Fujifilm FinePix S7000

A very quick advanced camera. The 1/10000th of a second shutter speed makes the S7000 very attractive for certain purposes and it is only really let down by a reasonably hefty price tag and poor wide angled shooting.

The S7000 Zoom was announced by Fujifilm at the end of July this year and marks the fifth generation of Fujifilm's top-end prosumer digital camera. The camera looks almost identical to the S602 Pro Zoom which was announced in November 2002 (it was a subtle update of the S602 Zoom). The only physical differences between the two is the addition of the new FinePix 'Photo mode' button on the rear of the camera, the removal of the Pro's PC Sync terminal, a gold SuperCCD logo and a change of the silk screen on the side of the lens barrel, the S602 Pro Zoom said '6x Optical Zoom', the S7000 says '19x, 6x Optical, 3.2x Digital' (a slide back to marketing tactics of the late 90's).

On test, the S7000 produced sharp images with accurate colours and well-balanced exposures in adequately-lit situations. Low light shots were clean and almost noise-free, and white balance performance was above average for both auto and manual settings. It took roughly four seconds to start up and shut down and capture lag averaged 1.0 seconds. The pop-up flash was powerful enough to illuminate an average room.

PC Magazine is your complete guide to computers, phones, tablets, peripherals and more. We test and review the latest gadgets, products and services, report technology news and trends, and provide shopping advice and price comparisons.

Expert reviews of all the latest cameras, lenses, smartphones and accessories, since 2003.