Fujifilm S5700 / S700 Guide
As of October 2008 I’ve been using this camera for 10 months, and I have to say that it’s brilliant. It may be small, but it packs most of the features of a dSLR, with a 10x zoom and a macro mode, all for a bargain price.
I thought it was time I pulled together some of the Podcast Instructions I did as well as my hints and tips for using the Fujifilm S5700 / S700 all into one place as an easy reference for anybody who’s new to the camera or who wants to learn a little more.
The Official Manual
You can run the S5700 in Auto mode and it’ll give you brilliant results, but if you want some artistic control you’ve got to understand it’s higher functions – and the best place to start is with the manual. If you haven’t got a copy, download the Fujifilm S5700 S700 manual first.
Update: New Audio User Guide / Manual For The S5700 / S700: DOWNLOAD NOW HALF PRICE!
I’ve re-recorded and updated my Fujifilm Finepix S5700 / S700 audio User Guide, and packed it all together on one simple download, or CD, all for the bargain price of £10 GBP, (including free postage World-Wide for the CD). LIMITED TIME OFFER: GET THE DOWNLOAD HALF PRICE, GB£5!
Now consisting of over 3 hours of friendly, informative audio, you can listen to the files on your Computer, or transfer them to your mp3 player or Ipod, and learn with me, camera in hand, in the comfort of your own home (or out on a photowalk!).
If you’re a bit confused reading through the camera manual (like I was when I first got the S5700), this audio instruction manual will be really helpful.
Including over 200 minutes, (or 3 hours) of friendly instruction, you can listen to the included mp3 files on your computer, or transfer them to your ipod / mp3 player.
It’s written to be listened to while you’ve got your camera in your hands, so as I talk about features, menu options and techniques you can practice along at the same time.
The included chapters are:
1. Camera Introduction, Essential Accessories and Getting Started. (45 mins).
2. Automatic modes. (12 mins).
3. Understanding Exposure, Depth of Field and White balance. (41 mins).
4. Aperture Priority, Shutter priority and Program mode. (30 mins).
5. Advanced Focusing techniques. and Advanced Flash. (13 mins).
6. Manual mode. (13 mins).
7. WIFE and Photography Workflow. (13 mins).
8. Video. (3 mins).
9. Backing up your Photos. (8 mins).
10. Advanced Settings. (8 mins).
11. Corrections, The Next Steps. (8 mins).
12. Panoramas and the S5700. (11 mins).
13. HDR and the S5700. (17 mins).
The Audio Instruction Guide is supplied via download or CD (separated into the above chapters), ready to be played on your Computer, or copy the files to your MP3 player or ipod.
Postage is free world-wide for the CD, surface mail for areas outside the UK, so if you’ve got broadband, opt for the download.
Download link or CD’s will be dispatched with 3 days of payment (Remember to send me your email address for download, or real address if you want the CD!).
To pay for your Audio Guide, simply go to Amazon.co.uk (the link is here), and send me a £10 Gift Voucher OR JUST £5 FOR THE DOWNLOAD VERSION (Non UK credit / debit cards should work too), with the “recipient email” as scalespeeder@gmail.com (make sure you get that right!). In the message include your name, email (for download) or real address (for CD), and I’ll send you your download link or CD as soon as I get the Electronic Gift Voucher.
NEW: I can now accept payment via Paypal. Email me at scalespeeder@gmail.com and I’ll send you my details to arrange payment. (£10 for CD, £5 for download).
Comments About The S5700 S700 Audio Guide
Great guide! Really glad I bought it now! Cheers! – Ross T
Wow, that was quick! thankyou! – James G
I’ve downloaded the first part of your audio guide, and I have to say I’m very impressed so far, its idiot-proof and friendly! – Ian S
Quick Look At A Wideangle Converter For The S5700 S700.
Picked this little gadget up at the car-boot sale for a fiver – keep your eye’s peeled for one, they’re definitely worth having.
Fujifim Finepix S5700 S700 Focal Lengths Explained.
A post to figure out which focal length you’re using while out in the field..
Using Your S5700 / S700 To Digitize Film Slides.
