A 50x zoom for whatever weather you’re in

Fujifilm has spent the past couple years filling its FinePix lineup with rugged compacts and megazoom bridge cameras because those are what still sells. With the Fujifilm FinePix S1, it combines those camera types into the world’s first weather-resistant megazoom.

Like 2013’s FinePix SL1000, the S1 features a 50x zoom lens going from 24mm to 1200mm (35mm equivalent), but with an improved f2.8-5.6 aperture range instead of f2.9-6.5. There’s a 1/2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor behind the lens and a vari-angle 3-inch LCD and 0.2-inch electronic viewfinder for framing your shots (both with resolutions of 920K dots). And it’s weather-sealed.

Fujifilm says it has seals on approximately 70 areas on the body. Don’t expect to go diving with it, but it will handle standing in the rain and snow, as well as dusty environments, without a problem. I wouldn’t go jamming this into a sand dune or anything, but considering there is no other 50x camera out there that can handle that, some protection is better than nothing.

To go with all those seals, the body has a pleasing slightly rubberized feel and a large right-hand grip, so even if your hands are a little wet or cold it doesn’t feel slippery. It also gives it a higher-end look and feel compared with plasticky megazooms like Nikon’s P600.

As you might imagine given the camera’s telephoto reach and weather-resistant build, the S1 isn’t particularly small or light. It’s about the size of an entry-level dSLR with a kit lens attached. It’s not overflowing with direct controls like a dSLR might be, though it does have just enough to do away with some menu diving every time you want to change a setting.

Next to the high-res flip-out LCD and electronic viewfinder is a typical digital camera control pad with a programmable Function button. Just above the thumb rest is a command dial that can be used for changing shutter speed and aperture as well as manually focusing the lens, among other things. On top is the shooting mode dial, with exposure compensation and burst shot buttons.

The left side of the lens has a secondary zoom control that can be set to high or low speed. There is also a zoom-out button so you can quickly find your subject if it travels out of frame. There’s a button to release the pop-up flash, too. A hot shoe is on top should you want to add one of Fujifilm’s three external flash units available for the S1. You can also purchase a lens adapter for attaching 72mm lens filters.

The camera overall handles really well thanks in part to its responsive zoom lens and fast autofocus system. Actually, the S1 on the whole has fast performance. From off to first shot takes only 1.3 seconds and the lag between shots is 0.6 second. Turning on the flash bumps that time up to 1.3 seconds.

Shutter lag — the time from pressing the shutter release to capture without prefocusing — is 0.12 second in bright lighting conditions and just 0.3 second in low light. That’s with the lens at the 24mm position, though. Depending on your lighting, you may experience a little more autofocus lag when zoomed in.

The S1 can burst shoot up to nine photos at 10 frames per second at full resolution. Focus and exposure are set with the first shot, so depending on what you’re shooting all of your pictures might not be in focus.

Now, for its quick performance and dSLR-like body, not to mention its $499.99 price (£399.99 in the UK), you might be expecting great photos, and that’s perfectly fair. However, this is still a small-sensor compact camera and while the pictures are certainly very good, they might very well disappoint some users.