Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Sep 30, 2005 - By Emily Raymond
The Fujifilm FinePix S9000 has the look of a digital single lens reflex camera and almost has the feel, but its 10.7x optical zoom lens is not detachable. This digital camera aims to bridge the gap between compact cameras with ultra-zoom lenses and the growing market of low-end digital SLRs. Indeed, the FinePix S9000 is somewhere in between. It has 9 megapixels on a 1/1.6-inch CCD, an RP image processor, and its long Fujinon lens to round out its Real Photo Technology. This Fujifilm digital camera, known as the S9500 outside the United States, has a unique 1.8-inch LCD monitor that folds outward from the camera and tilts at different angles. It does not rotate in a camcorder-like fashion, but simply tilts outward for a better viewing angle. The Fujifilm FinePix S9000 has the functionality of a low-end SLR with its manual and priority modes. The camera also has some elements from the compact end of the market: full live preview on its LCD, a VGA movie mode that shoots at 30 frames per second, and five scene modes located on its main mode dial. In some areas, the FinePix S9000 incorporates elements from both segments of the market; the camera accepts both CompactFlash and xD-Picture Cards and should be an intriguing option for consumers looking at both compact ultra-zoom models and entry level single lens reflex alternatives.
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Picture Quality / Size Options (8.0)
The Fuji S9000 reveals its snapshooter side with six image sizes – pros and other serious types shoot large and resample their images down on a computer, if need be. The S9000’s size options are 3488 x 2616, 3696 x 2464, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, and 640 x 480 pixels. The two smallest sizes are pretty much for onscreen display only. 1600 x 1200 will work great in PowerPoint presentations, and 640 x 480 is appropriate for email and eBay. The largest resolution can be captured in either Fine or Normal compression; the rest do not have compression options.

The S9000 offers a RAW file format, which retains all the unprocessed color and luminance data that the imaging chip originally captured. RAW files are much bigger than JPEGs, which are compressed, and enables users far more room to edit the image post-capture.

Picture Effects Mode (7.0)
This feature certainly isn’t prominent on the Fujifilm S9000, probably since picture effects won’t really appeal to the S9000’s audience. Most users of this camera will also use editing software on the computer after taking the pictures. Still, the camera includes Standard, Chrome, and Black & White options. They all look a little flat in the live view, so it’d be better to add this feature in the editing software.

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