Follow me as I convert my Dads Film Slides, shot in the ’60’s, to Digital.
A Day In The Life Of My S5700
Ok, if I’m going out shooting I have a little routine I follow before I leave the house.
1) I check I’ve got spare batteries in my camera bag, my polarizer, grad filter, tripod, spare memory and cleaning cloth. I top up my water sprayer if necessary. (See my article on “Whats in my camera bag“).
2) I check that my SD memory card is in its slot and formatted (menu, set-up, format) , then I go through the WIFE checklist:
White-Balance. Make sure you’re cameras in Aperture Priority Mode, then press the menu button and make sure your White Balance is set to AUTO.
ISO. We always want to be shooting at below ISO 400 to avoid noise, so press and hold the “f” button and change to ISO 64. While you’re in the “f” menu, change the colour mode to “f-chrome”, it looks better, and also make sure the quality is set to 7m (F).
Focus. Press the menu button again, and check that “Focusing Mode” is “Single AF”. Also check that “AF Mode” is “Center”.
Exposure. Turn the Mode Dial to “A” for Aperture Priority. Press the menu button and make sure the “Photometry” is set to “Multi”. Go back to the shooting screen and press the Exposure Compensation button (the little square with the plus and minus) and knock it one small line (1/3 ev) to the left. Change the aperture to 3.5 then press the Exposure Compensation Button again to lock in these changes.
3) I’ll clean my lens, my filters, and the inside of my lens cap, then we’re ready to shoot!
At The Scene:
So, I’m faced with something I want to photograph, say a nice landscape shot. I’ll have a walk-round to get the best angle and height for a good composition. I’ll look for some foreground interest to give some depth to the scene, then I’ll think about the Focal Length and Aperture I want to use.
First up, focal length, or how much zoom to use. I may be forced into using wide angle if I haven’t got room to manoeuvre, but if say I’m taking a picture of a building and I don’t want the perspective to be distorted by being too close and having to look up, I’ll walk back and use some zoom. This can also help to “compress” the scene.
It’s also a good idea to avoid the extreme wide-angle (zoomed all the way out), because at the extremes the lens distorts the image slightly – your horizon will appear curved.
Next up I think about aperture. This controls the depth of field, or how much of the picture is in focus. The S5700 has a pretty massive DoF anyway, so it only really matters if there’s something quite close that I want to be in focus as well as the horizon, so then I’ll dial in F6.8 or 13.6 – small aperture, large Depth of Field. If using this small aperture causes the “Camera Shake” warning icon to come on (the little yellow camera) I’ll whip out my tripod. If I’ve got to go hand-held, I’ll go up to ISO 200, and if the warning is still lit up I’ll start to make the aperture larger until the warning goes off.
Now I’ll check the composition. I’ll make sure the grid-lines are up (press the “disp / back” button) to get my horizons / verticals right. If the cameras on a tripod I’ll use the shutter delay button to minimise shake. If I’m handholding, I’ll take a breath and gently press the shutter button in the middle of my exhale.
I then press the review button (the green “play” button”), and usually the “evf / lcd” button so I can review the shot on the eye-piece. I press the Exposure Compensation Button to bring up the Histogram to check for blinkies, or blown out areas. If there are blown out highlights I’ll use the exposure compensation button to dial down the exposure a bit more, and check again.
If the histogram looks OK, I’ll go back to the main review screen and zoom in to make sure its in focus. Sharp? Great! Now turn the camera on its side and take a portrait orientation shot, or vice-versa.
If while reducing the exposure to avoid the blinkies my close foreground subject becomes too dark, I’ll think about using “Fill Flash”. I’ll go to manual mode, set the exposure to avoid blown highlights, then use the flash to light up the close subject. If the flash is too bright / too dim, I’ll go into the menu, go to the flash setting and reduce or increase the brightness of the flash.
If I’m happy I’ll try a few different compositions then head on to the next location.
Back At Home
As soon as I get home I copy the photos to my hard drive, burn them to CD and upload them to private Flickr folders for archiving. (See my article on Photo Backup.)
Then I’ll start editing with Photoshop Elements / Photoshop or Photomatix – See “The Course” for details. When I’m done I’ll upload the ones I like to Flickr or deviantArt, and I’m done!
