for someone wanting to learn how to use digital cameras. You can start off in auto mode and experiment with many manual settings.

Cons:

-Manual focusing is awkward to use. You have to hold on to 1 button and then move the zoom in or out to focus.
-The menus are a little more difficult to use than others I have tried, though you get used to it like anything else with practice.
-No optical stabilization. This is not really a con in my book due to its high ISO capabilities but some would argue the point.
-No hot shoe.

In the end, Fuji has taken and enhanced the S5100 in several ways to create a bargain of a camera the 399.00 price. Highly recommended!

Product Reviews:

          
Great camera -- but some complaints., March 31, 2006
Reviewer: S. Ericksen
I love all the features of this camera--the zoom, all the various photo settings, the ability to change ISO settings. The CCD is outstanding (**at the lowest ISO setting**), and color preservation is pretty good. One of the things I really like about this camera is the speed at which you can take repeated pictures. For a person who has only had point-and-shoot cameras up until now this has been a nice step up and a learning experience. If you are in the same position I was expect a little bit of a learning curve. But you should expect that with any camera you buy that is more than a point-and-shoot--this camera is no harder than the next. I've had the camera for a few months now, so I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable with it's capabilities.

The video capabilies of the camera are nice, but nothing to write home about--it won't replace your video camera. The camera also has some annoying blurring problems with lower ISO settings--so make sure you have a steady hand, or use a tripod. My one big complaint is that graininess is a huge problem at higher ISO's. It starts from the moment you move from 64 (the lowest setting) to 100. Take test pictures of the same object at different ISO settings, throw them into photoshop, and then zoom in about 5 levels or so. Image quality is outstanding on the ISO 64 pictures, but you get noticeable image degradation by moving up just one ISO setting. The result is that by the time you get to ISO 800 or even 400 the image has significant graininess. So noticeable that even 4x6 prints of the pictures look pretty bad (like they were printed on an older color ink jet printer). In my option a 5 MP camera should not have 4x6 prints coming out that bad. It's really a shame too because at lower ISO blurring is a problem--too bad there is no image stabilization (luckily I have a surgeons hands--literally).

Overall, the camera is a nice, affordable step up for those who have been point-and-shoot people and want to get a little more serious. It is not, however, without some moderate flaws, which is why I give it only 4 stars.
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Real colors and manual diversity!, March 24, 2006
Reviewer: Warner Hernandez "warner web artist"

simply a amazing camera, i had a S5100 before, and the new features of the s5200 are really cool.
the new color processor works excellent, also the iso up to 1600 provide a wide range of creative shoots!
and, at least the antiblur system is simply great...
if u are searching for a nice portable and real value camera, this is a excellent choice.!
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 fuji s5200 , March 24, 2006
Reviewer: D. kaskey (iowa)
bought this camera about 2 wks.ago and am impressed. taken about 1475 shots so far and battery life is about 300-400 shots depending on flash used. first off-pictures are very good quality.color is exceptional. works as good as or better than naked eye in low light conditions-just great!!! the optical zoom is very,very good. has a ton of options which take quite a while learning all the symbols. the movie mode has excellent video but the audio i would only rate fair. now some things i do'nt care for: the digital zoom is not very good in resolution but it's ok just to crop pictures. the electronic view finder also needs some clarity. the menu seems a little user unfriendly at first but with some practice is getting better. due to the enormous amount of options it keeps interest all the way up to advanced intermediate photographers. the lcd seems to fade out easily in sunlight even at high settings. i compared this camera with sony dsc-h1,canon s2is,anpanosonic z-5. these are all good super-zoom cameras.some things i liked on the sony were the 2.5" lcd and image stabilization. fuji uses an anti-blur mode to avoid camera shake which works well most of the time but not always. when you get out to full zoom it is very touchy and easy to get blurred images. i guess that's why they have tri-pods.overall this camera is highly competitive against the other super-zooms,so you just have to try them out yourself. if you want the low light capabilities then this camera is miles ahead. i bought this camera for 225. with a fuji rebate. this made it a no-brainer for me.

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