Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd Review

The Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd is the fourth ultra-zoom camera of 2007 to offer an incredible 18x zoom lens, joining the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 and Olympus SP-550 / SP-560 UZ. The S8000fd‘s lens starts at 27mm wide, just beating the 28mm lenses of the Panasonic and Olympus models, and ends at 486mm. There’s a new CCD-shift image stabilisation system to help ensure that your photos are sharp, an essential feature given the huge zoom range on offer, plus an 8 megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD screen, electronic viewfinder, 1cm macro mode and Face Detection. With a retail price of £299 / $399, and a street price of around £225 / $350, the Fujifilm S8000fd is also a little bit cheaper than its rivals. On paper at least the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd has a feature list that should meet the needs of most photographers, but does it live up to its potential? Carry on reading the world’s first review to find out…

Website: Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd Review

Published: Saturday, October 06, 2007

Reader Comments

1. I was looking for a replacement for my worn out S9500. judging from the review I think I will wait a little longer. I liked the format of the review. I disliked the download sample photos which came down on my screen as 24x30 but then reduced size was very good. This indicated to me that it wasn't going to be any good for anything over 8" x 12". For the price and comparison to all the other X18's it has a lot going for it. Especially the SD card slot.Compared to my k100 and K 10 pentax it is a only half as good but then it is only 1/2 to 1/3 the price. It is definately not an upgrade from a S9000/9100/9500/9600.

   malcolm brown at 06:52pm on Thursday, October 04, 2007

2. Thanks, especially for the sample images.
   The image quality seems decent; only the sky shows noise already at ISO 100.

   lutz at 02:22am on Friday, October 05, 2007

3. The sample photos in the review are of poor quality when compared to others at sites on the Net, as an example those at http://caff.smugmug.com, the difference is striking. Any thoughts why as I am considering buying the S8000fd? Thanks

   Kirk Merritt at 11:11pm on Friday, October 05, 2007

4. Hello Kirk,
   I do not see the differences you are mentioning. As soon as I view the images in original size I can see all kinds of artifacts on images from both sources (even at ISO 64 on the Cafferty site; more compressed?). Definitely not a camera for pixel-peepers. The pics should still print fine.

   lutz at 11:34pm on Friday, October 05, 2007

5. I recently bought a S8000fd after bringing a memory card with me to a store, taking some test shots, and checking them out first. I was very pleased with the results and now I see your excellent, in-depth review also agrees with my own opinion: that it's a fine camera for the money. I don't expect it to equal a DSLR but for its size, features, image quality and price, it's all I need.

   Ken B at 04:08am on Monday, October 08, 2007

6. Very nice upgrade from the s600fd feature wise. I am puzzled why they downsized the sensor size when upgrading the megapixels. Also this is not a super CCD. They had such a noise busting winner with that technology.

   Geezer Mike at 11:40pm on Monday, October 08, 2007

7. They probably had to go to a smaller sensor to accomodate the longer focal length lens and smaller body size. I really don't know why they did what they did but the bottom line is, it produces good images. I certainly didn't need a 486 mm tele but I love having 27 mm wide and a total package that fits in a "fanny pouch."

   Ken B at 01:14am on Tuesday, October 09, 2007

8. Thanks Ken...Have you printed any 11X14" or 13X19" photos with it? If so was there any noise or artifacts?

   Geezer Mike at 05:13pm on Tuesday, October 09, 2007

9. Hi, Geezer (or is it Mike?) I haven't got the capacity on my current printer to make anything larger than 8 1/2 x 11. However, I'm planning on taking some test shots under better conditions than my previous pix and will blow up some parts of photos on 8 x 10 to simulate a larger print. I'll post the results when I've completed the tests.

   Ken B at 01:25am on Wednesday, October 10, 2007

10. Thanks again Ken, looking forward to the results of your test.

    Geezer Mike at 06:16pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2007

11. Thanks for the review! Helped in my decision to get the camera. You stated that there was no blackout on the camera that you used.... what type of memory were you using? SDHC? I've tried 50x, 150x standard SD and then a type M XD and I get blackouts between images(with a lot shorter one with the 150x). The LCD blacks out the whole time the camera writes to card or internal memory on my s8000fd. Wondering if its possibly faulty or if I have to use SDHC to get around it. Thanks again!!

