Fujifilm FinePix S5000

Auto Mode (8.0)
Automatic Mode appears to be what the Fujifilm FinePix S5000 was designed for. It features a variety of automatic settings for white balance, aperture, shutter speed and ISO to provide proper exposure. This is ideal for those who do not wish to be bothered with measurements and metering but still seek a well exposed image. The only downfall is the lag between making the numeric adjustment to the camera and viewing the alteration on the LCD. For some reason, the camera waits until the shutter is released before the initial change is registered. This will not affect the image as the shot will include the adjusted settings; however, the correction will not appear on the LCD until the captured image is projected.

Movie Mode (7.5)
By selecting Movie mode, the user is able to record video images, capturing continues motion with the digital still camera. However, as with taking still images on a camcorder, the video mode is more of a luxury and joy should derive from the freedom and convenience it provides rather than from the quality of video captured. If its quality you desire, neither of these sources are truly hybrid; take the feature as an indulgence and enjoy the flexibility it provides. Quality alone will not be enough. That aside, the FinePix S5000 movie mode captures 320 x 240 pixel video at 30 frames/sec. The 30 frames/sec recording speed is a charm for digital camera users because it provides fluid motion and seamless camera movements. Unfortunately the zoom feature is inactive in movie mode, but this is a common flaw native to many digital still cameras, not just the S5000. 26 seconds of video can be captured on the FinePix S5000 at 30 fps.

Drive / Burst Mode (6.5)
There are three modes of continuous shooting available on the FinePix S5000. There is an extended, long continuous mode which captures up to 40 shots, at 0.6 second intervals. The continuous shooting mode is only available at 1M quality. There is also a 5 frame burst mode that will record 5 frames in 0.2 second intervals. The FinePix S5000 also contains a 5 frame continuous recording mode that also records at 0.2 second intervals; however, the camera will allow you to take more than 5 images as long as the shutter remains depressed, but will only save the last five exposures.

Playback Mode (7.0)
Playback mode on the Fujifilm FinePix S5000 contains the essential settings and features, including instant viewing, slide show mode, thumbnail view, and print making, with options to crop the image in the camera. Cropping of images is enabled by the directional pad surrounding the Menu button and the zoom toggle controls. By moving in and around the image, the user can alter view and print framing without uploading the image to an exterior source. The image can be enlarged 8-18x its original composition. The drawback here, as always, is increased noise; as the image is blown up and size increases, quality is depleted. However, for those who do not want to deal with external software or do not want to be eternally linked to their PC, the opportunity for instant alteration within the camera is fortunately provided.

Another nice feature of the FinePix S5000 is the option of recording sound to previously captured images. 30 seconds of recorded audio can be applied to each captured frame, providing the possibility for a narration track or sound effects or even the audio-emotional slide show.

There is also an image protection feature so clumsy errors made while sifting through images can be avoided.

Custom Image Presets (4.0)
The Fujifilm FinePix S5000 contains four preset scene modes that acclimate the camera to different shooting situations. They are portrait, landscape, Sports, and Night scene mode. These modes are accessible through the main mode dial on the top of the camera by rotating the dial to the different scene icons under "SP."