it is actually 10x (optical zoom) and 2x digital zoom (digital zoom)./QUOTE]
Sorry, my mistake. Yep it is 10x optical. Anyway, I owned 4 Fujis so far. s2600z, s602z, s5000 and F11. The worst is s2600z. The best is s602z (in its time), and then F11 is better than s5000 (even tho the are non-comparable at the same level).
I have chosen s5000 over s7000 because s5000 has 10x while s7000 has only 6x but I realize later that s7000 is the true heir of s602 (although *******ized in some specs to drop the cost).
Anyway, my advice is that it depends on how much you can get the s5000. I won't buy it for more than $200 since it has been superceeded by s5500, s5600 and s6500. But if you can get it for $100, quality or not, as long as it is in good working condition, then go for it.