Fujifilm FinePix Z800 EXR review

Meet the feature-packed compact complete with 360 degree panorama

The Fujifilm FinePix Z800 EXR is a sleek looking camera at a very good price point indeed. We’ve already found deals under the £190 online and with the wealth of features on board, this could be a very economic buy for the right user.

Design-wise the Fujifilm Finepix Z800 EXR is streamline and extremely pocketable. A front panel slides down to power up the camera and reveal the lens and flash. The edges are trimmed with chrome piping and the top buttons are also complimented in chrome too. Around the back is an impressive 3.5 inch touch screen LCD which dominates the entire back of the camera. All the necessary buttons are contained within the touch screen, keeping the camera clean and modern-looking. The underside of the Z800 features a plastic tripod thread, which may come in handy since this camera shoots at shutter speeds as long as four seconds – ideal for night photography.

The initial specs are pretty impressive for this camera too – a 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR Sensor is the headline act – a sensor that features on the more advanced Z300 EXR compact in the Fujifim range. This EXR technology is responsible for a trio of top shooting features, making the camera all the more usable in various conditions. The first obvious benefit is the ability to shoot at a top resolution of 3000 x 4000 at 12 megapixels. This produces large, detailed prints with a file size of 4.5MB. The second EXR bonus is the option to shoot in DR mode, which captures the scene at a wide dynamic range with added help in the shadow areas. The third option is the SN mode, which stands provides a low noise option of shooting when shooting with flash is not an option. Finally if each of these are too hard to choose between, simply switch to the EXR Automation Mode to let the camera choose the shooting mode for you.

The other big draw for this camera is a superb autofocus system which incorporates two differenct tracking techniques, for super quick focus times. It employs both Phase Detection AF and a light and contrast AF system ensuring you are locked onto focus at just a moment’s notice. Although we didn’t think the AF was quite as quick ast the 0.158 seconds Fujifilm proclaims to achieve, it is still very fast and up there in the realms of DSLR territory.

There are some neat features, which add to the fun side of this camera too, including 360 Motion Panorama, which enables you to sweep the camera and achieve wide-reaching vistas. All the stitching is done in camera and the results are pretty seamless, albeit low resolution. You’ll also find the traditional film modes on board including Velvia (high saturation), Provia (normal) and Sepia and black and white. All these features are selected using the super responsive touch screen, which is very intuitive.

Image quality wise, the camera is pretty good when you consider the price point, but you can’t help but wish for a standard to match up to the internal workings of the camera. There is visible noise at ISO 400 and this becomes unsightly at 800. Interestly, the jump to 1600 is not so unbearable so you may as well use 1600 as opposed to 800 when light is severely limited. Colour wise, the Z800 does a pretty good job in producing natural, true-to life colours, but there is a slight issue with overexposure in many instances.

Lens distortion is not overly problematic, although watch out for faint purple fringing in high contrast areas of your shots.

Although the image quality doesn’t live up to the superb performance of the camera, most users will not be too fussed at this technical quips and will be more enthused by the touch screen and speed. Given that this camera can be purchased for under £200 makes this a great buy indeed and some of the image isues can be forgiven.