Fuji 9600

[GME]

Hi folks,

I was looking around for a new camera and came across this site by accident - same as a few people by all accounts.

Firstly, I just have to say I think the site is FANTASTIC! I spent 2 evenings solid perusing the forums and galleries instead of looking for a new camera! Everyone seems so knowledgeable and friendly, plus some of the shots on the galleries are awesome!

My quandry seems very similar to a lot of people. Which new camera to buy for about £300?

Liked the look of the Olympus E500 and Nikon D40 with cashback but I tried the Fuji 9600 in the shop (Currys) and really liked it. I know most of the recommendations seem to be for the Panny FZ's for a DSLR alternative on here but I just preferred the Fuji.

2 main questions:

1. Does anyone have one/ has used one/ can recommend one?

2. Can anyone confirm there is a teleconverter that will fit the 9600 to increase the zoom even further? Can anyone recommend one if so?

I've been using my mate's Canon EOS 400D and know I'm going to lose some of the quality as it is simply amazing. I'd love to have one but fear it's a little beyond what I want to spend right now (Fuji is available for £260 on 'reserve and collect' at Currys and 2 year olds have a curious knack for managing to eat up just the same amount of disposable income that you have left over each month)

I will be using it for wildlife shots (particularly interested in birds and insects) and some sports action shots (as well as for general everyday photos).

I decided to ask for help on here rather than a mainstream 'camera/ photography' forum as everyone seems to be wildlife enthusiasts who like to take nice photos, much like myself and I know you will be able to refer to the quality in respect to this hobby/ passion.

Many thanks in advance

Gareth

[eeyore]

the fuji certainly isnt a bad camera - its macro mode is very good indeed , tele converter wise you can get raynox and olympus ones that screw onto the filter thread both for tele and for even bigger mag on macro - beyondthat I dont know a huge ammount about them , but Matt_xyz is your man for these and i'm sure he'll be along shortly

you ought to be able to find a keener price than currys if you look arround as that chain are notoriously expensive - amazon for example have it for £236.99

the other two models you might want to look at are the canon S3 and the Panasonic Fz50 - the fuji has the best macro , but the canon has image stabiliser while the panasonic is slightly better at telephoto - all three are good cameras tho and you cant really go wrong with any of them.

[matt_xyz]

I'm fairly sure the Olympus TCON17 teleconverter will screw onto the Fuji, this will extend the focal length by a factor of 1.7. It might need an adapter to fit (i.e. a step-up or step-down ring), I'm not sure.

My only experience of non-DSLRs is with Panasonics, although I did try a Fuji 9600 recently and it is a good camera. But the image stabilisation of the Panasonics is very useful, particularly in a bridge camera where you can't raise the ISO much in dim light. The image stabilisation alone would sway me towards the Panasonic.

Matt

[eeyore]

how much is the TCON matt ? - I was just wondering once you have got the camera and the tcon are you that far short of the price of a DSLR and a second hand zoom ? (or for that matter a second hand DSLR and a new zoom)

BTW these are links for the best prices I can find on the three bridge cameras mentioned above
Canon
Canon Powershot S3 IS
Panasonic
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 Black
Fuji
Amazon.co.uk: Fuji FinePix S9600 Digital Camera (9.0MP, 10.7x optical zoom) 2.0" LCD: Electronics & Photo

[matt_xyz]

I think you can get a TCON for around £70-80 Pete.

Matt

[GME]

Many thanks guys

Is the Image stabilisation really that different? I have seen advice on sites that mentions the Fuji doesn't have any, but when I looked on the Fuji website they claim their Real Photo technology prevents both camera movement and subject movement problems better than cameras that have stabilisers that can only help with camera shake issues (although I know it will have its limitations) and as such is this not their version of an Image Stabiliser? Or at least of sorts?

By the way - thanks for the info on prices and tcon. I only looked at Currys really as I could have a play Plus I could take it straight home and play even more

I would seriously consider the Olympus tcon as it seems to get good feedback regularly, but would not buy immediately.

