting every people into frame. 28mm is much better and "minimum" for landscapes.

1) okay, your completely right about that, but this camera isn't a dSLR-camera so you can't expect it to have everything a dSLR has (+ the lack of dred buttons make this camera a lot better for beginners)

2) The sensor is better than the average sensor, mainly because it's a lot larger (1/1.7" compare to 1/2,5" you'll find in most camera's)

3) I know it's PR BS and I've said that in the review too:

Quote:

this boosts the ISO value until the shutter speed is fast enough to prevent motion blur.This technique does work, but also results in more noise, a problem you don't have when you have an optical image stabilization.

4) I've mentioned that in the conclusive toughts

, but maybe I should have put it in the pro list too.

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