Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro reviewed
posted August 8th 2005 2:32PM
Digitalcamerainfo.com had a look at the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro, the 12.3 megapixel DSLR touted for an extended dynamic range that aims to rival the tonal range of 35mm film. They found the unit does indeed impress in its 9-stop expanded dynamic range, beautiful color and excellent noise control — yet that range is accompanied by some serious drawbacks, including "glacially slow" shooting and writing speeds and mediocre autofocus which is particularly weak in low lighting situations. Following a half second startup delay, the S3 will do no better than one frame per second, so at $2500 professional photographers will have to decide if the expanded tonal range is worth the cost and the speed limitations. It may be an ideal choice for wedding and portrait photographers who need the guaranteed rich color even in uncontrollable lighting situations, but for those who don't need the expanded range, you may be better off looking at the Nikon D70s, the Canon EOS 20D, or the Nikon D2X.
Its UGLY and I dont trust the brand name.
"Its UGLY and I dont trust the brand name."
Yeah, because it's not like Fuji knows anything about photography.
This is good information to know. Thanks. I think I'll steer towards the D2x.
why would you care how the camera looked like? That camera is a mighty fine deal however i would suggest to most people to wait a little bit before purchasing this camera (usually I don't like buying things right as they come out just incase of fatal glitches and stuff)
I have a D70s now, and I was debating getting a D2x, or simply waiting for the D200 (BTW where are your D200 rumors?), but the dynamic range of this camera may make me go check this out. At $2500, it may not be a bad buy. Shooting landscapes I'm not to concerned about slow focusing, but very concerned about blowing highlights and tonal range.
this is to good, so good that not many users will buy this. think so.
http://errortest.blogspot.com/2005/07/blackhole-digital-photography-on-web.html
http://errortest.blogspot.com/2005/07/big-impact-ladies-beware_20.html
Any word on storage on this bad boy??
I'll take one for review (on your bill) if any of you haters want a reason to not stomp on the fire before it is lit.
Any word on storage on this bad boy??
I'll take one for review (on your bill) if any of you haters want a reason to not stomp on the fire before it is lit.
dpreview has had a review up since march. it only gets an above average rating, but its another review to compare.
"Any word on storage on this bad boy??"
There's no doubt it's CF. This is a real camera.
I want to add to my earlier sarcastic comment the fact that Fuji has been making cameras since 1948, including SLR's. They're also one of the two major makers of film in the world. So I don't see how anyone could not "trust" this brand name.
This does strike me as a good deal for landscape photography.
Skip DSLR's if you want to shoot landscapes. I'm not saying you can't do it, but seriously consider stepping up to some medium format gear.
:)
Having owned a Finepix S2, I can say fuji makes cameras that have fantastic colour performance. Unfortunately, the rest of their camera really isn't up to snuff. I just went and bought a D2X as an upgrade, rather than upgrade to the much cheaper S3.
My old man is a wedding photographer and I can vouch for how painfully slow this camera is, inface once or twice during weddings the buffer has been overrun and pictures lost as a result. So maybe not so good for weddings either.
#13, i'm guessing he trashed the camera promptly afterwards, right?
For #1, who said this camera is ugly, this is what professional cameras look like. I hate Fuji, but dissing the camera because it's not razor thin and covered in shiny brushed metal is naive.
I don't buy Fuji anymore. Being burned and scorned once was enough for me !
See http://donon.blogspot.com/2005/04/fuji-sucks.html