Shooting In-Doors
Light is the problem when trying to take photographs inside – there’s not enough of it, and it’s the wrong colour.
Handle the lack of light by using a tripod or resting the camera on something.
To sort out the colour of the light, use a custom white balance. Press the “menu” button, “white balance”, “custom”, then take a picture of a piece of white paper under the light you’ve got. You’ll be amazed by the difference it makes.
Don’t forget to change the White Balance back to “Auto” when you’re finished!
Noise Management
All digital cameras suffer from noise, those coloured speckles that can appear in your photographs. You can solve the issue in camera by always using low ISO, say 64 or 100, or use software such as Noise Ninja.
If you do go for Noise Ninja you can make it work better by downloading my custom Noise Ninja Profiles For The S5700.
My Top S5700 / S700 Tips:
Shoot in Aperture Priority Mode for creative control over Depth of Field.
Always shoot on the highest quality setting – 7m (F).
Always have the color mode on “fuji chrome” – it will give you nicer looking photographs.
Knock back the exposure by one small line (1/3ev) to avoid blown out highlights and get more saturated colours.
Buy a Polarising Filter. (see my article on Cokin A Filters).
The yellow “Camera Shake” warning is your friend – treat it with respect and you’ll have sharper photos – but avoid ISO’s higher than 200 if you can. Instead use a tripod, or increase your aperture to let more light in, or zoom out and crop back in later during Post Processing.
Use the gridlines on the evf / lcd to help you get straight horizons and buildings (press the “disp / back” button to cycle through the options).
Always use a custom white balance when shooting indoors.
Get a copy of Photoshop Elements for the best in affordable Post Processing.
Join the Fujifilm S5700 / S700 Flickr Group.
Take loads and loads of photographs and have fun with the camera!
I hope this article has been useful and helped you get to know your camera a little better.
Cheers, Rob.
33 Comments so far...
Victor Says:
4 October 2008 at 4:00 pm.
Hiya Rob,
Good idea to put all this together on one guide page!
It’s been really enjoyable watching you web page growing like this. I find myself returning often just to see what’s been added, let alone enjoying the photography.
Well done yet again.
Victor
Rob_Nunn Says:
4 October 2008 at 5:28 pm.
Thanks for the comments Victor!
Cheers, Rob.
Shashank Says:
14 October 2008 at 10:40 am.
Hey Rob!
Nice n useful post. I’m facing a very irritating problem while using my S5700 in the manual mode. The exposure compensation slides right back to the lowest level on it own, making it absulutely impossible to take a picture ithout the flash, and even then the background is totally blacked out. Is this normal? Is there a way to get around this or could I be doing something wrong??
Rob_Nunn Says:
14 October 2008 at 10:51 am.
Hi Shashank,
What you’re seeing is not the Exposure Compensation setting, but the camera’s built in light meter. Press the Exposure Compensation Button (the one with the + and – on it), then as you change the shutter speed or aperture (by using up/down or across on the navigation pad) you’ll see the electronic needle move – you want it in the middle for a correctly exposed shot.
You may need to change the ISO (by holding the f button) if there’s not enough light in the first place.
Cheers, Rob.
Shashank Says:
14 October 2008 at 11:30 am.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the really fast reply! But if it is the light meter, and if it slides to the extreme left, then shouldn’t the pictures come out dark even in other modes, such as P, A, or S, where I’ve kept the ISO at 64 or 100, in the same light? But what is happening is that even though the frames are perfectly well exposed in other modes, the same pics are coming out terribly underexposed only in the manual mode.
And thanks again for the help mate!
Cheers,
Shashank
Rob_Nunn Says:
14 October 2008 at 1:35 pm.
Auto, P, A, S and the Scene modes are “Automatic Exposure Modes”.
In Automatic Exposure Modes your S5700 will always work out the correct exposure for you – the photo’s will always come out well exposed (as long as the scene is within the cameras capability and ISO setting). The camera will set everything in Auto and P modes, and set the aperture or shutter speed in S and P modes. You can use the exposure compensation button to darken and lighten the photos in A, P and S modes.
