I think Fuji E550 6.1MP is the best of the best. The pictures I took with the camera was crystally clear and high in resolution and not forgetting the video mode.

I will start off with the negative aspects of this camera. I agree with everyone that the flash is flimsy and that the LCD is useless in bright daylight sun. We must keep in mind that an amatuer photography would rely on the eye viewer versus the LCD screen.

I've never had any focus problem with low lighting, perhaps that is because I go in and play with the manual controls and set my ISO and aperture. This is not the kind of camera that the average person should pick up for quick point and shoot pictures. A camera like this is more for the hobbiest who knows a thing or two about photographer.

This camera truly takes nice pictures and because of the high megapixels I'm able to blow my distance pictures up with little to no distortion.

This camera is worth the money for the hobbiest who can not afford
one of those high priced SLR digital camera that run at a $1,000 and better.

Bought this camera after reading a lot of reviews (pro and am).Mostly for fast shutter and great quality photos. I can live with focusing problems at low light and lcd not twistable. Love the optional settings. My problem is that in dozens of reviews nobody ever mentioned the fact that a small, light camera is much more difficult to hold steady than a larger bulkier camera. This camera is great for sliding into a pocket, and is only slightly smaller than previous Kodak, but is so much more difficult to hold steady (especially with zoom). I am using tripod a lot more now.

No technical information here. Just my opinions.

This is a fantastic camera! I have have wonderful luck with Fuji in the past, and they did not let down this time!
The recharge rate is very fast. I read one person say it's 5-9 seconds. I don't know what kind of watch he uses, but it does not take that long at all! Even with the flash on! (Yes, the pop-up flash is flimsy, by the way!)

The color is great! My last camera tended to run in the yellows. I rarely have to adjust the color with this camera at all. Same holds true with exposure. Indoors and outdoors, I rarely have to adjust the exposure when editing pictures.

I am still getting to know my camera. The multi-shot feature takes practice to avoid major blurring. But, I know I'll get that down.

The grip is fantastic. I can have a firm hold on the camera while chasing my 3 year old son around! That makes taking pictures of him much easier! He is, after all, the reason I have this wonderful little camera!

I am a Nikon fan and own Nikon SLR as well point and shoot camera. I am a programmner with love for technology. However, I have hesitated to dive into the digital world due to he low price performance ratio.

My requirements are 1) reasonable resolution, 8mp = 35 mm film. The camera got to be at least 5 mp or more. 2) reasonable shutter lag. 3) reasonable price for what you get.

Fuji E550 fits the bill. E550 is replacing my point and shoot (I paid 250 6 years ago). With the 50 rebates, I paid 245 for the E550. Shutter lag is .28 sec. topping the Canon A95's 2 Seconds and the miserable Nikon 4nnn cameras. And its 6.1 mp better than both the nikon 4nnnn and Canon A95.

On top of other reviewer's comments, I've found picture from the Fuji has very natural skin tone. Great for Kid's picture. Vivid color. Camera is good size for handling. (Small camera invites camera shake) It got more features (some professional features such as auto bracketing) than I expect for the price. The menus system is not the easiest to use in the world. But it is not hard either. As an advance photographer, love this camera. My wife is a pure point and shooter loves this camera. The pictures are better than my old point and shoot.

The low shutter lag was very important. A friend of mine bot a Nikn 4100. He complained the long shutter lag causing him to miss picture opportunities of his kids. He then returned the Nikon for an E550. He is one happy guy and praises my recommendation everyday!

One important aspect, E550 got low noise ratio at ISO 200 400 and 800. Try that on Canon A95 or Nikon! These high ISO sensitivities afford much more picture taking fexibility for low night shots and action shots.

The brand name Fuji have me hesitated. It's not Nikon or Canon. After three weeks, I am sure this is a winner. Of course, there are better cameras at 6, 7, 8 or more mp out there. With E550, you got much more than what you pay for at this time. That's why the 5 stars!

I bought a Fujifilm E510 from Best Buy for $299 last year, and I liked it so much, I bought the E550 from Amazon and paid just $5 more for a superior camera. Both cameras have the same faults that Loren mentioned, yet they are "keepers". I can't believe how clear the pictures are, both in the viewfinder and in print.

I also bought the Fujifilm 512 MB XD Picture Card to go with this camera. With this chip and with the E550 in movie mode, I can take a movie for up to 14 minutes. With the E510 and a 256 MB chip, the maximum recording was just 180 seconds, and that after reducing the resolution to a small screen size. The audio playback is very clear and realistic, even though it is mono and not stereo.

One irksome thing: I have just one Fujifilm FinePix CP-FXA10 Universal Cradle, and I have the adaptors for the E510 and for the E550. The adaptors are not universal, and I have to swap them out depending on which camera I plug into the cradle. Why can't the adaptors be universal, too? (For that matter, why is there a need for the adaptors?)

Oh, and the included rechargable batteries for the E550 cannot be used with the cradle. I have to swap out the batts, too. So I ordered another set of batts that are compatible with the cradle today.

Overall, I love the two cameras. I like the quickness of the E550 when powering up vs. the E510. Both take GREAT pictures.

I had this camera for three days when the built-in zoom lens broke, rendering the camera unusable. Zoom error appeared in the LCD and I could not take any pictures. I tried replacing the batteries as the troubleshooting section sugests, but that did not work. I contacted the place I bought it from, and they said that the camera was defective and needs to be returned. I ended up buying a Sony DSC-W7, and I'm very happy with it.

