Good speed overall, a responsive digital camera.

The S5200 proved a fairly responsive camera, beginning with its quick startup time of 1.6 seconds. Though shutter lag is closer to average at the wide angle and telephoto settings, a High Speed option results in a 0.40-second lag time. And "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure, results in a shutter delay of only 0.015 second, among the fastest on the market. Shot to shot cycle times are good, at about 0.70 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, though it only captures about three shots this quickly before it has to slow down a 1.25-second interval. Continuous-mode speed is quite good at the high speed setting, at about 2.27 frames/second, for up to three shots in succession (regardless of resolution). The flash takes about six seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, about average for this class of camera. Connected to a computer, download speeds are very fast. Overall, the S5200 is quite zippy, and the high-speed focusing and shooting options are perfect for keeping up with fast-paced action.

Battery
Excellent battery life with LCD or EVF.

The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 uses four AA-type batteries for power, and comes with a set of standard alkaline batteries. The table above shows maximum run times based on our power measurements and the rated performance of its battery. The above runtimes are over four and a half hours on a full charge, which is excellent. Still, we recommend you carry a spare set of NiMH batteries, and perhaps even a set of alkalines. NiMH batteries are great, but they don't have the shelf life of Alkalines (measured in days rather than years).

Storage
A 16MB xD card is included with the FinePix S5200.

I strongly recommend buying at least a 256MB card, preferably a 512MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.