Fujifilm FinePix S8200 16 MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black)

I love his camera for the price. This camera is great for an Amateur photographer. This would not be for a experienced photographer. If this purchase is for a family camera anyone can use this camera. A more advanced shooter than an aim and shoot to using manual settings for a more advance Aim and shoot features. You must read the manual play with the settings to take pictures to get to know this camera. The way you change your ISO settings in the camera for a particular shot does take great pictures. My husband does not get into picture taking and I can set it to the automatic setting for him and he can take great pictures with it. I am more advanced than Aim and shoot photographer for enjoying leisure photos of places I go. Love this camera for the size and not bulky or heavy. Fits in small hands well. The best part I love is have great zoom capabilities and no camera lenses to lug around. This camera has a setting that you set for the 3 different types of batteries you can use in this camera. You can use an expensive photo battery, 4 Lithium batteries or 4 Alkaline batteries in this camera. I found the most affordable and easy accessible batteries and last a long time is Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries in this camera. When set the type of battery you have in the camera makes the camera have excellent battery life. Most cameras I have seen don't have that feature and battery usage is a very important feature in a camera. That is why I chose this camera over Cannon was the battery life reviews. This camera has excellent reviews on battery life. I am very pleased with this camera and have no regrets with this purchase. To get the best quality pictures with this camera you must take pictures play with the camera to learn all that it can do. You will not be happy if you just use the basic features to get the best potential and great snapshots with this camera. It took me a few times out to find a great setting for exposure, shutter settings etc. in the camera for my own liking. Make sure you play with the camera and you will be an excellent picture taker and pleased with this camera and what it can do in a compact camera all in one. Make sure you fill out the registration card with Fugi for excellent warranty experience. And lastly this camera does not have WiFi uploading to facebook technology. Which actually you can do just as well uploading to your special website using the USB card reader for easy transfer of photos to save them to your special hard drive or special online storage of your photos. Why do you need a special camera to do Wifi when most people have cell phones to do that? Better security when you have more control how you upload your photos. I would rather spent less money for a camera that takes great photos than paying for a feature to do Wifi technology. Simpler the better for a camera that takes great pictures. One thing with this camera it would not be good for the beach getting sand in it. Highly recommend getting a small affordable water camera for the beach snapshots.

I love the Fujifilm s8200 that my husband gave me for Christmas. Let's start with the fact that I am no longer in my teens or twenties (far from it!). I was accustomed to using my 35mm Canon when the digital age hit the marketplace. I started using the point-and-shoot digital cameras that I could put in my purse or pocket. In the course of a few years I moved from a Kodak, to a Nikon, to a Canon digital, each getting a little better picture for me. I could carry them in my pocket but my pictures just weren't as clear or good as I had hoped. I've wanted to go DSLR, but those cameras were WAY out of my price range, so I did the best I could with my little digitals. A few months ago, my husband heard me say that my nephew was getting better pictures on his cell phone than I was getting with my cameras. That began our search for a good camera that was reasonably priced. My research led me to the Fujifilm cameras. I was thinking of the S4200, (largely due to a price-quality comparison) but when we went shopping, my husband, knowing my love of photography, kept moving me up the line to the s8200. It was almost double what I had wanted to pay, but the camea was impressive. Once I made up my mind, the stores where we were shopping were out of the s8200s. Amazon came to the rescue. So .... what do I like? The camera is smarter than I am. Its point-and-shoot settings let me take good-to-great pictures while I am learning to use the many settings & features as I go along. I used to do some professional photography when I was younger, so this camera "feels" like a camera. It has a 3-inch LCD monitor & an electronic viewfinder that I can use to stop the glare that makes it almost impossible to frame my pictures in the older digital cameras. This is not a little rectangular box; this is a camera. There is a comfortable handgrip I can use to balance my pictures. Its image stabilization feature is helpful. My hands aren't as steady as they used to be. The 8200 tries hard to give me the best possible picture, sometimes in spite of my efforts. ;-). There is significant adjustability that allows me to choose shutter or aperture priority so I can be as creative as I wish if the situation calls for it -- or I can choose one of two automatic point-and-shoot settings if I am just snapping pictures. The dials, buttons, knobs & menus are easy to use. The scene position modes allow you to select SR Auto (scene recognition helps me frame the scene & automatically chooses the ideal settings), Auto (for ordinary snapshots), Advanced mode (lots of flexibility with this one), Custom (accepts user preferences), Aperture priority (sets the aperture), Shutter priority (sets the shutter speed), Scene positions (helps me match the scene with the settings I have chossen), Program AE (allows me to use settings other than the aperture & shutter priorities), and motion panorama (allows me to sweep the camera right or lift for panoramic pictures). I have just started using some of these settings & I like what I see. When I know the kinds of pictures I would like to take, the s8200 gives me position settings that help get the best picture. I can use Portrait, Landscape, Night, Night (Tripod), Snow, Flower, Baby, Smart, Fireworks, Beach, Text, Smile & Shoot, Sunset & Party. As I said earlier, the camera is smarter than I am right now, but I'm learning and I'm not feeling stressed about these features. The Fufjifilm s8200 also has video capabilities, but I'm not into them ... yet. As I said, I can learn as I go without feeling threatened by my camera. One of the best reasons to buy a Fujifilm s8200? Other cameras with the same or similar features are more than double or triple the cost of the s8200. The s8200 takes easy-to-find AA batteries. Although I bought extra specialized rechargeable batteries for my older digitals, I still found myself running out of power at the most inopertune moments. I can deal with a battery emergency with less stress because AA batteries are everywhere. OK, so what don't I like? Well, It is heavier than the point-and-shoot digitals I've been using, but it is surprisingly light when I compare it with my previous 35 mm experience. I know that is a HUGE variation, but the s8200's weight is not an issue for me. Sure, it's bigger, thicker, wider, etc, but I feel like I am using a real camera. OK, so I can't carry it in my pocket ... or my purse. Well, I guess I could get a bigger purse (just kidding!). When I bought the camera, I also bought a delightful little camera bag that is just the right size for the camera & a few accessories. If you like to switch lenses, the s8200 is not for you. It has a fixed lens with enough flexibility to meet my needs. I do not need to have specialized extra lenses to worry about. I am gladly giving up the extra lenses for my 8200's scene position settings. Overall, I am happy. My nieces & nephews do interesting things & now I can take better pictures of them doing so.

