Home > Consumer Reviews > Fujifilm FinePix S5700 Digital Camera - Black (7.0MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch LCD

Looking for a new camera, one of the must haves on my list was a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, so I was dubious about this camera, and had visions of having to carry loads of AA batteries around with me. Well I need not have worried! I got the highest rechargeable batteries, 2700, and cannot believe that even though I have taken over 400 photos ( lots of practising!) the batteries are still going strong. My Nikon with lithium was never that good. I love this camera! its a nice size, I didn't want a tiny little camera, they seem so fragile , this is just right and sits nice in the hand. The image quality is amazing, macro is also excellent. The various pre-set settings are great, although I have yet to try taking photo's by taking on the responsibility of doing all the settings myself! and to be honest, with results like these, I may not bother.The display screen is huge, the manual is very comprehensive,and its a joy to use. Even taking photos without flash, newborn babies do not like that! , I have been very impressed. Hubby was more than a bit jealous, so I treated him to one for Christmas, and like me, he is thrilled with it. There are a couple of disappointments! Built in memory is only as big as an ants and depending on settings, you can only take approx 10 photos, so you must buy a memory card. I got the 1 gig card and can take over 500 on that, it wouldn't have cost Fuji much to provide that size card with the camera. Also, no case, its just these little missing thing that disappoint slightly! I would say to anyone pondering over buying this, buy it! you will not be disappointed!

I bought this as an update to a Fuji FinePix S5100 I have, which I bought a few years ago which is a very good camera, and takes great shots.
I have to say the S5700 is a lot better and has more features than the S5100, and was also a lot cheaper than the S5100 which set me back about £300 at the time. The S5700 is a bit smaller and lighter, but still takes excelent photos. The S5100 only had 4 milion pixcels but which took great shots and was able to get very nice A4 photos. But with the S5700 having 7 milion pixcels I was able to print A4 photos at excelent quality.
And the S5700 also takes XD and SD memory cards so I was able to use the XD cards I used with the S5100. I would highly recomend this camera and at just over £100 is excelent value for money.

I'm a little concerned that this successor to the excellent S5600 hasn't quite bettered it on all fronts. I think Fuji may have changed who they were aiming at with this one.

There is a reduction in size, which should tempt people from basic point-and-shoot cameras, since it still has that massive 10x optical zoom. The smaller and lighter a camera gets however, the harder it is to hold it steady. A tripod might well be in order to make the most of this camera.

You get two more megapixels than the previous model, which is useful if you want a very large sized prints, but for most home printing it's not entirely necessary. What is more disappointing is that although the other review stated that this model uses Fuji's excellent 'Super CCD' sensor, this does not seem to be the case, casting doubt on exactly how much the picture quality has increased from the previous model.

Another 'lost' feature is the ability to shoot in RAW (uncompressed) format, so enthusiasts or any SLR users thinking about a low price step into the digital world, will have to look elsewhere for that sort of quality.

A couple of redeeming features are the larger 2.5 inch screen and the dual memory slot compatability, both XD and SD cards are catered for.

Overall, this is a great camera at a great price and should suit those who are interested in taking their photography up a notch from the basic point and shoot - this camera has all sorts of manual features which can produce satisfying results. I can't help feeling a little disappointed though, since the couple of omissions made have stopped it from being a truly amazing camera.
I'll be sticking with the S5600, which is now incredible value since the S5700 has been released.

Like Stuart of Lanarkshire, do not buy from Pixmania unless you want the User Guide in French. When I complained, they claim they are entitled to do that because they we are in the EU !! Most unhelpful - ended up buying a User Manual from the manufacturer's UK office. Amazon should vet their associates more closely.

This is a really great camera as it has such good optical zoom and reasonably good megapixels. I love the massive 2.5 inch screen, and the clarity of pictures and depth of field is brill. For somone wanting to take amatuer photography a step further, this is the perfect camera for you.