This camera is very easy to learn to use....the pictures are very sharp and clear...battery lasts a long time...A Great Camera!

I would look elsewhere for a camera unless you don't mind using the flash all of the time. The auto focus (when not using a flash ) on this camera is very poor in anything but very bright sunlight. I've taken several shots in very well lit conditions and the images come out blurry. You pretty much have to use the flash all of the time. I believe Fuji addressed this problem in another camera (I don't recall the model).

I received this camera the day after I placed my order for it and was ecstatic when I finally opened it. This is a great camera for beginners like myself. The operation of it is quite simple unless you are trying to do more than take quick pictures. The only cons that I have with the camera is the reset time for the flash. It takes a few seconds for the flash to reset but I was taking pictures of my 9 month old nephew who wouldn't sit still long enough for it to reset. The view screen is excellent. When you use the flash the pictures in the view screen are awesome. It makes the background look very pure and clean. I haven't had a problem with red eye at all. All in all, I think this is a great camera and I am very satisfied. The price is excellent the quality is excellent and Amazon is excellent. In my opinion, they don't charge enough for this camera!

This camera is a winner, is the fastest camera under 300.00 i had used, you just turn it on and it's ready to use, no lag, no delays. Shutter speed is incredible. It has so many options that make it hard to beat. I don't think i will be able to master all of them any time soon, but it's very easy to use. Pictures are great, colorful and sharp. The 4X optical zoom makes it more atractive than other competitors and you can upgrade it to 8x or 12x with add on lenses.

I find it's an excelent option for a mid-range digital camera user. It's still Compact but fully loaded of features and options. I have used other cameras like Canon 510, 520 and A70 and they are no match for the Fujifilm E550.

The Only flaw i find on this camera is its structure. This camera seen very sensitive to hits and careless users. One of my friends turn on my camera while blocking the lenses with his hand and they got stock and the camera started giving a zoom error on the lcd screen. Thanks God this was resolved just by turning out the lenses to the end. The other think is the pop up flash, if you are not careful you might broke it.

So if you like to have a great camera for a great price, and you are careful with your stuff, this is your best option.

I recommend The Fujifilm SC-FXA3-US Deluxe Padded Soft Case and 256MB or greater XD picture card for this camera.

The E550 seems to be a high quality unit, however, with its many features, it at first seems a little overwhelming. The quick start up guide should have included instructions on programming the ecard....if instructions were present, they were not obvious. I've heard that most cards that come with cameras are the smallest in capacity...this is unfortunate...one would think Fuji is more progressive. I also purchased the "Fuji Starter Kit" which includes a nice case, however, the additional batteries and charger were not necessary....live and learn. All in all, so far, I am pleased with the purchase.

We have owned an E550 since January 2005, and at first it was an incredible camera -- and still is, under the right lighting conditions. Indoor pictures taken away from windows where there is low contrast between items result in stunning pictures.

Unfortunately, our first camera could not take a picture with any significant amount of sunlight present (not noticed much during the months of January, February and March). We just thought the few bad photos were a small price to pay for the good photos otherwise. The more pictures we took without a completely overcast sky, the more pictures we "lost" due to horizontal bands, streaks, or being so washed out such that almost everything is white with few discernable edges.

We sent that camera in for repairs, and several weeks later we received a replacement (it had a different serial number on it) and it seemed to work better -- at first. After using this one for about 2 months, the auto mode again started screwing up outdoor photos and indoor photos with high contrast. I had managed to use the manual settings to get some good pictures for a while, and now even those are getting the banding effects.

This makes two defective cameras that we've received. We haven't abused any of the cameras we've owned, and have had to go back to our several year old Olympus that still takes nice looking photos at 2.1 MP. In fact, it was only recently that we encountered the zoom sticking issue, which is surprisingly easy to cause.

Maybe we've just been bitten by terrible luck, but we've lost too many photos and are again going to have to deal with returning our camera under warranty (want to just get our money back at this point as it takes about 6 weeks for the whole warranty process) to recommend this camera to anyone due to the quality issues we've encountered.

Very very easy to use, fits almost everywhere, has the best of all worlds in its easy to use features, travels very well.

I purchased an E550 in mid-August for a trip to Niagara Falls and after the first couple of pictures; the camera's retractable lens would not retract. It kept showing a "ZOOM ERROR" and all attempts to remedy this was futile. I rushed back to our hotel room and read the manual which simply said to contact the manufacturer. Still undaunted, I replaced the batteries and tried again to no-avail. Immediately after our trip which we only had 2 or 3 pictures to show for it, I returned the camera to the store I purchased it from for a new one.

We then used the camera for a baby-shower in September and the E550 seem to redeem itself. The next time we called on the camera to perform was for my wife's birthday in October and after just two pictures, the dreaded "ZOOM ERROR" appeared again. I was disappointed and the words to describe how my wife was feeling would not be appropriate for this review. Needless to say we have returned the E550 back to the store it was purchased from and are wondering what else to do. I initially went with the Fuji E550 recommendation after reading a write-up in a Consumer magazine and I wanted to see it anyone else had encountered the same problem with this digital camera. Don't get me wrong, I really like the features the E550 offers and at the price, it's a steal but two BIG occasions and two BIG disappointments has got me in serious doubt.

The first 550 we purchased was DOA. Returned to seller, and replaced with #2. #2 worked for 30 days, then dead. Past sellers return limit, so sent to Fuji. 3 weeks now, waiting for replacement... Don't buy this camera!!

