Fujifilm FinePix S8000FD

I love taking photo's of everything and everyone in my life that means something to me whilst at the same time taking pictures of random images which stand out to me. I can be sat on a bus, walking in the park or merely out shopping and if I see something I like the look of that would take a good picture I take a snap.

My fascination for photography comes from my late Auntie who was forever taking pictures and entering them into endless competitions, where it was of the brightest flower you have ever seen or a seaside clip she would take the photograph. I used to spend weekends with her on the South Coast and we would walk for hours taking photographs and ever since then I have loved it.

The last camera that I had was rather dated so I decided to save up and buy one that I know she would be proud of and when I had enough money I opted for the Fujifilm FinePix S8000FD which I know is one of the best cameras there is to buy and it is 8 megapixels.

There are five main features to this camera and although i'm no expert at using all the specifications I have mastered the basics for now. The Fujifilm FinePix S8000FD has:

(1) 18x Optical Zoom - with this zoom I can zoom in 18x and take pictures of things which are quite close up or far away. What I really like to do is take a series of photos at different angles to make a collage.

(2) Face Detection - When aiming your camera at something to take a photograph this camera will automatically zoom into a face and focus on it whilst at the same removing red-eyes automatically.

(3) Dual IS (Image Stabilization) - I use this function if I am taking a shot of something moving, it allows the camera to capture the whole image and not leave a blurred image. For example if I am taking a picture of a bird flying through the air it will capture the bird is flight.

(4) Ultra High Sensitivity ISO6400 - With this feature you are able to take good photographs regardless of the light. One of the things which really annoyed me about my last camera was that if the light wasn't correct then taking a photograph could be ruined. With this camera limited light is not a problem, it automatically adjusts. If you are someone whom like me tends to over-use the flash and you turn your objects into ghosts when taking a photograph, again this camera will automatically adjust its sensitivity and flash output to give you a more accurately exposed photo with clear background detail and no bright light.

(5) Compact Body with Ergonomic Grip - This function on the camera is designed in a way to make it much easier to hold and keep steady when you are taking photographs through the rubber grips which you will find upon the camera.

This camera also has 2.5" LCD with Wide View Film a 2.5-inch anti-glare coated LCD screen which boasts up to 230,000 pixels of resolution. There are 13 different scene positions to choose from when taking your picture and although I haven't used them all there is the usual portrait and landscape options followed by Night, sport, fireworks, sunset, snow, beach, party, flower, auction and text. Not all of these functions take pictures of what they state. For example the text function is used to take pictures of documents and white boards. It is effective for taking clearer shots of letters whereas the beach option is used to provide crisp, clear shots, when shooting at the beach or somewhere similar under strong sunlight.

There is also the option to record videos with this camera and there is a speaker option on the side of the camera to pick up sound.

When I bought my camera within the box I was presented with:

• 4xAA type Alkaline batteries
• Shoulder strap
• Lens cap
• Lens cap cord
• USB cable
• A / V cable
• CD-ROM
• FinePix Viewer
• Owner's Manual

I bought my camera just over 4 months ago from Amazon for the price of £240 including delivery and I am delighted with it and I am so glad I decided to save up and buy a decent camera. The photographs that I have taken with it, bearing in mind I am a novice have been developed and are really good, much better than my previous Kodak camera. It uses AA batteries which tend to last quite a long time, probably between 300-400 photographs at a time.

The user manuals are quite indepth but are quite easy to understand as long as you have got plenty of time to sit and go through them. Whenever I have taken a series of photographs I upload them onto my computer using the CD Rom which came with the camera and I can then play around with those images. As I have said I am not a professional photographer and I am just getting to grips with how this camera works within its professional capacity but for those of you who are quite confident with newer technology this is definitely a camera that you should try.