Fujifilm FinePix S4500 Digital Camera (14MP, 30x Optical Zoom) 3 inch LCD Screen

Being an expert in photography, (University level), I differ in my outlook as regards photography. I wanted a camera that was both flexible and good quality and I have used Fujifilm cameras before without problems. I must have checked the specs of several hundreds of cameras over a month. It had to be possible to use the camera as both quick 'point and shoot' or for a more considered outdoor or studio approach. Used properly and to it's full capacity the Fujifilm S4500 does the job for me.

There are 7 types of auto focus, so all pictures should be focused sharply and in use this turned out to be the case. With controllable priority of shutter, aperture or custom I have all the exposure control that I need, plus 16 shooting modes, which can be selected if I wish or switched between automatically.

Sun or lights shining over my shoulder and washing out the digital screen, no problem, a button push changes to viewfinder mode and everything I need is there, you can't have both screen and viewfinder on at the same time, but do you need that? People have complained that this camera uses 4 AA batteries. This is a real gift, try walking into a village shop and asking for a fully charged NP-50 Battery Pack as yours has become flat.... A pack of 4 AA alkalines? expensive though, but you keep on taking photos! I use Ni-MH rechargeables and carry a couple of fully charged sets in my camera case anyway, plus a set of alkalines in the car and I never need to worry. Studio work, plug in the mains adapter and keep going as long as I need. Note: It is necessary to set the camera to the correct type of battery or it will not work properly. (Alkaline, Ni-MH or Lithium)

Now for the interesting bit, the Fujinon zoom lens. This is equivalent to 24 - 720mm on a 35 mm camera, wide angle to long telephoto at the push of a control, no carrying/changing different lenses and possibly missing a shot. Normal 'point-zoom-press', I set it to SP Auto and the camera does all the working out for me, my camera has to work for a living. However, using the telephoto anywhere around full can create camera shake, simply holding it properly could eliminate most of those problems. Hold the camera in your right hand using the shaped grip, put your left thumb under the camera body and support the camera with your fingers resting gently over the top of the flash, (the flash down and not in use obviously), arms pulled in to your sides, take a breath and hold it. Press the shutter button, not snatching, but pressing half-way until it focuses, you get an on screen indication and a bleep to tell you it's ready, only then continue pressing the shutter button until it bleeps again and there you are. If possible, leaning against a solid object such as a wall or tree will help to steady the shot and the dual anti-shake will assist anyway. Nothing handy to lean against?, go down on one knee and rest an elbow on the other, that usually works for me. Fully out with the zoom, you do need a solid support such as a tripod, plus using the self timer.

If you want good photos without adjusting settings, leave it set to SP Auto and 'point-zoom-press'. The camera comes without an SD memory card and you WILL need one, order at the same time if possible, a 2Gb SD saves about 500 shots. Bigger, if possible. Lastly, if you want good photos take time to read the manual with the camera in your hand, it will always put you several steps ahead of the guessers; and make your photography so much better and easier for you.

I have been surprised and delighted with this camera. Incredible zoom and focus range makes it superb for macro photography as well as the usual family and scenic stuff. It has even more features that I realised, even some not found on more expensive digital SLRs. One feature which came as a surprise particularly pleased me: the choice of format. You can now continue to take photos in the 3:2 ratio (6 x 4) instead of the ridiculous standard digital format that fits no known photo frames!

I cannot print anything bigger than A4, but those have been crisply sharp.

Having for years lugged a heavy camera bag with 3 or 4 lenses plus the SLR camera body, the freedom this brilliantly designed and easy to use 'bridge camera' is a revelation!

I am not especially technically minded, just a lady with a senior railcard, several lively, photogenic grandchildren, also lucky enough to live in a beautiful, coastal, place where the light and the view change by the minute. Plus, I need to take interior shots of our holiday house for its web pages, hopefully making a good job of capturing lovely rooms with the peaceful river view showing through the windows. Daily, my camera is always nearby; I get enormous pleasure from photography as well as using it as a business tool. That said I confess that, despite having attended an excellent day course on using my bridge camera I am more than likely to have it set to auto. So please take my review from that simple standpoint.

