A camera expert and friend of mine recommended this new camera and at around $300 I think it is a steal. I’ve been taking digital pictures and movies with this thing all weekend. The pictures are astonishingly beautiful and still easy to take.

This review sez, "Fujifilm has loaded just about all of its latest imaging technology into the Fujifilm Finepix S6000fd, an SLR-style camera that features an interesting new Face Detection function. Though you might do a double take, this camera is a digital SLR in style only. The camera’s 10.71x (28 – 300mm) lens is not detachable, though with a rubberized ring-grip and full manual zoom control via the barrel, it looks and feels like a detachable lens."

Basic Features

• 6.3-megapixel CCD (1/1.7-inch Super CCD HR)
• 10.7x zoom lens (equivalent to a 28-300mm lens on a 35mm camera)
• 2x digital zoom
• Electronic optical viewfinder
• 2.5-inch color LCD monitor
• Full Manual through Automatic exposure modes available, including Aperture and Shutter priority and 14 Scene modes
• Built-in flash with seven modes (including Off)
• Flash intensity control
• 10MB internal memory
• xD-Picture Card storage (no card included)
• USB 2.0 High-Speed computer connection
• Four AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries required for power, or optional AC adapter (AC-5VX)
• Software for Mac and PC

Special Features

• Auto and Manual focus modes, with Face Detection technology and adjustable AF area
• 14 preset Scene modes
• Movie recording mode (with sound)
• Picture Stabilization mode to reduce blurring from slight camera movement
• Three Continuous Shooting modes
• Auto Exposure Bracketing mode
• Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, depending on exposure mode
• Aperture range from f/2.8 to f/11, depending on zoom position and exposure mode
• Three color modes and sharpness adjustment
• Self-timer for delayed shutter release (either two or 10 seconds)
• Macro (close-up) lens adjustment
• Spot, Average, and 256-zone Multi metering modes
• Auto ISO setting or 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200 ISO equivalents
• White balance (color) adjustment with eight options
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge printing compatibility

I did spring for the 2 gig data card and a battery charger. I’ll be exploring this camera’s features for a long time. And posting to my site on YouTube.com is very easy from this camera.