Hi all

I need help deciding whet camera I should go for, I used to have the 350D with the 100-400 IS lens and other bits and bobs. But a major f*** up in my life forced me to sell it, I know the 2 camera's are not "full fat DSLR's" unlike my last set up, but thats something I will have to get over..

So the choice is between the Fuji S9600 and the Sony DSC-H7. The tech specs are below for both the camera's.

Fuji Finepix S9600

Number of effective pixels9.0million pixels
CCD sensor1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR Number of total pixels : 9.24 million pixels
Storage mediaSlot No 1 - -Picture Card™ (16MB to 2GB) Slot No 2 - CF Card and MicroDrive™(compatibility is listed on Fujifilm website: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital/)
File formatStill image - CCD-RAW/JPEG (Exif Ver 2.2)
LensFujinon 10.7X zoom lens , F 2.8 - F4.9
Lens focal lengthf=6.2 - 66.7 mm. (Equivalent to 28 - 300 mm on a 35 mm camera)
FocusAuto focus (Area,Multi,Center)/Manual focus/Continuous AF AF assist illuminator available, Effective range:up to 3.5m(Wide angle)
Focus distanceNormal - Wide Angle: Approx. 40cm /1.3 ft. to infinity Telephoto: Approx. 2.0m /6.6ft. to infinity Macro - Wide Angle: Approx. 10cm - 3.0m /4.0 in.- 9.8 ft. Telephoto: Approx. 90cm - 3.0m /3.0ft.- 9.8 ft. Super Macro - Approx. 1cm - 1.0m / 0.4 in.-3.3 ft.(Wide angle only)
Shutter speedAuto/Anti Blur/Natural Light/Portrait/Landscape : 1/4sec. to 1/4000 sec. Auto/Anti Blur/Natural Light/Portrait/Landscape : 1/4sec. to 1/4000 sec.
ApertureF2.8 - F11, 13 steps in 1/3 EV increments Manual/Auto selectable
SensitivityAUTO/Equivalent to ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600
Exposure modesProgrammed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
White balanceAutomatic Manual : Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light, Custom(2 types)
Viewfinder0.44-inch low temperature polysilicon TFT(approx.235,000 pixels), Approx. 100% coverage
LCD Monitor2.0-inch Low temperature polysilicon TFT (approx. 235,000 pixels), Approx. 100% coverage
Self-timerApprox. 2 / 10 sec. delay
Video OutputNTSC / PAL selectable
Digital InterfaceUSB2.0 High-Speed
Power source4xAA type alkaline batteries(included)/ 4xAA type Ni-MH rechargeable batteries(optional) or AC power adapter AC-5VX(optional)
Dimensions128.0(W) X 93.0 (H) X 129.0(D) mm / 5.0(W) X 3.7(H) X 5.1(D) in.
WeightApprox. 650g / 22.9oz.(excluding batteries and storage media) Approx. 760g / 26.8oz.(including batteries and -Picture Card)
Digital ZoomApprox. 2.0 X (10.7x optical zoom lens is used together: Max. zoom scale: 21.4x)
Shooting modesNormal - Auto, Scene Position, Anti-Blur, Natural Light, Portrait, Landscape, Night Continuous - 1.Top-4 : Max. 1.5 frames / sec. up to 4 frames 2. Final- 4 : Max. 1.5 frames / sec. up to 4 frames 3. Long-period : Max 1.1 frames / sec. up to 40 frames High speed shooting
Colour modesSTANDARD/ CHROME / B&W
Movie recording640 x 480 / 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames/sec., with monaural sound. AVI format (Motion JPEG )
PlaybackSingle frame, 9 Multi-frame, Exposure information with histogram, Sorting by date, Image rotate, Trimming, Automatic playback,Navigation screen on playback zoom
Voice memoUp to 30 sec. WAV format