This was my 3 Fujifilm camera that I bought. I wish I never did.
The camera is heavy when loaded with the batteries. It is also big and awkward in shape.

In my experience it is unreliable as well. I bought mine brand new. To my chagrin, the zoom unit failed only 5 days and some 30 pictures after I started using it on my long-awaited European vacation.

I sent the unit for repairs on October 3, 2005, and I was just told that I can expect to get it back in two weeks (45 days later). To make the story complete, the customer service guy hang up the phone on me.

My loyalty to Fuji is gone. Moreover, I will never touch their products again.

I realize that my case is probably extreme and unfortunate, but I will strongly encourage you to stay away from this product. There are better companies and products!

This camera is great when it is working. My camera is in the repair department for the second time with the same problems. It is taking pictures with lines/bands running through them. It took months with much confusion to get my camera back last time and already this time I am getting the run-around. I will not buy Fuji again because their customer service is poor.

Owned the E-550 camera for a total of 1 day before the zoom stuck open, giving me a "ZOOM ERROR" message. This camera has a defective zoom and once it sticks open, there is nothing you can do to correct this problem without returning it for repairs.
Too bad the zoom is so flimsy, because the camera takes great pictures. Will be taking back tommorrow.

Please stay away from this camera.

I have had this camera since Dec 2004 and have been very pleased with its performance. Quick turn on and fast shutter lag, excellent color and sharpness, nice video mode, and AA battery use make for a great match for me. I have had no problems with mine and my only complaint is that the viewscreen is hard to see in bright sunlight (like many LCDs). A larger starter Xd card would also be nice, but that is easily overlooked when you see the photos.

This camera is great. When we were looking at them, ones with megapixels over 5.0 were almost $400 and only a 3x zoom. Loved the features with this...was looking for one a little smaller, but this still can fit in a baggy pocket. I have taken 100s of pictures, and get many compliments on them

Pros: The Fuji E550 takes good pictures in a variety of lighting conditions. This camera is very quick to start up and lag time between shots is very short. It's easy to navigate through the menus and the buttons and controls are laid out logically. The compact size is not a hindrance to using it. The included software (FinePixViewer and ImageMixer VCD2) are easy to install and pretty straight forward to use. You will probably want a more sophisticated photo editing program for composing / cleaning up your shots.

Cons: It does have a couple of drawbacks. The memory card that ships with it is way too small. Removing the memory card is not practical so connecting to your computer via USB is necessary. There is a mechanical switch you must use to change between taking photos and viewing or deleting what's on the camera. I question how long this switch will last.

Overall Impressions: I like this camera and would recommend it.

It's hard to make a decision about this camera as it takes the very best pictures of any camera I have ever owned. The photos from this camera are significantly better than any digital camera I have ever seen. That said, there seems to be a general problem with the zoom lens. I am also waiting for my camera to be returned from Fuji due to the "zoom error" mesage and the lens locked in the open position. It would be important to find out how widespread this problem is in Fuji camera and if widespread, then stay away from it. If the incidence of this problem with Fuji cameras is no different than that for other brands, then I would definitely recommend it.

(...)

Having said that:

I purchased my first Fuji Digital in 2001. It is 3.3 Megapixels and was truly state of the art at the time. I paid over $500 for it. *grin* Yes, technology always gets cheaper! It has worked flawlessly for over 4 years now without a hiccup. I am sure I will keep using it as a 2nd "point and shoot" digital camera.

I have used that Fuji for many thousands of photographs in just about every imaginable situation. I have a photo on a commerically published music CD jacket that I took with that camera. I also have numerous photographs on commerical web pages that were taken with that camera as well.

So, when I decided it was time to upgrade to a higher pixel point and shoot - I price compared with other brands, but Fuji was the only name I seriously considered.

The one flaw that existed in my first Fuji has not changed with this one: The flash has to be opened manually.

A few complaints I noticed in other reviews that don't apply to me:
I am not bothered by the USB cover, as I always use the storage card to download the pictures into my computer. I'm also not bothered by the LCD screen not being able to be easily viewed in bright light. 99% of the time, I do not use the LCD screen when taking pictures. Since I take pictures with SLR's, I've never gotten into the habit of using the screen - I use the viewfinder.

Expensive memory cards? I don't know where the people that complained about expensive memory cards are shopping at. It is about impossible to spend more than $50. for a generous sized MB memory card. I keep 4-6 memory cards going at all times - because, as I mentioned before, I use the cards to download into my computer.

The photos are crisp and bright. They have a lot of depth. I have found that the black/white mode is something I am using on some shots. My old Fuji doesn't have this feature. I did not know if the "vivid" mode would be something I would use, as I use Adobe Photoshop for editing any photos that are keepers. However - it really is very handy and does make colors "pop" on outdoor landscape shots that have varied colors of green.

I'm not going to go into a pro/con list, or a long detailed review of every feature. There are already several reviews that do that.

I just wanted to give this camera the 5 star review that it deserves. I'm sure it will be another 4-5 years before I need to upgrade from this camera. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I love this camera. When shoping around, the 2 most important things I was looking for were a short shutter lag time (the time between depressing the shutter and getting the shot), and really good resolution. I like to crop my pictures as well as enlarge portions of shots, so the 6.3MP with the Super Had was a big selling point right there. This camera also had the shortest shutter lag of any that I tested at the time. It's certainly barely noticeable. Unlike many others, I actually like the pop up flash, since I can choose not to use it. I dislike the harsh contrast with a flash, and in many cases (such as my recent trip to Europe) there are occasions where a flash is forbidden. Even in very dark churches, I had good results using the automatic feature with no flash, or the nighttime setting.