WHAT COMES INSIDE THE BOX: - the camera body with fixed lens - lens protector or cap (which have to be removed manually to take pics) - Manual (very usefull it is a must read) and CD with bloatware (i will never install any program just for upload my photos to facebook... never! its just my opinion) - and a neck strap (this one is actually very sturdy) EXTERIOR: Ok let start this review saying that this camera feels, weight as much, and looks like a DSLR even my friends tryed to remove the lenses once, so Funny:), its built quality is good, it feels really good in your hand, it has leather covers to rest your fingers of your right hand, and the plastic band around the lens is used to be rested on your left hand (for long range-zoom shots) please note that the band has no useful purpose other than stetic or to give a better camera grip, (is not a manual zoom or anything like that) BUTTONS: Very well thought buttons, they are so easy to remember even when looking inside the EVF (Electronic view finder) i configured the right zoom button to be fast and the left side lever on the lens to be a slow steady zooming button. the FN button or up button of the camera is a custom button it comes customized as an ISO button, and i left it that way. there are 3 buttons that are specifically designed for: 1 rapid shot modes, 2 white balance, and 3 camera recording (this last one let you record in almost every mode your have selected using your preferences, and you can still take some photos) and finally theres a flash pop up button used for logic reasons All other buttons are standard on almost all cameras so i wont make you lose time reading about them. INTERFACE: If you have used a sony camera the menus will look ugly, you can select some colors, i went with black, but they are still usefull so i dont mind you can scroll using the analog buttons and a scrolling ring. SCREEN AND EFV: Not really the strong side of the camera, the colors look ok and the resolution is decent, the LCD has a sun mode to increase brightness but it is still limited, that is when the EVF comes to live and you notice it has a very low resolution but still good to take some good shoots, (remember to calibrate it before use otherwise you will see everything blurry) and this is ponit in favor to this camera for the price few bridge camera feature a EVF. ZOOM: this is the strongest side of the camera along with its features, almost no loss in quality but with less contrast and bright in the pictures when using it at maximun, the zoom is nice and good, its like using mi old telescope but clearer and with a more steadier movement (thanks to the camera systems) but still, it is highly recomended to use a tripod for max zoom shots. PICTURE QUALITY: Its Decent-good ive seen better and worse its like a canon sx 510h 12mp picture enlarged to 16mp but with less contranst (the two cameras use the same sensor size), super macros (1cm) are unique and impressive, long range pictures are good, wide angle pictures are good at ISO 100 and in fine settings, try to never use ISO above 3200, you have been warned. there is no RAW format to be selected keep that in mind. fine format uses about 7mb each picture, and normal format jpeg uses 5mb each picture. if you want some example pics or a more in deep review go here: [...] in my personal use i have purchased the camera with a HCSD class 10 of 32GB that gives you around 4000 pics in fine setting or 7000 pics in normal settings in 16mp and 2 rounds of eneloop batteries (4 batteries each) that will last you 600 pics each. VIDEO QUALITY: (IMPORTANT IT IS GOOD) there are so many reviews that have negative scores about this feature just for the zoom noise, there was a mayor point in favor (1080p\60fps) and in con (noisy zoom when recording video) in my experience with this camera i can tell you this 3 things that will help you a lot in videos: 1.- The video quality and speed is awesome the stereo sound is good, 2.- if you dont want to hear the zoom, just change the settings from optical to digital zoom and it IS SOLVED (IT IS THAT EASY), and 3.- important you can only film in full HD clips of max 30 minutes it doesnt matter your memory card capacity. and lets not even mention the high speed video at 320p look terrible but still a feature to be playing with. FEATURES 3d shots .- you are supposed to take 2 pictures of the same object in different positions, it can only view them on 3d certified devices (not this camera) i ve never tried it so no comments here burst mode.- up to 10 fps in 16mp and only 3 in max quality settings, and 30fps or more in 3mp. auto advanced mode.- automatically select the best scene in 6 modes, kinda usefull for macros and portrait. some filters: toy camera, and others MY FINAL CONCLUSION: this camera is a steal if you compare the price i got mine on amazon for about 185 USD, even the canon sx510h or nikon have a better image quality (a friend of mine have one) but does not come so well feature packed as this one for the price. best features: zoom and price (for the price everything looks good) so i recomend it ****° 4,5 stars :) hope to help you! i will update if i experience any problem with the camera, 1st month, so far working fine, i will test it on an trip to galapagos islands. Some Tips: Buy this camera with: - A tripod (i got the pedco ultrapod 2 with velcro) - 2 kits of 4 AA rechargable batteries (i got eneloop with charger) - a 32 gb SD Class 10 (i got trascend for the price) - and a case for all, i got a case logic compact system/hybrid camera case, and believe it or not it is smaller than i thougth and still i can carry all the accesories i had mentioned before, 8 AA batteries, charger, tripod, camera, with no problems but there is no space for more items and the tripod legs are outside the case but i can live with that :) and i am sorry for my english i am not from an english speaking country so i tried my best to give some information to you.