Sony DSC-H7
Technical
specifications

Please be aware that the features/specifications can differ from country to country.
Collapse all
Lens
Optical Zoom
15x
Precision Digital Zoom
30x
Smart Zoom
up to 76x (with VGA)
F
2.7-4.5
Focal Length (f= mm)
5.2-78
Focal Length (f=35mm conversion)
31-465
Macro (cm)
Wide: 1-infinity, Tele: 120-infinity
Filter Diameter (mm)
74mm
Conversion Lens compatibility
YES
NightShot
NO
NightFraming
NO
Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens
YES


Image Sensory
CCD Type
Super HAD CCD
Size (Inches)
1/2.5


Camera
Effective Pixels (Mega Pixels)
8.0
Bionz Processor
YES
Face Detection
YES
A/D Conversion (DXP) (Bit)
14
Clear RAW NR
YES
Auto Focus Method (Single)
YES
Auto Focus Method (Monitoring)
YES
Auto Focus Method (Continuous)
NO
Auto Focus Area (Multi Point)
YES
Auto Focus Area (Centre weighted)
YES
Auto Focus Area (Spot)
NO
Auto Focus Area (Flexible Spot)
YES
Manual Focus
YES
Aperture Auto Mode
YES
Aperture Priority Mode
YES
Aperture Manual Mode
YES
Shutter Speed Auto Mode (sec)
1/4-1/4000
Shutter Speed Priority Mode (sec)
30-01/4000
NR Slow Shutter
YES
Hand Shake Alert
YES
Exposure Control
+/-2.0 EV, 1/ 3 EV step
White Balance
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent1, Fluorescent2, Fluorescent3, Incandescent, Flash, One push
Automatic White Balance
YES
Light Metering (Multi Pattern)
YES
Light Metering (Centre weighted)
YES
Light Metering (Spot)
YES
Sharpness Setting
YES
Saturation Setting
NO
Contrast Setting
YES
ISO Sensitivity (REI)
YES (Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200)
Scene Selection
Twilight, Twilight portrait, Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, High Sensitivity, Advanced Sports Shooting
AF Illuminator
YES
Flash Mode
Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro, No Flash
Distance limitations using Flash (m)
ISO Auto; 0.2-9.8m (wide), 1.2-6m (tele)
Pre-flash
YES
Red-eye Reduction
YES
Auto Daylight Synchronized Flash
YES


LCD/ Viewfinder
LCD Screen Size (inches)
2.5
LCD Total Dots Number
115.000
LCD Monitor Type
TFT
Tilting LCD Monitor
NO
Auto Bright Monitoring
YES
LCD Field of View (%)
100
Optical Viewfinder
NO
Electrical Viewfinder
YES


Recording
Recording Media
Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo. Memory Stick PRO Duo High Speed, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo (same speed as PRO Duo). Internal memory (31MB)
Recording Format
JPEG, MPEG1
Memory Stick Pro Interface
Parallel
DCF (Design rule for Camera File System)
YES
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
YES
Burst Mode (shots)
100
Burst Interval (approximately sec)
0.46
Still Image size (8.0 Mega, 3264 x 2448)
YES
Still Image size (5.0 Mega, 2592 x 1944)
YES
Still Image size (3.1 Mega, 2048 x 1536)
YES
Still Image size (VGA, 640 x 480)
YES
Still Image size (16:9 mode, 1920 x 1080)
YES
Still Image size (3:2 mode, 3264 x 2176)
YES
Moving Image Size (MPEG VX Fine, 640x480, 30fps)
YES
Moving Image Size (MPEG VX Standard, 640x480, 16.6fps)
YES
Moving Image Size (MPEG Presentation, 320x240, 8.3fps)
YES


Playback/ Edit
Slideshow Playback
YES
Slideshow with Music
YES
Trimming
YES
Resize
NO
Playback Zoom
YES
Divide (MPEG)
NO
Cue & Review (MPEG)
YES
Index Playback
YES
Image Rotation
YES
Auto Image Rotation
YES


General
Battery Remaining Indicator
YES
Histogram Indicator
YES
Exposure Warning Indicator
YES
Disk / Memory Stick remaining indicator
YES
PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol)
YES
Print Image Matching
YES
PictBridge
YES
Shop Front Mode
YES
Start up time (approximately sec)
2
Menu Language
Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Bluetooth Function
NO


