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Fujifilm Finepix S9000 / S9500 Review
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Review Summary
Reader Score: 7.56 (out of 10)
Fujifilm's FinePix S9000 shows just how close digital SLR wannabes are getting to the real thing. This is one EVF-equipped camera that can compete in both the SLR and non-SLR arenas. Just a hair smaller and priced within $50 of compact dSLRs such as the Pentax *ist DL, the FinePix S9000 looks and handles very much like its interchangeable-lens competitors and in some ways outfeatures them. It boasts a 28mm-to-300mm (35mm equivalent) 10.7X zoom lens, where most low-end dSLRs come with a skimpy normal zoom; and its 1/1.6-inch Fuji Super CCD HR sensor packs in 9 million pixels, compared to 6 megapixels for most budget digital SLRs.
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Other Reviews For This Model
| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Camera Labs |
9.22 |
01-13-06 |
Read Full Review
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| "Fujifilm's FinePix S9500 Zoom is a 9 Megapixel all-in-one 'bridge' camera with a long 10.7x optical zoom lens and SLR-like styling. With its design and features, Fujifilm is clearly targeting buyers of budget digital SLRs, quoting LCD-based composition, a tilting monitor, movie mode and no concerns over dust getting on the sensor as key advantages. It's also comfortably cheaper than most budget digital SLRs
Compared to other all-in-ones the S9500 holds its own, delivering similar quality in real-life conditions to Panasonic's DMC-FZ30 and Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-R1. While there are differences in their designs and overall feature-sets, the choice between the three ultimately boils down to which optical zoom range best suits your requirements.." |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| PC Advisor |
8.71 |
12-26-05 |
Read Full Review
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| "At the heart of the S9500 is a 9Mp Super CCD (charge-coupled device) HR sensor that delivers images with 3,488x2,616 pixels and enough detail to make good-looking A3 inkjet prints. Unlike some previous Super CCDs, this one doesn't employ scaling on its images - it's a genuine 9Mp sensor.
The biggest argument against all-in-one cameras compared with digital SLRs (single lens reflex) is the fact that you can't swap the lens. To counter this, models such as the S9500 boast zooms with a massive optical range that will satisfy all but the most specialist of photographers. It's also worth noting that switching lenses on a proper digital SLR provides an opportunity for dust to enter the body and settle on the sensor, where it can appear on images as out-of-focus smudges. There are clearly no such concerns if the lens cannot be removed." |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Neo Camera |
8.50 |
01-15-06 |
Read Full Review
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| "The Fuji Finepix S9000 is designed for a various types of photography. However, it is not designed for portability since it is the size of a small DSLR. The S9000 feels completely sturdy and well built. Even the moveable LCD and the memory card door feel sturdier than average. Since it weighs 755 g, it feels more like a professional tool.
Above all, the Fuji Finepix S9000 delivers images of outstanding quality. Indeed, no current fixed-lens digital camera delivers such nice images. For that alone, the Fuji S9000 deserves some serious consideration. There are other things to like about the S9000 and, as no camera is perfect, some things to dislike. "
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Imaging-Resource |
8.25 |
12-15-05 |
Read Full Review
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| "Fujifilm, one of the major players in the digital camera field, has introduced the FinePix S9000. Replacing the FinePix S7000 at the company's high end, the Fuji S9000's resolution has been upped to a class-leading nine megapixels, and an extremely powerful 10.7x optical zoom lens combines to offer what Fujifilm obviously feels can compete head-on with competitors' digital SLR offerings. ISO sensitivity has been improved to allow ISO 1600 at full resolution, and an articulated LCD display caches in on the main advantage of non-SLR cameras - a live preview image that lets you see what you'll get before you press the shutter button.