Took this camera to the Badlands and Devils Tower to see how it does with landscapes. Controls and many features were similar to my Nikon Coolpix. One big plus is the zoom. Incredible smooth zoom action that gives much more control than Nikon, plus the 40x is worth the purchase. Most landscape and wildlife shots were taken either at dawn or late morning, and majority are excellent. However, some canyon shots are very underexposed, which is surprising since the lighting was perfect. Also there was several shots at Devils Tower where the color saturation was way off. Some of these "errors" might be my own fault, since I did not have a chance to practice with the Fuji before vacation. Overall I am very satisfied, though, with the camera and hopefully with more practice can eliminate the few bugs I found.

I've had this camera for almost 10 months now, and I love it. I'm still learning the different settings, and what they all do. I tend to shoot with the auto setting a lot of the time, but have started branching out to explore it more. The one thing I wish I could learn is how to shoot lights at night. I have a really awesome laser light set for outside, and I can't for the life of me get it to where it looks like it does with my own eyes...not even close. For other objects though, I get some great shots. I use this camera daily, and love most of the images I am able to capture with it. I need a new tripod though, as the inexpensive one I got with a pack I bought broke. Now on the look for a better quality tripod. I will say the one thing I wish was different on this camera, is where the SD slot is. It's extremely inconvenient to have it where the batteries are located!!! That means if it is on the tripod, and I want to take the card out to transfer images, I have to remove it from the tripod. I wish they had put the slot for it on the side. Same with the batteries as well. VERY inconveniently placed. The other issue I have is it blurring on me during filming a video sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't, and other times it does, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. It fades in and out of focus a bit, not a lot, but enough that sometimes it is right when I don't want it to do that. As I said, I'm still learning with it, so I don't know if it's the setting I have it on.....which is something I have control of....or if it's truly the camera. I see some negative reviews that don't really describe what issue they are having with the camera itself. I see A LOT of blanket statements, that are plain user error, and not the actual fault of the camera itself. Such a shame. All in all, I think it's a great camera to learn with, which is what I am doing. It's better than my pocket camera for sure, and not as good as a higher end camera. The main thing I liked was that I don't have to change out a lens....I know nothing about that kind of thing, and which lens to use when. So, this will help me learn that I hope, and then I can advance to a higher end camera that will help me get the shots that I want to get. For now, this is a fantastic camera for me, and a huge step up from my Panasonic Lumix 6x DMC-LZ7. That camera is a good camera for what it is, no doubt, and I still use it when I don't want to carry this one around out and about, as it fits in my pocket pretty well. This one, definitely needs to be worn around your neck or in a carrying bag. Purchased this camera outright for my own personal use. Seems silly to include this in reviews now, but it is what it is.

