New Fuji Finepix s8000fd

[jfap]

I have been looking at getting a new camera and was on the verge of getting the Canon S3 however was a little apprehensive as I really like taking nighttime shots at Disney.

I've read about the Fuji Finepix camera's being good with low light but they didn't have the Image Stabilitation.

Now I'm reading that this new Finepix s8000fd that is coming out in September will indeed have this along with using the SD memory card.

Do any of you Photo Pros have any thoughts about the new camera.

Here are the reviews with specs:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0707/07072605fujifilms8000fd.asp

 

[Code]

They are putting IS in their compact F line also with the upcoming F50fd. Both the S8000fd and F50fd will be awesome cameras if they live up to their legacy. I wish the F50fd was out before our trip, I would be very very tempted

 

[ConstableMickey]

I don't know a whole lot about cameras. I just know what I like. I got the Fuji S6000fd, primarily for the low light stuff and I love it. The only real down side is the use of the XD card, but it sounds like that has been taken care of.
Good luck on your choice!
CJ

 

[YEKCIM]

The S8000fd's specs are inferior to those of the S6000fd, IMO. The sensor, for one thing, is smaller, which usually means more noise at higher ISO. For another, the lens is pushbutton zoom, not manual. May not be a biggie for you, but personally, I prefer a manual zoom ring. Also, I am wary of the amount of real estate Fuji is trying to cover with this lens. 27-486mm equivalent is a lot of range, but I don't see how they can maintain image quality across that kind of range. In the plus column, of course, Fuji has FINALLY added IS to some of their cameras, including this one. I would read a couple of reviews very carefully before I pulled the trigger on one of these.

Comparison of the S6000fd and the S8000fd .

~YEKCIM

 

[jfap]

Thank you Yekcim for giving me some things to think about.

I've got some time before this camera comes out so will continue to do more research.

Is funny that before I started reading this board I probably would have just gone out and bought the first camera I saw with a good sale price. I've learned so much here and have become quite the finicky photographer. That IS a Good Thing, right?

Thank you all for your help.

 

[Groucho]

I would agree, the S8000 sounds like a very different camera than the S6000... and not in a good way, IMHO.

Right off the bat, the S6000 is uniquely designed like a mini-SLR, complete with zoom and focus rings and lots of buttons and switches. The S8000 is more of your garden variety long-zoom bridge camera, looking like similar models from Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Kodak, etc, etc, etc. Zzzzzz!

Even worse, it packs more megapixels (8 vs 6) into a smaller sensor - 1/2.35" vs 1/1.7"! For comparison, the 8mp sensor in my wife's Fuji F40 is a much bigger 1/1.6". That means that the F40, costing slightly more than half what the S8000 costs, will have sharper, less-noisy low-light photos.

The smaller sensor may be necessary in order to have enough room for the CCD shift mechanism, but I'd rather see a slightly larger body and big sensor than to cut the sensor size. I think the ideal S8000 would be basically the same ergonomically as the S6000 with focus/zoom rings, have the 8mp 1/1.6" sensor, and true image stabilization, as well as the usual incremental updates in speed and functionality. But alas...

Hopefully they'll keep the S6000 available for a while, 6mp is still more than enough for a point-n-shoot and it's a unique camera with best-in-class low-light ability.