FujiFilm FinePix SL1000 Pro Reviews

The Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 puts 50x zoom power into a compact SLR-style camera, but it's not the best we've tested at high ISOs.

Detail is the sword by which this camera lives and dies. On paper the Fuji SL1000 is brilliant - so much so you might even question why you'd need an DSLR, if you're considering this as a backup. Both still image and video quality are fantastic. The 50x zoom is supreme. And the ability to shoot in raw format gives you more control over your images. This is a camera with a lot of manual controls that a beginner can grow with as you gain confidence. But it feels like while Fuji poured so much money and energy into getting the camera's advanced features up to speed, it overlooked some of the elements that make a good user experience.

At £334 the Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 is not a cheap compact camera. However, the 50x optical zoom is currently untouched and that's worth a premium. If you're a photographer of many disciplines, enjoying a variety of styles, then this is the camera for you. Likewise if you're wanting to learn about the art of photography, the extra features will help you get there such as the external flash and RAW recording. Additionally, if you really can't cope without knowing what a sparrow 500ft away had for lunch, then you definitely need the new Fujifilm FinePix SL1000.

An impressive spec list, but it's hard to get good results from the exceptionally long telephoto lens

The SL1000 has a 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a massive 50x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 24-1200mm. With its minimum focusing distance of 1cm it's ideal for shooting subjects that are very close or a long way in the distance. Autofocus has a speed of 0.2 seconds and can shoot at up to 10 fps in full resolution. There is optical image stabilisation to keep your pictures free from blur. When shooting there is six scene SR Auto (Scene Recognition Auto) which automatically detects a portrait, landscape, night, macro, night portrait and backlit portrait and adjusts the camera settings automatically. The SL1000 also offers full manual controls and RAW shooting. Other modes include motion panorama and advanced mode which includes HDR.