Fujifilm FinePix S1600 Digital Camera (12MP, 15x Wide Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD

I bought this camera as a "bridge" between my little Kodak point and shoot and eventually getting a real DSLR. I thought I would be able to learn a lot more about aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual settings by playing around with this camera first, before going to the real thing. But even though this is a FABULOUS camera for what it is (the picture quality is great, you can play around with the macro mode and various priority settings to get some really nice shots), it is NOT a DSLR. For example, in aperture priority mode for this camera, you only get 2 options: the max or the minimum aperture setting, but nothing in between. I assume it's the camera's way of preventing you from taking really awful shots, but I was hoping for the ability to experiment more, and make mistakes. Don't get me wrong, you can still take really bad photos if you want, but the settings are designed to make it as easy as possible to get a good picture, instead of enabling you to learn how to do that yourself. There are a few work-arounds, though. For example, if you want to mimic a shallow depth of field shot, you can select Macro mode with Aperture priority and then fully zoom in on your subject. If the rest of the scene is physically far enough away in the background, you can get a nice shot with the subject in focus and the background objects out of focus. I've included some of my shots above, in the customer images for reference. The tulip ones, for example, are mine. However, if you're looking to get a really shallow depth of field taking a picture of grapes, for example, where one grape is in focus and the rest of the grapes in the bunch are out of focus, it's going to be difficult - if not impossible - with this camera. Maybe I'm still enough of a newbie that I can't figure it out and it actually IS possible, but I had some photographer friends take a look and they couldn't do it either. However, we tried the same shot with their SLR and got it perfectly on the first try. All that said, I've been VERY pleased with the quality of the photos from this camera - it's definitely a step up from the compact point and shoot variety - and it's still small enough to pop into your backpack and hit the road. I love the pics I've been able to take with it, even in Auto mode. The zoom is also excellent - great magnification and very little blurring. The wide angle is also nice, giving a broad sense of space when kept at its widest. So, if your end goal is to get better quality photos compared to a compact, and be able to play around a LITTLE bit with the aperture, shutter and ISO settings, then this is the camera for you. But if you secretly yearn for the functionality of a DSLR, you'll find out in an afternoon or two that there's only so much you can do with this little guy. Overall, I'm very happy with the Fujifilm Finepix S1600 and I like the photos I'm taking with it, but I still can't wait for that first DSLR.

I bought this camera, had to wait a month for it to be delivered and was very dissapointed when it arrived. The playback button can be easily pressed whilst in a case so when you come to use it the batteries are flat. Only the second time I used it it developed a fault and didn't save all the photos to the card, it was fine after I had reset the camera but by then I had lost about 70 images. I was unimpressed with the build quality so returned it and spent an extra £70 on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38EB-K and never looked back. The Panasonic is a far superior camera in all aspects feels well built and well worth the extra money plus with a lens adaptor you can add extra lenses. The Fuji camera is cheap.....but you get what you pay for in this life!!!

Purchased this camera five weeks ago,i am really pleased with the quality,and the easyness of the controls,Weather you are a rank amatuer, or have a knowledge of cameras, this camera is impressive,the mode dial explains itself, choices from fully auto to fully manual,including scene recognition, panorama, 3 pictures stitched together, even having a movie with sound,(which i have not yet used). The electronic view finder is fantastic in sun light, when the display screen is difficult to see.Powered by 4 AA Batteries,(i purchased two sets of Fujimax 2800mah rechargable batteries these give me around 500/600 pictures), to date i have taken 1243 one thousand two hundred & forty three,photos, most of which are in good to very good or excellent range,i have taken things like flowers, people, fair grounds, Traction engines, steam rollers,boats, river scenes, and much much more. i tend to use the manual settings, this allows me to set the aperture & shutter speed to my choice, i have tried all the different mode dial settings and they all work very well, this an excellent camera for the price, it is also very light weight, so it does not hang heavy on your neck. this camera was purchased to replace a canon A460 which is a little limited. With its really good zoom & wide angle lens & all its features this camera is an excellent buy. i will be useing the camera this weekend at Belper steam rally & expect to take 400/ 500 pictures.

