Fujifilm FinePix S1800 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD Review

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(More customer reviews)The Fuji S1800 is a a nice tweener, filling the gap between pocket point-and-shoot cameras and a DSLR. It's larger than typical point and shoot cameras (thanks to the 18X zoom lens) yet smaller than a DSLR. Despite the extra bulk, the S1800 is light and compact enough to carry around for extended periods. The plastic body is sturdy and light. The camera is powered by four AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable). All of the controls are very well placed and settings are easy to locate. The top dial allows for quick switching between automatic, manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, or programmed scene shooting modes. There is a button on the back for switching between the LCD or the electronic viewfinder. The flash performs well and has a slow sync feature. There is no input for an external flash (or any other accessories other than a tripod). Shooting with the S1800 is a joy. Although it's best to learn how to make the most of this camera's capabilities, even full-auto mode can produce excellent results. The 18X zoom lens has great range and good quality from wide angle to telephoto. In one particular shot, I photographed a medicine bottle approximately 15 feet away in dim lighting. I had no problem reading the smallest print on the bottle in the image. Auto mode isn't perfect (just like every other camera out there) and there were some occasional focusing and exposure issues, but overall, I took more good pictures than bad, even in challenging lighting. Some of the features, like blink and smile detection, seem to be more of a gimmick than actually useful. Blink detection seems to randomly pop up at will, even if there are no people in the picture. Blink and smile detection aside, the S1800 does have several features that are really useful, such as a burst mode (several rapid photos taken in succession), facial recognition, zoom bracketing (several pictures taken at varying focal lengths), and more. The S1800 is so user-friendly, these features are useful for beginners and experienced alike. The S1800 lacks a raw mode. In-camera compression is usually spot-on, but I had a few shots where it went all in, resulting in soft shots. Overall image quality was very good, with the S1800 holding its own against several of my more expensive cameras. Although my Canon XSi is still the champ of my household, the Fuji compared well to my Canon G10. I tried several different SD and SDHC cards in the Fuji. It recognized every card except one, an ancient 8MB generic SD card that came bundled with a camera I purchased nearly a decade ago. It did recognize a newer generic 32MB SD card that also came bundled with a camera.
Video mode is okay but nothing great. Videos are stored in AVI format. HD mode is pretty good compared to the standard resolution but doesn't come close to the performance of a Flip or dedicated HD video camera. You can zoom during filming, but the zoom motor creates a noticable buzzing noise in the video. It's not even the same sound heard when actively zooming the camera. About the best way I can describe it is similar to the sound made by a hand buzzer.
The large LCD display is decent when shooting in good light and during media playback but it's a little noisy when shooting in reduced lighting.
The Fuji offers DSLR image quality and features for the price of a higher-end point and shoot. It has a few minor flaws, but considering everything Fuji packed into this camera for the price, you can't go wrong. It's a perfect step-up if you're eager to explore the realm beyond basic point-and-shoot but not quite ready to take the plunge into DSLR territory.

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Fujifilm FinePix S1800 - 12MP, Fujinon 18x Wide Optical Zoom (28 - 504mm), 3.0" LCD + Viewfinder.Other features include: Face Detection w/ Red Eye Removal, Face Recognition, Tracking Auto Focus, Dual Image Stabilization, High Sensitivity 6400 ISO, 6 Scene - SR Auto Automatic Scene Recognition, Panorama Mode, HD Movie 720p w/ Sound, Instant Zoom/Zoom Bracketing, Smile/Blink Detection Mode, 4-AA Batteries.

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