Description: The FinePix S5 Pro is an important step in continuing with the company's goals for achieving professional DSLR image quality consistent with Fujifilm's professional film heritage. The increased dynamic range from the Super CCD SR Pro double pixel technology (6.17 million S-pixels and 6.17 million R-pixels) became popular in the FinePix S3 Pro with portrait and wedding photographers. The new FinePix S5 Pro continues these advancements by coupling the proven Super CCD SR Pro with the companies new RP (Real Photo) Processor Pro for even more outstanding film-like results. The two technologies will be married together in a fully digital and durable metal alloy body frame.
Summary: Before using this S5 I was a little but worried of changing from my Nikon D80 to this rather unusual brand in DSLR. I know Fuji is an expert at films and analog cameras but to have something in this range from Fuji is a new experience for me.
But after somebody offered me to buy his used S5 and let me have a test with it, I immediately sold my D80 to that guy and add some more money for his S5 ^^.
Compared to the S5, my old D80 is a crap, the high ISO noise quality loses, and the skin tone, CF card compatibility, Non-CPU lens metering, and almost anything, basically. My fellow photographer friends were all confused when I decided to change to a brand that is unknown in their minds, but immediately dropped their jaws after I showed them the quality of the high ISO images, even at ISO 2000 ! The compatibility with Nikon's accessories, including the MB-D200 battery grip and Nikon's CLS Speedlite system justified the S5's quality. I am a wedding photographer as well and the colors and quality always pleases my customers. The skin tones are marvellous and the high DR is really useful. This S5 really suits me as a people photographer.
I wouldn't recommend it for sports though, because of it's slow AF and it'll get worse if you use RAW files as you can drink your coffee in the cafe while waiting for the CF card to write your continuous RAW images.
Strengths: * Absolutely BEAUTIFUL skin tones
* Nikon D200 body (built like a tank + it's Weathersealed !)
* Compatibilty with Nikon lenses + accessories
* Film simulation modes for Provia/Velvia-like colors
* Great high ISO image quality (JPG)
* Non-CPU lenses metering, just like the D200
* Up to 400% of extended Dynamic Range
* A bargain if you are looking for image quality
* Suits people and wedding photographers really well
Weaknesses: * Saturations other than people's skins are not that fancy (but can be corrected)
* Slower AF than Nikon D200
* Uses Fuji battery (not compatible with D200s)
* Effectively a 6mp camera, 12mp gives you soft pictures
* Playback mode is more difficult than in Nikon.
* Slow continuous shooting (3 fps JPG) / (1.5 fps RAW)
* Very slow buffering when using RAW !
* Too pricey if you are looking for an all-rounder and big megapixel camera
* Not too good Fuji Hyper Utiility software, and it's optional
Summary: I took delivery of a Fuji S5 Pro this July 07 to replace my aging S2pro,
I have been happy with Fuji service and image quality; so the additional dynamic range , low noise and much tougher body; put the S5 at the top of my shopping list.
Build quality
The first thing I noticed about the S5 was the build quality and weight which makes previous Fuji SLRs look like plastic toys by comparison. The quality feel is identical to the D200 which is closer to the D2X which is over twice the price. I like the LCD display and the Viewfinder is excellent . Again it feels more like a D2X with the large finder with matrix metering .
Handling
For a camera designed for Portrait photographers; the lack of the grip and 2nd shutter release as on the S3 is a retrograde step which make the camera even more expensive . The MB200 grip bought separately works well and the additional battery meters are an excellent feature.
Another thing which I had overlooked was the lack of screw in cable release; the Nikon lead being another unexpected expense.
Menu
The menu system took a while to get used to. It’s not very user friendly but I can live with it. If you are changing a function like density range frequently; this setting stays in the menu so when you switch on you can get to it immediately . Changing the self timer settings is annoyingly cumbersome.
Speed
It’s not a fast action camera. In practice the S5 is fast enough for my purposes in JPEG; I am not a speed demon and rarely need even 3 FPS . I can see the speed will upset a few people; but if you are taking serious sport; you wouldn’t buy an S5 anyway.