The camera remembers your last settings, so as you turn the mode dial the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed, aperture (and ISO in Auto and P), to get a good exposure.
As soon as you switch to Manual, the camera lets go and says “Hey, its totally up to you. I’ll focus the lens, but you set everything else.”
So this is why in M Mode you’ve got to set your ISO first (lower the better), decide on your aperture (for depth of field), then frame your scene. Look at the light meter, then adjust your shutter speed to make the needle go to the middle.
If you can’t get a correct exposure or the yellow camera shake warning comes on, make your aperture bigger or increase your ISO.
If you want to see the light meter in action in A, P and S modes, press the exposure compensation button and have a look at the histogram (the line graph) which pops up on the left side of the screen. This shows you how much dark (the left of the histogram) and light (the right) there is in the scene, you then can use exposure compensation to change the mix.
Once you’ve taken a photo in any mode, hit the review button, then the exposure compensation button, to see the exposure and “blinkies” (blown highlights) for that picture. If there’s a lot of “blinkies” use exposure compensation to dial the scene darker, or speed up the shutter speed / close the aperture up in Manual Mode.
Hope this helps, cheers, Rob.
Shashank Says:
14 October 2008 at 2:36 pm.
That was immensely helpful Rob..Actually I’ve just bought mine, and I’ve just about started to figure out d right combinations for the right scenes! Thanks a ton..
Cheers,
Shashank
Rob_Nunn Says:
17 October 2008 at 10:18 am.
No problem Shashank, good luck with your photography, you’ve got a great camera there!
Ashish Says:
23 October 2008 at 8:57 am.
Hey Rob….
read the article….thanks for writing down so many words of wisdom at one page…..could you please put up a list of “what setttings…for what scenes?” like 1. for potrait use manual mode. 2. for landscape use A or P mode with low ISO and low aperture………this might works as a quick reference for many of us who are not very highly literate when it comes down to the scientific reasoning behind a good looking shot….thanks
Rob_Nunn Says:
23 October 2008 at 2:23 pm.
Hi Ashsish, thanks for the comments!
It’s all a balance of ISO (low number, less noise, but less sensitive to light), Aperture (depth of field, or how much of the scene is in focus, Shutter Speed (to freeze movement / avoid camera blur or to give a feeling of movement or “dreaminess”) and Focal Length (The “Look” of the photo in terms of the relationship between the subject and the foreground / background and optical distortions).
For the best results, always work with a tripod, or really keep an eye on the shutter speed to avoid movement blur.
I find it’s easiest to work in A, Aperture Priority Mode. With the S5700 you have a pretty big Depth of Field, even at low F Stops (Aperture), unless you’re very close to your subject or zoomed in (or in macro / super macro mode.)
My recommendations: Landscape – use a tripod. Use Aperture Priority. Use a small aperture, say F6.8, ISO 64, let the camera work out the shutter speed, then choose your focal length based on your subject.
Portraits. Use a tripod with your camera at the eye-level of your subject. Use Aperture Priority. Use a large aperture, say F3.5, and keep your ISO at the lowest setting that’ll let you have a shutter speed of at least 1/60th of a second. Place your subject near some nice natural light, say a window, with some nice soft light (not direct sunlight) so the light is coming at them from the side. You do not want to be using the wide-angle of the lens, zoom it in a way, to avoid facial distortions.
Hope this helps, Rob.
Ashish Says:
23 October 2008 at 6:23 pm.
Thanks for the quick and descriptive response Rob, I never really expected a response. It was really helpful. Also, could you also help me with all the attachments that are compatible with this camera like a UV filter or a lens or a flash or any similar material will be surely of great help .Thanks
Ashish Says:
25 October 2008 at 8:58 am.
Hey Rob yesterday I completed all the episodes of your podcast.and guess what it was brilliant and highly informative…..and you need not worry abt the sound quality because its coming quite good. I still feel astonished abt somebody deciding to record a podcast on how to use a camera i mean it is scintillating efforts from your end…………..I appreciate that and hope to see more innovations from you!!! let me know if we could meet up on skype or something
Rob_Nunn Says:
25 October 2008 at 1:34 pm.
Hi Ashish, glad you found the Podcast useful, I might be doing some more interviews / round tables next year, not sure when though.
