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Review: I've been a keen (strictly) amateur SLR amateur photographer since 1970. Bought the Fuji Finepix E550 off Amazon a couple of days ago for £159 mainly for the kids to use and have taken hundreds of pics already. It is a tremendously liberating experience and with manual settings very flexible for those who know what they are doing. People including my family now pose for me whereas before with my large camera they got all self conscious. I have been able to get some great candid shots. On the down side I have not sold my SLR. I still have my Canon EOS 300V non digital camaera with a couple of good lenses (not L series)and I am not selling it in the near future. Keen amateurs should be aware that if you aspire to taking Jo Cornish standard pictures into the sun or of big landscapes, at dusk and at large gatherings the small digitals are not for you. Unless you use a tripod taking pictures of your favourite band is probably also out as the flash will not light up much of the stage. You won't be able to smuggle a tripod past the bouncers at many gigs. If you like to photograph morning mists especially with bright sunshine you will be disappointed with this camera. The dynamic range simply isn't there and the sun comes out as a great big cross. The LCD screen is virtually invisible in outside normal daylight and focussing is largely gueswwork. Luckily the autofocus is pretty good on the whole except in low lighting conditions. If you are absolutely depending on good focus however think again. There are better digital compacts with good LCDs which work well in bright sunlight I believe, although they are probably more expensive. Assuming none of the above applies to you then this is a really excellent quality really low cost 6.3MP casual camera for your pocket/car and for the kids the E550 gives stunning results for small groups in neutral or indoor lighting situations. It also has a fantastic macro facility. The flash is great up to about 7 feet (2m) and useless beyond that. If you are prepared to clean up your results in Photoshop then this a magnificent choice; the results otherwise can be a bit muddy or yellowish at times. Be aware of its limitations and you will thoroughly enjoy this camera. | 
Digital Cameras
