The Fuji Finepix S1000fd is a 10 megapixel super zoom camera with a 12x optical zoom lens.

Why Buy the Fuji Finepix S1000FD?
The Finepix S1000fd is that bit cheaper than most super zoom models. A large part of the reason for this is that it has a shorter zoom and one or two less features than some of its competitors. The upside of the Finepix S1000fd not having every bell and whistle is that it helps to make the camera that bit easier to use.

Image Quality Fuji Finepix S1000FD test shots

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The Finepix S1000fd handles the colours and darker areas of the photos well. I am impressed with the definition showing on the name of one of the boats in the centre of the photo. Sharpness is good too. Some detail is lost from the brightest areas of the shot where the sun falls on the boat.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
Focusing is roughly in line with most other digital cameras in this shot. In terms of focusing this is the toughest test I run. The more distant parts of the scene are softer, but the majority of the shot is sharp enough. I would like to have seen greater brightness in the shot.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
There is a strong turquoise fringing showing in this shot. It is true that all super zooms have this problem (or more commonly purple fringing) to a degree, but this photo suggests the Finepix S1000fd suffers more than most others. This problem occurs in bright conditions, with light coloured subjects in the shot. It is likely that the problem will be evident even in smaller prints.

With the lens fully extended focusing levels are softer than average.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
This is another photo I would like to have seen a touch lighter. In the shaded areas there is a loss of definition in the photo. In the brighter sections the photo is much sharper than when the zoom lens was fully extended.

Outdoor Portrait
Working much closer to the subject makes for a sharply focused photo. The colours are quite strong, but they do lend a lot of warmth to the photo. I have used a white balance setting of shady to add some extra punch to the colours in the shot.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
The pop up flash unit produces plenty of brightness. This is a sharp photo. Perhaps some extra warmth in the skin tones would have improved the photo further.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Using the natural lighting available the Finepix S1000fd manages to produce a light, bright photo. This works well for the darker areas of the hair. Noise is controlled well in the shot.

Colours
There is plenty of colour in my test shots, without the camera going over the top. With strong blues and greens this should help to produce colourful landscapes.

Macro
In super macro mode the Finepix S1000fd is able to get in very close to the subject. This helps to deliver a bright, clear photo with good level of detail. In fact this macro shot stands up very well against other similar digital cameras.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
Fuji digital cameras tend to handle higher ISO settings as well as or better than other brands. That is the case with the Finepix S1000fd. Although noise is still apparent in the darker or more shaded areas of the shots the camera controls noise levels better than most cameras manage.

Overall
I am happy enough with the Finepix S1000fd. Ironically the one problem shot is the one where the zoom is fully extended. This after all is the key test photo for this camera. I also found some of my test photos a little dark.

Shutter Lag
Taking a single photo with the Finepix S1000fd clocked a reasonable time of 0.42 seconds. All my other tests produced slow times. Five photos took 19.63 seconds, a photo with flash 1.68 seconds and five photos with flash 20.47 seconds.

It took 3.08 seconds to turn the camera on and take a photo.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

Style: The Finepix S1000fd is small for a super zoom camera. Like most of its competitors it has been modeled on a digital SLR.

Dimensions: 102.5 x 73 x 67.8mm

Weight: 325g

Batteries: Four AA batteries.

Memory cards: 24mb of storage are available to get you started with the Finepix S1000fd. I was able to store 11 photos before the memory was full. To increase the capacity if the memory card you can use xD, SD and SDHC cards.

Ease of use rating:Above Average. With the extra manual features the Finepix S1000fd is not as easy to pick up and get going with as a more straightforward point and shoot camera. The reason it earns an above average Ease of Use Rating is that compared to other, similar cameras you are likely to get to grips with it that bit quicker.

Points I like:
Easier than other super zooms - compact size for type of camera

Where it could improve:
Shot with zoom fully extended disappointing

Alternatives
If you would like to try a super zoom digital camera with a longer lens, better overall picture quality and one or two extra features try the Nikon Coolpix P80.

Verdict:
The Fuji Finepix S1000fd does most things well enough, apart from taking photos with the zoom fully extended. It is as easy to use as any super zoom camera and is also relatively compact.

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