Fujifilm FinePix S9600

Well I have just bought a S9600 and sent it back. Basically I found the camera a bit too ‘plasticky’ for my liking and the controls feel… lets say unsubstantial. By comparison my Olympus 8080 feels like a tank! I also found the AF a little tardy when used indoors or in low light and it tended to hunt so candid snaps are out in these circumstances. Some pics were exceptionally good but there were not as many of these as I would have liked. I might give the S100FS a go but I think more likely I will stick with a good compact or go the whole hog for a DSLR. A good compact will beat the S9600 on performance and match most of its pics for quality… and still fit in your pocket! I have a Canon 850IS which is fast and produces excellent pics. The S9600 has a good zoom range but how often will you use 300mm.

I disagreee in every way to Johnboys comments. I have had this camera since Jan 2008, and all I can say is WOW! Its quite superb producing gob smacking results, and dont forget when reviewed this camera earn 10/10 based on a street price of £270 .. whereas now you can buy it for UNDER £200!!!

I have taken almost a 1000 piccies, & just about every shot is perfectly exposed and incredibly sharp even in dim light. Its quite amazing the results that this camera can produce, even in auto mode! The results are stunning! Fantastic piece of kit & outstanding value for money!

Buy one now .. you'll not be dissapointed!

I just bought S9600. I was suprised, when i noticed, that in very low light conditions with max. zoom, my old camera Fuji Finepix S5600 manages to correctly set focus where S9600 fails. I guess this is the price for higher resolution.
This was just an (initial) test.
It did slightly ruined initial good impression, but it will be rarely used in such conditions. S9600 is still a very good camera and I intend to keep it.