Fujifilm's 2005 flagship bridge — 9MP 1/1.6in CCD, manual 10.7x 28-300mm zoom, RAW, hot shoe, xD/CF slots, AA power
The FinePix S9500 (sold as the FinePix S9000 in North America) was Fujifilm's flagship bridge camera of 2005, announced in July that year as the replacement for the S7000 and pitched at enthusiasts weighing it against early budget DSLRs. It was later superseded by the S100fs, with the S9600 as its direct update.
It used a 9-megapixel 1/1.6in CCD with a mechanically coupled twist-barrel 10.7x zoom covering 28-300mm equivalent. It offered program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes, RAW capture, a hot shoe, ISO 80-1600 and shutter speeds from 30sec to 1/4000sec. Framing was via an electronic viewfinder or tilting 1.8in LCD, storage was dual-format xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash/Microdrive, and power came from four AA batteries.
The manual zoom ring, RAW files and hot shoe still make it one of the more capable CCD bridge cameras, suited to landscapes, travel and general enthusiast use, and a sensible learning tool. High-ISO output is noisy and there is no image stabilisation, so it rewards deliberate shooting in good light.
Alkaline AAs drain quickly in this camera — reviews at launch recommended NiMH rechargeables, so check the battery door and contacts for wear and corrosion. The CompactFlash slot is far more practical than xD today. Verify the twist zoom is smooth, the EVF and tilting LCD both work, and the hot shoe fires a flash if you plan to use one.