I bought the Nikon COOLPIX L820 16mp but wasn't happy that it didn't have a view finder. So, I purchased the Fujifilm Finepix S8200 and did side by side (picture/picture and video by video) comparisons. I think you should know I wanted the Fujifilm to win, it's just so much more fun to use....it has a programmable mode dial, fast picture shooting is a little quicker than the Nikon's, easier to do 360 images, view finder (although a little cheap) is a nice plus, 40x zoom, feels better in your hand etc.. Image, Video- The Nikon was the clear winner for image and video quality no matter what the ISO/light, by leaps, pictures are clear, video quality and frame rate are excellent and on par with a dedicated video cam. In both comparisons the Fujifilm had more noise and colors were either washed out or too dark (I tried adjusting the settings and the gains were minimal). Audio - Nikon wins. The audio from the Nikon is clear and audio capture/output is on par with a video cam. Low light (no flash) - In low light there was no comparison, the Nikon's ability to brighten and color with significantly less noise than the Fujifilm is borderline amazing. I took a photo of my dog at the entrance of our apartment at night with only ambient light behind me, the Nikon produced detail I couldn't see with the naked eye and Fujifilm could even render the my dog. Low Light (w flash) - The Nikon wins. Pictures are quick to take, the Flash is accurate, colors are rich. The Fujifilm does a good job but when compared to the Nikon, the images look washed out and grainy. Image Stabilization - Nikon wins. Both set to 30x zoom and the Nikon made taking photos a breeze while the Fujifilm required significantly more concentration for a steady hand. 30x Zoom v 40x Zoom - This is deceptive because one would think at full zoom you would see more detail from the Fujifilm, not the case. When both cameras were set to 30x zoom, the Nikon was the clear winner, it's shots are significantly clearer with better colors. I did a 40x and 30x zoom comparison whereby I increased the Nikon's captured image to match the scale of the Fujifilm's captured image at 40x. Results: Fujifilm's 40x could not better Nikon's 30x for detail...big surprise. SD write speed - Both are fast in good light. In low light the Fuji is a little quicker but the image capture is not the same quality. Battery Life - Both have excellent battery life. For the Nikon, I finally ran out of juice after 400 or so images and 12 mins of video. Bottom line Nikon Coolpix L820 - The Nikon is just a very good camera in all respects and excellent value. Bottom Line Fujifilm FP S8200 - The Fujifilm S8200 is OK. It came close to matching the Nikon's image quality when outdoors in bright conditions. Ultimately, you get a little more than what you pay for. I'm glad I compared the two and now totally OK with not having a view finder. ; )

I bought this camera as a bridge camera when I didn't want to be carrying my DSLR. In the past I've always owned Canon cameras and this time I was again expecting to buy a Canon. However, when features and price were factored in there is simply no way that the Canon bridge cameras will measure up--particularly when they are producing cameras that do not use AA batteries and then have well documented problems with battery life. Nevertheless, I was hesitant to go with the S8200 because of some reviews of poor picture quality. I needn't have been. The picture quality on the S8200 is equally as good as the Canon Poweshot cameras I've owned in the past. The lens is equally as sharp, though a bit slower. As far as features go the S8200 cannot be beat in this price range. I have taken it on outings doing landscape work, birding etc. and it performs as expected. The only drawbacks I've noticed concern low light performance. The camera does have problems focusing in low light situations, but then, I've also found that this can often be corrected by using one of the special settings that are there to handle such situations. While I haven't used the video much at all, when I have used it I have gotten excellent quality images and they have been easily uploaded to Windows Media Player or other such software such as Corel. The bottom line is that this camera performs amazingly well for a bridge camera. It is not a DSLR, so don't expect it to perform as one. However, I highly recommend the S8200 if you are looking for a camera that feels good in your hands, has plenty of features, produces good images and therefore prompts you to take more pictures--which is what a bridge camera should do.

I am always looking for GREAT pictures whether it be wildlife or rainbows-Quick on the spot AND absolutely love the 3" LCD and option to change it to the viewfinder because of glare at times AND the viewfinder helps steady your ZOOM focusing- Lots of features to choose from! I have had two comparable Nikon SLR cameras and the quality of this Fujifilm S8200 is just as good BUT the price is even better-40X zoom is unbelievable. Takes a steady hand or tripod with the 40X ZOOM=quality shots/quick and easy to use-I love the AA battery feature-You can always find a fresh-new AA battery, I purchased the Fujifilm FinePix S8200 Digital Camera Battery Charger Replacement of 4 AA NiMH 2800mAh Rechargeable Batteries, with Charger from Amazon.com at the same time and it has already saved me even more $$ and works SUPER GREAT. I am thrilled with my purchase.