Viewfinder (5.5)
The Fujifilm FinePix S9000 has a 0.44-inch electronic viewfinder that has 235,000 pixels. It is surrounded by a rubber eyepiece that isn’t as thick and plush as that on most DSLRs. While this is not ideal, it does make sense since the S9000 contains a grainy electronic view rather than a clean optical refraction.

To its left is a dioptric adjustment for photographers whose eyesight is less than perfect. The electronic viewfinder has 100 percent coverage, so what you see is what you get – which is what you want. The viewfinder’s image isn’t very smooth when the camera moves quickly in its 30 fps refresh rate; it appears jumpy. This can be remedied in the setup menu by changing the EVF/ LCD option from 30 fps to 60 fps. The real-time image also has a lot of noise in it that looks like dancing purple and green speckles. The display can be switched from the viewfinder to the larger LCD screen with the EVF/LCD button on the back of the S9000.

LCD Screen (6.5)
The Fujifilm FinePix S9000 has a very unique 1.8-inch LCD monitor that has hinges at the top and the bottom. The screen can only be pulled downward to about a 35 degree angle. However, it can be pulled upward 90 degrees and then pulled outward from the FinePix S9000 at the same 35 degree angle. This isn’t the camcorder-style rotating screen that the Casio P505 has, but it does tilt up and down for increased visibility at extreme shooting angles. This feature will be helpful to users when the camera is placed high on a tripod, vertically at full arm’s extension, or really low to the ground, but otherwise it’s pretty useless. The actual hinges are stiff, so it takes some prying to get the screen where you want it. The low-temperature polysilicon TFT liquid crystal display has 118,000 pixels on its 1.8-inch surface set up in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The LCD can be used as a viewfinder or only for playback, as there is also a separate electronic viewfinder. The LCD screen has a 100 percent field of view and its lighting and display information can be adjusted; however, the screen has a narrow angle of view. Unless viewed from straight on, the screen is extremely susceptible to solarization. Histograms and picture information can be displayed or hidden.

Buried deep within the setup menu, users can change the display’s frame rate. The S9000’s default is to display the view at 30 frames per second, which looks choppy. Fortunately, that can be remedied by changing the rate to 60 frames per second. My other complaint is that the view is grainy, especially in low light; this cannot be fixed with any options in the setup menu. Also buried within the setup menu is the LCD screen’s brightness adjustment. There is a way to adjust it otherwise, but you have to know the ins and outs of the camera. Users must push the exposure compensation button and the Disp/Back button simultaneously to brighten things up; this wasn’t my first guess on where to find this feature. In fact, it wasn’t my second guess either. Or third, or fourth…

Flash (7.5)
The S9000 is equipped with a flash that must be manually popped up via a small button on its left side – even in the automatic and scene modes. The flash actually pops up quite violently; it could probably sever a finger if it got in the way. Remaining on the camera body and in between the posts of the pop-up flash is the hot shoe for flash accessories. This is one of those SLR elements that is incorporated on this camera body, but doesn’t fully manifest on this compact model. The hot shoe on the S9000 only contains a single pin for communicating with the camera. This limits the information that can be transmitted between to the camera and the flash unit and will not provide full TTL exposure communication. Users will have non-TTL automatic capabilities (depending on the applied flash), but will have to calibrate the unit and exposure manually.

The included pop-up flash is quite impressive though. It is located directly above the lens, so it casts a nice even light onto subjects. It is effective from 1-18.4 feet when the lens is at its widest setting and 2-9.8 feet when the lens is utilizing its telephoto capabilities. The flash modes can be easily found by the designated flash button atop the S9000, but scrolling through the options is tricky. Users must hold down the flash button while scrolling with the jog dial; this is in line with some DSLR interfaces, which work to help avoid accidental setting alteration.

The following flash modes are available: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, and Red-Eye Reduction + Slow Synchro. For normal shooting situations, the Fujifilm FinePix S9000’s flash worked well and didn’t blow subjects out. However, for the occasional night shot there is a flash intensity adjustment in the setup menu. The flash intensity or flash exposure compensation function ranges from -2/3 to +2/3 in 1/3 increments.

Lens (7.5)
The 10.7x optical zoom lens looks like it could be detached. Don’t let it fool you though; this Fujinon lens isn’t going anywhere. It is constructed from 13 elements in 10 groups on its inside and has zoom and focus rings on its outside. The zoom ring has a waffle-style texture and rubber material, so gripping it is comfortable. The focus ring is ribbed like the side of a dime and is also quite comfortable to rotate. The Fujinon lens is a versatile 6.2-66.7mm, which is equivalent to 28-300mm in 35mm format. The lens can focus as close as 1 cm in its super macro mode, which is quite impressive for a lens that has a 300 mm telephoto setting. The lens shows its versatility in other ways as well. Its rim is threaded (58 mm) so optional conversion lenses and filters can be attached.

The Fujinon zoom lens also maintains functionality in movie mode, although the continuous auto focus system coupled with the lens’ zooming compromises the recorded audio. The Fujifilm FinePix S9000’s lens offers a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at the 6.2mm setting and f/4.9 at the 66.7mm setting. The apertures extend to f/11 throughout the entire zoom range. The 10.7x optical zoom lens protrudes several inches from the camera body, so an SLR-shaped camera bag would be best to fully protect the S9000. A lens cap does come with the camera, but it pops off easily and could get lost quickly. Overall, the lens offers a versatile zoom range, adequate apertures, and comfortable zoom rings; it sure beats the toggle control on most digital cameras and quality wise, may surpass some of the entry level DSLRs’ kit lenses – but it would have been really nice had it included optical image stabilization or vibration reduction.

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