Fuji Finepix S8100 FD Review

The Fuji Finepix S8100FD is a standard super zoom digital camera. It has a fairly typical set of features for this type of camera including manual exposure controls, image stabilisation and face detection technology. It has 10 megapixels, an 18x optical zoom lens and a 2.5 inch LCD screen. There is also an electronic viewfinder.

The Finepix S8100 is a mid range super zoom camera. It is cheaper than other similar models and the chance to save a few pounds may well help to make your mind up in its favour.

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Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The first outdoor shot confirms that you should be able to produce bright, colourful scenic shots with the Finepix S8100fd. The camera handles sun glare a little better than some similar cameras have managed in my tests.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
With parts of the scene very distant many digital cameras find this test harder than any other test shot. The Finepix S8100fd finds it hard going to show detail even where the scene is less distant. Although a wide angle lens is a help when it comes to squeezing wide scenes into shots, this type of picture is not one of the strengths of this camera.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Purple fringing is a common problem amongst digital cameras with long zoom lenses. As I have seen with other Fuji digital cameras in this series the Finepix S8100fd suffers more from purple fringing than other super zoom models do. This will not be an issue with smaller prints, but if you are planning to blow your prints up you may find you need to clean up the problem with a package such as Adobe Photoshop.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
When it comes to focusing and overall definition in the shot the results are inline with those produced by many super zoom digitals without quite matching up to the best models. You can achieve sharper focus if you are prepared to pay a bit more for your camera than you can with the Finepix S8100fd.

Outdoor Portrait
There is not too much to report with this picture. Colour balance and focusing are good. The skin tones have a natural look.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
This is a good effort. The flash light spreads out evenly across the picture. Focusing is sharp. All of these points suggest you should be able to take decent portrait shots with flash.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Without flash the definition is not perfect as a small amount of noise shows in the photo. This is something that happens with many digital cameras and you are likely to have to revert to using flash almost as soon as the available light starts to fall.

If you are not sure whether you will achieve the best results with or without flash there is a natural light plus flash setting. This takes two photos allowing you to choose the best one.

Colours
The Finepix S8100fd has produced strong colours throughout by tests.

Macro
Super zoom digital cameras tend to take better quality macro shots than smaller, pocket sized models. The Finepix S8100fd is capable of producing good quality close up shots. There is a high level of detail showing in my test shot.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
At ISO 400 picture quality is better than I am used to seeing and noise control is good in the brighter areas of the photo in particular. Stepping up to ISO 1600 is a different story and most of the picture quality has disappeared.

Overall
In terms of picture quality the Finepix S8100fd sits somewhere in the mid rank of super zoom digital cameras. I have no serious complaints about picture quality, but there are one or two areas where it could do better.

Shutter lag and start up times are standard. A single photo took 0.42 seconds and five took 18.89 seconds. With flash on the times were 0.52 seconds for a single photo and 20.52 for five.

To turn the camera on and take the first picture took 2.36 seconds.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The design of super zoom digital cameras is pretty standard. The majority are based on the design of Digital SLRs. With this camera I like the rubber grip on the front and back of the camera. It just helps that little bit when it comes to holding the camera steady. The camera fits my hand very well.

111.3 x 78.2 x 78.9mm

405g

Four AA batteries are required to power the camera. Fuji suggests you should be able to take up to 400 shots before the batteries run down (this might be somewhat ambitious).

Fuji has built 58mb of memory into the Finepix S8100fd. This is plenty for giving the camera a good test. I was able to take 28 photos before the memory was full. It is compatible with xD, SD and SDHC cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Any camera with manual controls will be more difficult to use than a more straightforward point and shoot camera. Even so there is nothing especially frightening about this one. The menus are easy to follow, if a little fiddly.

Close in macro focusing - feel of camera in the hand - value for money

Nothing stands out

Another super zoom model worth considering is the Panasonic DMC FZ28. It is a bit more expensive than the Finepix S8100fd at the time of writing, but I think it has an edge when it comes to picture quality.

The Fuji Finepix S8100 is a bit cheaper than many of its competitors. Taking this into account when looking at the quality of the photos it produces means it offers decent value for money. There is not a great deal to choose between a lot of these super zoom cameras and I am sure this camera will sell well.

Front View

Back View

Sample Menu

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Fuji Finepix S8100fd