I also enjoy the feature that allows you to choose either the aperature or shutter speed, and the camera chooses the apropriate complement. This is a good way to play around with manipulating your shot without having a perfect knowledge of photography rules.

I'm perfectly happy with the Xd card. I'm not sure where all the "it's too expensive" stuff is coming from. I bought a 128MB card at best buy for $20, and it would have been cheaper if I hadn't accidentally thrown away the packaging and thus was unable to send for the rebate. It hold's about 86 pics on the highest shooting mode, which was more than enough coupled with the included 16MB card for my recent trip. I actually find myself using the smaller card (which holds 10 pics) more often around the house since I usually like to upload my photos right away.

The only drawback I see is the cover to the USB cable. I haven't lost it yet, but have forgotten to put it back on the camera a few times. I'm guessing this is why they include 2 in your package.

Camera is nice but who in the heck decided to include a crummy 16mb card with it. The 16mb card holds 9 pictures before it is full. Don't find out like me (too late) when you get to a family Christmas gathering and all the stores are closed.....get a bigger card.

I was looking for a pocket camera with some useful features, and this camera takes good pics. The macro function also works great. The different functions are easy to figure out and I like the software better than iphoto.

The flash is small and not very useful, however all small cameras with a built-in flash have the same problem. Using the night option allowed useable pictures in dark settings. Batteries drain fast, so use rechargeables.

Fantastic camera for the value, features are abundant, comfortable and easy to use on auto settings, more than enough manual options to accomodate improved skill. Received the first one with a bad CCD, Amazon overnighted a new one free of charge - no questions asked! This is the place to buy products.

Camera didn't even get out of the starting gate. The zoom lens
went out and then the lense was closed and the picture number one
didn't even happen. It was Christmas and no pictures were taken
on the "new" camera. If you want a big disappointment purchase the useless camera. I am still trying to get my money back from
Christmas for the waste of time and money of a camera. Maybe
by next Christmas, I will get the refund and the money to
buy a real camera. Perhaps, I will have pictures of 2006 Christmas
unlike 2005 which does not exist in photograph memories.

I am one of the many purchasers who likes this camera but suffered the dreaded zoom error (see the reviews of others who had the same problem). According to a Fujifilm technical service representative (who was very familiar with the problem), it occurs because the lens is designed to come out so rapidly. Fujifilm is replacing the current lens assembly, but it is not clear when that change is taking place.

If this problem happens to you, the repair to replace the lens assembly will cost about $150 unless the camera is within its one year warranty. Fuji estimates repair time will be about 4 weeks.

So think hard before you buy this camera and ask lots of questions. I really like the ability to take rapid shots in succession, intuitive menus (unlike my Canon), and excellent picture quality. However, I probably would not have bought it if I had known of this design defect.

The photos I take with this camera have been great, however, I just experienced the same "Zoom Error" problems many have mentioned. It should definitely be factored in to your purchasing decision.

To those with the Zoom Error issue - try this!

I had the same problem with mine and I tried several suggestions, BUT the only one that has worked is to gently grab the lens, pull it out as far as it will go until fully extended. While keeping it extended turn the lens to the right until you hear a click. Once you hear the click, release the lens and turn the power button on and then back off again. This should take care of the problem. A word of warning. ALWAYS make sure your fingers do not touch the front of the lens when you power on the camera. Even the slightest bit of obstruction seems to make the problem reoccur. Another note. I had tried this several times until I finally heard the click, so please don't give up on it, just keep trying. This will work and it will save you a lot of time and money having it fixed.

I am quite happy with the camera. It combines pretty good resolution with numerous features, all at a very reasonable price. Further, its compactness makes it quite portable. I like it so well that when mine was stolen, I pruchased another one.

I have had this camera for only five months and the Zoom Error just occurred a couple of days ago. I was NOT happy and thought that I had a serious problem. So, I jumped onto here to read the reviews and saw that others had had the problem too and I found out how to fix the problem myself and the idea worked! YAY!! Thank you to the person who posted it. It may be a temporary solution but at least I know what to do if it happens again. Overall it's a good camera but if I could go back to before I purchased it I would have bought another camera.

This camera has a problem that might not show up for awhile. In my case it revealed itself after a year and two month. One day fingerprint like lines appeared on prints. They are invisible on LCD monitor but cover the picture area on the computer monitor and on prints. Search the Internet and you will find many similar complaints.

I researched this camera and found it highly recommended in Consumer Reports and had other friends that also have the same camera. They all love it but the one I recieved off of Amazon was defective because I would get this banding problem with every picture at any setting. It would look like a big fingerprint over the picture and no it wasn't my fingerprint on the lens. I tried fixing the problem by going to the fuji support site but no mention there of such problem. I thought it was something that I was doing wrong but as I searched "finepix e550 banding" I started to see that others have had the same problem. I just recently contacted Fuji to see what they can do about it since my camera is still under warranty. This review is for those with the same problem.

