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Rangefinder Magazine
May 2004

Digital Photography: by John Rettie
Kodak’s DCS Pro SLR/c & Fuji’s Finepix S20 Pro

Both of Kodak’s new cameras, the SLR/n (left) and the SLR/c (right), use the same 14-megapixel CMOS sensor.

Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c camera
Kodak surprised everyone in March when they announced the DCS Pro SLR/c camera so soon after introducing the SLR/n. Significantly, it is the first time in six years Kodak has offered a digital camera with a mount to accept Canon EF lenses. When Kodak upgraded the 14n and renamed it the SLR/n, it was fairly obvious that the company was allowing for additional models with different camera lens mount systems.

While the SLR/n is based on Nikon components mounted within a Kodak-designed body, the SLR/c does not use any Canon components. According to Kodak officials, the camera was designed without any input by Canon. Indeed, they are not even sure Canon was aware this camera was planned. Previously, Kodak had partnered with Canon to make earlier Canon digital cameras. While Kodak does not officially say who makes the camera body, it looks similar to the Sigma SD 10 digital body, and it uses Sigma components.

Although the SLR/c is slightly different from the SLR/n externally, it uses the same 14-megapixel CMOS image sensor found in the SLR/n. It should therefore produce identical results, according to Kodak. The SLR/c camera also includes an infrared (IR) remote for shutter release, a flash sync of 1⁄180 second with a Focal Plane (FP) flash mode up to 1⁄6000 second when using an EX-series Speedlite, and an overall shutter speed range from 1⁄6000 to 30 seconds. Kodak says each of these features is unique to the SLR/c model.

For Canon users, the SLR/c is a welcome addition to the four Canon SLR digital camera bodies currently available. What’s perhaps most intriguing is its pricing. At a suggested retail price of $4995, it undercuts the 11-megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds camera by about $3000. Admittedly, it is not quite as fast in operation, nor does it have as rugged a body. But for people looking for a high-resolution camera for studio work where operational speed is not as important, the SLR/c is welcome as a competitively priced alternative.

With the recently announced 8-megapixel EOS 1D Mark II, albeit with a smaller sensor size, priced at $4500, there is going to be tremendous pressure on Canon to lower the price of the 1Ds.

Bottom line—the new Kodak SLR/c is welcome news for Canon users who now have the same chance to own a camera with a 14-megapixel, full 35mm frame sensor.

Fujifilm’s new S20 Pro camera is bristling with pro features despite its diminutive size.

Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro Camera
Many worthwhile developments in digital camera technology appear first on consumer point and shoot cameras, many of which are now being aimed at professional photographers. From a manufacturer’s point of view, a professional photographer is anyone who uses a camera in his or her work doing things such as police, real estate, medical imaging, etc.

This market is obviously a huge one, and it’s one that does not necessarily need a SLR body with an interchangeable lens system. In fact, there are many times when pro photographers would be happy with a smaller, lighter camera that would be more suitable for simple projects that do not require lugging around a heavy body with big lenses.

The newest Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro is positioned as just such a camera. Fujifilm is clearly aiming it at professionals as well as amateur photographers looking for a sophisticated camera.

The camera uses Fuji’s latest Super CCD SR (Super Dynamic Range) sensor that has an unusual arrangement of image sensors. At each sensor site there are two hexagonal pixels, a large high-sensitivity S-pixel and a smaller low-sensitivity R-pixel. Fuji claims this arrangement mimics that of color negative film with two layers of film emulsion, each with a different sensitivity. By combining information from the two sensor elements, the Super CCD SR is supposed to achieve a wider dynamic range along with higher sensitivity, greater resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio.

The theory sounds great, but in all honesty, in the short time I had the camera I could not quantify any difference from a regular image sensor. Having said that, the camera produces acceptable images when one considers the actual resolution of the chip is really only equivalent to a 3.1 megapixel sensor. It’s confusing since there are 3.1 million of each of the two different pixels, and they each capture the same piece of the image, which is then extrapolated to provide a 2832x2128 (6.0-megapixel) final image.

Like with all consumer digital cameras, it is possible to preview the image before capture using either the LCD screen on the back or the EVF (electronic viewfinder). But the EVF does not display a clear image compared to that in an optical SLR viewfinder. There is also a slight lag as the screen is redrawn, which is not conducive to grabbing the “moment” in a shoot. An advantage is that the camera can be hooked up to an external monitor for viewing images, which could prove valuable in a studio.

