The S8000fd is the latest 'hybrid' camera in Fujifilm's range, replacing the S7000.

That camera is ancient in digital photography terms, having been released all of four years ago.

This one offers a resolution of eight megapixels and a remarkable 18x zoom lens. It's smaller than some of its hybrid predecessors, and isn't much larger than a normal large compact camera. It's significantly smaller and lighter than almost all of the digital SLRs we've looked at.

The camera is designed for people who've outgrown their compact cameras but who aren't ready or aren't able to move up to the expense and the bulk of an SLR.

While SLRs rely on focusing through the viewfinder, the S8000fd doesn’t have a true optical viewfinder - it has a viewfinder-style window on the camera's rear, but all this does is duplicate what's on the screen - that said, it's a welcome addition if you're using the camera in bright sunlight, for instance.

There are plenty of modes, including full automatic and manual, as well as an anti-shake mode and face detection (the fd of the name). Most of the modes are hidden away slightly, though - there are two positions marked SP1 and SP2 on the mode wheel that each can be programmed for one of the several included shooting modes such as 'beach' or 'night'.

It's handy if you're constantly switching between a couple of modes. There are a couple of gems in there too - a text mode if you're using the camera in lieu of a scanner, and an auction mode that takes four small shots for use on eBay. The pop-up flash is powerful enough for rooms in an average home.

Image quality is generally very good, with excellent colour balance and impressive sharpness in most cases. The long zoom can be handy, but the fact that it zooms in so far does mean it can be hard to hold the camera steady enough when the lens is fully extended, even with the image stabilisation provided. We noticed a fair amount of noise at high ISO settings, but generally the S8000fd's results were pristine.

One annoyance is that it uses a non-standard USB cable, so you're in trouble if you lose it. Otherwise the camera's design follow the excellent lines of its predecessor, with a large grip in the right place, well positioned buttons and easy to follow menus. Usefully, the camera accepts SD memory cards in addition to Fujifilm's own xD cards, although one isn't supplied.

As with all cameras, the S8000fd can be found much cheaper in the shops and online than its RRP - in this case, we found it available at enormous discounts of nearly 50 per cent, which increases its attractiveness.

Vista compatible: Yes