The market for bridge cameras with big zoom lenses is already fairly crowded, and now FujiFilm has come along with this Finepix S2000HD, whose main distinguishing feature is its ability to capture HD video at resolutions of up to 12080 x 720 pixels.

Ironically, it's becoming increasingly the case that it'll be video functionality that separates digital photography equipment in the future.

Handling

The S2000HD is a very solid camera and feels a lot more robust than the Panasonic FZ28 for instance.  A reassuringly large handle makes it easy to get a grip on.

Opening the memory card slot also results in a pleasant surprise, as Fujifilm has wisely abandoned xD flash memory in favor of the smaller, more convenient SD/SDHC format.

Inside the battery compartment, there's room for four AA batteries, and Fujifilm includes a full set of alkaline batteries.  Using this format instead of a proprietary battery does mean you'll have to invest in a charger, of course, but it also gives you the flexibility to choose which type of power you'd like to use.  As a guide, four Ni-MH 2200 mAh batteries should see you through 400 shots.

In general, the camera has a sober, refined look, with a large 2.7'' screen on the back only hampered by the fact its resolution is a measly 230 000 pixels.

Focusing is nice and fluid, even in low light, although in darker conditions there's inevitably more noise on the shots you take.

You can probably forget about the electronic viewfinder, too.  Like its close rivals the FZ28, the Sony H50 and the Olympus SP-570 UZ, the S2000HD has a rather cramped viewfinder which is too small to be comfortable for regular use.

The standard P, S and M modes are all available, but, for some strange reason, aperture mode isn't an option.  However, the lack of a scroll wheel or a joystick makes using these manual modes a fairly time-consuming business.

The S2000HD also has a series of interesting new features, some of which are more worthwhile than others.  One of the most intriguing is a bracketing zoom mode, which works with face detection to take a single shot at three different zoom levels.  


A burst mode whose top speed is 13 frames per second is promising, but to get this fast you'll need to make do with poorer quality 3 Megapixel images: at the maximum resolution, burst mode is only 1.4 fps.

In more everyday use, we found the S2000HD to be perfectly reasonable.  Switching it on isn't too snappy, but the autofocus sets to work quickly under good light conditions.

In a more tricky setting, like our photo test studio, it was less powerful but still perfectly acceptable.  You'll need to wait more than two seconds--2.2 on average, to be precise--in between each shot.  

Somewhat irritatingly, the camera doesn't automatically rotate portrait images.



Image Quality

Because we generally approve of photos taken using FujiFilm's 'in house' SuperCCD sensor, we were keen to see what the results were like with a regular CCD sensor running at 10 Megapixels.

With slower film speeds (below 400 ISO), our test images were very nice, with plenty of detail and strong colors.  The lens caused a few deformations in wide-angle mode without posing any serious problems.

Indoors, though, we generally found our photos to be overexposed, with a consequent loss of detail in lighter ideas.  This defect is less noticeable under more natural light, however.  Unfortunately, purple fringing was clearly visible in both our sets of test shots.

We found the automatic white balancing produced a fairly neutral set of colors, which is encouraging, but the flash was a little too powerful, especially when taking portraits despite the inclusion of face recognition.

At least the super macro mode at 1 cm works well, and the mechanical stabilization works well, even if it is less trustworthy than its optical equivalent.


Finally, of course, there's the question of electronic noise handling, and FujiFilm usually does rather well at this.  The S2000HD doesn't really represent much of an improvement.  Things are fine up to 400 ISO, but blurriness is already visible, even at this point.  Beyond that, chromatic aberration remains in check but the blur gets worse.

On a simple 4 x 6'' photo print, you'll be fine even at 1600 ISO, and noise handling is, in general, a little better than the competition.  The 3200 and 6400 ISO use 'pixel binning', grouping several pixels together, and the results at such fast speeds are fairly unusable.

The inclusion of HD video is a great addition, but there are a few points that need to be ironed out.


FujiFilm FinePix S2000HD vs The Competition

Amongst bridges with a large zoom, the Panasonic FX28 is now beginning to show its age, but its 18x zoom and stabilized wide angle lens keep it ahead of the game.  The Olympus SP-570 UZ, meanwhile, has the longest focal depth, is well-manufactured, but is rather slow, especially when saving photos in RAW mode.  The Sony H50 has a movable screen and takes good quality photos, but loses points for having a slightly inferior wide-angle mode.

Finally, the S2000HD doesn't have any killer features that set it apart from any of its three big competitors, apart from the Full HD video mode which is, of course, on its way into cameras from all manufacturers.