I researched for a digital camera for months before purchasing the Fuji Finepix E550 6MP digital camera in May 2005. I had a Canon and wanted something with a little more clarity, video capacity, and mainly, something that would not take as long between pictures. The Finepix takes great pictures and video - when you can take them. There is a significant amount of camera shake. In addition, I have had to bring the camera in for repair 4 times since purchasing it in May 2005 - due to the dreaded "zoom error". I brought the camera in for repair in Sept 2005, Nov 2005, and Jan 2006. The camera is again in need of repair (April 2006), the 4th time with the same problem. The lens barrel freezes if the batteries run low and is very sensitive. For instance, if your hand or clothing brushes against the lens barrel it stops working. If the batteries run out while you are turning the camera on, the lens barrel simply stops and doesn't retract. I am so tired of bringing the camera in for repair and frustrated with the amount of time it has been in the shop and pictures that I have not been able to take that I am not even going to bother with another Fuji camera ever again.

There is much to love in this camera. Considering how many features are packed into its bar-of-soap size, the controls are fairly accessible and sane; it has easy automated stuff for the point-and-shoot crowd, and enough manual control for those of us who don't like the camera to make all the decisions. The LCD screen is large enough and bright enough.

Again, for its size, the zoom is okay if the 4X optical zoom is all you need. Ignore the 6X digital zoom; as with any camera, the digital zoom creates noise and artifacts and I wouldn't even consider it as a plus in comparison shopping. Comparing only optical-zoom to optical-zoom, this camera is fine for, let's say, photos of a big construction site, or a Girl Scout troop taking kayaking lessons on a small lake. For scenes of tremendous beauty and scope, like the mountains in Glacier National Park, you want something better than a point-and shoot anyhow. Bust loose and get a real SLR.

Macro is important to me. This camera is fine for photographing things the size of a nickel without relying on digital macro (and, as with zoom, you shouldn't base a purchase on digital macro power anyhow). It distorts little, compared to others in the street price range.

The resolution is very good. Flesh tones are very good in decent light, and fair near the extremes of the camera's performance conditions.

Speaking of the extremes -- the camera sometimes thinks it can get a good photo in marginal light when really it can't. Is this a plus or a minus? Well, if there is a low-light shot that you just can't pass up, a mediocre photo may be better than none. I guess you can't blame the camera for trying. It's just something to be aware of.

I chose this camera instead of comparable ones from other manufacturers because the Finepix E550 is compatible with Fuji's CP AFX-10 "universal" picture cradle. The picture cradle is a small dock that does three nifty things: 1) it charges your camera batteries without requiring you to remove them from the camera; 2) it downloads your pictures, like a card reader, without requiring you to take that delicate and expensive xD memory card in and out of the camera and card reader, and without depleting your batteries during the download; 3) it acts as a handy nest where your camera can rest when you're not using it; or, you can use it as a webcam while it is docked and charging. It's great.

Here's the not-so-great part: this so-called "universal" FXA-10 Picture Cradle is in fact NOT universal out of the box. It requires an adapter which is sold with each camera, and is specific to each camera model.

So if you want to buy the E550 and use it in the Picture Cradle: BEWARE of remanufactured, factory-refurbished, and minimalized discount packages. They do NOT contain the adapter that allows the E550 to use the picture cradle. This matters a lot because, at present, the adapter is extremely difficult to get any other way. I've been trying for weeks to obtain one directly from Fuji USA and they just don't have it. Even their own repair division is waiting for the darn little things. I couldn't get one from Fuji-Canada, Fuji-UK, or Fuji-Germany either.

Large number of E550s without the photo cradle adapter are currently available in remanufactured form on Amazon, Ebay, etc. And this brings up the question: why are so many E550s getting sent back for remanufacturing?

I don't have a definitive answer but here's a good guess: the lens freeze problem. Lots of buyers have experienced the lens getting stuck in an extended position. They think the camera is faulty or broken, and return it to the seller or to Fuji.

But usually it is not broken (though of course the repair folks will happily send you a repair bill after looking at it for you.) Many users have discovered that the lens retractor control simply stops working when the batteries get very low. Judging from message board and discussion traffic, the lens usually isn't actually stuck, at least not mechanically stuck. Changing the batteries may be all that is required. Sometimes the camera needs to be rebooted and the lens requires a gentle manual twist before the focussing motor "catches" it again.

This is a glitch that Fuji really ought to fix (and maybe by now they have fixed it). But it is very unlikely to occur unless you are using automatic focus at zoom settings, at the exact moment that your batteries fail. The lens lock probably doesn't cause you to lose a shot; if it occurs, your batteries are so low that you weren't going to get that shot anyhow. So it is an irritating problem but not a catastrophic one.

And if you use that nifty photo cradle, you reduce the chances of your batteries dying in the camera .

Provided that you can obtain the elusive photo cradle adapter.

In summary: for its size, price, and normal performance, this is a 5-star camera. The lens-freeze glitch and the difficulty in obtaining what ought to be a cheap, ubiquitous replacement part knocks it down a full star.

I have owned this camera for about 1.5 years now, and haven't had any problems with it. It has a very fast reponse from turned off to picture taking time, and that is one reason I like it. Also, it gives a very rich and clear photo under the proper conditions. I love it for taking pics of the kids. The only lacking I find is it's power in zooming and no image stabilization. OTOH camers with higher zoom are usually much larger, so it's a tradeoff. I find it's not sufficient to sit in my seat and try to take photos of the kids on stage because they will be out of focus and not zoomed in enough.

