Bargain 10 megapixel snapper (Fujifilm Finepix S1000fd)

Member Name: davomrmac

Product:	Fujifilm Finepix S1000fd
Date:	20/01/09 (147 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great handling, 12x zoom, nice screen. nice photos

Disadvantages: Bad lens cap design, bad EVF, focus searches at full zoom

I have lots of gadgets, well that is an understatement, so I already had an SLR digital camera, but when I saw this on sale at Littlewoods Direct for just over £100 I had to get hold of one to use as a second 'take everywhere' camera. To say I was surprised at what I got for the money is an understatement.

The good...
The camera is very compact and fits nicely in the hand. The 2.5-inch screen is nice and clear and bright, not the highest resolution, but very nice. The zoom lens is responsive and gives 12x optical zoom. It also goes right back into the camera when not in use. The layout of the buttons on the top and back are just great, very accessible and easy to use. It also uses normal AA batteries (4 of them) which I like, as it means you can get a good set (or two) of rechargeable NiMH cells cheaply, but if you are caught without juice in the camera you can buy a quick cheap set of alkaline batteries to get the camera going again. It uses SD memory cards which are nice and cheap, another really good point. Last, but not least, 10 megapixels is more than enough and the S1000fd takes superb pictures, very good focus and colours look natural.

The bad...
Well the lens cap is annoying, it just pushes onto the front of the lens, so if you turn on before you have removed it, the camera is not smart. It tries to protrude the lens and just clicks. The face detection is great when it works, but is a bit hit and miss. The viewfinder is an EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) rather than optical... it is a very low resolution and a let down. The last bad point is when at full zoom, the camera seems to search for focus quite a lot, it certainly takes it time.

Overall...
For £100 to £150 this is a fantastic buy. It does VGA video with sound, takes really nice photos that look wonderful when printed (and on screen) and it feels just perfect in the hand. Well made and well balanced.

Summary: A bargain for the price, I would recommend to a beginner or someone wanting a 2nd camera

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