    Bradly at 02:12pm on Thursday, October 11, 2007

12. Regarding Bradly: I'm not sure if you're referring to my comments or the Photography Blog Review (which is not mine) but I've got a momentary blackout on my S8000 after snapping a shot (about a half second) and then the time that the image is on the screen (adjustable... I've got mine set for 3 seconds). I'm using a regular SanDisk SD 1 GB card.

    Ken B at 09:49pm on Thursday, October 11, 2007

13. Even though I haven't been able to shoot in nice weather, I've posted a dozen test shots I've made with the S8000fd on my KodakGallery website that anyone can access (you just have to open an account which is quick & free). Go to the URL I've included above or here: http://tinyurl.com/24bnds. I will add more shots as I take them and feel they're worth posting. So far, I'm amazed at how well the OIS works (even on a windy day, shaking while shooting at 18 x) and overall quality. Minor color fringing where dark objects meet light sky but the 12 MP Canon G9 I tested had same amount of fringing so I'm in good company, I think.

    Ken B at 02:56am on Friday, October 12, 2007

14. Bradly, we used a Panasonic Class 6 speed SD Card. You should try the fastest speed card available, regardless of whether it's an SD or SDHC card.

    Mark Goldstein at 09:26am on Friday, October 12, 2007

15. Very thorough, helpful review.
    
    I didn't find any reference to whether you can use a filter on this camera, or other, similar cameras. From my own practice, and what I read in the magazines, a polarizer and a split neutral density are required equipment for serious photography. If this is truly a substitute for a DSLR, it needs to take filters. Could you mention this in future reviews?
    
    Also, a camera's ability to handle flash accessories on- and off-camera could similarly be important to some users.
    
    - Jim

    Jim Riddell at 05:27pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2007

16. Hi, Jim. So far, it appears that the lens does not support filters althought it is possible an adapter could be fitted on the inside (or slipped over the outside of the barrel) to improvise. If a filter were mounted on the inside, though, the lens cap would not fit after the camera was shut off; if a slip-on adapter was used on the outside of the barrel, it would keep the lens from retracting when the camera was turned off. I will tell you that I shot fall foliage pix in CT over this past weekend and the colors are nicely saturated (sky and foliage) so the lens appears to have as good color rendering as you would get with a skylight/UV filter but surely not as much as you would get with a polorizer or "warming" filter. Of course, the colors and contrast could always be punched up using software after the fact.
    
    As for flash; I can tell you that the built-in flash is quite powerful on the S8000 and the camera handles low-light situations very well, due to the OIS. If more powerful flash is needed, you could always accesory mount a slave unit to fire with the existing flash on the camera.

    Ken B at 01:55am on Thursday, October 25, 2007

17. I bought an S8000fd, but returned it a week later. The image quality just wasn't good enough. Unless the photos were taken in bright sunlight, there was speckling and fringing throughout the ISO range. These defects weren't obvious unless I zoomed in, or printed on A4, but I'd say the effect was to reduce the viable resolution to that of a 4Mp camera.
    That's a shame, because almost everything else about the S8000fd was perfect. I hope they produce a replacement soon that addresses the problems.

    Tim Mason at 04:38pm on Wednesday, November 21, 2007

18. Seems like everyone expects a "bridge" to get closer to DSLR performace and gets disappointed when it doesn't happen after buying such a camera. Just remember, DSLR are also improving in every 6 months.
    The "bidge" concept can be mis-leading becuase there are laws of physics involved. Perhaps the category ought to be called something like (DSLR versus)
    light/compact/travel/multi-purpose zoom.
    Such cameras simply cannot be expected to deliver close to DSLR IQ's. They can try, but the closer you get, the more the camera starts to look like a Sony R1!
    I do think that this category is by far what people ought to be using for travel and general photography. Shooting "from the hip" is a world of fun of its own!
    However when the party is over and serious picture-taking is required, leave the compact at home, take the DSLR and don't look back.
    otto

    otto uberswengen at 12:43am on Saturday, November 24, 2007

19. Well, said, Otto. I'm enjoying the S8000 for what it is... if I wanted to lug around a DSLR, I would have bought one.