As time goes on, the falling prices of digital SLRs make it harder and harder for high-end all-in-one cameras to find a place in the market. That said though, the Fujifilm FinePix S9000 makes a pretty compelling case for itself, offering an excellent 10.7x zoom lens (that extends to a very useful wide angle equivalent focal length of 28mm) and loads of resolution at a price a hundred dollars or more less than the least expensive d-SLR equipped with only a modest 3x zoom. It doesn't quite approach the quickness or low light/high ISO prowess of most d-SLRs, but certainly does well enough in these areas to suit the needs of most amateur photographers..." |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Photography Blog |
8.00 |
11-30-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is being heavily promoted as a better alternative to a digital SLR camera by Fujifilm, and it's not hard to see why by looking at the S9500's specification. A 9 megapixel sensor, 28-300mm lens, RAW mode and full manual control are features that most entry-level DSLRs can only dream of. The Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom also has a lot of other DSLR-like features
The Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is an excellent but expensive super-zoom compact digital compact camera. The Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is a cheap but rather poor digital SLR camera. Both of these statements are true. The S9500 is the best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together, but ultimately it cannot rival the entry-level DSLRs that Fujifilm is aiming at. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| LetsGoDigital |
7.99 |
10-17-05 |
Read Full Review
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| All in all the Fuji S9000 is a truly interesting camera containing some impressive specifications. It's not a perfect camera, nobody is perfect, but it's a strong competitor for the digital reflex camera. This hybrid model always turns out well for Fujifilm. The specifications of the Fujifilm S9000 make it a real digital killer. If we look at the possibility of working in RAW and the low noise ratio, the image quality and the high quality lens, the camera definitely deserves to be called a digital killer. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| DCResource |
7.75 |
10-15-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The FinePix S9000 is loaded with features, though it doesn't have some of the nice features from other fixed-lens and D-SLR cameras like white balance fine tuning. What you will find is a camera with full manual exposure control, manual focus, and custom white balance. While shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds are available, you'll be limited to 4 seconds in all modes except "M". The manual focus feature works nicely with the focus ring and Focus Check feature, but there's no guide on the LCD/EVF showing the current focus distance. The heavily marketed Natural Light and Anti-blur features do perform well, though they limit your output options to smaller print sizes once the ISO starts getting up there. A camera with image stabilization will usually produce images with less noise than the S9000 since they won't need to increase the ISO sensitivity to compensate for camera shake. The S9000 also has an excellent movie mode, with the ability to record VGA-sized video at 30 frames/second (with sound) until the memory card is full. Since the zoom is operated manually you can zoom while filming until your hands fall off. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| PC Magazine |
7.50 |
11-11-05 |
Read Full Review
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| In addition to offering some of the benefits you get from a D-SLR, the Fuji FinePix S9000 has a 10.7X optical zoom lens-better than what's included in most D-SLR kits. But the S9000 has some stiff competition in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30, our current Editors' Choice for superzooms. Although priced the same ($650 street), the S9000 can't quite match the outstanding quality, performance, and ease of use of the FZ30.
Overall, the Fuji FinePix S9000 is a well-rounded, full-featured superzoom. It falls just short of an Editors' Choice, leaving the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 with that honor. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Photography Blog |
7.47 |
11-28-05 |
Read Full Review
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| Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is being heavily promoted as a better alternative to a digital SLR camera by Fujifilm, and it's not hard to see why by looking at the S9500's specification. A 9 megapixel sensor, 28-300mm lens, RAW mode and full manual control are features that most entry-level DSLRs can only dream of. The Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom also has a lot of other DSLR-like features - completely manual zoom control and focusing ring on the lens, flash hotshoe, viewfinder and an ISO range of 80-1600. Fujifilm have really pulled out all the stops to make the S9500 as similar to a digital SLR as possible. But they haven't stopped there - this camera also offers features that are unique to compact digital cameras and which, the company hopes, will persuade buyers to choose the S9500. There's a 1.8 inch tilting LCD screen, integrated lens which avoids problems with dust getting onto the camera's sensor, and a 30fps, 640x480 movie mode. All of this functionality doesn't come cheap - the Fujifilm Finepix S9500 Zoom is more expensive than all the other super-zoom compacts on the market, and is similarly priced to entry-level DSLRs like the Nikon D50. So does it have what it takes to really be a viable alternative to the digital SLR? Carry on reading to find out. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Megapixel |
7.33 |
11-24-05 |
Read Full Review
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| he Fujifilm FinePix S9000 (named FinePix S9500 in Europe) is a large camera that has a size comparable to digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras such as the Canon 350D or the Pentax *ist DS. And, equipped with a big 10.7X optical zoom, the in-hand feel of the S9000 is reflex-like as well. Nevertheless, the S9000 is still a relatively light camera with a textured black polycarbonate body that includes a rubber-wrapped grip. A number of controls are arranged over the surfaces of the camera, taking advantage of the space available on the body. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| DPReview |
6.00 |
11-01-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The FinePix S9000 (S9500 in Europe and Asia) is the latest in a long line of Fujifilm 'prosumer' camera designed to bridge the gap between fixed lens compacts and interchangeable lens SLRs, and effectively the replacement for the popular S7000. With each generation that gap has been closed a little bit more, and with the arrival of the S9000 Fujifilm's marketeers have taken the brave step of openly positioning it as a true alternative to a digital SLR... even going as far as to say in many ways it's actually better... Find out if it lives up to the hype in our review after the link. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Digital Camera Info |
5.83 |
10-01-05 |
Read Full Review
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| 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. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Trusted Reviews |
----- |
11-01-05 |
Read Full Review
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| With the S9500 (S9000 in U.S.) Fujifilm has produced what is unquestionably the best fixed-lens camera currently available. Its SLR-like handling and performance make it a real pleasure to use, while its amazing picture quality and fantastic versatility are matched only by its price. A total bargain at £400, I predict that this camera will be selling by the truckload this Christmas, so get your order in early. |
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