I would love the DSLR and appreciate they could be bought probably quite close to price if you start looking second-hand. My mate's 400D is just mind-blowing on images sometimes.

As mentioned though, I just really liked the Fuji and if someone could recommend the quality at least would be pretty decent I'd be very happy with it. Is the Panasonic's image as good? I looked at the Fuji after looking on 'Trusted Reviews' where they raved about it and comparatively the Panny didn't do so well (though admittedly not poorly). The Canon S3 was a close second to the Fuji and I have considered all 3!

Thanks again

[matt_xyz]

the image stabilisation (IS) on the Panasonics is excellent, I have always found it to be very effective and you can get away with full zoom shots (420mm equivalent) with very slow shutter speeds. The Fujis claim they don't need IS because they have better ISO performance which means in dim light you can raise the ISO and so you can then use a faster shutter speed. They do have less noise than the Panasonics at higher ISOs but the performance isn't that great. Personally I don't think it's as good as IS.

The image quality of the FZ30 (which I own) is excellent, I believe the FZ50 is very similar. Here are a few examples (click to enlarge them);

this was just taken with the standard fitted lens;



this one was taken with a close-up lens fitted:



this one was taken with the TCON fitted;

[SandraI]

Hi Gareth

I have been reading this thread with interest as I was in the same position as yourself until a few weeks ago. After weeks of research and reading reviews on various cameras I decided to buy Fuji S6500fd (it was a choice between that and the S9600) which I have been using now for nearly 2 months. I am delighted with my choice, especially pleased with the quality of macro shots as I am particularly interested in macro flower shots. I have had excellent results even without using the tripod.

However, I have been attempting to capture shots of garden birds but with difficulty - I think I need to try a TCON as has been suggested.

Although I am more than pleased with the S6500fd I think if I my budget had been £300 I might have bought the S9600.

I am just finding my way around the site but have managed to submit 2 photographs taken with my S6500.

At the end of the day the decision is yours and my advice would be to choose whatever you are happy with. Good Luck with your choice.

Sandra

[GME]

Matt,

They are amazing shots. I'd be delighted to say the least if I could produce anything even close! Just out of interest, have you touched up the images at all? Also, if you don't mind me asking, why did you choose the FZ30 and not a DSLR? Mind you, I can understand why if those images are anything to go by Think I'll have to test-drive a Panasonic after those, I haven't actually tried one before.

Sandra - thanks for your comment. I'm glad you're happy with your purchase. I'm finding it a much more difficult decision than I thought I would!! Never could make up my mind at the best of times tho
I deliberately titled the thread as I did because I couldn't find any discussion directly on the Fuji (though, it's probably in here somewhere!) so other people with a similar dilemma would also benefit from the great advice provided on here

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by GME

Matt,

They are amazing shots. I'd be delighted to say the least if I could produce anything even close! Just out of interest, have you touched up the images at all? Also, if you don't mind me asking, why did you choose the FZ30 and not a DSLR? Mind you, I can understand why if those images are anything to go by Think I'll have to test-drive a Panasonic after those, I haven't actually tried one before.

thanks very much. They've had a bit of 'tweaking' in Photoshop, mainly levels, a bit of sharpening and some noise reduction. I bought the FZ30 as a stepping stone to a DSLR, I do now use a DSLR, a Canon 400D, as my main camera, but I still think the FZ30 is a very nice camera.

You should have a play with each camera and make your mind up from there, both the Fuji and the Panasonics are very nice cameras. See whichever feels the nicest to use.

I think the macro performance of the Fuji is better than that of the FZ30 unless a close-up lens is fitted to the latter. The FZ30 isn't great at macro without a close-up lens. But the telephoto performance of the FZ30 is better than that of the Fuji (420mm v. 300mm).

As I say, it's best to try them both really. Good luck

Matt