Looking at purchasing Fujifilm Finepix S6000fd or...

[Melipeka]

I’m interested in knowing how people like the Fujifilm Finepix S6000fd. With the research I have done I really like the sound of this camera but I wanted to get some opinions and maybe other suggestions.. I have been taking pics with my mother-in-laws camera (Panasonic DMC-LZ7) which is working s but I want a more advance camera. What do you think?

Budget - $250 to $350

Size - Size does not matter?


Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? - 6

* What optical zoom will you need? Ultrazoom

* How important is “image quality” to you? - 7-8(+)

Do you care for manual controls? Yes

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Baby pics, family pics, landscapes, wildlife, and more

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Maybe 8x10s on occasion but mostly 4x6

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
I will be shooting both indoors and outdoors. Sometimes in low light. Right now I think most of the shots will be taken indoor at this time. Once my baby becomes more active than we will be shooting both indoor and out.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Not Sports but there is time where I might be shooting action shots but not often.


Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) – I don’t know much about Image Stabilization but it sounds like that would be a great feature. I would like the option of a wide angle lens, and from what I was told about the Face Detection that would be great to have.

Thanks for your Help!

[AlexMonro]

If you want to get pictures of moving subjects in low light without flash, the Fuji S6000 is probably your best bet. It has less noise at high ISO sensitivities than any other ultrazoom, allowing use of faster shutter speeds to freeze motion and avoid camera shake.

If your low light and indoor shots are only going to be of static or slow moving subjects, then other cameras with image stabilisation may be more useful. It steadies the camera to reduce camera shake (particularly at long focal lengths), but has no effect on the subject.

[absolutic]

I just got S6500fd about a week ago (to compliment my Panasonic TZ3). My former camera duo was Fuji F10 and Canon S3is. It is an amazing camera that feels just right in your hands and takes superb photographs. In fact it is so good that my wife has taken it away from me and is using it herself.

[tim11]

If you want a camera for using outdoors in good light there are many to choose from. However if you want a camera for all round use including indoors it's impossible to beat the Fuji S6000fd.
Also its video is excellent even in low light and you can use manual zoom ring for zooming in or out during recording.

[Paulche]

Absolutic, How do the Canon S3 IS and the Fuji 6000fd compare? I am trying to decide buying between those two

[TheWengler]

Absolutic, How do the Canon S3 IS and the Fuji 6000fd compare? I am trying to decide buying between those two

Fuji for indoors/low light, Canon for outdoors. So go with whatever is more important to you.