Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd - Zooming into Competition
Reviewed on 26 October 2007

Most recently, it appears that the wide-angle and long zoom technology has slowly caught on as the new hyped about feature in the consumer camera market. With Panasonic’s FZ18 already in the market and Olympus unleashing prosumer models like the Olympus SP-550UZ and its follow up SP-560UZ, Fujifilm wastes no time in launching its very own version of an 18x optical zoom camera, the Fujifilm S8000fd. Equipped with an 8 megapixel CCD sensor, the SLR-styled S8000fd is deemed as Fujifilm’s “best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together”, giving good reason for both compact and DSLR users to listen up.

From casual snappers to DSLR-toting photo enthusiasts, you simply can’t help but be amazed by the S8000fd’s capability to pack a powerful 18x wide-angle optical zoom lens in its compact and lightweight body. By serving such a versatile focal length with a 27-486mm equivalent, this is one zoom power that would be next to impossible to find in a consumer compact. Equally as impressive, the S8000fd lets you get as close as 1cm to your subjects when using the Super Macro Mode. An accompanying Flower mode similarly lets you take clear close-up shots when zooming up a flower for more vivid shots of flower petals.

Touting an 18x optical zoom power, Fujifilm makes sure this zoom power is uncompromised by wisely including Dual IS on the S8000fd, suppressing blur with the joint effort of CCD shift image stabilisation and Fujifilm's Finepix high sensitivity. With an ISO sensitivity range up to ISO 6400, the S8000fd performs great in poor lighting conditions and delivers full resolution quality at ISO1600. With the initials ‘fd’ clinging on the end of the S8000fd, the S8000fd proudly offers Fujifilm’s Face Detection technology detecting up to 10 faces at a time. By giving users full manual photographic control, advanced photographers can retain their freedom to adjust settings for resolution, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and the like to get the most desirable photo results.

While offering the ability to tinker with manual options and SLR-like features, the S8000fd remains relatively easy to use and easy to familiarise with even for compact users. By offering an impressive and versatile lens range in an affordable camera, it also makes the S8000fd of particular interest to the enthusiast photographer. However, unlike most prosumer cameras, the S8000fd doesn’t support a RAW capturing mode but for those who don’t have the time or inclination to post process every image, this shouldn’t be seen as a detriment considering the advantages of this camera. In an attempt to bring the best of both worlds, the Fujifilm S8000fd is one bridge camera that weighs in plenty of features to keep compact users comfortable and advanced photographers satisfied.