Thanks again, cheers, Rob.
Baz Says:
9 November 2008 at 1:16 pm.
These podcasts are fantastic Rob, you should be selling them on ebay, you’ll be a millionaire this time next year 
)
I am just about getting to grips with Aperture and I am currently working my way through a free online photographic course. The assignment I have this week is to take two photos exactly the same but with a small and a large aperture. The idea is to make the object in the foreground in focus and the background blurred. Then to get the whole of the photo in focus. I am struggling a little though as I took a photo of my watch, I used F3.5 and got the face in focus, the bracelet at the back was out of focus, which is what I wanted. Then I changed to F13.6 and all that happened was that the bracelet became a sharper (but not pin sharp) and the whole photo was very underexposed. Any advice please?
PS I’m the bloke on Flikr, Northstar100, who you left a very comment about my dragon fly photo!
Rob_Nunn Says:
9 November 2008 at 2:08 pm.
Hi Baz, maybe I’ll try that!
Ok, so the problem you’re facing is an interesting one.
As you’ve already done, it’s relatively simple to use a wide aperture (small f number) to get a “selective focus” depth of field effect, but sometimes the reverse isn’t quite as easy.
Your first option, which you’ve tried, uses a small aperture to increase the depth of field. It’s worth noting that if 13.6 is your smallest aperture, it may not be very sharp due to refraction / diffraction. Try again at F6.8 and see what happens.
If it’s too dark, increase the shutter speed, of if you’re at the maximum, increase your ISO. You could also try using flash, or simply point some lights at your subject.
If you still can’t get everything in focus, we’ve got to think about camera to subject distance.
By moving our camera further away, the Depth of Field will increase. Try moving the camera away, use a small aperture (say f6.8 or 13.6) then zoom in to get the same “crop” of the scene as your first photo. Or retake both photo’s further away, but you may find it harder to get the “selective focus” shot.
If this still doesn’t work, you could try “focus stacking”, a post processing technique. Check out this post by Victor for details:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/s5700/discuss/72157607691006364/
Good luck and tell me how you get on!
Cheers, Rob.
Rob_Nunn Says:
9 November 2008 at 2:12 pm.
Woops, in the above I meant to say “decrease your shutter speed”!
It’s also worth playing with the distance between your subjects, or choosing larger ones, say a foreground tree with something behind it.
Cheers, Rob.
Baz Says:
17 November 2008 at 5:36 pm.
Thanks for the advice Rob, this is what I have ended up with! The small F numbers seem to work really well but I am still having trouble getting everything in focus using F13.6, although it’s almost there, but it’s not quite perfect! (I have a Fuji S5800 by the way).
This first photo is taken F3.5 so the stem of the flower is blurry.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo9/Northstar100/Lesson%203/DSCF2695.jpg
This one is taken with F13.6 and it’s almost all in focus.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo9/Northstar100/Lesson%203/DSCF2696.jpg
This one F3.5.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo9/Northstar100/Lesson%203/DSCF2800.jpg
F6.8, again still not quite in focus.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo9/Northstar100/Lesson%203/DSCF2814.jpg
Rob_Nunn Says:
19 November 2008 at 4:12 pm.
Hi Baz,
I see what you mean – maybe you should try moving the camera back a little, use a bit of zoom and see if that helps. It could be that you’re just too close, or you need a larger subject.
Cheers, Rob.
ps I took up your ideas of selling my S5700 Audio guides – I’ve recorded new versions – it was a great idea, thanks!
Nevi Says:
19 November 2008 at 9:54 pm.
May I use FinePix S5700 like a camera in skype?
If “YES” – Please, tell me , how to do this.
Thanks in advanced.
Rob_Nunn Says:
19 November 2008 at 10:45 pm.
Hi Nevi,
You can’t easily use the S5700 as a webcam for Skype – I guess you could rig the A/V cable to a line in on your video card, that might work, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Cheers, Rob.
