[greypoint]

The Fuji S3Pro has recently had a massive price drop which has brought it into the price range of many more DSLR buyers. I don't feel qualified to offer any kind of technical review, especially after a short time of ownership/use, but it may be useful to offer some initial thoughts re handling, features and results. My previous DSLR experience has been with Canon [D30,300D,10D] and Nikon [D70,D0] so I can only compare with budget/mid-range models.

The S3 is based on a Nikon camera body - Fuji do the digital side. So controls are a little quirky compared to other cameras. However, the most used controls are easy to access. There are the usual controls on the top for changing shooting modes/ISO etc. and exposure compensation is easily accessed as in the D50/70 - 2 control rings change aperture/shutter etc.
Other controls are via a menu button and a 4 button control panel on the back of the camera. At first glance it looks ultra complicated but in practice it's really simple to get to grips with. The ergonomics of the camera are very good. Although it's a fair bit bigger than my D50 it feels secure and comfortable to hold partly due to the rubberised grip. The camera is plastic [a metal frame I believe] but feels nice and solid.
So overall, a nice camera to use I've found.

Now, the Nikon D50 is not a fast camera in comparison to to pro models but it feels very nippy compared to the Fuji! Continuous shooting is somewhat pedestrian - fast sports action is not really the S3Pros thing. For bird photography I've found it pretty good - again I'm comparing with the D50 - with the D50 I can rattle off 8 or 9 shots of a swan displaying/drying it's wings - with the S3 it's more like 3 or 4. A more thoughtful and careful approach is required. I don't have any fast focussing lenses but AF seems pretty similar to the D50. Perhaps a bit iffy in low light low contrast areas.
Where the S3Pro scores, of course, is in image quality with it's extra dynamic range helping avoid those blown whites - making it a favourite for wedding photographers [works well for swans too!]. My initial mistake was to expect too much from this - you still need to work on correct exposure.
Having only had a short time with the camera I'm still getting to grips with which are the best settings - Fuji offer various modes including one which replicates Reala slide film for natural looking portraits etc and one for Velvia giving saturated landscapes etc. - lots of opportunities for experimenting so that's what I'm doing.

12mp? Well 6mp interpolated is'nt, I suppose really 12mp, but you do get plenty of detail. Importantly for me, it can produce great JPEG images direct from camera. Writing to card can be slow depending on the media you use, high speed xd speeds things up. It uses both xd and CF - very useful. Viewing images on the lcd is also a bit slow.
So if speed is'nt your be all and end all it's certainly worth a look. A nice camera to use with much more on offer than budget models in the same sort of price range. And of course it uses Nikon lenses.
One thing to remember is to always lock the af area into place before shooting - if you're left eyed like me you'll change it with your nose every time if you don't!

I look forward to working with it during the summer and spending time getting the best out of it as it seems worth the effort.