The Fujifilm FinePix S8400W has been released and boasts a 44x optical zoom with Wi-Fi connectivity

The Fujifilm S8400W is the latest long zoom bridge camera to be added to Fujifilm’s FinePix range. The S8400W’s trump card is its powerful 44x optical zoom lens, which comes equipped with optical image stabilisation and offers an incredibly wide focal length that’s equivalent to 24-1056mm in 35mm terms. The variable aperture of the FUJINON lens ranges between f/2.9-f/6.5, while the lens construction is comprised of 17 elements in 12 groups, with aspherical and ED elements included to reduce aberrations.

At the heart of the Fujifilm FinePix S8400W lies a 16MP, 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor, which delivers an ISO range of 100-12800. The Fujifilm FinePix S8400W also features autofocus speeds of 0.3seconds, a 1 second start-up time and a 0.5 second interval between taking shots.

Set to its continuous shooting mode, the Fujifilm FinePix S8400W can shoot at up to 10fps at full resolution, or alternatively, there’s the option to shoot at 60fps and 120fps, but the image sizes reduce to 1280×960 pixels and 640×480 pixels respectively.

For metering, the Fujifilm FinePix S8400W uses a TTL 256-zone metering system that supports Spot, Multi and Average metering modes. At the rear there’s a 3in,460k-dot screen, while an electronic viewfinder is also provided to aid composition and has a 201k-dot resolution.

High resolution, 1080i movie capture at 60fps with stereo sound is available, as is slow-motion capture at 480fps. Additionally, a number of advanced movie-editing features are available, including movie trimming to cut unwanted footage from movies, and movie join can be used to attach multiple clips together into a single movie.

The Fujifilm FinePix S8400W also supports Wi-Fi connectivity. This allows it to be connected with smart phones and tablets after the FUJIFILM Camera Application has been downloaded from the iTunes store or Google Play. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the app also lets you download movies, expanding the range of options available for enjoying pictures taken with the camera. No wireless LAN access point or complicated ID or password entry is required, and once pictures have been downloaded to the smart phone, it’s a simple task to upload them to social networking sites.

Available for sale from May, the Fujifilm S800W will be sold exclusively at Curry’s stores in the UK. Pricing of the camera is to be confirmed.