The blank LCD while writing the 25mb RAW files is a little frustrating especially if I am wanting to change any settings . I really didn’t expect that as I thought it would only affect preview . Using a faster CF card reduces the problem .
Flash
Images using the built in flash looked good with no exposure problems or burnout. This is a massive improvement then the old S2/S3 flash. I have not used an external flash as I have some questions over the compatibility of my old METZ 45
Metering and Focusing
Using Matrix system gives excellent result under most conditions. The new multi point focusing system is excellent with the selection of focus areas similar to ‘Nikons Flagship D2Xs . I have found the AF system to be a little slower that I would expect using AFS lenses.
About Face or Bust
I tried out Face Recognition in review mode; but when I took a photo of a female friend to demonstrate the wonder of technology; the enlargement zoomed to her bust and not her face!! I will have to read the instruction book more fully on that! It does work most of the time though.
First impressions on my first images.
I have to say I was not too impressed with my first images. I could see little difference from the images I’d taken on my S2which I have owned for 4 ½ years. This is more a reflection of the excellent quality the S2 delivers rather than any criticism of the S5.
Once I started to take photos in more difficult lighting conditions and using the extended density range, the results were remarkable; especially at High ISO settings 800 and above. Even at 1600 the DR prevented most burnout; the lack of image noise is quite remarkable.
I had a long session in intense bright sun, taking photos; of buildings and a number of shots in a dark market with sun filtering through lights in the roof. These are conditions which would leave lesser cameras struggling for headroom. The results with the S5 using JPEG are simply stunning . Highlight detail is very well controlled; with little or no loss of detail even in extreme conditions. Mixed indoor and outdoor lighting i.. e through windows had detail which would otherwise be lost in lesser cameras.
One does need to be very careful with the DR setting as if you use hi DR in low contrast lighting conditions the sensor gives flat looking images. A little adjustment to curves can easily correct this.
Camera a Software problem?
The Adobe Camera raw plug in for Photoshop CS2 doesn’t work properly . Adobe say it is for CS3 It reads S5 files; but the DR RAW s disappointing being less good than the JPEG files.
Conclusion
The Camera does deliver what Fuji claims. It has remarkable low light performance, a film like result which suits my personal style and exceptional exposure range.
It’s not the fastest camera in the world; but that is a minor detraction as the Image quality more than makes up for it.
Looking at the great JPEG result under hi contrast lighting; there seems little point in shooting RAW.
Strengths: • Excellent build quality
• Exceptional low light High ISO performance
• Great metering system
• Large bright and informative viewfinder
• Outstanding dynamic range
• Fabulous Fuji Colours
• JPEG images are remarkable
• Fast start up time
Weaknesses: • Not the Fastest Pro SLR
• LCd blacks out when writing to buffer
• Could do with finer resolution
• Needs extra battery grip and remote cord
• Raw File conversion a problem
• Large RAW file sizes
• Complicated menu system
Similar Products Used: Fuji S2 Pro
Fuji S7000
Customer Service: None yet but Fuji Service for previos product very good
Summary: The Fuji S5 Pro is truly a beautiful camera. Though it has the body of the Nikon D-200 (also an excellent camera, of which I have also), it appears to have a much sturdier feel. With the MD-200 power grip, it makes it even more meatier (love it). The photos I took with it, on a beach with a couple, came out, fantastic! I used a Nikon 70-200 VR Zoom lens with it, and let me tell you, I was truly impressed. I look forward to using it for a couple of weddings I have coming up. Also, the film simulation settings appear to do just what the instructions say. I like that. The dynamic range is really good. I was going to purchase the Nikon D2x, but for what this camera can do, I think saving that extra $2000 is worth it. That's all I have to say for now. Peace all.
Strengths: Uses Nikon lens and other accessories. The body is well sealed and very sturdy. The different film settings you can apply and the dynamic range is excellent. The whites aren't blown out as some of the older cameras used to do.
Weaknesses: Too slow. But it's not the type of camera you'd use for sports or anyother high speed activity your photographing. Purely for the portrait or wedding photographer, where you don't have to shoot too quick. However, it can give you up to 3 frames per second.
