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More…The Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd offers a host of advanced features at an affordable $400 price, but its biggest strength is the versatile 18X zoom lens. It covers a 35mm film camera's range--specifically, the equivalent of 27mm to 486mm--providing true wide-angle and extreme telephoto capability in a single compact unit. (However, in our roundup of megazooms, the Olympus SP-570 UZ had the greatest range: 26mm to 520mm.)
Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd
Pricing
Latest Price: $307.99
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 10 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3648 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2736 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | Fujinon 18x Optical Zoom Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 4.5 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.8 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 2000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 4 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 13 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
18x zoom lens with image stabilization
Auto face-detection and red-eye removal
Cons
Images could be sharper
Slow startup time
Bottom Line
This lightweight model has a zoom lens that plays well at both wide angle and telephoto extremes.
Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd Digital Camera
FinePix S8100fd Review, by Paul Jasper, PC World June 11, 2008
On a spring trip to Lake Tahoe, I found the wide angle to be excellent for sweeping mountain backdrops, while the long telephoto let me pick out details in the distance and get up close to wildlife. The camera's dual image stabilization was effective at reducing the chance of blur in zoom shots and at capturing moving targets, such as birds in flight. It works by shifting the sensor to compensate for unsteady hands and by raising the sensitivity to allow for shorter exposure times.
The S8100fd's automatic face detection optimized the focus and exposure in my portraits well, even when I was zooming from a distance. And its automatic red-eye removal took the guesswork out of flash photography. For users who want maximum control, the camera also provides exposure compensation, aperture- and shutter-priority settings, and full manual focus and exposure controls.
Despite the relatively low exposure range of F2.8 to F8.0, the camera tended towards large apertures for my scenic shots. I liked being able to reduce this myself, to achieve a longer depth of focus in pictures with foreground subjects against the lake and mountains.
The color fidelity of my photos sometimes disappointed me. Images with large areas of green trees and grass often looked unnatural. However, the S8100fd performed well in our lab tests, where our judges saw good color reproduction. Exposure accuracy was exceptional in natural light, but could have been better using the built-in flash. Images weren't as sharp as you might expect from the camera's 10-megapixel sensor.
The S8100fd offers several continuous shooting modes, including two high-speed settings that record at a lower resolution. You can record up to 33 frames at either 7 frames per second for 5-megapixel images or 13.5 fps for 3 megapixels, which might be useful for stopping the action in sports and wildlife shots. The camera records only standard-definition video at up to 30 fps.
Rubber surfaces on the front and rear of the handgrip make the lightweight S8100fd comfortable to hold and operate. The conveniently arranged controls generally work well, although it's sometimes easy to forget to select the image stabilization and face detection buttons on top of the camera. The 2.5-inch LCD is sufficiently clear and bright for composing most shots, but its colors didn't seem very natural. Because I wore the camera by its neck strap, I tended to use the electronic viewfinder often--it's hard to shoot with arms outstretched while you have it tethered to your neck. Bumping up the refresh rate from 30 fps to the optional 60 fps improved the viewfinder's stability, but it still felt like trying to focus on a fuzzy TV.
A set of batteries lasted for a good 459 shots in our lab tests, but they drained more quickly than I expected during my everyday use. Fortunately, the camera runs off regular AA alkaline batteries, so it was easy to find replacements during my trip.
The Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd is a good all-rounder at a reasonable price. It offers plenty of automated assistance, but lets you tweak settings manually when necessary. It makes a good choice for anyone seeking a single camera for all occasions.
--Paul Jasper
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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89
-
75
-
74
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
89
92
85
84
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 251.25 |
| Battery Life Score | Superior |
| Image Quality Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 69.5 |
| Image Quality, Color--Adjusted | 74.1 |
| Image Quality, Color--Auto | 64.9 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 49.6 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise | 28.7 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Noise Reduction | 60.1 |
| Image Quality, Distortion--Sharp Interpolation | 61 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 66.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 54.2 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 71.5 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 63.5 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 42.7 |
| Number of Batteries | 4 |
| Number of Shots | 459 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: Miranda04
Strengths: Just about every thing about this camera
Weaknesses: sometimes the pictures are blurry for no reason. but....hardly ever....i took a picture of a fast moving object and it came out perfect =]
Overall: I got this Camera for Christmas this past year and i must say that I LOVE this Camera! The pictures and videos I take are amazing....but I must say you will have to get used to it. My first picture i took i wanted to cry because it was horrible. It was so so blurry and just horrible, but it got better as I took more pictures. I had to learn this camera before I liked it. I take amazing pictures now. and this is a very tough camera. My sister has knocked it out of my hands 4 times and it still works exactly the same. I love this camera! I don't think I would want another one.
