Digital Camera Buyer - December 2006
December 2006
Excellence Award: Best Value
4 Stars
"The most prominent feature on the camera is the intelligent Face Detection... this unique technology helps the FinePix S6500fd stand out from other cameras. It's able to identify faces, select best focus for them, and take a quality portrait photo within 0.04 seconds. It's not just a novelty feature, but a genuinely powerful and intelligent picture-taking tool."
Boys Toys - January 2007
January 2007
"The main USP for this new bit of photographic kit is its proprietary face detection technology that automatically recognises faces in the frame, ensuring that the camera knows to focus on and correctly expose people. It does this particularly fast - almost as quickly as the human eye locking on to the faces in a mere 0.04 seconds."
Macworld - February 2007
4/5 Stars
"That's the thing we like best about the S6500fd - its design and automatic features make it a very good option for the serious amateur photographer who likes to shoot quickly but still get good results.
The comfortable design, fast shooting mode and automatic features will appeal to the hobbyist who is used to using a traditional SLR camera."
Digital Photography Review - December 2006
December 2006
Highly recommended
"Overall performance is excellent for a camera in this class, particularly one at this price... the resolution is excellent, and at lower ISO settings it puts many of the more popular 'super zoom' models to shame. At ISO 400 and 800 it is quite literally in a class of its own."
Boys Toys - January 2007
January 2007
"Your background specs on this are 6.3 megapixel sixth Generation Super CCD and a 28-300mm Fujinon zoom lens but the main USP for this new bit of photographic kit is it's proprietary face detection technology that automatically recognises faces in the frame, ensuring that the camera knows to focus on and correctly expose people. It does this particularly fast - almost as quickly as the human eye locking on to the faces in a mere 0.04 seconds. How does it work? By using a special processor -based algorithm that recognises the combination of two eyes and a mouth."
The Gadget Show - February 2007
Digital bridge cameras Fujifilm vs Sony and Panasonic
"The three tests gave different but equally tough conditions for assessing the camera's performance. Having completed all three tests, the Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd came out top, the Panasonic Lumix FZ-50, in second and the Sony DSC-H2 in third. So if you feel this type of camera is the right one for you, we'd recommend the Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd."
T3 - December 2006
December 2006
"Face-recognition makes for idiot proof snapping. Fujifilm's first camera with face detection technology is a digital powerhouse with an excellent zoom. Picture quality is excellent, particularly in bright light. Perfect for enthusiasts, this has an amazing number of features for the money."
Evening Telegraph - January 2007
4 stars
"The S6500fd looks like the sort of beast a serious snapper may have round his or her neck, but this little beauty has a function to make taking snaps as hassle-free as poss - Face Detection Technology. The camera ain't no slouch in other areas either. It packs a 10.7x optical zoom which is smooth, sharp and a pleasure to use. Picture quality is spot-on. Colours are bright and sharp.
Although the Face Detection makes snapping a breeze, the S6500fd has enough quality features to pitch it perfectly at those who want to move beyond their compact camera, and take things a stage further."
Computer Buyer - April 2007
4 stars
"Fujifilm's new camera, the FinePix S6500fd, offers Face Detection technology and SLR features at a great price. The S6500fd not only looks good, but it also comes with a plethora of features."
The Independent - December 2006
December 2006
"This new 6.3 megapixel camera from Fujifilm may look like an expensive SLR camera, but it's an easy-to-use, high-end compact. It has several neat features like the Dual Natural + Flash option and face recognition... The S6500fd is simple but sophisticated and very satisfying to use."
PC Advisor - January 2007
January 2007
"Perhaps the most intriguing innovation is its Face Detection systemhence the 'fd' in the model name. It sounds a little James Bond, we know, but we have to say that the Fujifilm S6500fd did a pretty slick job of detecting faces, regardless of positioning in the frame, and could accurately track the movement of meandering subjects."
Stuff - April 2007
"Fujifilm's pretty good at making cameras that feel good and handle well and the FinePix S6500fd comes across as a real class act. This camera's strong point is its handling: it's chunky and satisfying to use, the controls don't take long to learn and it's just like using an SLR - one with a massive 10.7x zoom."
Think Camera - December 2006
December 2006
Editor's Choice award
"A camera that not only can you zoom with easily but is also a joy to use the manual focus on. This is just how bridge camera zooms should work. It's fabulous... If I wanted to buy a bridge camera right now I'd get a Fujifilm S6500fd. If I wanted to buy a budget DSLR with a travel zoom then I'd also think long and hard about whether the S6500fd wasn't a better choice."
Stuff - January 2007
January 2007
"Speedy racing requires a camera with quick reactions: this Fujifilm is spot-on. The 10.7x optical zoom is perfect for picking up far-flung action, and an ISO of 3200 delivers fabulous low-light podium shots."
