FujiFilm F800EXR vs Nikon Z7: An Expert’s Deep Dive Into Two Worlds of Photography

In an era where camera technology spans from pocket superzooms to full-frame powerhouse mirrorless systems, comparing something like the FujiFilm FinePix F800EXR to the Nikon Z7 might feel like pairing a bicycle with a sports car. But hold on - underneath that initial impulse lies a fascinating study in what different cameras deliver to vastly different photographers. I’ve put both through their paces, in the studio and in the wild, to offer you a practical, no-nonsense comparison that clarifies exactly how each will serve your creative journey - and that’s what truly matters.

Strap in as we explore ergonomics, image quality, autofocus wizardry, video chops, and much more - accompanied with real-world observations that you won’t get from glossy marketing brochures.

Size, Handling, and Design: Pocketable Versus Professional Gravitas

Let's kick things off by talking about what you hold in your hands, because size and ergonomics shape your shooting experience far more than you'd imagine.

The FujiFilm F800EXR is a compact superzoom, weighing in at a mere 232 grams and measuring 105x63x36mm. This camera is crafted for the traveler who values lightness and convenience above all else. It slips easily into a jacket pocket or daypack - ready to ambush a spontaneous shot. The body is plastic, yet the build is solid enough for everyday casual use, though don’t expect it to shrug off rain or dust.

In stark contrast, the Nikon Z7 weighs almost three times as much (675 grams) and looks every bit the sturdy professional tool with a 134x101x68mm body. Its robust SLR-style mirrorless frame integrates magnesium alloy construction and weather sealing - designed to endure challenging outdoor situations. You notice the heft as soon as you pick it up, but it’s a welcomed weight for balance when paired with large lenses.

Beyond weight and size, handling philosophies diverge: The Z7 features generous grip geometry, a tilting touchscreen, and a well-laid-out interface designed for rapid command adjustments. The F800EXR offers a simple control set and a fixed 3-inch TFT display with moderate resolution. Ergonomically, the Nikon wins hands down for extended shooting scenarios or when you crave fine manual control, whereas the Fuji remains appealing for grab-and-go convenience.

The top control layout on the Z7, with dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation, underscores its pro pedigree - perfect for users craving tactile control without diving into menus. The Fuji goes minimalist here, outfitted with a few buttons and a mode dial, perfectly serviceable but not designed for rapid-fire adjustments mid-shoot.

Sensors and Image Quality: The Heartbeat of Your Photos

Here comes the part where your wallet starts to tingle.

At the core, the Nikon Z7 packs an imposing 45.7-megapixel full-frame BSI-CMOS sensor. Measuring 35.9x23.9mm and paired with no anti-aliasing filter, it offers buttery-sharp images with rich, precise detail. FujiFilm’s F800EXR sits on the other end of the spectrum with a much smaller 1/2-inch EXR CMOS sensor (6.4x4.8mm), delivering 16 megapixels and featuring a built-in anti-alias filter in a superzoom compact package.

What does this mean practically? The Nikon’s sensor offers stunning image detail, excellent dynamic range (DxOMark scores of 14.6 EV), and impressive low-light capabilities with native ISO up to 25600 and expanded up to 102400. By comparison, the Fuji’s smaller sensor punches well above its weight but can’t match the Nikon outside good light, with an ISO ceiling of 3200 native (boosted to 12800) and modest dynamic range.

Color depth is another key metric - Nikon's 26.3-bit color depth renders smoother, more lifelike gradations and skin tones, while Fuji’s 19.5-bit level is respectable but less nuanced, especially for critical portrait or product work.

In the field, I found the F800EXR's sensor excelled in bright outdoor conditions, producing pleasing JPEGs straight out of the camera. Low-light shots, however, showed typical compact camera noise and detail loss. The Z7, in contrast, handles shadow recovery and highlight preservation with aplomb, making it a go-to for demanding landscape and professional applications.

The Vital Organ: Autofocus Performance and Reliability

Nothing kills the joy of photography like missed focus, and autofocus systems are where these two cameras reveal their true DNA.