Nevi Says:
19 November 2008 at 10:59 pm.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your fast answer!!!
Ben Says:
3 December 2008 at 10:10 pm.
Thanks alot buddy
very informative for a beginner like me
really has given me that boost and confidence in my camera
Cheers!
Rob_Nunn Says:
3 December 2008 at 11:32 pm.
Hi Ben,
Glad you enjoyed the guides!
Cheers, Rob.
Abhi Says:
2 January 2009 at 8:05 pm.
Hi… Rob,
I have a doubt that, what is the lens type of s5700, i means i wanna know full technical details of lens….
Thanks in advance,
also , Happy New Year!!!
- – Abhi
Rob_Nunn Says:
2 January 2009 at 10:35 pm.
Hi Abhi,
The S5700 has a Fujinon Optical 10x Zoom Lens, actual focal length 6.33mm-63.3mm, which is a 35mm equivalent of 38mm-380mm.
Maximum Aperture is F3.5 at the wide angle, F6.3 when zoomed all the way in.
Hope this helps, Rob.
Abhi Says:
3 January 2009 at 5:29 am.
Thanks a lot Rob,
I appreciate the your way of publishing info on a single page.
Thanks again for replaying in very short time….
Regards,
Abhijeet
Appu Says:
20 January 2009 at 10:33 am.
Hi Rob,
Is the fujinon lens made entirely of glass or some other sythetic materials. One more thing, the outdoor shots taken with ISo 64 appear bit noisy (esp the face of my subject). i sit common?
Rob_Nunn Says:
20 January 2009 at 11:43 am.
Hi Appu,
Sorry, I haven’t a clue what the lens is made of – but I guess the optics are all glass?
I haven’t noticed much noise at ISO 64, but then I don’t shoot many portraits.
Sometimes if you push the image a little too far in post processing, noise will appear, maybe that’s the issue.
Cheers, Rob.
JayGB1982 Says:
14 March 2009 at 2:41 am.
Hi Rob
What a fantastic website – I just bought the s5700 today for £49.99 bit of a bargain i thought!
I wanted some advise on shooting indoors, specifically in nightclubs I do a bit of spotting – http://www.dontstayin.com/members/jaygb1982
I used top use a digital compact Samsung s1050 but decided to make a step up in terms of camera
Looking through your flickr pictures the results are awesome! I’ll be sure to keep checking your photostream updates.
The main problems when shooting in clubs are low light conditions.
I’m am very new to the world of photography but have become inspired by togs like yourself
Many Thanks
James
Rob_Nunn Says:
15 March 2009 at 12:21 am.
Hi James,
Shooting inside can be tricky – I’d suggest going with auto mode and enabling flash to start with, then try aperture priority, open up to f3.5 and play around with slow-synchro flash.
With slow-synchro flash the camera will try to expose for the background (longer exposure) and pop the flash to light up (and hopefully freeze) your subject. Bump up the ISO, but not beyond 400.
Cheers, Rob.
dosh Says:
28 June 2009 at 6:22 pm.
Hi Rob,
I like my s5700 but as I also have f50fd I’m trying to see which one is better for shooting videos.
As zoom control does not work during video shooting on f50fd, it gives much less noise and almost no hunting for focus. With s5700, zoom control is possible during video shooting, but the quality of video is inferior to f50fd. There is too much noise when there’s not enough light, and the camera almost always goes focus hunting, Is there anyting that helps reduce focus hunting, as I think all settings in video mode are automatic?
Rob_Nunn Says:
28 June 2009 at 8:09 pm.
Hi Dosh,
With the S5700 try and shoot in good light, and keep your subject in the centre of the frame to reduce focus hunting, but to be honest it’ll still happen. Maybe shoot with the F50FD and edit between zooms.
Cheers, Rob.
dosh Says:
28 June 2009 at 10:22 pm.
Thanks Rob,
I somehow think that Fujifilm are not making perfect cameras deliberately. When they did, it was f30fd, which is better than f50fd in terms of noise reduction. With s5700 there’s lot of purple fringing and too much noise and focus hunting in video mode. Enough to make me sell both and look for decent Canon replacement – they don’t make compromises over quality like Fujifilm.
cheers dosh