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Reviewed by: wdanj
Strengths: Easy To Use, Excellent Pictures, Great Feel, Super Zoom, Too Many Positives to List.
Weaknesses: One button badly located, Lens cap.
Overall: I shopped a lot of different camera models before I settled on the Fuji Finepix S8100fd. I wanted a camera that was point and shoot but was flexible. This camera is very flexible and feature-rich. It is close to a dslr camera without the hassles. The 18x zoom lens is remarkable. I can capture many images without having to change lenses. It has good continuous shooting options. I am very satisfied with this camera. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone that would like an easy to use camera with all the rich features and performance of a more expensive camera. A good buy for the money.
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Reviewed by: mountainmeterman
Strengths: feature-rich, amazing lens, solidly constructed, great value
Weaknesses: lens cap, viewfinder, scene positions, location of one button
Overall: This is an updated review, now that I have owned this camera for a couple of months. The camera is very flexible and feature-rich. A very basic manual comes printed, and the 163-page full manual comes on a CD. I could only stand to read so much of the full manual, but I have learned much just by experimentation. With (4) AA batteries loaded, the camera weighs 1 lb 3 oz.Features that I like: The lens is amazingly flexible, from the normal wide-angle position, to the 18x optical zoom, to the Super Macro mode which allows you to locate the lens just 1 cm from the subject. The Natural and Flash shooting mode shoots one frame with flash and another optimized for natural light. The Continuous Shooting modes with resolutions reduced to 3Mp and 5Mp are rapid. The camera feels very solid. Criticisms: I dislike the separate lens cap, and the retaining loop is held together with a metal crimp that could potentially contact the lens. I would prefer the clarity of an optical viewfinder to the LCD viewfinder. I wish that the thumbwheel had dedicated positions for Landscape and Sports shooting modes. Instead, you must turn the wheel to the SP position, and then choose these options from a menu of ?scene positions?. If I am not careful with my right thumb, I will sometimes accidentally push the Photo-Mode button.Accessories: A neck strap rather than a wrist strap is included. I use a Deluxe Belt ProStrap wrist strap, which I love, but note that you will need a pair of tweezers to finesse the leather-backed part of the strap through the camera eyelet. For a case, I use the Lowepro Edit 100 because it fits the camera very snugly, maybe too snugly for some, and is conducive to hiking.Overall I am very satisfied with the features and performance of the camera, and I consider it to represent a great value.
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Reviewed by:
Strengths: Easy to use, user friendly manual, great day/night pictures
Weaknesses: none yet!!
Overall: I looked for a new camera for about five months and I could not wait for this one to come out (March 2008.) I looked at other cameras and I kept coming back to this one. I am a bit "ocd" about researching products that I am hoping to purchase....so I knew a lot about the camera. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone that would like an easy to use camera with all the bonus like a dslr camera. So go ahead treat yourself to an awesome camera.
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Reviewed by: tripperr
Strengths: Nice feel, great zoom, easy to learn features, good continuous shooting options.
Weaknesses: Images are grainy - All images, all settings, yuck.
Overall: Though it has a lot of good features and the 18x zoom is great. The pictures from this camera were grainy. I bought the camera specifically for taking pictures of my daughters cheerleading competitions. Useing the sport setting, I did get some nice zoomed in photos from a good distance away but a lot of the pictures were blurry (which I am sure a tripod would have improved). BUT the images that did appear to be good at first review were very grainy upon closer inspection. I have a 5 year old Canon A75 camera that takes pictures that are much more clear than this one.
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