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Fujifilm's FinePix S6000fd reviewed
Fujifilm's S6000df might not boast the same awe-inspiring specs as the similarly priced Sony DSC-H5, Canon S3 IS, or Panasonic DMC-FZ50, but apparently the company's exclusive "face detection" feature is enough of a boon to keep it in the running for your oh-so-coveted $500. The folks over at ZDNET best described the megazoom offering as a lesson in compromise; it settles for a 6.3-megapixel sensor and only rocks a 10.7x zoom, and even omits "true image stabilization." However, the high ISO (up to 3200), one-of-a-kind face finding processor, and "incredibly comfortable grip" proved to be impressive attributes nonetheless. Image quality was said to be "good, with well-saturated, accurate colors and tons of fine detail," while noise was effectively suppressed "to around ISO 800." Overall, reviewers were quite pleased with its face detecting goodness and "warm, natural" results, but if you need a serious dose of OIS to make good use of a fully extended zoom, you should probably look elsewhere.
Fujifilm's face-finding FinePix: the S6000fd
With some extreme ISO action, and a flashy face-recognizing auto focus feature, Fujifilm has quite an alluring offering in their new FinePix S6000fd (known as the S6500fd globally). The 2.5-inch LCD and 6.3 megapixel CCD shouldn't turn too many heads, but the wide-angle manual control 10.7x zoom lens and the 100-3200 ISO sensitivity is nothing to sneeze at. Fujiflim's hardware-based Face Detection tech allows the camera to zero in on the sentient humans in frame -- instead of that wall behind them -- and does its focusing mojo in a mere 0.04 seconds. This, combined with other automatic enhancements, allows Joe Hobbyist to take advantage of the camera's advanced optics without having to fiddle with manual controls, promising better lighting and less blurring in more situations. Unfortunately, "Picture Stabilization," which merely bumps the ISO automatically is a lame substitute for actual optical image stabilization, but there aren't many other cut corners, and Fujifilm has managed to get the price pretty low. The S6000fd should be out in September for around $500.
