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Initial thoughts on the Fuji S3Pro

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Old 26-04-06, 21:54
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Default Initial thoughts on the Fuji S3Pro

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.
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Old 26-04-06, 22:29
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Just been checking out the price of this camera.

On Ebay £728 with 10 bidders 15 hours to go.

Warehouse Express £649

It's a Mad Mad world.

Harry
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Old 26-04-06, 22:49
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Greypoint, thankyoufor that very useful post. We can look up pixels and modes and buttons in reviews and webpages amost anywhere, but it is often difficult to get a feel what a camera is actually like to own and use. You have filled that gap nicely for me.

I remember considering Fuji back when I bought my first 20D, partly because I have always liked their P&S models, aside from their ridiculous fixation on non-standard XD storage, but the S3 Pro was way too dear then. From your post I can see that I'd rather stick to my 20D for bird photography (speed is very important to me for that) but it made me wonder if an S3 Pro wouldn't be better than my current 2nd body (also a 20D) in the landscape and macro role. (It seems to be landscape work that always makes me wish for higher dynamic range; rarely other things.)

In reality, compatibility with my Canon-mount lenses makes the idea impractical for me. But I'd happened to start with a D70 instead of a 20D (as I very easily could have done) and had Nikon mount lenses, I'd be thinking hard right now ..... Sort of like wondering what would have happened if you'd married the other girl, isn't it.
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Old 27-04-06, 05:46
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Tannin - it's always a shame that somewhere way back camera manufacturers did'nt come up with a standard lens fitting - would'nt it have made life so much easier for camera buyers! The S3Pro is slow compared to other cameras. One review seemed to suggest it was due to the huge amount of data it had to transfer. Using RAW it really does become a landscape/portrait camera I would imagine - for things that don't move! Using JPEG in the top setting - 12mp fine - it's not too bad even with a normal CF card - but you would'nt buy one for speed. On the other hand you can keep on shooting for quite a while as the camera writes to card - I have'nt actually missed a shot. As much of my bird photography is capturing shots of our swan population speed is'nt always the essence and when I get the hang of the camera I think the extra dynamic range will be a boon. As my other photographic subject is dogs I think the S3 should be perfect for getting tone and detail. Trouble is I feel I want to keep my D50 as it's just so good and will fill the gaps the S3 leaves where speed is important [and it's so small in comparison].
Wolfie - the real annoyance is jumping in too quickly - last week it was 699.00!! However, if it is a clearout of the S3 before either a new model or, as some suspect Fuji deciding to concentrate on the non DSLR side, I would assume the second hand value will stabilise after a while as it will remain a fairly desirable camera for a number of people.

One other point - batteries. It uses 4 AA batteries- using the 2300 rechargeables it comes with or the Energiser 2500 I added, battery life is excellent. I managed around 400 shots with more than usual lcd viewing, on a mornings shooting plus a fair few more pictures at home later, and the light still showed full.
Not the 1200 plus i've had from the D50 but very good, I believe some people have managed around 800 where flash is'nt used.
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Last edited by greypoint; 27-04-06 at 08:01.
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Old 06-05-06, 06:15
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Follow up report after a couple of weeks. Still pleased with how the camera performs - less pleased that it seems to have developed a fault whereby it is draining batteries when left switched off. Looks like it will have to go back!
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