Fujifilm FinePix S5000 Zoom

Opinion: My brother-in-law just picked this camera up. We're going to the Laguna Secca races this weekend so we'll get a real good feel for it. So far it's taken wounderful picktures, the zooming is super clear and it's quick at taking shots.

Opinion: The s5000 is much like Fuji's s602, with digital SLR features with a point and shoot pricetag.
The zoom can't be beat. A 10X optical zoom is a noticeable difference over the 602, but any shake whatsoever above 5X zoom is noticeable. In all of the smart design and layout, why did no one place an image stabilizer on this thing? Anything over a 5Xj zoom requires it, yet manufacturers still seem reticent.
Still, the camera feels great in the hand, is small enough to pack in a bag, but large enough to get most photo tasks accomplished. And for the price, there's not a better 3 megapixel on the market

Opinion: Great zoom, great features, i'm very happy with my new camera

Opinion: I had a few minutes to try this one out at sears before the battery died. Here are my initial thoughts. The zoom feature was very quick. Not too quick though. At 10x you want a zoom that moves back and forth quickly but not so quickly that you pass up your desired range. It seems just right. The auto focuss was very quick even at full telephoto. It felt almost instantaneous. At full telephoto I found it impossible to take a clear picture. The camera would focuss properly, but the slight camera shake at that range produced blurry pics every time. Maybie you need a tripod at that zoom range? The camera needs to be heavier to accomodate a steady hand at full zoom. The EFV was good. I tried pointing it up at the bright light and down at a dark shaddow and back. It resolved the light differences instantly. The lcd is OK, not as good as sony or nikon. All in all my initial impressions were good. The zoom I'd have to play around with more to see if a 10x zoom is actually usable on this small a camera.