Couldnt have asked for a better birthday gift. With only 3.3 megapixels the pictures come out awsome! I have the canon digital rebel with 6 megapixels and you cant tell what pictures came from what camera. My fuji is twwo years old and still works great! Havent had a problem yet. The only bad thing is it drains the life out of your batteries, and fast. Make sure you carry an extra set at all times.

I've owned this camera for almost 2 years now & I still think it's the best all around camera for new parents. Here's why:

1. The video is AWESOME for a digicam. 640x480 resolution + 30 frames per second = 15 minutes of good quality candid shots on an IBM 1GB Microdrive. (note - nobody wants to watch 15 minutes of video, so the 3 minutes available on many of today's cameras is sufficient)
2. Can easily be used as a point and shoot, but I like knowing the other features are available if I want to "grow" as a photographer.
3. A connection (shoe) for additional flash gives me a little more range for those family shots.
4. 3+ megapixels (if you get into that whole interpolated hexagon pixel confusion) gets me great photos - poster sized through online retailers like Kodak (don't ask me why, I just know it works), 8x10 at home on an inexpensive Canon inkjet, and with 4x6 I have a little wiggle room for cropping.

I just purchased a Canon Powershot A95 with rotating LCD for my wife and it's great too, but we're still using the Fuji for combo video/picture sessions.

I spent about $1000.00 on this, 2 128MB smart media cards, a case, and a 1GB IBM Microdrive in 11/2002. It's been worth every dime!

Okay okay ... You can get this from several Z-shops sellers, starting at $438 (as of 12-26-03). There are some small errors in the description, which you may clear up for yourself at the Fujifilm.com site. But compare this to the S5000, which you can get new, here, for about $340. And if you hunt diligently, today you can grab it for $296. I am not repeat not talking about some auction sight, either. (Nor in Japan, where I live at the moment, though there is a place here I must check tomorrow just in case. Besides, delayed gratification is not my strong suit.)

The Fujifilm site gives a detailed description of their CCD (Charge Coupled Device) pixel array that to me sounds like the best thing going in what the working class like me can afford. The S602 is Fuji's 3rd generation CCD, the S5000 is their 4th generation. The 602 has 6x optical and 4.4x digital zoom (26.4x), the 5000 had 10x optical and 2.2x digital (22x). If that extra 4.4 turns your head, then shopping for a telephoto is probably something to consider. I find the greater lens power more attractive, and sould give clearer photos, at 22x side by side with the 602 at a comparable setting.

If you want to spend serious $$$ for something that has 5 to 8 megapixels, more power to you. But the S5000 is a better Fuji for less money ... the S602 is really last year's news. My hard earned greenbacks are on the S5000.

The Fuji FinePix S602 Zoom is a fine camera capable of taking a 15 minute video using a microdrive,just watch what you are saying while shooting because the microphone will pick up your voice before any other sound. Most of the controls are easy to find and use without having to resort to reading the manual. The flash produces very little if any red eye. The almost infinite zoom lens allows you to get close to and frame your subject easily. Macro shots are just as easy. Photos printed on my HP 952C look great at 8 by 10 inches. The only thing to watch out for is when the camera is set to auto is that sometimes, usually indoors, you can end up with a very slow shutter speed such as 7 sec. which can cause a blurred picture.

I purchased this camera last year from Amazon at an amazing price. It took time to get use to some of it's features but I truly love it. I purchased it for it's movie mode and it's 6x zoom lense. Low light is somewhat a problem but can be overcome with a steady hand or tripod. I have printed 11x14 prints and they are excellent. You can't beat the features for the price.