The LCD has a protective cover over it that makes it kind of shiny/gloss, the screen is one of the largest I've seen (I think 2"), which is nice. Also no lens cover makes it easy to use and not lose anything.

It seemed to use up alkaline batteries so fast it was kind of stunning, but the rechargable type are great, last a long time.

The xD cards are expensive, but gradually coming down in price. They are so small!

Other reviews here also good to read.

I purchased my Fuji E550 brand new online and have had the same problem happen repeately. I have had FUJI repair it for free under warranty twice, but the camera just keeps failing in exactly the same manner. At first, the camera worked fine for about 6 months. After the first repair it worked for about 2 months. After the second repair it lasted LESS than one month, with very little use.
It encounters a 'ZOOM ERROR' randomly and freezes up so that it will no longer take pictures. I can view my existing photos, but that is all. I have informed FUJI that this is obviously a lemon, but they refuse to replace it. Their factory authorized repair facility won't even inform me of what they did to get the camera working again. I don't know if they replaced any parts or what.
Terrible customer service and HORRIBLE reliability for this unit. I wish I could get my money back and get a different brand of camera. I will never buy another FUJI product. I can't tell you how many photo opportunities I have lost due to down time while FUJI 'repairs' it.
Take my advice- don't buy a FUJI.

I bought this camera after it was rated a 'bestbuy' at Consumer Reports. The flash is extremely flimsy and I have never seen a point and shoot camera with such a rinky flash setup which needs to be extended before use. After 4 days in the Grand Canyon the camera began vignetting and overexposing and no amount of tinkering with the exposure settings have improved this fault. All in all it has become useless. This has definitely soured me on Fuji cameras and I will look elsewhere to Nikon or Canon for my next camera.

I am giving this camera two stars only for the absolutely terrific pictures it took WHEN IT WAS WORKING. This camera came highly recommended on all the camera review sites and consumer reports and for the first 11 months I wouldn't have traded mine for any other camera out there. That is when the problems started and they are big camera ending problems. I first had the problem many people report about washed out pictures outdoors no matter what settings you use. I thought maybe it's me or the weather is too hazy, or bright. Then the dreaded banding problem came. It looks like a giant fingerprint or TV test pattern of shadowy lines all over your pictures. All pictures are now unusable and I am currently in disupute with Fuji over fixing the camera. If you look up these problems online like at Google or Yahoo search you will see many, many, people have had the same issue with sometimes no luck in getting Fuji to fix the problem or repeated failures of the camera even after repairs. Heed my advise DONT DO IT.

I researched cameras for a long time weighing price, quality, and functionality all very heavily. I even used Consumer Reports to help me in my decision. I came up with the Fujifilm Finepix E550. This Camera was a great buy for the price...at first. Over time I found out the pros and cons very clearly.

It has excellent quality pics (if taken during daylight hours), a nice size viewing screen (but you can't see it very well in direct sunlight) and several functions I was looking for in a camera. There is no autofocus lamp so when taking pictures in dark areas or at night you probably won't get a focused pic unless you have a tripod. I was willing to overlook all these things due to the price until now.

I don't think I've had this camera over 2 years but now suddenly the lens has stuck and won't close or open fully. This camera is in operable at this point and it makes me so sad. I agree with other reviews about the flash being flimsy as well since it feels like it could just break off if you bumped it.

I'm looking for a new camera now I just hope I don't find one with so many problems.

This camera has a problem with overexposing and shuttering effects on uploaded photos. Fujifilm denies this as a chronic, recallable problem, but the Internet camera forums are filled with people (like me) who bought this defectively designed camera.

Buy a Canon or a Nikon. Fujifilm doesn't deserve your business.

I was very excited when I received this camera. I liked it very much, and thought I was getting a lot of camera for the money. Sure enough, the pictures looked great, very true color, nice to handle, Black & White setting. It was a little heavy and uses those XD cards, but overall I really liked it. Then, within about three hours of owning it - after less then ten pictures - something had gone awry. The zoom lens was stuck, it wouldn't move and the "zoom error" message kept appearing. Then, the camera would shut off. That's when I referenced the manual and found out that it wasn't a fixable error. It had to be fixed by the manufacturer. I have since learned that there may be a fix for it, and quite frankly I wouldn't want to deal with the "zoom error" happening all the time anyway. I guess I know why I couldn't find a new one on-line, and why there were so many refurbished. I still really like Fuji cameras, but I wouldn't trust this model, especially a "recertified" one. I have since learned that I am not the only person who has found this out the hard way. Lucky, I was able to return mine for a refund.

I have owned Fuji Cameras in the past, and I was very pleased with them. So, based on my experiance with Fuji, and the Consumer Reports recommendation, I bought the Fuji E550. What a mistake! Fuji should recal this camera, and Consumer Reports should help the customers on this one! I am looking for a new camera right now, and the E550 will soon go in the trash. I would not sell it in a garage sale! This camers acts like it has a basic chip flaw, and should be recalled. Under normal conditions, I can usually recover only about 10% to 15% of the pictures taken. What a mess!

I was so excited to get this camera and did lots of research. The camera indoors takes pictures that blurs upon the slightest movement with little hope to be had in fixing the problem. The customer support and repair department are the WORST I have ever dealt with and I'm usually very understanding and patient. It sounds like they are shuffling through piles of papers when talking to me, they've lost communications that were attached the camera when submitted for repair and are disinterested in all conversations. I will NEVER buy another product from FUJI.

