The Fujifilm FinePix S2500HD is a budget bridge camera from Fuji's S-series, launched in 2010 to give buyers DSLR-style handling and long zoom reach without an interchangeable lens, competing with similar superzoom compacts from Nikon, Kodak and Olympus.
It uses a 12.2-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor paired with an 18x optical zoom lens equivalent to 28-504mm. The 3.0-inch LCD has 230,000 dots, and there is a small electronic viewfinder for bright-light framing. Video tops out at 1280x720 (720p) at 30fps, and power comes from four AA batteries.
The CCD sensor gives clean results at low ISO but noise rises quickly past ISO 400, typical of small-sensor bridge cameras of this generation. Its main appeal is the long zoom reach and simple point-and-shoot operation rather than outright image quality.
On the used market the S2500HD is a low-cost way into long-zoom photography. Buyers should check the zoom barrel racks smoothly without grinding, test the battery door catch, and confirm the LCD is free of banding or dead pixels.