Fuji Finepix S602 Review

Overall Rating

Nice zoom lens, manual settings like a true SLR. Compact Flash 1&2 and Triple a batteries. Great feel to the camera like a true SLR.

low light focus is very bad. 6mb settings is a waste. problems with CF1 (some brands)no focus light assistant. Some picks have lots of jaggies!!

I have tried to love this Fuji FinePix S602 Zoom with all my might, but focus problems and jaggies keep me from getting there. Pictures look soft focus all the time and sometimes you get jaggies in your pictures like the pixels dont know where to go. 8x10s dont look as good as they did with my old 2.1 Nikon. I love the manaul features, but there are some obvious glitches with this model. This camera will use cf1 but exspect a error read mssg in 1 out of 30 picks. Any sugestions please write me.

Members' Comments onmarkerf16.'s Review

• WmAx. on 14th May 2003

  I had some problems with my 602 at first as well. However, I found that first, don't use the multi segment metering; try average or even spot(dependin on subject). As for jaggies, this is caused(as well as other problems) by the in-camera sharpening system. You must post process your images and sharpen them in software. Change sharpness to SOFT(which is OFF). The diagnol sensor array will always create slighlty soft lookig photos on-screen; it must as a principle of it's operation. It is at a diagnol orientation, and in order to export files for use in the standard digital world, it must convert them to a standard vertical/horiztonal oritantion, which requires insertingt an intermiediate pixel in between the diagnoal grid pixels before any file can by outputted. BTW, the 6m pmode does contain more real data then the 3mp mode(15% more v/h). As a result, the images will look 'soft' at a 1;1 ratio of the pixels from the unedited files from camera such as when viweing on screen, but this is not quite the case when printing. I think ill skip further explanation of this at the moment, as I don't mean to type forever! See my link for analysis on the 602's sharpenig system; maybe this will help you:
  
  http://www.linaeum.com/productinfo/digitalcams/fuji_s602/
  
  -Chris

• markerf16. on 17th May 2003

  I had Fuji tech support review a few pictures. They ask me to send the camera back them for repair. Said I have a focus problem. I found your comments very helpfull and its not the first time I have heard that this is not the best camera for sharing picks on the web. Its a print camera and the photos look much better printed(high res) than at monitor resolution. For $700 I shouldnt have to be using photo shop to sharpen my picks. I will check out your url you gave me. I do want to get the most out of this camera, cause I am stuck with it now. LOL....

• bluecarbine on 27th Jun 2004

  I've had my 602 for over a year now and am continuously dissappointed with the results. 80 % of images look soft focussed. I never know what results I'm going to get, which is frustrating to say the least. I didn't want a "pro" camera, I wanted a really good point and shoot that the whole family could use. I bought the wrong camera. The shop I bought from were excellent, they gave me a replacement, but I get the same results and I have a friend who has the same problems/results.

• Buckman on 17th Jul 2004

  I have had my S602 for 20 months. I agree about 80% of my images look blurry--particularly people shots. With people shots, any shots from 4 feet in are excellent and the close ups, less than two feet are phenomenal.
  
  However, a new problem has just developed. After I downloaded my last series of vacation pics, my camera started acting oddly.
  
  The next time I tried to use it, I found that the zoom buttons do not work. Although my setting reads Auto Focus, the display says I am in manual. The only buttons that respond to my touch are those on the top of the camera. None of the buttons on the back of the camera respond to touch--none of the commands display on the screen.
  
  Anyone else had this problem?

• ozric on 26th Aug 2004

  I have the same problems with my Fuji as well. Most of my people shots are not very sharp and it is annoying because I love crisp clear photos. When I take shots of landscape the pictures look fine. I should not have to use a software program to sharpen my images. I'm seriously thinking about using my Nikon F65 all the time now as this camera gives superb results. The only drawback is you can't check your pics as you take them.