Home > Consumer Reviews > Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd Digital Camera - Black (8.0MP, 18x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch LCD

I've been using this camera since Christmas and have now clocked up around 3000 images, so I feel ready to give it a fair review.

My previous camara was a 35mm Minolta SLR, for which i had 3 lenses and various filters. The s8000 would therefore have to provide clear and detailed images across the entire zoom range to keep me happy and, more importantly, keep my old 35mm back in the cupboard.

Overall I am impressed by the quality of images i have taken - the majority are clear with detail that matches my old minolta. Photographs have good dynamic range and little picture noise. I do miss a few things about my old SLR - zooming using buttons just isn't the same as twisting the lens manually and it doesn't give the same level of control. However, you have to remember that this is a sub - £200 camera that is compact enough to fit in a shoulder bag and weighs less than just the lens alone of my old SLR (and has over twice the zoom range).

I have taken plenty of sharp pictures at full zoom - many at low light but for serious photographs I use a tripod. Some reviewers have complained that they can't get sharp shots on full zoom. Well, at close to 500mm, you would have to spend many hundreds of pounds (think at least £500 for a lens) to get a top-quality result without a tripod. Image stabilisation can only go so far but it certainly helps and should always be kept on.

My only gripes with this camera are 1) A maximum shutter speed of 4 seconds which is restrictively short, 2)no filter thread so you can't use filters, and 3) the quality of results in Auto mode is sub-standard - you need to take a little time and adjust the white balance (it doesn't take long, just make some simple adjustments in program mode). On 'auto' mode I found that most of my photos come out with a faint blue tinge to them - this can be removed in Photoshop, but switching to program mode is a far quicker remedy.

I do miss the creativity and feel of an SLR, and I will eventually replace the S8000 with something like a Nikon D80. For now though, the S8000 is a more than satisfactory stop-gap and at this price I am really pleased with it and would definitely recommend it.

Previously I owned a Fuji S7000 which produces stunning results. The S8000 has most of the 'wants' I had of the 7000 incorporated. The 18x zoom is tremendous, the stabiliser is great, 8MP are very useful, intelligent flash really shows you what can be done. Add to that superb optics, red eye reduction, face recognition and you have a very competitive camera.

Not quite a D-SLR, but you get more than enough telephoto without the need of lens changing and the attendant risk of dust on the CCD.

The camera is fairly light but well balanced. Controls are placed well, although you must become adept at reading the menus -which have replaced a lot of the buttons on the S7000 - which are many and function dependent. If you want high quality TV style movies get a camcorder, otherwise use the very successful 640 x 480 movie mode on this 'still' camera.

Finally, after a total of 71 test photos and 20 prints I can safely say the photo quality is up to Fuji's usual excellent standard.

I would recommend it highly for an amateur using the 'auto' mode as well as a competent photographer capable of using its potential to the full.

A very good buy (particularly at this price)

DPR

I've just come back from a safari trip to Tanzania and I am VERY impressed with this camera. I've got fantastic shots using the zoom at it's full, impressive 18x with no tripod and am really pleased with it's performance. Colour, quality etc. are all great - I'm still getting to grips with the many settings, but I bought this hoping that it would be a step up from a compact whilst not demanding the know-how of a D-SLR and that's exactly what it is.

What a smart camera for the enthusiast.I bought this for my wife for a christmas present and she loved its compact size and weight.I acknowledge that its not an slr but its such a step up from a regular digital camera.The picture quality is great but you do have to play around with the settings a little for indoor use.Outdoors just leave it in auto and everything should be fine!. I'm no expert but this does the job for general family use,with occasional attempts at portrait and landscape shots.My advice is if you want expert pictures,you will need to spend hundreds of pounds more and will more than likely still be reading the handbook by next christmas!!.If its a general all rounder then this camera should fit your bill.

I excitedly recieved this shortly before christmas and have now had some time to play with it properly. Firstly this is a seriously good looking and feeling piece of kit. It sits perfectly in the hand, is well balanced and the controls are well positioned and easy to use. The included manual is easy to understand and the in camera menu system is very intuitive. My only gripe is that when used indoors in less than perfect lighting the LCD is a little grainy in shooting mode, it is, however, perfectly crisp and clear for playback. Overall the image quality seems to be very good, I have only printed a couple of A4 size pictures so far but I've been very happy with the output. I'm no expert but I don't see any of the image quality issues raised by other reviewers on Amazon, maybe I'm not looking closely enough. What I will say is this, if you want a camera capable of turning out quality prints of up to A4 size then this seems to do the job nicely. Add 18x zoom, face detection, image stabilisation, ease of use and a sub £200 price and I don't think you can go wrong. Enjoy it, I am!