Fujifilm's 2006 face-detection bridge — 6.3MP 1/1.7 Super CCD HR, 28-300mm equiv manual zoom, RAW, AA power.
The Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd was an enthusiast bridge camera announced on 13 July 2006, sold in the United States as the FinePix S6000fd. It was Fujifilm's first camera with face detection (the 'fd' suffix) and sat below the flagship S9100/S9600, sharing that model's wide-ranging zoom in a lighter body.
It used a 6.3-megapixel 1/1.7-inch Super CCD HR sensor with a 10.7x zoom covering 28-300mm equivalent, operated by mechanical zoom and focus rings rather than a motor. Sensitivity ran ISO 100-3200, shutter speeds 30s to 1/4000, and full PASM control plus RAW capture were provided. Framing used an electronic viewfinder or 2.5-inch LCD, face detection tracked up to ten faces, storage was xD-Picture Card with about 10MB internal memory, and four AA batteries supplied power.
The S6500fd remains one of the more capable CCD bridges: the relatively large sensor, bright 28mm-equivalent wide end, RAW support and mechanical zoom ring give it genuine enthusiast credentials. Its high-ISO output was class-leading for 2006, making it a favourite for the CCD-look crowd shooting in mixed light.
Used buyers face the xD-Picture Card bottleneck — cards top out at 2GB, are discontinued and cost real money, so factor a card into the price. AA power is painless. Check the mechanical zoom ring for grit, the EVF/LCD switch, and lens haze. Confirm RAW capture and face detection function, and test for CCD sensor lines, a known age fault on this generation.