    Ken B at 12:14am on Monday, November 26, 2007

20. Thanks Ken,
    I does seem to me that there are arguments for both sides, for example, if I was to scale Mt Blanc, the camera I would probably bring would be a "bridge" and to take pictures of my son's wedding, I would use my slr or dslr or both...
    I really like the portability and easy handling of compacts too, and my E900 is something I consider to be rather fantastic...(a bit more tele-reach would be nice), so the S8000 sounds ideal for just about all occasions, but especially when you want to have it on your belt and "shoot from the hip"...on a busy day.
    I also think there is "FUN" factor involved with using a "bridge/compact" which is slightly less flash when using an slr/dslr because by nature, they bring with them something "serious".
    I say you can have BOTH right?
    Therefore such cameras like the D200/A700 are highly attractive and one of them will have to put up with me come Dec 25...
    otto

    otto uberswengen at 03:36am on Monday, November 26, 2007

21. maybe I've started something by calling for a new category,
    light/compact/travel/multi-purpose zoom!
    LCT-MPZ????
    O.

    otto uberswengen at 03:40am on Monday, November 26, 2007

22. I was looking for a camera that will shoot good quality pics in Lowlight conditions and with wide Zoom range. I was eyeing to choose between Panasonic FZ18 and Fuji S8000 FD. I did not choose FZ18 because my FZ8 was very bad performer in Lowlight conditions. So I decided not to go for FZ18.
    
    There were not much technical reviews available on S8000 FD but I want to give a chance. I am very pleased with the camera. I took good pics in all Lighting conditions.
    
    The Auto and SP1, SP2 modes produced noise on pics shot in Indoor when viewed 100% in computer screen, but the quality was good enough to print 6x4/5x7 and 8x11 sizes.
    
    I shot Pic in 'P' mode with variety of ISO settings it produced excellent results. Viewing 100% in computer was still pleasing with lesser noise for Indoor pics. It does produced some purple fringes on pics shot with bright day light. My suggestion will be to use a higher ISO setting under such conditions. If the View finder produce some violet shade while focusing scenes with bright sky as background then increase the ISO the purple fringe effects will be minimized.
    
    The Macro feature, Face Detection, Optical Stabilizer worked very well. The Nature with Flash is a very useful setting to compare the pics shot in lowlight conditions.
    
    WORTH THE MONEY. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
    
    There is no RAW feature, it does not matter for me. I had this feature in my Canon G2, but I have never used it.
    
    If you are looking for a Good Camera in $300 price range and you are not interested in RAW then S8000 FD is the best bet.

    Fuji S8000 introduction at 06:09pm on Thursday, December 27, 2007

23. Hello!
    
    Great review. Very informative. One thing, though. I'm interested in the "click to capture" speed of cameras, but it's seldom mentioned in reviews. I have a Kodak Z612 camera that takes brilliant shots, but if the subject is moving, what I think I've "shot" isn't what comes up - it's always an instant later. (I'm not talking about shutter speed, which freezes a moving object, but that fraction of an instant between pressing the shutter and the camera capturing the photo.)
    
    My old Kodak C360 and Canon Powershot A550 are both fine re the "click to capture" speed, but the photos aren't as good as I'd like. Aaugh.
    
    Are you able to advise how the S8000fd stacks up in this regard?
    
    (I'm afraid I have an expensive camera taste, but a "box brownie" pocket. . .)
    
    Cheers
    
    Sue
    
    

    Sue Drinkwater at 06:12am on Sunday, March 23, 2008

24. Sue, the S8000fd has virtually no shutter lag, so will enable you to capture the action as you see it.

    Mark Goldstein at 09:46am on Sunday, March 23, 2008

25. Great review, it has made my mind up for me. I have had Fuji camera's in the past and each one has never disappointed, and it looks like this one could be the same.
    
    Thanks
    
    Doug.

    Doug Ratcliffe at 10:41pm on Wednesday, June 04, 2008