I have been a freelance photographer using roll film for 30 odd years and with the advent of digital cameras and 'phone cameras decided to retire. It was second nature to compose a picture using a view finder rather than looking at a screen on the back of the camera. My first digital SLR has a view finder and the first digital compact I purchased made by K---- had a view finder and was excellent. Wanting something for my wife I purchased a Fujifilm finepix AV100 - it was useless for taking photographs outside, even in the dullest of bright days because one could not set the scene on the screen because one could not see it! So after a long search I found what seems to be the only digital compact on the market with a view finder. I found the instruction book quite easy to navigate but to get the best out of the camera, make time to read it. Although the view finder was to me, an essential part, one has to switch it on and off, hence Fuji call it EVF (electronic viewfinder!)and it alternates between view finder and back screen,the view finder is not brilliant (compared to K----- and my SLRs) but better than nothing. It is a nice, well designed lightweight camera, easy to handle,even with big hands,the inbuilt zoom is excellent. Any complaints about short battery life are no doubt due to the 'play' factor!I did find some niggles. It took some time to find the delete button and review icon painted on a button. This to me is a major design fault - who in their right mind uses dark green paint on a black surface? It cannot be described as a compact because it would not fit in a pocket or handbag but it does take very good photographs. The only other observation is from the instruction book it seems most cameras today are being made for the 'party market' taking faces rather than scenes. I was eager to get hold of this and spent extra on same day delivery - worth the extra money. It does not come with a memory card - that is extra.

Hi, Times move on and having made "the switch" to digital cameras I'm impressed to say the least. I still have my film cameras and they are capable of producing excellent results. I have taken many more shots digitally than I ever did with film. Battery life is excellent. I use 'Lithium' photo cells and find they last for ages but you need to tell the camera what type of battery is in (dead easy to do) ie Alkalines NiMh rechargables or Lithiums. I like the simplicity of this camera. I have dabbled with its manual override functions and have found that learning curve straightforward enough. I do really like the Colour or Monochrome at the touch of a button. I've seen critiscim re the "noise" in digital photography. If the correct iso setting is used given the correct amount of exposure and available light I've had zero problems in this respect. My only gripe is simple the view screen on the camera rear can be a little hard to see clearly on bright days. However this is so easy to overcome just press one button and use the viewfinder.Sorted!!! This Fuji camera is excellent value for money. It is not a DSLR. It is simple in design Looks the part and has produced the goods for me. Would I recommend it. The answer is a resounding YES with few reservations. It is not a cheaper option than a film camera but it is far more convenient and in any hands set on "Auto" will give really good quality results. A digital photo frame is a recommendable accessory. VFM - good: Results - Good: Happy customer- Yes. Try one you'll like the concept.. 'Fuji rules OK' BFJ

I bought this camera in December 2010, and it worked excellently, giving me clear pictures, trouble-free snapping, doing all the doodads that it says on the tin. Now, 2.5 years later it suddenly won't switch on. Amazon say "not our problem, guv" and Fuji the same. It works out at around £4 per month. I don't think a decent camera should suddenly pack up after this time. .I bought it to replace the Fujifilm FinePix S5700 - that lasted just three years. If I'd been using either one on a daily basis, taking hundreds of pictures I could understand perhaps why they flunked. But once, maybe twice a month? Maybe a couple dozen pix a month? I mean, come on!! Take heed. This is NOT for the long run.

Well I got the camera a day before delivery date. The packaging was good. As soon as I opened it and get this little camera in my hand, I thought nice. But then this camera reveal the truth: - Massive Zoom - High quality picture 12.2 mp - HD video and good sound - Loads of settings to play with Overall I will recommend this Fujifilm camera to anybody that wants a bit more from a digital camera. And the best of all it works fine with Ubuntu Linux 11.04 and F-Spot photo manager.

I bought this camera for my partner's birthday. I gave it to her today, and the first problem we had was that the plastic pieces on the strap were not on in the correct order, so we had to take the strap apart to re-assemble it which, although not a serious problem, was very fiddly. After this, the camera was up and running and appeared to work fine for the first few photos which were taken within about an hour of getting it out of the box. However, after this time the camera suddenly turned itself off with the lens stuck out. No amount of battery replacement solves the problem, and it refuses to turn back on! My partner is very disappointed, as she was hoping to get some nice shots on her birthday and we had to make do with a phone camera. I've read other reviews on here about the camera breaking after just a few hours, so be warned!