Point And Shoot Digital Cameras Rock-Bottom Deals On Digital Cameras

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

Review by Micheala A. Johanson for Fujifilm FinePix S1800 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD
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I purchased the 1800 after seeing a HSN demo on the camera. First, I must be honest by stating I am a retired journalist who shot her own photos, and a long time Nikon owner and more recently a digital Canon SLR owner. I still shoot and sell my work, mostly scenery and automotive photos.

The camera interested me because I was looking for a great camera, small enough to fit in my handbag. What the S1800 offered was a pretty good camera, not real great, but really nice. My beef is there is no RAW capabilities, but I guess that was to be expected at that price. Unlike above reviews, I think it is a battery hog and unlike my Canon, I can’t plug the battery into the wall socket overnight. I purchased this camera because HSN really pushed the video. Eh, not so great. If you want great videos break down and buy a dedicated video camera. The video capability is good though if you chance upon a rare opportunity to shoot something. A lot of shake with the video. Finally, the lens cap wants to fall off all the time giving way to a possible lens damage while toting it in my handbag.

Now the plus side. It shoots a great image, especially in the wide lens mode. Great panorama when you need it. The camera is way above the little boxy point and shoots for stabilization because of the hand grip style. The telephoto is as good as you are going to get in a non SLR. I compared it side by side with my Canon’s lens and it gives the lens a run for its money, but I also must agree a tripod is almost a must for the long shots. After you learn all the whistles and buttons you will have a pretty nice camera for the price. Half of the features could be eliminated like blink and smile, but it is likely a consumer driven factor.

All in all I gave it four stars. For my professional work, I will of course stay with my trusty Nikon film and Canon digital SLR, but for a fun camera with compact features–go for it.I have recommended it to all my point and shoot friends as a step up camera

Review by K. Salinger for Fujifilm FinePix S1800 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-Inch LCD
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My husband was surprised by how small and light this camera was when he took it out of the box. For some this might be a positive, but he found it a little small to hold comfortably in his hands and with not enough weight for it to feel steady. He was looking for an alternative camera to his Canon Powershot point-and-shoot camera which he uses for vacations… basically a home use camera that he didn’t have to worry about putting in his pocket. So he wasn’t worried about size and weight issues and he personally prefers a camera with a little more bulk to it. However, for someone looking for a more powerful camera than a point-and-shoot as their primary camera for vacations and while on the road, the size and weight would definitely be a positive.

The camera is very easy to use and takes excellent pictures. The optical zoom is excellent (much better than the digital zoom quality you get when trying to zoom in closely with a point and shoot). There are tons of features and he still hasn’t tried them all, but as others have mentioned, the blink detection doesn’t seem to work very well. He was taking pictures of our daughter and it didn’t notify him on several occasions when he could clearly see she blinked in the viewfinder. Also, the video mode was lacking the quality he gets when taking videos on our Flip Video Camera (highly recommend that by the way), so don’t get this thinking you can take quality pictures and videos all in one package. His only other gripe was that the dial to change modes seemed to easily get bumped out of the mode he intended to be in.

Despite my complaints, overall this is a decent camera that takes great pictures. Although I’m certain there are better cameras out there similar to this, for the price this is a good value.