 DSLR features, point and shoot price |
| Review Date: April 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Harley, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania United States |
The Fuji S1800 is a a nice tweener, filling the gap between pocket point-and-shoot cameras and a DSLR. It's larger than typical point and shoot cameras (thanks to the 18X zoom lens) yet smaller than a DSLR. Despite the extra bulk, the S1800 is light and compact enough to carry around for extended periods. The plastic body is sturdy and light. The camera is powered by four AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable). All of the controls are very well placed and settings are easy to locate. The top dial allows for quick switching between automatic, manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, or programmed scene shooting modes. There is a button on the back for switching between the LCD or the electronic viewfinder. The flash performs well and has a slow sync feature. There is no input for an external flash (or any other accessories other than a tripod). Shooting with the S1800 is a joy. Although it's best to learn how to make the most of this camera's capabilities, even full-auto mode can produce excellent results. The 18X zoom lens has great range and good quality from wide angle to telephoto. In one particular shot, I photographed a medicine bottle approximately 15 feet away in dim lighting. I had no problem reading the smallest print on the bottle in the image. Auto mode isn't perfect (just like every other camera out there) and there were some occasional focusing and exposure issues, but overall, I took more good pictures than bad, even in challenging lighting. Some of the features, like blink and smile detection, seem to be more of a gimmick than actually useful. Blink detection seems to randomly pop up at will, even if there are no people in the picture. Blink and smile detection aside, the S1800 does have several features that are really useful, such as a burst mode (several rapid photos taken in succession), facial recognition, zoom bracketing (several pictures taken at varying focal lengths), and more. The S1800 is so user-friendly, these features are useful for beginners and experienced alike. The S1800 lacks a raw mode. In-camera compression is usually spot-on, but I had a few shots where it went all in, resulting in soft shots. Overall image quality was very good, with the S1800 holding its own against several of my more expensive cameras. Although my Canon XSi is still the champ of my household, the Fuji compared well to my Canon G10. I tried several different SD and SDHC cards in the Fuji. It recognized every card except one, an ancient 8MB generic SD card that came bundled with a camera I purchased nearly a decade ago. It did recognize a newer generic 32MB SD card that also came bundled with a camera.
Video mode is okay but nothing great. Videos are stored in AVI format. HD mode is pretty good compared to the standard resolution but doesn't come close to the performance of a Flip or dedicated HD video camera. You can zoom during filming, but the zoom motor creates a noticable buzzing noise in the video. It's not even the same sound heard when actively zooming the camera. About the best way I can describe it is similar to the sound made by a hand buzzer.
The large LCD display is decent when shooting in good light and during media playback but it's a little noisy when shooting in reduced lighting.
The Fuji offers DSLR image quality and features for the price of a higher-end point and shoot. It has a few minor flaws, but considering everything Fuji packed into this camera for the price, you can't go wrong. It's a perfect step-up if you're eager to explore the realm beyond basic point-and-shoot but not quite ready to take the plunge into DSLR territory. |
Powerhouse in a small package
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| Review Date: April 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Matthew Cartier, Pulaski NY |
Fuji Film has done a wonderful job with this camera. From the time I opened the box, read the manual, took some test shots and was viewing them on my computer (I didn't install the supplied cd for picture viewing direct from the camera) approx 30 minutes went by.
Camera setup is a breeze. The manual is very easy to follow with clear instructions. For my test shots on my initial use I used the "AUTO" Setting. There are four other picture taking settings- Scene Recognition Auto, Scene Position, Panorama, Custom.
Additionally there is Movie mode where you can record HD movies in 720p quality.
The SD Card and 4 AA Battery's go in the same compartment on the bottom of the camera. I prefer having the AA's as there have been many a times that my original and spare batteries have run out and I wished my camera took AA's.
The camera's "menu" is easily navigable and is not overly complicated.
You have the option of viewing your subject prior to and after the shot thru the view finder or the 3.5 inch display. The ability to review your pictures and zoom,shift, etc is present as well.
Intelligent Face Detection,Red- Eye Removal and Blink Detection worked flawlessly for me in sunlight, indoors in normal lighting, and lower light conditions inside and out.
One of my favorite features of this camera is the Burst Mode (Continuous Shooting)-There are 5 different Burst Mode options which I know I will get a ton of use out of during the kids sports season coming up.
