The Fuji Finepix S5800 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 10x zoom lens. It also has manual exposure controls. One of the attractions of the Finepix S5800 is the fact that it is one of the easier to use super zoom digital cameras. This is mainly because it is not as feature rich as some of its rivals. This leads to a second advantage in that it is also somewhat cheaper.
Image Quality Fuji Finepix S5800 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The outdoor scenic shot taken with the Finepix S5800 is about average in terms of focusing, sun glare and colours. There are certainly sharper cameras out there, but a degree or two of latitude has to be given when you take into account that sharper super zoom cameras cost more. Sun glare is a problem for all cameras in this shot at this time of the year. It is handled as well as it can be expected to be. Some of the blue lines on the boat are showing a purple tinge.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
The Finepix S5800 produces a decent wide angle shot. Focusing is not perfect with the scene being somewhat distant. There are signs of purple fringing creeping in around the edges of light coloured objects.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens zoomed right in focusing has a tendency to drop off as you reach out towards the edges of the photo. Purple fringing also becomes a major issue and there is plenty of it in evidence here. Although this is a common problem with super zoom digital cameras it is quite marked here. It is likely to show on prints unless you undertake a clean up operation using a package such as Adobe Photoshop.
Outdoor Portrait
The Finepix S5800 passes this test well. Sharpness levels have improved as the distance to the subject has decreased. The colours have a natural feel to them and the photo is well lit.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
This is a good indoor photo with flash. There are two factors I particularly like. These are the fact that the whole photo is bright and the colours the camera manages to produce. When I consider the brightness of the photo the camera has done well to retain the amount of colour it does.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
One of Fuji's big claims is that their cameras work well in lower light situations, giving you an alternative to constant use of the flash. This is not the case here though. Despite the fact the lighting is not that bad, the camera struggles to focus. This is a disappointing effort.
Colours
The colours produced by the Finepix S5800 are quite standard. On the whole, Fuji does not produce over strong colours and this helps to leave some of the shots with a more natural look.
Macro
This is a bright, clear macro shot. If you look closely there is a hint of purple fringing creeping in around the edges of the watch. There are also some blue tinges on some of the numbers on the watch face.
ISO 400
Noise does creep in at this level causing a loss of overall picture quality. Even so the Finepix S5800 manages to produces a better quality shot than most cameras do at this setting.
ISO 1600
As for all cameras ISO 1600 is a step too far. I would suggest only using this setting if conditions are very dark and you are unable to use flash.
Overall
This is one of the cheaper super zoom digital cameras and that needs to be taken into account when analysing the test photos. The Finepix S5800 produces an acceptable set of photos in my opinion.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single photo in 0.22 seconds. This is a fast time. 5 photos took 10.57 seconds. This is a more average time, but I see the single photo time as more important. With flash turned on a single photo took 0.47 seconds and 5 photos took 13.83 seconds. These are both good to average times.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: The Finepix S5800 bears a resemblance to a small SLR camera. It is available in black.
Dimensions: 106.1 x 75.7 x 80.7mm
Weight: 307g
Batteries: Four AA batteries are required.
Memory cards: 26mb of storage have been built into the camera. The camera is compatible with both xD cards and SD cards.
Click here to save money on memory cards.
Ease of use rating: Good. Compared with other super zoom digital cameras the Finepix S5800 is one of the more straightforward. The camera does have fewer options than most, although it still has manual exposure controls. This leads to a simpler menu system.
Points I like:
Design and style - ease of use for a camera with these features
Where it could improve:
Purple fringing
Verdict:
If you are looking for a more straightforward super zoom digital camera at a reasonable price then the Fuji Finepix S5800 is worth considering. It is not the best digital camera ever made, but it is also a long way from being the worst. Therefore if you are looking for a longer lens and lower price tag then add this one to your shortlist.
Front View
Back View
Sample Menus
| Fuji Finepix S5800 Summary |
| Description: | 8 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom |
| Ease of Use: | 9 |
| Features: | 8 |
| Colour: | 8 |
| Macro: | 8 |
| Indoors: | 7 |
| Value for Money: | 8 |
| Style: | 8 |
| Movie Mode: | 8 |
| Image Quality: | 7 |
| Build Quality: | 8 |
| Total: | 79 |
| Verdict: | "The Fuji Finepix S5800 is one of the cheaper super zoom cameras. It is also one of the easier to use models as well. The lower price can be attributed to a few features being missing, such as image stabilisation. If you need zoom and your budget doesn't stretch to the more expensive models then this one is worth a closer look." |
| Review Date: | November 2007 |
| Click for: | Sample Images Features |
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