Fujifilm FinePix S5800

Last September we saw the Fujifilm S5700 fare extremely well in Gagan’s review, but he wasn’t the only one who thought so – reviewers across the globe concurred. The S5800 with 8 megapixels and 10x optical zoom is the next logical offering from Fujifilm, and I was eager to see if it lived up to its predecessor’s legendary status.

Form Factor
The design is identical. As in the earlier model, the S5800 has a 2.5 inch CCD and a five-way navigation pad with shortcut keys for the gallery, display features, exposure adjustment, and photo mode. On the side of the viewfinder, above the display, is a monitor selector key that switches between the main display for viewing and the viewfinder.

The S5800 requires four AA batteries for power and uses XD/SD/MMC cards for memory. It comes with about 28MB of internal memory though. On one side of the camera are the ports for AV-out and USB connectivity. The power switch is located on the top, just behind the shutter release and zoom knob.

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Even the placement of the dial selector and continuous shoot button are located on top in the same position as the S5700, so if you happen to own the older model and upgrade to the S5800 you’ll have absolutely no issues using it. It continues to be a lightweight camera with an easy-to-manage grip.
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Performance
I didn’t get a chance to test the S5700, so I won’t try to compare performances. But I think the S5800 performs quite well for a superzoom in this price range. For starters, the 10x optical zoom, with virtually no lag, makes it a cinch to get up close from afar. The noise level is kept in check and the level of detail is retained as well.

On the downside, point-and-shoot users may find that pictures taken in low light conditions can be a bit noisy and appear smudged. Ironically, images taken on a cloudy or dull day are not too bad. I was not too thrilled with the Night mode option, as the images, though clear in normal viewing, are just too noisy with grain in full resolution.

Sometimes the blacks and whites seem to be riddled with green and purple noise, but only in really bad lighting and on close inspection.

With super Macro mode at your disposal, extreme close-ups are quite good, with almost all details and colors remaining intact.

The colors seem okay in most conditions, but you may notice a minor issue with the reds. It delivers really well in most lighting conditions if the correct white balance is selected. Image sharpness is good in regular light, with only a little watercolor in low lighting, but that’s normal with a lower-end digicam such as this one.

Outdoor images are good, however, and I’m happy to report that the S5800 does not disappoint when it comes to overall picture quality.

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The Bottomline
The S5800 has a lot to offer the photo buff who doesn’t have the wherewithal to go in for an SLR or anything more professional. At just Rs 7800, it’s a great superzoom with plenty of features and more than decent performance. Moreover, it makes optimum use of the batteries (try and invest in a good set of rechargables).

All said and done, it’s a great camera for both experienced users as well as shutterbugs who wish to learn the ropes from scratch. Let me confess: I liked it so much that I went out and bought one for myself!

Specs