A moving tribute, and one that I am sure will gain a smile from above.

We are so lucky to have you BBMF guys on the forum, what excellent images! Thankyou!

This thread centres around a discussion close to the needs of many photographers of historic aviation. IMHO the entire thread is within that context.

The Pro815 hasn’t been priced up yet AFAICT – and I can’t find it for sale yet. But if it is over, say, £300 you’d be right Darren.

Rob,

The proposed price is around £600. With such a large zoom and a large screen its an interesting “compact”. I was at the european launch of the camera in Poland the other month, and from my initial play with it, it will find it hard to compete against digital SLR options like the Nikon D50 and Canon 350D. It is due to hit the shelves in September.

Just for information. Fujifilm have announced the S5600 today (28th July)
To quote from the press release:

Fujifilm today announces the launch of the FinePix S5600 Zoom, the third generation of its powerful, mini SLR-style digital cameras with long zoom lens. Packed with features, including 10x optical zoom and Anti-Blur Mode, the FinePix S5600 Zoom is an impressive reworking of its popular predecessors.

Beneath its robust body lie the sensor enhancements that make the FinePix S5600 Zoom punch above its weight. Boasting a new 5th Generation five megapixel Super CCD HR sensor and Fujifilm’s new Real Photo Technology, the FinePix S5600 Zoom has the power to capture large images with incredible clarity and detail in a range of lighting conditions.

Complete with an unrivalled sensitivity range from ISO 64 to ISO 1600, the camera makes it possible to achieve crisp photographs with minimal noise, even in very low light conditions. The Anti-Blur Mode, which exploits the camera’s exceptional ISO capabilities, reduces blurring caused by movement of the user, as well as movement blur caused by the subject, making it much more effective than image stabilisation technology alone.

The camera’s impressive 10x optical zoom has a fixed lens housing and covers all settings from wide to telephoto. It’s ideal for amateurs and photography enthusiasts alike who want optical power but don’t want to compromise with a heavyweight or bulky camera body. The fixed lens housing also ensures a lightning-fast start-up time and removes the risk of getting dust particles inside the lens or camera body.

The FinePix S5600 Zoom features a high-speed start up time of just 1.1 seconds and shutter lag has been minimised to 0.01 seconds. This, combined with a new automatic pop-up flash, means that you’ll never miss out on the action.

Moreover, the camera offers 30fps movie capability with monaural sound, making it the perfect choice for those wanting to create high quality home movies without the need to carry a camcorder.

FinePix S5600 Zoom features at a glance:

* 5th Generation Super CCD HR sensor
* 5.1 million effective pixels
* 10x optical zoom
* Real Photo Technology and ISO 64 – 1600 sensitivity range
* Anti-Blur Mode to minimise blurring from photographer and subject
* Highlight Warning function to alert users to overexposed areas of an image (in playback)
* High quality video recording at VGA and 30fps
* Rapid start-up time of 1.1 seconds and shutter lag of 0.01 seconds
* Automatic pop-up flash
* JPEG and RAW file format
* Versatile manual functions including manual focus and exposure

Availability & pricing
The FinePix S5600 Zoom will be available from UK retailers in September 2005. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

And what great photography in the news section 😉

Hi guys

I’m thinking of replacing my current ancient Olympus digital SLR and have considered the Fuji FinePix S5500:

http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/photoandvideo/digitalcameras/productView.htm?quicklinx=39J2

I’ll be needing to use it for interior museum shots and ground to air, the 375mm equivalent looks good. Anyone got any experience with this model or recommendations for alternatives?

Any help much appreciated.

G-ORDY,

Go buy my magazine mate (Which Digital Camera? August issue), there is a comparison review in it with example images from the Fujifilm S5500 and its nearest equivalents from the other main brands. 😉

Neil,

Any more of the Neiuport? Love that Chipmunk.

Great photographs everyone.

Picking a good location seems to be very important.

Maybe a thread should be opened for the best place to be, at each show, to get those “great shots” ?

Was the display line even further away from the crowd at RIAT 2005 than usual?

If like RIAT, the show lasts for two days (and assuming you go both days), then I always pick a different position each day. For the Saturday, I was crowd centre as this is where most of the displays concentrate thier efforts. On the Sunday, I picked the landing end of the runway, which gave the landing shots and unusual images like the three Spitfires on the ground.