In summary
Although it was unveiled in early February 2004, it took just over 11 months for Fujifilm’s FinePix S3 Pro to reach dealers’ shelves. The new model, which is targeted at professional photographers and high-end enthusiasts, is based on the Nikon F80 but, rather than using an existing Nikon body, it has a single-piece polycarbonate shell that has been customised for digital photography. It’s slightly wider and taller than its predecessor, but also marginally slimmer, with more rounded contours. . . [more]
Full review
Quality rating (out of 10)
Build: 8.0
Ease of use: 8.0
Image quality: 8.5
Value for money: 8.0
Although it was unveiled in early February 2004, it took just over 11 months for Fujifilm’s FinePix S3 Pro to reach dealers’ shelves. The new model, which is targeted at professional photographers and high-end enthusiasts, is based on the Nikon F80 but, rather than using an existing Nikon body, it has a single-piece polycarbonate shell that has been customised for digital photography. It’s slightly wider and taller than its predecessor, but also marginally slimmer, with more rounded contours.
The new model retains most of the features that attracted photographers to the S2 Pro, including the cable release socket in the shutter button, Nikon’s excellent autofocus control, the latest 3D-10 Matrix metering system, on-demand grid display, plus the ability to record files with 4256 x 2848 pixels. Some problems photographers identified with the earlier model have been addressed in the new model. A rubberised hand grip replaces the S2’s plastic grip and a vertical grip and lockable shutter release have been added to please portrait photographers. The LCD monitor is larger, brighter and, with 235,000 pixels, much more detailed and the supplied plastic cover protects both the LCD monitor and the display panel above it, while giving a clear view of both screens. The viewfinder provides a wider range of diopter adjustments but is otherwise identical to that on the S2 Pro.
The pop-up flash is also similar to that on the S2 Pro but now covers lenses as wide as 20mm, instead of stopping at 28mm. The hot shoe offers full D-TTL flash sync support with Nikon Speedlights and the X-sync speed has risen to 1/180 second. The SmartMedia slot has been replaced by an xD-Picture Card slot, which accepts the fastest, highest-capacity cards. Sadly, the card slot still lacks adequate dust and moisture sealing, a significant omission in a camera of this calibre.
Whereas the S2 Pro required two sets of batteries, the S3 Pro is powered by four AA batteries (high-capacity NiMH recommended), which slot into a tray in the base of the camera. It’s a slightly awkward set-up, but usable. The new model also sports a High Speed USB 2.0 port for data transfer and is PictBridge and DPOF enabled.
Some changes are less obvious. Voice memos can’t be recorded and TIFF capture is no longer an option, although few will miss it, having been replaced by 14-bit CCD-RAW, with 8-bit reserved for JPEG images. However, RAW images can only be captured at the highest resolution and quality settings.
Hangovers from the S2 Pro that should have been fixed in the new model include the location of the ISO setting on the top Function button, which makes it awkward to use. Exposure and flash compensation are still only adjustable in half-stop increments.
Sensor
The S3 Pro features Fujifilm’s 4th Generation Super CCD SR II imager, which was developed to simulate the extended tonal range of colour negative film and features ‘dual-pixel’ technology, with two photodiodes at each photosite. The larger primary photodiode (‘S-pixel’) records a higher inherent sensitivity and captures detail in mid-tones and shadowed areas, while the smaller secondary photodiode (‘R-pixel’) captures highlight information and has lower sensitivity. Data from both photodiodes is combined by the camera’s LSI signal processor to produce pictures with full detail in both highlights and shadows.
Although the S3 Pro’s sensor delivers pictures with the same resolutions as its predecessor, the highest resolution (4256 x 2848 pixels) is achieved by interpolating data from the 6.17 million S and 6.17 million R ‘pixels’. So while the dual pixel system may improve the quality of the interpolation, it does not increase the camera’s effective resolution. However, Fujifilm claims the new sensor delivers a four times improvement in dynamic range from this system, likening it to ‘having two film sensitivities at once’.
Shooting Modes
The S3 Pro offers a full range of shooting controls, including the standard P, A, S and M exposure modes, 10 white balance settings (including two custom positions) and single-frame and continuous drives. While exposures and drive modes are controlled via the mode dial, other adjustments are accessed via the Function display. The first page of the Function menu has the white balance, quality and resolution settings plus a clever Film Simulation setting with three positions:
- a default ‘Standard’ position,
- F1, which mimics a medium-contrast colour negative portrait film, and
- F2, which simulates a saturated chrome film, such as Fujifilm’s Velvia and is ideal for landscapes and nature photography.
These settings can only be used when the sRGB colour space and Wide Dynamic Range are selected in the Set-up menu and no changes can be made to dynamic range, colour, contrast or sharpness when the F1 or F2 positions are engaged.
