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 We know, some of you out there probably already bit the bullet and picked up one of Fujifilm's FinePix S8000fd cameras, but for those holding out for a little reassurance, here goes. PhotographyBLOG was able to spend some time with this 18x zoomer, and on almost every account, this thing performed admirably. Deemed Fujifilm's "best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together," it managed to warm the hearts of reviewers. Granted, they weren't exactly pleased with the noise performance, but the zoom is really what vaulted this piece to a 4.5 out of 5 rating. So, if you're not kosher with carrying around a number of lenses for your DSLR, but would like to snap closeups from the nosebleeds, be sure and hit the read link for the full skinny on what was eventually dubbed "their current ultra-zoom camera of choice."

Specifications 

The Finepix S9600 represents Fujifilm's best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together, rivaling the latest entry-level DSLRs. The likes of the Nikon D40x, Pentax K100D and Canon EOS 400D all offer faster performance and better image quality than the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd, plus the advantage of RAW mode which is notably missing on the S8000fd. The difference in JPEG image quality at slower ISO speeds isn't that pronounced, but the S8000fd suffers by comparison with its noisy ISO 800 and 1600 ISO settings. The electronic viewfinder is greatly improved, with better resolution and refresh rate, but it's still ultimately less comfortable and accurate than a traditional optical viewfinder, especially for action photography. So the advantages of the compact digicam format (movie mode, live preview on the LCD screen, dust-free fixed lens) don't quite out-weigh the disadvantages of this camera, until you factor in the 18x zoom lens. For the majority of photographers the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd has almost every situation covered in terms of focal length, from wide-angle landscapes to close-up nature shots, all in a light and compact body. You would have to purchase and carry at least a couple of lenses to cover the same distance with a DSLR camera. Thankfully Fujifilm have at last seen sense and included an image stabilization system, an essential feature given the massive zoom range on offer, and one that works very well in practice. This also means that Fujifilm can finally compete on a level playing field with their main super-zoom competitors, most notably the 18x models from Panasonic and Olympus. We haven't reviewed the Panasonic FZ18 yet, but we much preferred the S8000fd to the Olympus SP-550 UZ, which offers a less usable interface and much poorer image quality. The Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd is therefore both our current ultra-zoom camera of choice, and a viable alternative to a DSLR camera. 

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