This FUJIFILM FINEPIX S4500 was bought to replace a similar six-year or so old FUJIFILMFINEPIX S5700 that was a great companion until the flash stubbornly refused to pop up (at a christening to boot) and was eventually declared uneconomical to repair. I was sorry when this happened and tried hard to get it fixed. In the end I saw that at the price shown it was better to buy a new one and to enjoy the extra refinements that come with a more up to date model. In particular, a manual flash pop up function with forced flash, the powerful 30x zoom. I remember when 5 mega pixels seemed vast so 14 must be as pin sharp as I'll ever need. The `in hand' feel is much the same, not too heavy but weighty enough to ensure stability and full consciousness that a photo is being taken, a reassuring feeling of quality and seriousness. On this occasion I made my purchase from my local camera shop, pleased to support it, grateful for the advice given and happier to have the chance to play with the camera before deciding. For me it was worth the extra at the time. However I confidently recommend this deal offered by amazon as a great one compared to other prices.

I am attracted to red, feeling cheered to see something that isn't black or silver, more me somehow; a personal liking. The body of the Finepix S is matt smooth on top and ruggedly rippled where it is held so additional grip is ensured. There is a moulded rubber finger- shaped grip on the side, which fits comfortably.

Out of the box I attached the lens cap and its safety cord; inserted the 4 AA batteries supplied (non rechargeable, but could be if you have the kit) and the 32gb card I'd chosen, which I felt would give me plenty of storage should I be away for a while. I ignored the neck strap, which looks a bit nerdy even for me. Immediately it sparked into life and we set off. The screen is generously large, 6.5 cm x 5cm. There is an eye peephole for those of us used to last century's cameras, which shows a small, recorded image, ideal for use on sunny days when the screen is hard to see.

I then went on line and filled in the warranty application, all very easy and friendly. The response was immediate and support advertised as helpful should you need it. There are some features they offer for FUJI owners, the chance, through `MyFinePix' to:

* Create your life in pictures with your own Photoblog
* Chat with other MyFinePix photographers from all over the world
* Share ideas, tips and experiences
* Upload your best photos to the gallery - and see what others think of them!
* Read the latest news and be the first to hear about cool new products
* Update your personal MyFinePix profile

I liked all that. But probably won't get around to it.

I also loaded up the cd manual, 128 pages, although the paper Basic Manual, 23 pages was pretty good. Neither actually told me how to reset the time and date though which I needed to do straightaway as I'd moved on too fast though that procedure, missing the finer details after entering the year. I looked at the fuller manual on the disc and it only told me how to do it the first time, a search just sent back to the early page, but of course, silly me, I soon found that by working through the menu and clicking up down and around the selector button I did it myself. Warm feeling of achievement! This taught me that there is no problem with fiddling around, you can't break it; just keep on learning and remembering as you go. A silent option for the popping sound it makes seemed an excellent idea, when trying to be discreet anyway.

The camera took the same USB lead as my previous one still in place from the back of my Mac OSX version 10.6.6. It would also accommodate a larger size. There are leads that come with the camera that look as though they would also go into the tv (reminder - this is not a technical review!).

Turning the wheel on top for the different settings feels positive and purposeful; it is substantial and clicks firmly at each turn. Manually raising the flash is good to do, I use the force flash for crisp, warm, bright interior shots. However much of what is on offer in camera can be more comfortably dealt with later on the computer with an application such as iphoto. For me, the bells and whistles are not quite so important, it is capturing the moment that matters, fleeting shots that could last for generations when edited, adjusted and carefully cropped.

Landscape pictures came out clear as day, a trip to the beach with the dog tested out the progress I was making. Altogether I am thrilled with this reasonably priced camera, it is very good value and promises to reward me with plenty of fabulous photos throughout its hopefully long and useful life.