FujiFilm FinePix S602 Zoom review

Full Review

For advanced digital photographers there is now plenty of choice in the market. So what makes Fuji think they have the answer with the FinePix S602 Zoom? The answer is a bloody good camera that’s what.

On the outside the FinePix S602 sets out to not only look professional, but feel professional as well. Designed to sit comfortably in your hands, a lot of attention has been made so everything is in the right place. Controls are simple to master. The 1.8” LCD monitor on the rear is large and clear. The electronic viewfinder is sharp and at 180,000 pixels one of the best electronic viewfinders out there. This coupled with a dioptre adjuster and it shows that Fuji is serious about this camera when it comes to providing the profession with what they want.

On the top of this beast is a hot shoe facility for an external flash as well as a pop-up flash for getting you out of trouble. Elsewhere on the back of this robust machine you’ll find macro mode, super macro mode and the ability to change manual settings all at the twist of a button. If that wasn’t enough the camera also sports a focusing ring for fine tuning, Smart Media and Compact Flash slots and a 6x optical zoom.

It’s all too much I hear you cry. Inside, the story isn’t that much different. With its 3.1 million pixel 3rd generation Super CCD the system is capable of delivering 6.03 million effective pixels using its tried and tested technology.

In addition to that, like the F601, the S602 has the option to set the ISO sensitivity upto 1600 making this ideal for work that needs plenty of speed without the need of blurred images and flash bulbs firing in every direction.

Changing aperture, shutter and shooting speeds is also fairly simple and again can all be done via a switch on the back of the camera rather than being embedded in a virtual menu system.

Both macro modes are very impressive allowing you to get up to 1cm from your subject, slightly different from the F601 which is 20cm and the results are crisp and sharp.

As you would expect from a camera like this there are plenty of feedback options and settings including a histogram feature on playback - although not live - and a picture in picture mode that zooms into the picture a further 2x so you can make sure that the image is in focus.

For those wanting pre-programmed modes, the S602 has numerous choices including the usual night scene and sports settings. It also has nine white balance settings and seven flash settings before you even attach an external flash.

Image quality is very good. Colours are vibrant and better still, these pictures hold up even under closer inspection. The sky image (see images) is strong and detailed having no problem capturing the whispery clouds on a clear day, likewise the books (see images) also show how well the super macro mode handled itself even though the camera was almost touching them.

Verdict

Overall this is a great camera for the professional user. It offers plenty of options and makes those options easy to use. The only complaint is that it would have been nice to see the LCD monitor on a flip out lever so you could still see the display even if the camera was above or below you, but this is a small detail in what is ultimate a great camera.

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