The FujiFIlm F800EXR uses contrast-detection AF with face detection capabilities and center-weighted focusing. While decent for casual snapshots shifting from landscape to portraits, it can struggle in fast-moving situations or low contrast environments.

The Nikon Z7, by contrast, is equipped with a hybrid AF system boasting 493 autofocus points - featuring phase-detection pixels across nearly the entire sensor. This offers impressive speeds and tracking accuracy - fully supported by eye and even animal eye-detection AF in continuous tracking modes. The Z7’s aptitude for locking focus on moving subjects in sports or wildlife scenarios is notably superior.

Testing burst rates also confirms this: Fuji’s 11 frames per second continuous shooting is respectable but paired with a modest buffer depth that limits sustained bursts. Nikon’s 9 fps is solid for a full-frame mirrorless camera and benefits from deep buffer and fast processor tuning.

In practical terms, I found the Z7’s AF system reliable and swift for shooting basketball games or birdwatching sessions. The Fuji was more at home capturing slower subjects during travel or family events.

Bright Screens and Crystal-Clear Views: LCDs and EVFs

How you frame and review your images can make or break your workflow.

The Fuji’s fixed 3-inch LCD sports a resolution of 460,000 dots - a modest screen that’s serviceable outdoors but loses some legibility under bright sun. No touchscreen functionality limits quick menu navigation. There’s no electronic viewfinder at all, meaning you shoot from the hip or rely on the LCD, which can be awkward in bright conditions.

Contrast this to the Nikon Z7’s plentiful 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with over 2.1 million dots. This screen is sharp, bright, and highly responsive to touch commands, zooms, and menu navigation. The Z7 also offers a gorgeous electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a staggering 3.69 million dot resolution, 100% coverage, and 0.8x magnification - making precise composition and manual focus critically easier, especially in challenging lighting.

Notably, the EVF also provides real-time histograms, focus peaking, and customizable overlays - features missing from the compact Fuji that aid professional-assured shooting and image validation.

Sample Images That Tell the Story

Let’s not rely purely on specs. Here are side-by-side sample images unleashed from both cameras in various lighting and subject conditions.

Fujifilm F800EXR front Fujifilm F800EXR screen back Nikon Z7 front Nikon Z7 screen back

You can clearly see how the Nikon Z7 captures dramatically finer detail and richer color transitions. In landscape frames, there’s better dynamic range shown by shadow retention in dense foliage and highlight control in bright skies. Portrait shots from the Z7 render skin tones smoothly with almost painterly bokeh when using fast Z-mount lenses.

Fuji’s F800EXR does well for a compact fixed-lens camera - especially impressive in macro shots and handheld daylight snaps - though the smaller sensor and lens aperture limits background separation and sharpness at telephoto lengths.

Strengths in Every Discipline: Who Shines Where?

Cameras serve different masters; let’s summarize how Fuji F800EXR and Nikon Z7 stack up across photography types.

Portraits

• Fuji: Face detection helps; skin tones are nice but limited by sensor size and lens max aperture (f/3.5-f/5.3), so bokeh is subdued.
• Nikon: Excels with superior resolution, eye AF, and fast optics - ideal for professional studio and environmental portraits.

Landscapes

• Fuji: Decent dynamic range, handy zoom flexibility, but sensor fine detail is limited.
• Nikon: Outstanding resolution and dynamic range, plus weather sealing - perfect for serious nature shooters.

Wildlife

• Fuji: Superzoom lens is a wearer-friendly 25-500mm range, but slow AF and fixed aperture limit action shots.
• Nikon: Fast, accurate AF tracking at longer telephoto lengths (with native Z lenses or adapted Nikon F lenses) beats any compact easily.

Sports

• Fuji: Burst mode helps snap some moments but AF speed is the bottleneck.
• Nikon: High reliability in challenging tracking scenarios, plus sustained high frame rates.