The Dynamic Range setting is a new feature that appears to work by changing the mixing ratio between the sensor’s S and R pixels. Three positions are provided: Auto, which appears to use only the S pixels and automatically adjusts the dynamic range between 100% and 400% according to subject parameters; Wide 1, which sets the dynamic range to 230%; and Wide 2, which sets the dynamic range to 400%. It is difficult to find out exactly what these percentage figures mean because dynamic range is normally expressed as a ratio (8-bit JPEG files have an inherent dynamic range of 256:1, while 14-bit RAW files have a dynamic range of 16,384:1) and Fujifilm did not provide a satisfactory explanation when we emailed them for details.
Shots taken with the test camera in bright outdoor lighting confirmed the effectiveness of these settings. Both delivered pictures with much more highlight and a little more shadow detail than shots taken with this control switched off, the Wide 2 position producing the greatest dynamic range extension. However, the effect was greater for JPEG files than RAW files, which is unfortunate because most photographers will prefer the latter. It’s worth noting that setting the dynamic range to Wide roughly doubles the size of RAW image files, implying much more data is collected. CCD-RAW files at this setting are typically around 25MB in size, while the Auto setting produces 13MB files.
For the other parameter settings, four options are provided in the Colour menu: standard, high (which increases saturation), original (for lower saturation) and B/W (for monochrome pictures). The tone button adjusts image contrast and the sharpness button has three settings: standard, hard and off. There are also 15 Custom settings, covering bracketing order, focusing and exposure functions. A number of camera settings and functions like the on-demand grid lines, bulb mode and AE lock can only be switched on via this control.
The S3 Pro is unique among DSLR cameras in providing a live image display on its LCD monitor. Selecting the Live Image setting in the set-up mode displays a live image of the subject in black and white for 30 seconds. It’s only available when the focus mode is set to ‘M’ and you can’t trigger the shutter release or use the viewfinder because the mirror is raised and shutter opened to provide the live video feed. You can, however, enlarge the centre of the frame and increase or reduce the brightness with the arrows on the four-way controller. Fujifilm recommends using this function for checking image focus but, as it can cause the CCD to overheat, we feel its novelty value outweighs its practicality.
Performance
Aside from the excellent results produced with the two Wide Dynamic Range settings, the S3 Pro’s overall performance was generally good. Like most DSLRs, it produced clean image files with accurate exposure levels, impressive clarity, abundant detail and smooth tonality. Skin tones were attractively rendered, which will please portrait photographers. This could be due to a slight lack of saturation in both yellows and greens, which allowed the warmer hues to predominate. Some tweaking may be necessary where accurate colour reproduction is required.
Low light performance was commendable. Noise was negligible right up to ISO 400 and images captured at ISO 800 and 1600 were still usable, even without noise reduction (although noise reduction improved overall quality). White balance performance was also universally good, although the pop-up flash was somewhat weaker than average for a DSLR.
Technology has evolved since Fujifilm announced this camera just over a year ago and, with the release in March of Canon’s 8-megapixel EOS 350D at $1799, the FinePix S3 Pro looks expensive for a 6-megapixel camera. However, with the size, weight and appearance of a professional camera, the S3 Pro looks more impressive than many competing DSLRs. The dynamic range extension will be worthwhile for wedding photographers and portrait photographers who prefer to work outdoors. [22]
Specifications
Image sensor: 23.0 x 15.5mm Fujifilm SuperCCD SR II sensor with 6.45 million photosites (2 photodiodes per photosite); Maximum file size: 4256 x 2848 pixels
Lens mount: Nikon F mount lenses (with AF coupling and contracts)
Lens multiplier factor: 1.5x
Image file formats: CCD-RAW (14-bit) and JPEG (Exif 2.2)
Shutter speed range: 30-1/4000 second plus bulb, X-sync at 1/180 sec.
Storage media: dual slots for CompactFlash Type I/II and xD-Picture card (up to 512MB)
Interfaces: USB 2.0 High Speed, IEEE1394, Video out (NTSC/PAL), DC in, wired remote, PC sync terminal
Body dimensions (wxhxd): 147.8 x 135.3 x 78.5mm
Weight: 815g (body only)
Focus system: TTL phase detection via Nikon Multi-CAM900 module; 5-area AF
Exposure metering method/range: 3D Matrix metering with 10 segment SPD; centre-weighted average and spot modes; range 0-21 EV
Exposure control modes: Programmed AE, A, S and M modes
White balance: Auto, Custom x2, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent x3, Incandescent
Colour space settings: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Flash type/GN (ISO auto): Pop-up flash; GN 12 plus X-contact hot shoe
ISO range: 100, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Sequence shooting: 2.5 fps for up to 12 frames
Viewfinder: Fixed eye-level pentaprism (coverage 93% vertical, 95% horizontal)
LCD monitor: 2.0-inch TFT LCD with 235,000 pixels (100% frame display)
Power supply: 4x AA batteries (NiMH recommended)
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