Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd

28th February 2008

Written by Gordon Laing

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd results : Outdoor resolution / Studio resolution / Real life Noise

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd

vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 telephoto outdoor scene

To compare real-life performance at their longest focal lengths we shot the same scene with the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 within a few moments of each other using their Program modes, best quality JPEG and lowest ISO settings.

The image left was taken with the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd at 84.2mm f5; the original JPEG measured 3.00MB. The crops below are taken from the left, middle and right sections of the originals and reproduced here at 100%.

With both cameras zoomed-into their maximum focal lengths, a significant difference between them emerges. The Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd suffers from quite noticeable fringing in high contrast areas, which the Panasonic impressively avoids. Interestingly we noticed the same fringing when testing the Olympus SP-550UZ and upon closer inspection it appears both it and the Fujifilm S8000fd share the same optics – they certainly suffer in the same regard anyway. Previous to the FZ18 you may have accepted this as a compromise of having an 18x optical zoom range, but the Panasonic proves it is avoidable. An impressive result here for the FZ18, but sadly less so for the Fujifilm. Now let’s check the S8000fd’s studio resolution.

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd		Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

f5, 64 ISO		f5.6, 100 ISO


f5, 64 ISO		f5.6, 100 ISO


f5, 64 ISO		f5.6, 100 ISO

Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd results continued…

Outdoor resolution / Studio resolution / Real life Noise

vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 outdoor scene

To compare real-life performance we shot the same scene with the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 within a few moments of each other using their Program modes, best quality JPEG and lowest ISO settings. The lenses on each camera were adjusted to deliver the same field of view.

The image left was taken with the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd at 7mm f4.5 and with a sensitivity of 64 ISO; the original JPEG measured 3.22MB. The crops are taken from the upper left, center and lower right portions of the originals and presented here at 100%.

Both cameras feature the same image resolution, but have different sensor technologies, image processors and optics. Judging from the crops below which come from samples taken closer to the wider-end of their respective zooms, the Panasonic FZ18 enjoys a slightly clearer result with less fringing. The Fujifilm crops look less natural and more electronic looking using its default image settings. Much of this is of course down to personal preference though.

In terms of detail captured, both cameras are quite similar with only pixel-peeping giving the Panasonic a slight edge. Zoom both cameras in though and their optics tell a different story, so scroll down to the bottom of the page to see what happens at the telephoto end.