Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

Perhaps because of its sinuous curves, or because of its professional outlook, this time it made quite an impression. Several weeks ago, while I was sadly waiting for my return flight to Toronto at Venice airport, I noticed that someone was intently staring at me. After a while, when the person came closer, I realized that his attention had been attracted by the digital camera hanging around my neck.
I should have known. The new Fujifilm FinePix S602Z that I had brought to Italy did not lack qualities as a charmer. For three solid weeks it had been an unforgettable companion. Seven hundred shots should be enough to prove my appreciation for the qualities of this camera; I kept shooting away much to the consternation of my friends and family.
The S602 Zoom marks the fourth generation of Fujifilm's prosumer digital camera range and comes equipped with Fujifilm's third-generation Super CCD, a somewhat controversial technology able to reproduce high-resolution 6 megapixel recorded image files. SuperCCD works by combining pixels from the 45 degree pixel layout into a normal square pattern: this has the side-effect of producing more image pixels than were actually captured. In reality, the S602Z is a hormone-boosted 3.1 million pixel camera.
Resembling a normal SLR camera, the S602 has a plastic body designed for a perfect grip and an excellent one-hand operation.
The Fujifilm camera features an extending type 6x optical zoom lens, providing a 35 mm equivalent focal length range of 35 mm to 210 mm, which makes for truly incredible image quality.
With the latest generation of SuperCCD, Fujifilm has added two new ones to the original sensitivities, ISO 800 and ISO 1600, usable at a max resolution of 1280 x 960, well within the camera's real capabilities.
The camera offers a number of options for manual control, but for those who do not want to devote too much time to calibration, the automatic operation mode will not disappoint the testiest photographer. Thanks to an excellent aperture velocity suitable for the most fleeting moments, the camera can obtain some pretty suggestive shots. Vivid colours and perfect tones come both in interior shots, using the pop-up flash, and in strong light conditions, and these are fascinating virtues for the S602Z.
Other pleasant surprises include the performance of the pop-up flash, able to shed adequate light for a range of 5.4 metres. For even greater power, the camera can be equipped with an external flash or linked to a studio lighting system.
On the back, the S602Z has a 1.8" TFT LCD monitor, fairly bright and relatively easy to use both indoors and outdoors, except in direct sunlight.
Overall, setting up the machine via its pushbuttons does not require special knowledge, and the management is quite intuitive even for amateurs. One of the negative aspects is the use of regular, non-rechargeable alkaline batteries which forced me to stock up at a local supermarket. Moreover, battery life is not even particularly long, so my advice is to purchase rechargeable batteries, hoping that Fuji will decide to adopt them as a rule.
On the storage side, the S602Z has a SmartMedia slot and fully supports the IBM Microdrive that can store 443 shots at top resolution. Pity that the camera is only equipped with a 16 MB SmartMedia card, definitely too little for storing images that require over 2 MB each.
The camera is perfectly compatible with PCs (XP included) and Macs (OS X included) using the USB side door. The S602Z can even capture movies up to 30 frames-per-second.
In summary, the camera offers an exceptional product at a price ($1,199 CDN) unimaginable until recently. The 3.1 megapixel camera can take breathtaking pictures that can be enlarged and printed on paper with excellent results.

For further information see www.fujifilm.ca.

Publication Date: 2002-08-18
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=1663