Fujifilm FinePix S4200 Digital Camera,Black

When I first saw this camera, warning bells seemed to ring in my head. A camera this nice, for this price? No way. But as I continued to search through the information, I found it was really a top notch, as-good-as-it-gets-for-a-digital piece of technology. It has 14 megapixels (it could be better, but oh well) and an amazing, controllable (no tripod necessary) 24x zoom. How nice is that, for the unbeatable price of 149$ (what I got it for, prices change)? I was looking to upgrade my nikon coolpix L23, which is a good compact camera, but I needed a little more to pursue photography.So I put my money down and bought it, taking my risks with the questionable price. I also purchased a case, 2 tripods, and a strap.When it finally arrived, I was overjoyed. Not only did the package include a camera, it included 3 instruction manuals, a lens cap, a strap (I guess I have an extra), 4 AA batteries (requires 4), and a CD with more instructions. The camera does have some weight to it, so I would highly recommend a strap. It came with a full package that was not even mentioned, which was even more for my money! Talk about a good deal!But the real tests were the quality of the pictures. So I went out into my yard and began to shoot, and found the pictures came out even better than I could have guessed. I still haven't figured out all the settings, but I haven't read all the instructions, either.The only thing it didn't come with was an SD card, which I thankfully already had, but it's needed. I have 32gb, and I haven't run out of memory still, so the pictures don't take up enormous amounts of space.This camera is a great deal, and has had no problems. I would highly recommend this to anybody looking to upgrade, it's easy and good in quality. Don't hesitate to make the purchase because it really is what it claims to be.I hope this helped!

I realize that there are many faster and better cameras on the market, but for the price, this one can't be beat. I needed a camera that would work well in low light and capture action shots. That is not an easy list of needs to fill without spending hundreds of dollars. My son plays ice hockey and this camera is perfect for the conditions inside the rink. Too often my old camera had too much of a delay and I'd miss the shot. Other cameras don't work well enough without a flash to capture the image. (Can't use a flash when standing next to the glass.) This worked well for both being fast enough to get the shot and adapted to the low light situation present in some rinks. I have also taken great shots of outdoor lacrosse games - so high action but lots of light. I have gotten many great shots of our pets both lounging and in action as well - inside using the flash.This has turned out to be a fabulous over-all camera. Lots of setting to serve many needs but not so many that the average user will be overwhelmed. I haven't used the video part of the camera much but it seems to be okay.My only gripe is that the neck strap fell off after about two weeks of use. Might be I didn't get it on properly, but now I am strapless when using the camera. Not a deal breaker and fortunately I was holding the camera when the strap came off so no damage done.I was reluctant to purchase a camera that used standard AA batteries because I had read somewhere that they are inferior but I don't find that to be the case with this camera. While I like the convenience and savings of the rechargable camera batteries - I also like the convenience of being able to toss regular batteries in the case as my back up. And if I forget the replacement batteries, it is super easy to drop into a store and pick up a pack.I have used this camera for about three months and gave it five stars because it can't be beat for the price. I'm sure a more expensive camera could do better but I really can't complain about this one. I would definately recommend it.

I was looking for a camera I could use to take photos of birds/nature, and bought this one because I read a review that said this one was a great choice for that purpose. I'm pleased to report that review was right on the money!PLUS--1. This camera is very easy to use: you can basically point and shoot, and the camera does a very good job of compensating for your bone-headed mistakes. You can use some bells and whistles to make particular types of photos look better, and I do recommend that you actually read the manual before using.2. Quite light weight. You will of course get better overall results with a tripod, but I have so far never used one, and am quite pleased with the quality of most of my photos. Stationary bird photos look great--but take numerous photos of birds in flight to increase your odds of capturing a great shot! I'm also quite pleased with the color in fall foliage/landscape photos.MINUS--1. If you are planning on taking lots of long-range photos, a camera with a more powerful zoom is definitely in order. Most shots I take are fairly close-in to mid-range, and this camera is great for that work.2. Battery life is somewhat shorter than I'd hoped--so carry extras in the field to avoid disappointment. In the camera's defense, I do take lots of photos each trip.3. A minor quibble--you were probably planning to buy a chip for added photo capacity anyway, and I highly recommend the Transcend 16 GB memory card! A plus--it is very easy to transfer photos from the card to your computer. I also bought the Case Logic DCB 304 Camera Case, and find it to be a good, economical choice.