Street Photography

• Fuji: Lightweight and discreet, making candid shots less conspicuous.
• Nikon: Larger and more visible, but silent shutter modes help; better image quality at high ISO.

Macro Photography

• Fuji: 5cm macro focus range with stabilization yields respectable close-ups for casual use.
• Nikon: Superior focusing precision and ability to use dedicated macro lenses makes it the top choice.

Night/Astro

• Fuji: Modest high ISO performance and limited long exposure support restrict astrophotography.
• Nikon: Exceptional ISO capability and custom timelapse recording enables more creative low-light work.

Video

• Fuji: Full HD at 30p with H.264, but lacks microphone/headphone ports; acceptable for casual use.
• Nikon: 4K UHD at 30p, with mic and headphone jacks, plus 5-axis in-body stabilization - far superior for serious video projects.

Travel Photography

• Fuji: Highly portable, versatile zoom, easy battery charging - ideal for casual travel photography.
• Nikon: Larger but maintains respectable battery life and superb image quality; better for travel pros or photojournalists.

Professional Work

• Fuji: Limited due to sensor size and file quality.
• Nikon: Exceptionally suitable - robust reliability, 14-bit RAW, wide lens availability, and smooth workflow integration.

Technical Deep Dive: What Powers These Cameras?

Both cameras offer image stabilization, but the approaches contrast markedly - the Fuji implements sensor-shift to counteract handshake, a boon in telephoto shots at 500mm equivalent. The Nikon Z7 boasts a 5-axis sensor-based stabilization system that pairs well with stabilized lenses to yield steady shots even under challenging handheld conditions.

Battery life is roughly comparable, with the Fuji offering about 300 shots per charge via an NP-50A pack, while the Nikon touts slightly better endurance at around 330 shots - impressive for a full-frame mirrorless OL. Note that the Z7 employs XQD cards, known for speed and robustness, while the Fuji relies on widely used SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, catering to casual shooters.

Connectivity-wise, both have built-in wireless features, but only the Nikon adds Bluetooth for quick pairing and remote control. HDMI outputs are available on both, yet microphone and headphone jacks on the Z7 underscore its video-capable ambitions, which the Fuji lacks altogether.

The Z7’s Expeed 6 processor facilitates faster operation, superior autofocus, and richer video encoding, while Fuji’s EXR processor is optimized for quick JPEG processing and balanced power consumption.

Verdict: Who Should Buy Which?

This brings us to a question I get all the time: Should you splurge on the Nikon Z7 or settle for a superzoom compact like the Fuji F800EXR?

• If you are a casual photographer, beginner, or traveler prioritizing portability and simple operation with a friendly price tag (~$330), the FujiFilm F800EXR is a no-brainer. It’s perfect for snapshots, travel diaries, and situations where carrying a large camera isn’t feasible. You get respectable image quality and zoom range all in one pocket-sized unit.

• If you are a professional, enthusiast, or enthusiast willing to invest (~$2,800 body only) in a serious imaging tool that delivers phenomenal image quality, advanced autofocus, and highly versatile shooting options, the Nikon Z7 delivers unparalleled performance. It’s a camera that will grow with your skills and meet the demands of portrait, landscape, wildlife, sports, and professional workflows.

Remember, camera choice isn’t just an investment in hardware but in creative freedom. The Z7 opens doors to world-class lenses and sophisticated features, while the Fuji invites quick, casual shooting on the go.

Final Thoughts: The Right Tool for the Right Job

The FujiFilm FinePix F800EXR and Nikon Z7 occupy polar ends of the photographic spectrum - a tale of two cameras that confirms you truly do get what you pay for, but more importantly, what you intend to capture.

Much of my hands-on testing reinforced that sensor size, lens quality, and autofocus sophistication remain the primary drivers of photographic excellence. However, user experience, ergonomics, and system integration (like lens ecosystems and software workflows) play equally vital roles, often overlooked in spec sheets.

Ultimately, my advice is to focus on what genres and environments you shoot most, what handling style you prefer, and what future ambitions you harbor with your photography.

Happy shooting - wherever your camera carries you!