Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd Review

Overall Rating

smart looking
small
lots of features
built in flash
uses SD cards
uses AA cells
resembles a SLR film camera
massive zoom
reasonable wide angle
clean images
very nice lcd screen

poor focus generally
no manual focus or lock
exposure settings vary
exposure generally a bit bright
no Diopter adjust on viewfinder
lcd screen dim in bright light

previously owned a Olympus c700uz and more recent Pentax k100d ive just bought this Fuji s1000fd camera. it has a old fashioned appeal to me .. more akin to a old film camera of the past. but it also is a lot smaller and more compact. my old camera bag had several screw on lenses and a flash gun the size of this Fuji camera alone. in all it takes a fair bit to drag around the old gear .. whereas this little gem makes it fun. there does seem to be some issues .. especially with the focus and EXP control .. but you have to realize the cost of the camera in this day and age. i would have spent more money for just one LENS in the past. here its all ready to go.
as i said the focus is really frustrating. surely this should be a priority as we are talking cameras here .. and this isnt just a point and shoot camera. it has lots of creative possibilities ready .. but some shots the camera finds difficult to cope. if i could set the focus or lock it permanently while shooting the same scene it would be heaven.
the other minor thing ive found is the exposure. it does vary a bit. at the default setting it seems ok on a dull day but can overexpose a touch when the sun is blasting. setting the EXP down a few stops helps and some very nice pictures can be obtained.
nite time pictures are a bit fiddly compared to my Olympus too. the time the Fuji takes to
save the photo is quite long in comparison .. and ive even found .. once again adjustment of the EXP -3 stops or so can speed up the process .. and also give a more natural picture .. but also leads to grain on the image. its a hit and miss affair.
indoor pictures work well in reasonable lighting even without flash .. but take care to support the camera well [ie.lean against a wall]. the custom white balance works good.
the flash is amazing. ive shot into a cupboard and was ready for some very over-exposed pictures .. plus light back into the lens ... but was really surprised how natural the pictures came out. fantastic.
the LCD viewfinder is a luxury compared to my c700uz .. although the final pictures are not that much different. its starting to sound like a comparison .. but ive been so used to using the Olympus .. i do notice the subtle differences.

all in all im very pleased i purchased the s1000fd camera. it takes very natural looking pictures with little sign of color bias .. unless you start fiddling with the white balance compensation ... then things can go wrong. overall i thought the pictures were a tad edgy .. so i set the image Q menu to SOFT. the pictures still look sharp but without that slightly edginess look. just my preference.
this camera copes with lots of situations .. but just needs to be kept an eye on i guess.
its a lot of fun .. and needs a little thought in tricky situations .. so it gives the user something to do. im definitely hanging on to this one.
i woud give this camera a 9 if it wasn't for the focus