Manual Control Options
The FinePix S5200 has a good selection of manual options – full manual exposure, custom white balance, manual focus, sharpening and saturation settings, and so on – but they're a mess. The controls to operate the camera manually aren't accessible or easy to use. Users who only occasionally want to make a manual adjustment might be satisfied with the controls, but others who use manual controls most of the time will be constantly frustrated.
Focus
Auto Focus (8.0)
The FinePix S5200 offers both continuous and single autofocus modes within its TTL contrast-type system. Both modes snap into focus quickly, compared to many other formidable ultra zoom models. The autofocus mechanism relies on a very bright, green AF illuminator beam. Unlike many other beams, the S5200's light is focused, and when it shines on something five or ten feet away, it's possible to make out the shape of the lighting element. The specs say it is effective up to eight feet.
The S5200 also offers AF frame selection choice of either center or multi, and a Macro mode that can focus as close as four inches, according to Fuji.
Manual Focus (2.5)
The manual focus mechanism on the FinePix S5200 is remarkably bad. The LCD and viewfinder displays don't have enough resolution to allow critical focus, and, unlike competing cameras, the S5200 doesn't magnify the center of the image to improve the user's view. The control scheme for operating manual focus is clumsy – the user must press the exposure compensation button while operating the zoom buttons. Worse, the focus mechanism is unaccountably slow in manual mode; it takes several seconds to rack from infinity to a few feet away. If it moved more quickly, it might be easier to see the image snap into focus.
Metering (7.5)
The FinePix S5200 offers three metering patterns within its 64-zone TTL metering system: a multi-zone pattern, which takes separate readings of points across the image and compares them to compute an exposure; spot mode, which measures only the center of the image, and is useful for manual exposure setting; and averaging mode, which measures the whole image at once. These three options are the common ones for digital cameras, and the S5200's multi-zone system gave good results in a variety of situations.
Exposure (7.0)
The FinePix S5200 offers aperture priority, shutter priority, and program modes, along with full manual exposure control. The S5200 also provides an exposure compensation setting, accessible in aperture, shutter, and program modes. The user can shift the exposure up or down 2-stops in 1/3-stop increments. Unfortunately, exposure compensation is not available in Auto mode or the scene modes.
White Balance (7.5)
The FinePix S5200 has six white balance presets: fine, shade, incandescent, and three fluorescent settings. White balance can also be set to Auto. The S5200 can also take custom white balance readings, and the system produces good results. Unfortunately, there isn't a dedicated button on the S5200 to get to the White Balance control, so the user has to navigate the menu system to get to it.
ISO (8.0)
The FinePix S5200 offers ISO settings of 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600. The S5200 is typical of Fuji cameras in offering a 1600 setting, though most competing inexpensive ultra zooms do not offer a manual ISO range that’s this extensive. The S5200 also offers an auto ISO setting.
Shutter Speed (7.0)
The FinePix S5200 offers shutter speeds from 15 seconds to 1/2000 of a second in manual mode. Other modes limit the range. In shutter priority mode, for instance, the longest exposure we could set was 3 seconds. In Natural Light mode, the longest exposure we could get was 1/4 of a second, and we got that in a scene that the camera severely underexposed.
Aperture (5.5)
The maximum aperture of the lens ranges from f/3.2 at 6.3mm to f/3.5 at 63mm. The minimum aperture is f/8 throughout the range. The aperture is adjustable in 1/3-stop intervals.
