By far, the best digital camera I've used.

I've owned many digital cameras over the years. Everything from one of the first, which didn't even give a resolution or have a flash, (and cost a mortgage payment), to several Sony cameras, to this S5000. I am glad I bought this baby.

Its 10X optical zoom is simply GREAT. I've zoomed in on cardinals and blue jays that were about 30 feet away, then cropped the pictures, blew them up to 11x17, and the prints looked wonderful without a hint of pixilation. Although the camera is only a 3Meg camera, they somehow manage to get 6Meg pictures out of it, with a corresponding increase in picture size. I bought a couple of 256 XD cards, and am able to get about 160 pictures on a card when set to the 6Meg setting.

I've used this camera in the hot summer, and recently, brought it hunting with me, where the temperature was 11 degrees F. (No exeragation, it was Ccccccold!) The camera took great pictures under all conditions. Even the LCD screen worked when it was that cold which suprised me. I thought I'd have to switch to the viewfinder to use the camera, but found that I didn't have to.

Fugi put the entire manual on line, and in addition to the hardcopy that comes with the camera, you can also save a PDF copy of it. It's great for printing out a backup copy.

The camera is capable of manual operation, and when I set the shutter speed to 1000, I was able to freeze a hummingbird in flight at max zoom. Some truly great pictures, rivaling a 35mm SLR.

One thing that does bug me is that if the camera is at any zoom condition, and then shut off, it returns to same zoom when turned back on. This adds to the normal startup time required before the camera is ready to shoot a picture. I would like it to start up in the min zoom position, and give me the option of zooming out if I want. Another minor bug is sometimes the camera forgets to shut off. Normally, if at anything but min zoom, when shutting off the camera, it goes to min zoom, then shuts off. Occasionally, I hear it zooming to min, but the green "ON" LED never goes off. When this happens, you can't do anything. The ONLY way to correct this condition is to open the cover to the battery compartment. This resets the camera. There's no rhyme or reason for this, I've had it happen both hot and cold days, indoors and out. It's not that big of a deal unless you don't notice that the LED is on, put the camera away, then attempt to use it several hours later. The batteries will be dead.

The movie feature will give VGA resolution movies. Okay if you just want a quick movie of the action, but you’re not going to get National Geographic footage with it.

As for the manual dial, it is, as many others have stated, a pain to deal with, but after accidentally ruining a few shots, you learn to keep your thumb away from the dial, and, you also learn to check it before turning on the camera. It has a tendency to move when putting the camera in the case. It would be better if it required a “press to change” type of operation, but once you learn to deal with it, it’s not a major problem.

Speaking of batteries, do yourself a favor, pick up a set (or two) of rechargeable batteries. Wal-Mart has 4 AA's with charger for about 10 bucks. Can't beat that anywhere. One set of fully charged batteries will allow me to fill a 256 card, with many on/off cycles of the camera, (provided I don't store the camera with the green "ON" LED still on.

I can't say enough good things about the camera. I've noticed that the local stores no longer carry it, but is still available on line from various places. Do yourself a favor, and check it out.