Overview
The Fuji Finepix S8000 is an 8 megapixels digital camera. Its main attraction is the extra long 18x optical zoom lens. This is the longest lens you can find on a consumer digital camera at this moment in time. The long lens is ideal for zooming right in on any subject, but it is likely to be especially useful for wildlife and sports photography. The Finepix S8000 also comes with other more typical features such as image stabilisation and face detection focusing.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
8
18x
2.7 inches
111.3 x 78.2 x 78.9m
410g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
1cm
No
Yes
AA
xD/SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
I am quite happy with this photo. There is enough colour and light to produce a pleasant, bright image. Focusing is good. With only a small percentage of the zoom being used sharpness is good throughout the photo. There is the inevitable sun glare produced at this time of the year, but the camera handles this problem as well as it can be expected to.
This is also a bright photo, with plenty of colour in the sky. Considering the fact that this is a wide angle lens the Finepix S8000 does well to keep the photo as sharp as it does as you move towards the edges of the shot.
Purple fringing is a problem that more or less every super zoom camera faces. This is where a thin purple line is added to the edge of bright objects when light strikes them. In my tests the amount of purple fringing is quite pronounced when the zoom lens is used to its full capacity. This problem can be tidied up with packages such as Photoshop, but if you are not planning to do that then it could be a problem for you. Focusing also slips away as you move away from the centre of the scene.
Portraits
This shot works well. The colours suit my own personal taste. I used the shade white balance setting to give the colours a boost and what I like is the fact that they still look natural.
I am really happy with the clarity of this shot. The Finepix S8000 is some way above average when it comes to this test. The flash unit is quite strong, but it manages to retain plenty of colour. With the flash popping up the chances of red eye are radically reduced. The chances of red eye are further reduced as Fuji have also built in some special processing that attempts to identify any red eye and then remove it automatically.
This is a relatively new test. The Finepix S8000 is the first camera I have tested to produce a shot of suitable quality. It is able to offer a true choice when the light begins to dip between natural light portraits and using flash.
Macro, Colours and Noise
For close up shots the Finepix S8000 has a super macro mode. This allows you to get in as close as 1cm from the subject. The camera manages to produce a sharp and clear close up shot.
I really like the colours this camera has produced throughout my test shots. Some cameras tend to lose some of the power from the colours when the zoom lens is in use. Even when using the full 18x zoom the Finepix S8000 produced photos full of colour.
At ISO 1600 there is a lot of noise creeping into the shot and therefore definition is lost. Even so it is a better attempt than many cameras manage and the colours are not affected in the way that they can be with other cameras.
Style
The camera looks like a small SLR camera with a grip on the front to help hold it steady. It has a black finish.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
0.46 seconds
12.58 seconds
0.57 seconds
14.82 seconds
Ease of Use
Fuji digital cameras are quite easy to use. With the extra features this camera has it can take some extra time to really know your way around, but you can always revert to fully automatic settings if you need to.
Points I Like
Length of lens - build quality - colours - indoors
Where it Could Improve
Purple fringing
Verdict
It is hard to produce an 18x zoom lens. Fuji have done a good job though with the Finepix S8000. I am particularly impressed with my indoor results and I like the colour and brightness of the photos I have produced while testing the camera. It is relatively easy to use and feels good in the hand. Recommended.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Related Pages
Fuji Finepix S8000fd Review Fuji Finepix S8000fd Specification Fuji Finepix S8000fd Sample Images Fuji Finepix S8000fd Features
Review Date
November 2007