The 18X Zoom is outstanding. I have photographed subjects that I thought I would need the Hubble for and I have been very pleased with my results.
As far as performance in the "field" goes the camera is about half the size of other SLR Camera's like the Nikon D40 so that helps on weight. I didn't experience any software "hic-ups" when changing between settings and switching rapidly from mode to mode etc. I took approx 300 pictures with the settings on the highest resolution possible. The battery usage is good as I still have the original ones in and haven't received and low power notifications.
To sum up my experience this 12.2 Megapixel S1800 Camera from Fuji Film is a camera that a novice or a professional would be happy with. There are very detailed ISO setting's and shutters speeds that can be manipulated and a boatload of different "scene" selections such as fireworks,sunset,snow,beach,party,flower,night,etc,etc. The plethora of simple yet advanced features can turn anyone into a true "shutterbug". |
Very good for the price
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| Review Date: April 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: DAN, |
| I bought this camera mostly for the zoom and the quality of the lens you get for only around 200 bucks. This camera does not have a RAW mode so it's really a point and shoot BUT it has many different features you might find in professional SLR cameras that cost hundreds more. If you know what you're doing, you can do a lot of manual shooting. I'm not going to give it a 2,3,4 out 5 because I don't' like the cheap plastic feel or that it's too light or that I don't like the color, like some of the other reviewers mentioned.. How cares??? I give it 5 stars because the quality of the pictures is great and for what this camera is designed for, it does beautifully. |
Fujifilm FinePix S1800 camera
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| Review Date: April 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jan, Illinois |
| I have been extremely happy with this camera. I mainly bought it for its supermacro and zoom capabilities. Those features did not disappoint me. I currently have a Canon Rebel XSi and when I took both cameras to a nature preserve, I felt the Fujifilm camera took better pictures outdoors on a beautiful sunny day. I have been very pleased with the supermacro pictures as well. The zoom works great for taking pictures of birds in trees too. The camera is extremely light-weight and small. It is perfect for hiking or biking when you don't want to drag on a big camera and lenses. I preferred my Canon camera for taking pictures at my neices wedding indoors. The Fujifilm could not focus quickly in low-light situations. I am very happy to have this camera since it has uses that compliment my Canon camera. It is an extremely good buy for the money. |
Really Good Camera For the Money
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| Review Date: July 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: The Kodachrome Kid, Maine |
I've been using my Finepix S1800 for almost two weeks now, and I have to say that I'm truly impressed. Although Amazon's not going to like this, I didn't buy it from them. I bought mine from a competitor at a lower price... Mine was reconditioned by Fuji, and came with no neckstrap, lens cap, or batteries. If you buy it new, you get those items. Anyway, I got this camera because I couldn't afford a Nikon D5000. I'd been using my film cameras, as well as a digital Olympus C-700, and felt it was time to get something better than the old Olympus. This Finepix fit the bill. It functions flawlessly, the lens seems pretty good, and the software menus within the camera are a breeze to master. The only gripe I have with the camera is that it doesn't do RAW format.. I can live without it. The images I've shot are sharp at all focal lengths, and the low light capabilities, especially the built-in Infrared AF, are pretty good, too. Oh, yeah, probably the most exciting feature of this camera is the Dual Image Stabilization. It has allowed me to get tack sharp shots at shutter speeds that would be impossible to get with a 35mm SLR. I've shot handheld shots at well over 200mm focal length at 1" and even slower! It's just amazing to rack the zoom all the way out to the equivalent of 504mm, and shoot at 1/60", even 1/30", and know you can get the shot. Just astounding. IT WORKS. It's wonderful in macro mode, too. Although undoubtedly there are better digital superzoom bridge cameras out there on the market, I seriously doubt if any come close to the S1800 in terms of value. The camera is inexpensive, well-made, handles well, and is fun to use. It's a nice machine. Oh, one caveat - it's REALLY fussy about the memory cards it can take - SanDisk and Fuji SDHC cards are recommended. The cards MUST BE CLASS 6 TO WORK WITH THIS CAMERA! Do not try to use a regular SD card, or anything less than a Class 6 card. I picked up an 8GB Fujifilms SDHC card for around $30 that gives me over 1,700 shots at the S1800's largest, best image quality - I can live with that.
To sum up -- get this camera. |
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