Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is the first digital camera which made me forget the film, after 27 years of photography experience. The image quality is beyond expectation. The performance is much slower compared to current Nikon dSLR models, including much more affordable Nikon D70. However, I owned D70 for about 1 year and could not treat it as a "real camera" because both the resolution of D70 is lower than that of good scams from 35mm film and the dynamic range is not as good. The S3 Pro IS The Real Camera. In terms of color rendition and dynamic range, it OUTPERFORMS the latest 35mm professional slide film. At the beginning, I was not happy with resolution (I could not see visible advantage over 6Mp Nikon D70), but this was actually an issue of lenses used. At 12 Mp mode, images looked too "interpolated" (they ARE partially interpolated but do not confuse this with upscaling of 6Mp files to 12 Mp - the sensor does have more resolution than 6 Mp - please read reviews about Super CCD design elsewhere). This "insufficient resolution" feeling was a result of using medium-quality Nikkor 24-85mm lens. This lens is good at 6 Mp but in 12 Mp mode its resolution is not enough to take advantage of the whole resolution of the camera sensor. When I put on a 55mm Micro-Nikkor, the resolution became shocking great! I could not see interpolation at 100% crop of 12 Mp images! The in-camera JPEGs are great, "robust" and do not usually need postprocessing. I usually stick to "normal" color and "original" tone settings, which helps to preserve more information in different lighting settings but sometimes this results in need of slight fine-tuning of the contrast. If you don't like postprocessing at all, use "standard" color AND "standard" tone instead. In most cases, images taken in this mode are almost perfect for printing right out of the camera. Downside: the camera performs relatively slow: if you take several shots in a row in RAW mode, the camera may be locked for half a minute (!) to write the files, and speed of reviewing the images is also awfully low. But I can easily accept these because the joy of having images of such high quality makes the incoveniences of slow performance insignificant for me.
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Featuring an advanced new, fourth-generation Super CCD SR sensor, the FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR takes digital photography dramatically closer to film quality. The FinePix S3 Pro offers a full feature set that's perfect for professional photographers, including a 6.17-megapixel effective resolution (increased to 12 megapixels with in-camera technology), compatibility with Nikon F-mount lenses as well as a majority of Nikkor AF lenses. Improvements over the FinePix S2 include larger, more ergonomically placed buttons, power from 4 rechargeable NiMH batteries, and USB 2.0 connectivity (as well as FireWire). This model does not include a lens.
Optics and Resolution The FinePix S3 Pro's Super CCD SR sensor (23 x 15.5mm) uses 6.17 million S-pixels and 6.17 million R-pixels (for 12.3 million effective photodiodes) to deliver 12 million recorded pixels and noticeable image improvements to that of single-pixel cameras. The SR sensor's unique double photodiode design broadens tonal capability, from bright highlights to deep shadows and produces images with a dynamic range four times greater than that of a sensor working on single-pixel technology. It gives greater sensitivity, improved signal-to-noise ratio, and consistently natural colour reproduction, and also produces the following resolution modes: 4256 x 2848, 3024 x 2016, 2304 x 1536, and 1440 x 960.
It has a Nikon F mount and accepts a full range of Nikkor F-series lenses--including AF-D, AF-G and AF-S type professional optics.
Fourth-Generation Super CCD SR FujiFilm's Super CCD SR provides a truer representation of the actual subject being photographed, revealing highlight detail and offering a four-fold increase in dynamic range. By using an innovative layout of paired photodiodes--in a "honeycomb" pattern--the technology enables confident shooting in both bright and cloudy conditions. The Super CCD improves overall signal-to-noise ratio and offers a much wider dynamic range. It also combats the bleached-out effect created by flash photography and increases exposure latitude, a great advantage in difficult lighting conditions.
More Features
Rugged,polycarbonate body with rounder design and molded rear grip
2-inch, 235,000 pixel horizontal LCD delivers crisp, clear images and nearly 100% frame coverage
Secondary LCD indicates shooting information and settings
Dual shutter release buttons to allow optimum comfort and stability in both horizontal and vertical orientations
Intelligent flash with D-TTL full-aperture exposure metering system
Shutter speeds of 30 seconds to 1/4,000 second
Sensitivity: ISO 100, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Direct Printing The FinePix S3 Pro is PictBridge compatible, which enables you to transfer pictures from your digital camera to your printer, without a PC or image-editing software. All PictBridge devices share three basic features: camera-to-printer connecting, single-image printing, and uniform error messages (in case something goes wrong)
Storage and Transfer The FinePix S3 Pro offers a dual-media approach to storage: XD and CompactFlash Type II memory cards (offering compatibility with optional Microdrives, which can provide up to 4 GB of storage). It also incorporates dual PC connectivity, via super-fast USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (FireWire, also called i.Link).
Power and Size The camera is powered exclusively by 4 rechargeable NiMH batteries (included). It measures 5.8 x 5.3 x 3.1 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 1.6 pounds (excluding battery and lens).
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