Fujifilm S8200 Bridge HELP!

[ColMacLaw]

Hi guys, I have been given a FUJIFILM S8200 Bridge camera for my birthday recently, I am keen to get started but so far have only used the automatic settings, I really want to capture slow shots of running water and amazing light effects at night, but I have no idea where to start...any help would be really appreciated

[Manfred M]

Hi Colin - welcome to CiC.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by amazing light effects at night, but I'm guessing that you are thinking about the light trails you see when cars go by and the like.

Both those and the slow running water require a very long exposure; longer than you will be able to hand-hold a camera; so both types of shots tend to be done with using a tripod, to hold the camera still. Special techniques are often used (remote release, self timer) to ensure that there is no camera motion while the picture is being taken. There is a lot of trial and error that goes into these types of shots. Required exposures will run in quite a few seconds and can get into minutes, depending on the subject matter, I don't know your camera or how talented it is. A decent tripod is not going to be cheap.

The running water has a second complication; even when shooting at the lowest sensitivity setting (a low ISO number); there is frequently still too much light to get a shutter speed that is low enough; so we head off to the camera store and buy a neutral density (ND) filter that is really acts like a set of sunglasses in front of the len and reduces the amount of light that hits the sensor and thereby requiring a slower shutter speed. Typically a 5-stop to 10-stop ND filter is usedl but your camera needs to be able to take these filters; so check in your manual to see what size are required. The demand for these filters is not all that large, so they are not that common (you won't find them at Walmart and they are probably a special order item at camera stores) and are rather pricey.

[The Blue Boy]

Hi Colin, welcome to the forums mate.

When I moved into digital I started off with a Fujifilm bridge but got frustrated very quickly as the manual modes on my particular model were virtually useless. Having said that, it was quite a few years ago and technology has moved on,

I think these sort of cameras specifically focus (no pun intended) on the zoom aspect of the lens, and this restricts the user's control of the aperture.

I'd suggest going into Shutter Priority mode (or it's equivalent) and select some slower shutter speeds to achieve longer exposures for what you've stated above.

Let us know how you get on, but I'd also suggest reading most of the tutorials on this site to give you a better understanding of the basics of digital. I found a few things a bit of a bugger,

[ColMacLaw]

Thanks guys, I will have a look for some filters when I next get out, maybe I will take it easy and slowly with the effects side of things and focus on just getting the lighting right.

[The Blue Boy]

Colin,

The filters Manfred refers to are most often used on DSLR's because the user has control over shutter speeds to an extent the camera will over expose otherwise. First you need to see what sort of control over the camera you actually have first.

[ColMacLaw]

Thanks Mark, I'll keep practicing for a while longer

[Manfred M]

Mark - I had a quick look at the camera specs before replying. It looks like it can be used on manual and ISO can be selected. I can't find any info on filter thread size though. Bridge cameras have come a bit further since the last time I last bought one (that would have been around 2006).

[The Blue Boy]

Manfred - Yeah, great minds think alike, I have to admit this got me curious as these cameras are very popular. As I mentioned above, the main selling point for these cameras is mainly on the zoom capabilities. These really are great bits of kit although you're stuck with what really are mainly the manufacturers settings and manual is very restricted. I found some specs;

Megapixels 16.2
Sensor type CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3 inch
Resolution 4608 x 3456
Optical zoom (x) 40.0
Focal length (tele) 960
Focal length (wide) 24
Max aperture (tele) 6.5
Max aperture (wide) 2.9
Minimum focus distance 1 cm
Shutter speed max 1/1700 sec
Shutter speed min 8 sec
ISO min 64
ISO max 12800
Exposure Control ? 2.0EV, 1/3EV step
Exposure modes 14 Scene Modes
Viewfinder type TFT LCD
Screen size (inches) 3.0
Screen resolution (pixels) 460000
Flash metering Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro., Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.
Movie mode 1080i
Card format SD / SDHC / SDXC (UHS-I) memory card
File formats JPEG, MPO, MOV
Connectivity USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, HDMI mini connector
Colour Black
Size 123 x 87 x 116 mm
Weight (g) 670

You'll notice the min and max Aperture and Shutter speeds.

Colin - Have a quick look here to see how to share and show your images here. Don't worry as we've all had a few problems doing this. The site has it's "quirks",

[Manfred M]

Mark - my real complaint on the bridge cameras is the Marketing Departments pushing the long end of the focal length. I dare anyone to hand hold an f/6.5 960mm lens and come anywhere close to getting an acceptable image (in fact, actually getting the subject in the frame is going to take a bit of a miracle). DoF if going to be paper thin and very unforgiving.

Had they gone the other way and improved the wide angle performance down to 16 or 18mm, now that would be useful (although frankly 24mm is not bad; way better than they used to make them). ISO 12800 on a 1/2.3" sensor; that is either going to be super noisy or super heavy duty pixel smearing (oops - I mean noise reduction).

The specs don't look too bad on paper; but I wonder about real world performance.

[inkista]

I can't find any info on filter thread size though...

Did a quick google and hit an eBay listing for a filter kit for the S8200, and essentially it's a threaded ring with sticky-tape backing you glue to the front of the lens to get a 58mm filter thread. So... don't think there's any built-in filter capability.

[ColMacLaw]

Ok, while I'm getting used to this place I have just put up the links to my albums
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...p?albumid=3120
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...p?albumid=3119
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...p?albumid=3118
https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...p?albumid=3117

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Colin,

You really need to ask for critique on one or two images and post them actually in the thread, so we don't have to view in a different browser window.

Here's some guidance (well worth a read):
How to Get Effective Feedback for your Posted Images

I started serious digital with a Fuji S6500 bridge camera for a couple of years, before I eventually 'splashed the cash' on a DSLR, I learnt a lot (mainly here).

Welcome to the CiC forums from ....