I have had the camera about 2 years and all in all it is an exceptional camera for its many advanced features. The designers must have felt that because of the wide range of f-stops, very slow/fast shutter (3sec to 1/2000) and the fantastic film speed range (auto or ISO 80 to 800), why have a large flash. The E550 is designed as a available light camera. True the flash only works when the autofocus and autorange feature can work. It must see something well or you get no flash. Somethings I like are the unlimited movie time. (card limited) The almost none existant shutter delay is very unusual in a digital camera. While driving I can pick up the camera, turn it on and shoot with one hand a shot of a deer on the side of the highway. I just preset it on speed prioity shutter, preset on 1/800 or 1/1000. With the dial on top you can set priority to amperture, speed manual or program all. I also like the feature of automatic exposure bracketing. Also the rapid shooting feature to get a object moving. Also I like the feature to prefocus (by pressing the shutter half way down)then waiting for the instant shot. What worked in Alaska to get a whale which was only for an instant at the surface. It is a very capable camera as well as a 'point and shot'. I have taken about 3000 photos with it. It is a great camera but if not set correctly you may not get a good picture.

The camera takes good photographs.
My issue is its recharging system.

It was purchased with a cradle CP FX-A10, after about 9 months the battery would no longer charge fully. I discharged the Nickel Hybride battery fully with no success. I purchased a new battery... same problems.

DO NOT BUY a Cradle, it is a waste of money.
I now recharge AA batteries with an external charger.

I have been using the Fuji E550 for almnost two years, with none of the problems that have been reported by some of the reviewers.

Here are the negatives:

1) The flash has mediocre range and is a little finicky. If you don't depress the shooting button all the way, it may not flash.

2) In bright light, the screen on the back is unusable - it washes out the image. BUT the camera has a fine viewfinder so this is not really a major issue.

The positives:

1) It takes great pictures. Really excellent.

2) It's small, and easy to carry.

3) The controls are well thought out and positioned on the camera body. Very easy to use.

4) It has several automatic modes - sports, landscapes, portrait, etc, or you can use it on manual. I always use one of the programmed modes.

5) The video option is not bad at all - my twelve year old (now 13) uses it.

I was so pleased with this camera I bought one for my administrative assistant about ten months ago, and she is very happy with it.

At it's current price I think this camera is a bargain. Only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of the weak flash.

I'm a bit obnoxious when it comes to my pictures. I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch but I'm a mom and I want GREAT pictures of my kids. This camera delivers. Point, shoot, get a great photo. The "delay" time is a bit long, but I've used other digitals and found this to be comprable. Easy to use, takes excellent photos, really what more can you ask for? I like the fact that this camera is small, but not teeny-tiny; there's still something for you to hold onto to steady the shot. I really don't have a single complaint about this camera!

My nephew was thrilled to recieve this for graduation. He took it on his trip to Spain and got great pictures. Good camera for the price.

I was a bit worried about this camera after reading a bunch of complaints about lens error and some other issues. Maybe those were early versions or a bad batch, and maybe the design got tweaked ?? But I have had no problems at all. I just came back from two weeks in Portugal and have shot over 1500 pictures in the four weeks or so I've been using the camera and it's been bounced around a bunch. I tried to get the lens error (before I left and after I found the "fix") but it never happened. Maybe if you actually stop the lens from moving or pushed it back? but that would probably break most cameras. So either that issue is fixed or some users were being violently rough with the camera to get the error.

THe images look great, it's fast and it was great to have along.

I've had other digital cameras but this is the first one I've had problems with. I started getting a Zoom lens error shortly after I bought it but it would clear if I turned it off then back on. It is now unusable as the lens can not be retracted at all. It lasted 18 months.

made a photo so clear and good the whole house was gone.
Keep up the work fuji seems like your real good company.

All I can say is, If you know what you're doing (Basic Knowledge in Digital Photography) You'll Love this Camera. Adobe Photoshop would be nice to have ,too, if you like to play around with the pictures to make it more better. Have Fun!

I decided that since I have no expertise with cameras, and I needed one for my new job, I would go for a factory refurbished one. So far this camera is everything I could possibly want.Good battery life with Nimh rechargeable batteries, great clear pix, easy to use. The LCD came with some minor scratches, but I guess on a refurb thats to be expected. I like this camera also because it has a viewfinder which a lot of the new cameras do not have.
I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for an easy to use well made, inexpensive camera to work with.

best camera best best be...i cant say anything else, it has everything u need...

After an extensive review of available compact cameras, I decided this was the best choice as a gift for my wife. She wanted a small camera that was easy to use. Period. What I gave her was a small camera, easy to use, with a wealth of advanced features.
You have a choice of shutter priority or aperture priority, letting you choose depth of field, and how you capture motion (freeze-frame or sense-of-motion effect). You have auto-focus/auto-exposure locks, red-eye reduction, vivid color saturation (in F-Chrome mode), PictBridge compatability, adjustable flash brightness, continuing shooting up to 40 frames, voice memo recording...
The camera comes with 2 rechargeable AA-size Ni-MH batteries and a wall charger. I found that alkaline batteries gave longer usage time.

This camera is a little workhorse. We took it with us to O'Ahu and loved the resulting images. The 6.3 megapixels allowed us to edit our photos, zooming in and enlarging, with no perceptible loss of sharpness.

A great value for the money. And now, you can get 1GB and 2GM memory cards for less than 512MB cards cost a year earlier.

