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"Picky Details" for the Fujifilm FinePix S5200 Digital Camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Fujifilm FinePix S5200:

Fujifilm FinePix S5200 Timings
Operation	Time (secs)	Notes
Power On -> First shot	1.6
Shutdown	0.2 - 6	First time is simple shutdown, second time is worst-case buffer-clearing time.
Play to Record, first shot	1.2	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	3.1 / 1.3	First time is that required to display a large/fine file immediately after capture, second time is that needed to display a large/fine file that has already been processed and stored on the memory card.
Shutter lag, full autofocus	0.62 / 0.55	First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto.
Shutter lag, full autofocus, High Speed	0.40	Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
Shutter lag, prefocus	0.015	Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
Shutter lag, manual focus	0.35	-
Shutter lag, manual focus, High Speed	0.11	-
Shutter lag, continuous autofocus	0.51	-
Cycle Time, max/min resolution	0.7 / 0.82	First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" mode (640x480) images. Times are averages. In large/fine mode, shoots three frames this fast, then slows to about 1.25 seconds per shot. Buffer clears in 5 seconds. In TV mode, shoots at this rate continuously, and clears the buffer in 2 seconds.
Cycle Time, Flash exposures	6	(Flash at maximum power output)
Cycle Time, continuous High mode, max/min resolution	0.44 (2.27 fps)	First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for "TV" size images. Times are averages. Cycle time is 0.44 seconds for three frames, regardless of resolution. Buffer clears in 6 seconds for large/fine images, 3 seconds for lowest resolution.
Cycle Time, continuous Low mode, max/min resolution	0.64 / 0.80 (1.56 / 1.25 fps)	First number is for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. Stops after 40 frames regardless of resolution. In large/fine mode, shoots three frames this fast, then slows to about 1.23 seconds per shot. In TV mode, shoots all forty frames this fast. Buffer clears in 5 seconds for large/fine images, 2 seconds for lowest resolution.

Power

The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 uses four AA batteries for power, and ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera.

Operating Mode	Power (@5 volts on the external power terminal)	Est. Minutes (four 1600 mA cells)
Capture Mode, w/LCD	333 mA	276
Capture Mode, w/EVF	324 mA	285
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD	427 mA	216
Half-pressed w/EVF	417 mA	221
Memory Write (transient)	396 mA	n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)	635 mA	n/a
Image Playback	167 mA	553

Storage Capacity

The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 stores its photos on xD memory cards, and a 16 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16 MB card at each size/quality setting.

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 16 MB xD Memory Card		Fine	Normal
2592 x 1944	Images (Avg size)	6 2.5 MB	12 1.3 MB
2592 x 1944	Approx. Compression	6:1	12:1
2048 x 1536	Images (Avg size)	-	20 788 KB
2048 x 1536	Approx. Compression	-	12:1
1600 x 1200	Images (Avg size)	-	25 626 KB
1600 x 1200	Approx. Compression	-	9:1
640 x 480	Images (Avg size)	-	124 128 KB
640 x 480	Approx. Compression	-	7:1

Download Speed

The Fujifilm FinePix S5200 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading files to my Sony desktop running Windows XP (Pentium IV, 2.4 GHz), I clocked it at 4147 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast v1.1 interfaces run as high as 600 KB/s. Cameras with USB v2.0 interfaces run as fast as several megabytes/second.)

S5200 Review
S5200 Test Images
S5200 Specifications
S5200 "Picky Details"
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