Rangefinder Magazine
March 2005

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First Exposure: Fuji FinePix S3 Pro by John Rettie

For some time Nikon users have been blessed with a variety of digital camera bodies from companies other than Nikon. Indeed many Nikon users have been more than satisfied with the bodies produced by Fujifilm as an alternative to Nikon’s own digital SLR offerings.

The Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro is the third generation of the Pro series to use a modified Nikon body with an F-mount. Unlike previous S1 and S2 models, the S3 has a far more integrated one-piece body that is made by Nikon. The guts are based on the N80 film camera but the body is unique to Fujifilm with a highly sculptured contour with well placed grips for horizontal and vertical shooting. It has plenty of buttons and dials spaced apart for ease of use. The top of the camera is essentially identical to a Nikon, so anyone familiar with the operation of a Nikon will quickly feel at home. Likewise, the rear smaller LCD monitor that displays details of digital settings follows the same format as in previous Fujifilm Pro cameras with largish buttons to scroll through choices for adjusting settings such as White Balance, Saturation, Quality, etc.

	The slim battery tray holds four ubiquitous AA batteries.

The S3 Pro no longer uses two separate battery packs to power the camera. Instead there is a single battery tray that uses four AA batteries. The camera kit includes four 2300 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries. I had no trouble with battery capacity during several shoots indicating the camera is more fuel-efficient. Indeed the camera worked fine with 1500 mAh batteries, although they showed a more rapid fall off in power. Many hotographers, myself included, applaud Fujifilm for adopting AA batteries, as they are so readily available everywhere, which lessens the chance of running out of juice at a critical moment.

Like most modern pro digital SLRs, the S3 Pro has two storage card slots, one for CompactFlash and the other for the small xD-Picture Card.

Menu items are well displayed with easy to read graphics

Unfortunately, files can only be written to one card at a time, limiting its potential as an automatic backup system or allowing simultaneous writing of RAW files to one card and JPEG files to the other.

On the digital side, the most significant upgrade is the all-new version of the unique Fujifilm Super CCD sensor that includes a dual pixel technology that Fujifilm claims will provide greater dynamic range. Fujifilm says it has modeled the Super CCD SR II sensor on the same principles it uses in its negative film. Like film’s dual-grain silver-halide crystals, the sensor has high- and low-sensitivity pixels. The larger more sensitive “S” pixels respond to small amounts of light, perfect for detail in shadows. The much smaller “R” pixels have lower sensitivity, making them ideal for capturing detail in highlights. In theory the two sets of pixels work in conjunction to produce images with a 400 percent larger dynamic range.

	Two storage card slots are included for a CompactFlash and xD-Picture Card.

In the S2 Pro, Fujifilm “cheated” in the way it described the camera as having a 12-megapixel image sensor. In reality it only has six megapixels and the image is interpolated to produce a 4256x2848 pixel image. This is big enough to produce a 9.5x14 inches at 300dpi. While the new Super CCD SR II sensor does indeed have 12 megapixels, the extra R pixels duplicate the image captured by the larger S pixels and combine them to produce a single image, which is then interpolated up to the equivalent of 12 megapixels with a file of size of 34.7MB when opened in an image editing program. It all sounds rather complicated to explain, which it is. A good description of how this sensor works is available on Fujifilm’s web site.

I found the camera pleasant to use with all controls falling to hand nicely. If anything, the thumb grip on the back of the camera is almost too large, although those with big thumbs will be more than happy when comparing it to many cameras where there is barely any surface area for the thumb to rest against. In terms of size, the camera is in the middle between those with no battery pack on the base and those with a large battery compartment. The camera weighs a tad over 2 lbs.—lighter than a Nikon D-series and about the same as the D100 with a battery pack. Dimensionally it is similar in size, although slightly less deep, to other cameras with battery packs. It’s so much more sensible to include the battery pack and vertical grip as part of the complete body rather than making it an add-on accessory with inherent connection issues.

Ports for power in, video out, USB, Firewire, PC sync and remote control are covered for protection.

The metal and plastic body appears robust and looks as if it will resist dust and moisture. The camera comes with a nice clear plastic cover that snaps in place to cover the two rear LCD screens to keep them clean. A cutout between the two covers provides access to the four function control buttons. Small rubber covers protect the external power input and video output ports as well as the USB and Firewire ports. The battery tray fits tightly with a largish locking tab.

The 2-inch LCD monitor displays a crisp image in review and one can zoom in an amazing 26X to see details. What’s more: It is possible to have a preview of an image before it is captured. It’s not straightforward and is only recommended for use in a studio with an AC power adaptor. The preview appears in black and white and is visible for only 30 seconds after a setting in the menu is accessed. It also only works with manual focusing, but one can zoom in on the image to check focus. If a flash is used, it will fire before the preview. It’s a function that appears on consumer digital cameras, but this is the first, albeit crude, attempt to provide the functionality on a pro camera.

One feature more and more professionals are appreciating is the inclusion of a small pop-up flash. In the past this feature has never been included on a professional camera, so it’s good that Fuji continues to see its value, just as it has on previous Pro models. Although it might not be as powerful as an external flash, it is fine for those occasions when one needs some quick fill light and an external flash is not handy. Unfortunately it does not rise high enough from the body to avoid red-eye without the use of a pre-flash. Also, some light cutoff occurs with large lenses and lens shades.

	The sculptured contours on the back

The ability to take multiple exposures on one frame of film was always an important one with film cameras, but with Photoshop it’s not really been a necessary function for digital cameras. However, it is available on the S3 for those who want to experiment before getting images into a computer. Another feature that is unique to the S3 is the ability to change the look of images to replicate different film types and a black and white mode.

In use, I generally liked the camera. It feels robust, it starts up almost immediately, and one can shoot fairly rapidly. It is no speed demon, though, so sports photographers will find it too slow by far. Focusing was slow as well, but most of that was because I was using a non-AFS lens, so it relied on the antiquated motor in the body to focus the lens instead of a motor in the lens itself. Where the camera falls down, in my opinion, is in playback—it takes three seconds to scroll from image to image, which makes it painful for reviewing images.

The quality of the images the camera produces are fine but not outstanding. In everyday use I was hard-pressed to see any real difference in dynamic range compared to images produced by cameras from other manufacturers. In a controlled studio environment, it was possible to see a slight improvement in highlight details in a subject with brightly lit whites. It also appeared that the camera was less likely to blow out highlights when a picture was overexposed by two stops.

All in all the camera is a worthwhile improvement over the S2. However, I don’t think it really advances image quality as much as everyone hoped. At a cost of $2500, it’s also on the expensive side compared to other six-megapixel cameras. That’s if we ignore the fact that Fujifilm interpolates the image up to an equivalent of a 12-megapixel camera. Commercial, wedding and portrait photographers looking for a camera that uses Nikon lenses should certainly include the S3 in their evaluation.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.