	Hyper-Utility is the strange name given to Fuji’s processing software for images captured by the S20 Pro.

The camera tips the scales at just over one pound with compact dimensions other than a big 6X optical zoom lens—which offers an equivalency of a 35–210mm zoom. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and can also be manually zoomed. The camera features a standard PC sync terminal for external flash with a sync speed of 1⁄1000 second. Other pro features on the camera include the ability to automatically bracket exposures and manually set parameters as well as utilize a wide array of automatic options. The camera can capture images at up to 4.5 frames per second for 10 images. One unusual, and potentially useful, option is that the camera will just save the last 10 images in a sequence.

The camera contains two storage card slots, one for a Compact Flash and the other for the not-so-common xD format. Two slots is an increasingly popular feature on pro cameras as it offers storage flexibility. The camera also has dual ports for Firewire or USB 2.0 transfer and control. Normally only high-end cameras offer this sort of option. Speaking of flexibility, the camera is powered by four AA batteries, which means it’s easier to find batteries at any time if needed.
Overall, the speed of operation seemed to have the usual bugaboo of prosumer cameras in not providing instant or near-instant response. There always seemed to be an annoying delay at inopportune moments, and after shooting a few images, one has to wait for them to be written to storage.

Unfortunately, I did not have an occasion to use the camera for a real photo shoot, so I was not able to see if it could prove to be an alternative or a backup for a pro-level digital SLR. Fujifilm is promoting the camera as suitable for wedding and portrait photography, but I am not sure it would meet the speed of operation required by a professional in these fields. What’s more, at a cost of $999 it is just as expensive as a base 6-megapixel digital SLR Canon or Nikon body, albeit without a lens.

I’m looking forward to trying the Finepix S3 Pro, a digital SLR body designed for Nikon’s F-mount, when it appears in a few months time. It will feature the same Super CCD SR chip as in the S20 but with twice as many pixels. It’ll be interesting to see if it can deliver the promised increase in dynamic range. It also looks as though some of the other features available on the S20 will find their way into the S3.

These three books from Adobe Press can help you learn and better understand Photoshop CS from start (Classroom in a Book, left) to an intermediate level (Studio Techniques, center) and on to advanced graphic artist type styles (Creative Studio, right).

Three Adobe Books on Learning Photoshop CS
Adobe, like so many software publishers, enjoys placing its own name on a range of books. Naturally these books concentrate on their own software titles so they often tend to be biased and maybe gloss over shortcomings. Of course, Photoshop is so powerful that there is plenty of room for many books on the program, written by authors who rave about the program as well as ones who might be more critical.

If you want to learn Photoshop from scratch, and you don’t want to attend classes or seminars, the aptly named Adobe Photoshop CS Classroom in a Book (Adobe Press, 704 pages, $45) is one way of learning without leaving the computer. It was written with help from Adobe product specialists who naturally know the product intimately. There are 20 lessons beginning with basic setup and navigation of the program through learning about masking to optimizing images for the web. There are numerous examples to practice techniques and files are contained on an included CD-ROM. Cynics would say this is the sort of manual that should be included with the program itself!

Once one has learned the basics it’s time to move on to more advanced techniques. Ben Willmore has been lecturing at seminars and writing articles on Photoshop for a decade. He’s taken his knowledge of what people are looking for as they learn Photoshop to produce a book written in an easy-to-follow style with full color on each page (Adobe Photoshop CS Studio Techniques, Adobe Press, 720 pages, $50). If you’re already somewhat familiar with Photoshop, this book would probably prove more useful than Classroom in a Book. It has been thoroughly updated for CS and includes a comprehensive chapter on the new Camera RAW feature, which converts raw files from digital cameras. Ironically, the book has little information on preparing images for the web. Willmore says it is better for that subject to be covered more comprehensively in other books.

I noticed at this year’s WPPI conference that many photographers are getting more creative in their imagery. They use Photoshop to turn photographs into pieces of art, often far removed from the original photograph. These photographers are becoming graphic artists. Once you’ve learned how to get the most out of a photograph, and you want to begin to learn some of these techniques, Adobe Photoshop CS Creative Studio (Adobe Press, 352 pages, $40) written by Luanne Seymour Cohen, could prove valuable. In this book she describes how to turn a photograph into a painting, how to make creative text and even how to produce a Warhol-style image. Details on pure photographic styles such as posterized images and color tinting are also included, along with how to make frames for images.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 34 years, a computer for 24 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 11 years. Readers can contact him by email at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.