Similar Products Used: Nikon D-200, D-100, D-70 and the D-80. I've also used the old Nikon F2, FM2, FE2 and N90s.
Summary: ahem... if nikon is reading this - THIS IS WHAT A NIKON CAMERA SHOULD BE! =P
sold my d50, and d200 just to fund this camera when it was launched in my country. i guess i won't go back to a pure-nikon DSLR any time soon unless some serious improvements are made to the image-quality from their sony-manufactured CCD. wake up nikon - it's not the amount of MP, but the quality of MP.
i've used the s2pro and s3pro before. while these 2 cameras were excellent, their quirkiness and the use of AA batteries (and CR123 in s2pro) quickly convinced me to drop them after a few months. the s5pro solved all these battery problems... and some!
however, this camera is not meant for general shooters. if you are into portraits and landscapes, this camera will leave you gasping for air when you see the excellent colours from the various film simulation modes. for fast-action photography (for example), it will also leave you gasping for air because the AF speed is a tad slower than the actual d200. that said, i've used this for event photography (i'm a Red Cross volunteer photographer) without much problems. once i've gotten the hang of the s5pro, compensating for the slightly slower AF is not a problem.
if you are willing to work with the slight quirks of fuji's DSLRs, the s5pro will reward you with excellent pictures.
Strengths: the extra Dynamic Range works - regardless in JPG or RAW formats. this is a lifesaver in tricky lightings.
colours - enough said abt fujifilm's Super-CCD by many other professional reviewers.
essentially a nikon d200 body - much tougher than the previous s2 and s3 polycarbonate bodies.
updated with iTTL and CLS-capable.
all accessories related to d200 (except batteries, see below) works with s5pro.
much faster CF card writing speeds than s2 or s3. highly recommend the use of sandisk extreme cards.
never need to shoot RAW again! the jpgs straight from camera are good enough for printing.
Weaknesses: slightly slower AF - even though it is a d200 body.
terrible, terrible camera user interface. i miss the 4 soft option buttons from s2 and s3 which allowed quick changes.
fuji's hyper-utility software - the latest version, while an improvement over the earlier generations, is still cumbersome. not really needed unless you need to shoot tethered or need to process fuji's RAW files.
still a battery-sucker, like the d200. you'll need more batteries, if you are out shooting on extended periods. btw, d200's batteries will not work on s5pro.
FPS slightly slower than d200. then again, fuji DSLRs were never speed demons.
Similar Products Used: d50, d100, d2h, d200, d70 - all nikon DSLRs
s2pro and s3pro.
Summary: I have been a long-time user of the Nikon F-system starting with Nikon FA. This is my first experience with a digital SLR. My last Nikon was a F-5 and I have been waiting for a camera with enough resolution and color characteristics that could beat what I had using film support. After a full two-week of tests, I am pretty satisfied. The camera offers a lot of color options and the definition/details is definitively enough to compete with any film solutions.
Strengths: - 5 color rendition options and superb color according to the situation.
- Details and definition especially in raw format.
- Compatible with current and old Ais lenses.
- A Fujifilm chip in a D200 body.
- Pictures taken at 800-1600 usable for prints up to 5*7.
- Good autofocus.
- Outstanding image combined with a Carl Zeiss ZF 1.4.
- Very accurate and natural flash exposure when used with the Nikon Flash SB 800.
- Reading/recording speed acceptable when used with Scan Disk Extreme 4 even in raw format.
- Very accurate exposure thanks to the same exposition system used in the Nikon F5.
- Accurate color rendition under different interior lighting system.
- Will satisfy 90% of the needs of the expert photographers.
- Portrait autofocus check is useful to check if the picture is sharp and well auto-focused.
Weaknesses: - Shooting at high speed limited and about 50% slower than a D200.
- Resolution equivalent to a 9-9.5 Mo. digital camera when using shot at 12 Mo. at 100 iso.
- Resolution equivalent to a 8 Mo. when shot at higher ISO like 800 to 1600.
- About 40% more expensive than a D200.
- Size of the image (24-25 Mo. for a raw format picture).
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