Last word: When our first E550 was damaged, I went online to find a replacement camera and found that the price was almost HALF what we had paid a year ealier. So, we bought another E550!!

This camera deserves 5 stars. I knocked off one star because we missed some critical shots when power ran out and we weren't prepared with extra batteries. But, after factoring in the better color saturation and powerful flash and features, we were probably getting as much mileage as possible out of our batteries.

I purchased this camera and reviewed it in Oct 05, I love it. But I have just had my first experience with the zoom error message after the lens being barely tapped on my desk. After reading all the reviews I was thinking I would have to buy another camera. Then I came across the review from Ross about pulling out the lens until it clicked and the shutter opened and then turning off and back on and I thought oh well what have I got to lose. So I tried it and it WORKED!! My camera is now fully functioning with no zoom error! Thanks Ross and if this happens to you try this!! This is probably all they do when you send it in anyways!! I hope this helps someone!!

First ... in case you are having difficulty finding the phone number for customer service- it is1-866-216-1075.

I purchased the Fujifilm Finepix E550 6.3MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom almost a week ahead of Mother's Day and clicked on the "Guaranteed 3 Day Shipping UPS" link for the shipping option. Upon finishing up the purchase, the estimated delivery time was the Friday before Mother's day weekend. Two days later I got an email from Amazon with the UPS tracking info giving a estimated date of delivery time of the Tuesday AFTER mothers day (over a week after my purchase date!).
I called customer service that day and spoke to them about this and was told that the order would probably arrive on Friday, but if it didn't- Amazon would refund the shipping cost ($14 for a camera that weighs around 1lb). Personally I think I (and my mom) deserved more, but I said fine.
Sure enough, the camera doesn't arrive until Tuesday late afternoon.
I called Amazon and was put on hold by a representative, that then hung up on my after quite a while of holding.
When I called back, a representative (live, with voices in the background) that was trying to sound like a answering machine message, was reading off something about not being able to access records, then hung up on me.
Finally on the third call, I interrupted the startled representative (Emanuel's) ramble today (5/18/2007 3:03CT) by stating that I wanted to speak to the manager. He kept repeating that he would take down my number and have someone call me back when they could access their records again.
That is where things stand so far ...

The best digital camera I have bought so far. There are so many features in such a little package. I carry it where ever I go & it has always worked great for me. I keep finding new things it can do. The quality of pictures & video it takes is great for the size & ease of use. The best thing is I can fit the thing in my front pocket with-out feeling I have a huge bulge there. It's also very easy to carry extra 1GB cards due to the XD cards being so small. Fuji has & still makes great cameras.

we use two of these cameras for kite photography, and the pictures turn out great. we've had more than a few crash landings with both cameras and both are still going strong, going on four years. great camera and easy to use, nice pictures even when you just use point and shoot mode.

It's definitely an excellent camera for non-professionals. Great image and diverse facilities. I recommend it.

I bought this camera 2 years ago. It was working fine. But suddenly, it starts to over-expose. The photos have strange white stripes across. There must be a design flau because someone else had the same problem here. Do NOT buy any FUJI product!!!

Bought this just weeks before a two-week road trip, and had to learn in a hurry. Camera is a step up from my Nikon Cool Pix. Optical viewfinder is a must-have. Camera comes with bonus stuff - cords, card, batteries & charger, although the card is too small. Recommend buying an additional 1G card, a camera case, and at least 2 more pair of NIMH batteries. On active shoots, batteries only lasted 4 hours. Camera has more options than Cool Pix and additional lenses are available. Good stabilization. Have not tried video yet.

Neither the flash mechanism nor the battery compartment have broken...they are fine.
I am not a pro...but I will say it takes a good clear picture if you bother to learn a bit about it and photography itself. It does have problems in lower lighting, but overall I love the reliability, and I use it to photograph my artwork for print sales and for slides.
So there you have it. It's good enough to trust my income with.
But nothing is going to do ALL the work for you...at least not if you want to pay a reasonable amount of money. Be willing to learn a bit about how cameras work in general and about lighting and composition and color.

This camera has served me well over the last few years. There are a few things that you need to be aware of however. The first thing is that the flash has a delay. You have to wait for it to recharge in between each picture if you are using the flash and that can take at least 6-8 seconds. Taking pictures of children can be challenging if you are using the flash! With that said, the camera has been great. It is very simple to learn!

The camera is fine as long as nothing goes wrong. Fuji has the worst customer service I have ever delt with. They pass you from one person to another and do everything they can not to help you. Be prepared to deal with the worst customer service in the business. I really hope this helps you.

I am so in love with this camera, it served me well for 3 years until my toddler destroyed it. I now have the dilemma of finding a new camera I will love as much. It was so easy to use, took sharp beautifully colored photos, preformed outstanding in low light situations, I had no problem printing large photos without any graininess. I'm tempted to just buy the same camera, but in 3 years I am assuming there have been major improvements and I can find something even better. I hope!

I have had this camera for over 2 years and have LOVED the photo quality and ease of use. The camera is very quick, takes great macro shots and doesn't eat up (rechargeable) batteries.

That being said, 2 days ago it started overexposing my pictures. Then it locked up completely. I was able to get my pictures downloaded off of it, but, after reading other online reviews (especially of Fuji's poor customer service and the persistance of this problem with Fuji cameras) I am now shopping around for a new camera. I will not be buying another Fuji, which is too bad, because I really did love it while it worked.

For a review of many other users with this problem:
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