Jacks
Multi use Terminal with HD
YES
AV Out
NO
Digital I/O (USB)
NO
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
YES


Power/ Others
Battery System
Lithium N
Supplied Battery
NP-BG1
Stamina (battery life) with the supplied battery(s) in normal shooting condition
300 shots, 150min (CIPA standard with LCD screen on)
Battery for Clock
Manganese-Silicon (MS621F)
Weight (g)
375
Weight with Accessories (g)
514
Supplied Software
Windows: Picture Motion Browser Ver.2.0 + USB Driver + Picture Package Music Transfer
Supplied Accessories
Rechargeble battery pack (NP-BG1), Battery charger, Multi connector cable, Power Code, Shoulder Strap, Lens Cap, Lens Cap Strap, Flower Lens hood, Wireless Remote control, CD-ROM, Lens Adaptor ring


Dimensions
Width (mm)
109.5
Height (mm)
83.4
Depth (mm)
85.7


Now the Sony does have the appeal as it does 30sec exposures and has higher ISO sensitivity.

But the Fuji can take XD and CF cards, more MP's and utilises the RAW processing I had on my Canon.

And I have been looking at 1 more the Nikon D40, but being a previous DSLR I really can't decide if I want to get a DLSR again as I dont get many chances to use it.

(but whatever camera I get will be comming out of the catalouge, so I know I will get my ass screwed on the price)

I dont know alot about the Sony camera in question but in my experience (of ownership and through customer queries) Sony cameras tend to have a great spec but are very overpriced and break very easily. Usually just as it goes out of warrenty Saying that though, these are usualy lower end models. My uncle has the Sony (minolta) Alpha DSLR jobbie and its a superb camera but obviously this is a higher end camera.

The Fuji "bridge" spec cameras are absolutly stunning for the price. I would highly recommend one for the price they are going for. The only thing that lets me down about them is that you can not turn off the noise reduction which results in loss of detail when looking up close. Not a problem for normal every day snaps but if you wanted to print and enlarge a pic, it might become a problem.

As for the Nikon D40. Very good camera but personaly, I would get a second hand/reconditioned D50 instead. Much better scope for upgrades as far as lenses go and it has alot of features than the D40 doesnt have (even though its a newer camera). The D50 is discontinued now.

Out of the 3 uve suggested I would personally go for the D40, simply becuase it is a DSLR and image quality would be far better over a bridge camera.

However if money is tight and image quality isnt of your greatest concerns then I would personally go for the Fuji. Very very good camera and a very very good price too.

fuji 9600, v good, for the money, and solid, v reliable, haven't heard of any bad ones atall.

but they ARE capable of 30s exposures, AND more importantly, BULB setting, aswell as a theaded shutter release for remote realising etc.
yes the fuji's do give high noise considering the competiton, but the sony is a complete unknown to me.


I take it your spending £2-300.

why not consider a pentax or olympus Dslr.
both the K100d pentax offering, and the olympus E500 can be had for that money, and both offer much higher quality night shots and general long exposures than the bridge cameras (lower noise). they also hold there value better than bridge cameras do, and are reliable enough AFAIK

Panasonic Lumic is absolutely brilliant IMO

I just bought my housemate a fuji s8000FD and it's absolutely amazing.

the fuji cameras are slating all the competition on the digital photography cos they are just great for the price. just depends on what types of photo you wanna take.

i've seen a few shots from the sony and they also look great, but as has already been said..overpriced and break too easily.

flick thru the images I've posted in best photo you've taken, bout last 5-8 pages have got loads of my recent ones (e.g. not oversaturated pants macro's of tatt, like I used to take ) also in bulldogs' need camera help thread, theres some night shots i think

thats just from a s5600, the s9500 is a world better, both in terms of noise, image quality (mostly from the better lense glass) and speed

meh. heres soem more, can tell I'm bored can't you tehe




bit fuzzy due to the condesation forming on lense








love the milky light on the cycleway. mate had a s6500fd and his came out a world better again!