Attached Link: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s602-review/

I asked my friend Google about this camera ... this review http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s602-review/ had something to say about noise ... "Unlike a regular CCD, the SuperCCD has hexagonal-shaped pixels, which allows Fuji to pack more sensors into the same area, which allows the sensors to collect more data. Using this data, the S602Z can produces those 6 million pixel images that it's famous for. Of course, there's some interpolation (the camera is guessing) involved in the creation of those large images, which is why they have noise and strange artifacts sometime." In addition, that review indicates that at the higher ISO values, the sensors are paired to gain that additional sensitivity ... the tradeoff is that the number of pixels is halved. Another point to consider ... Does the camera have a setting for noise reduction? That would be a place to start ... you might even make some comparison pictures. MGD