When I first ventured into the world of digital photography, digital SLRs were few and far between and extremely expensive. Most of us settled for something a lot less sophisticated. Let's be fair, even the SLRs back then were comparatively low quality by today's standards. My first digicam had a resolution of 1.3 megapixels and recorded images to a floppy disk. Today I use Fuji S2 Pro with a maximum resolution of more than 12 megapixels.
As technology improved and demand forced pricing down digital photographers embraced the better quality image. Compact type digitals these days return superb quality and for those who demand a little more control there are a number of relatively inexpensive and extremely good digital SLRs on the market.
So why did I choose my Fuji S2 Pro? Well I've always rated Nikon equipment very highly and when I started looking at the market seriously, Nikon cameras naturally featured in my first trawl. The D1 series was the flagship, but I was somewhat taken aback by the money I was expected to part with to own one. Somewhat less expensive and almost as impressive was the N80.
I heard Nikon were to introduce two new cameras, the D60 and the D100. Then I heard that Fuji were to replace their somewhat tired S1 with the S2 Pro, also based on N80 body and sporting a higher specification than either D60 or D100: the S2 Pro claimed to be the first 12 megapixel SLR. The S2 was also considerably cheaper to buy.
As far as media goes the S2 will write to both Compact Flash I and II and SmartMedia. Images sizes range from 4256x2848 in RAW to 1440x960 low-res JPEG. ISO ratings are 100, 160, 200, 400, 800 & 1600. Shutter speeds are between 30sec to 1/4000 and bulb.
The camera is powered by 4 AA and 2 CR123A batteries. The CR123As are optional, but in my opinion the camera seems to work slightly better with them. I was a bit bothered by the power source initially, but in operation I have no complaints: I always carry a couple of sets of rechargeable AAs in my bag.
It was obvious this camera was a serious option, so I went out to try one. Once handled I was convinced I ought to make a purchase.
Here's what Thom Hogan has to say about the S2 Pro:
The Basics
The Fujifilm S2 Pro has a feature set that sounds almost identical to the D100 (or any other serious digital or film SLR, for that matter). Indeed, most of the "camera" features of both are derived from the N80 body. In appearance the S2 Pro closely resembles the N80, though careful observation shows that the curves and lines on the back and bottom of the camera have been tweaked. The digital controls look and feel just like the S1 controls, a benefit to those upgrading from that body.
The autofocus system is fast, and features five sensors (CAM 900) that can track rapidly moving objects, or direct autofocus to a specific area of the frame. Autofocus detection works from EV –1 to EV 19 (specified at ISO 100). The metering range extends from EV 0 to EV 21, plenty wide for virtually any shooting you might do. Note that the spot metering range is slightly lower, from EV 3 to EV 21. Unless you make a habit of spot metering in unlit situations at night, you're not likely to encounter that limit.
Shutter speeds can be controlled in 1/2 stop increments from 30 seconds to 1/4000. All shutter speeds are handled mechanically on the S2. Indeed, the shutter sounds pretty much like the N80's in action (a very quiet "clunk" sound). Single shot and continuous firing at 3 fps is supported, though I have not found any condition that allows my S2 to achieve the stated maximum frame rate. The best I've been able to obtain is 2 fps. And it's relatively easy to (inadvertently) turn on features that would make motor drive even more leisurely in pace.
The S2 manages matrix metering the old-fashioned way, with a 10-segment metering pattern. The matrix metering also incorporates information about the focus point you’re using if you’ve mounted a “D-type” lens. Nikon also lists “subject positioning,” “overall scene brightness,” and “scene contrast” as factors in the matrix metering calculations. In short, it’s hard to second guess the camera as there are so many factors being considered. If simplicity suits you, the spot meter option is a better choice.
As befitting a serious camera, Fujifilm [Nikon] keeps the mode selection simple: Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual are the full lineup. Program mode is easily adjusted by spinning one of the control dials. There's also an automatic adjustment of the program due to focal length of the lens used; thus there is no “Program High” or other special automatic modes as there are in some other Nikon bodies. Like all Nikon bodies, you can override the programming using the rear command dial, something Nikon calls "Flexible Program."
An exposure compensation button gives you a +/- 3-stop range in 1/2-stop steps. A built-in bracketing system allows two or three shots at half-stop values up to 2 EV apart. Exposure (as well as autofocus) can be locked by on-camera controls (though this takes some reading of the custom functions to understand completely). ISO values can be set to 100, 160, 200, 400, 800 or 1600.
Flash sync works to 1/125 of second. Flash metering uses five TTL sensors and can be balanced, slow-synced, and synchronized with the rear curtain.
In the viewfinder, you'll see 95% of the full frame, which means you're not seeing between 50 and 75 pixels worth of information at every edge (more if you set 12-megapixels as the size). Shutter speed, aperture, exposure mode, metering method, focus indicator, exposure compensation, and flash ready are all visible in the viewfinder, even to eyeglass wearers like me. Unfortunately, frame counter and/or buffer remaining indicators, as the D100 has, are not present. One annoying aspect of the S2's viewfinder is that it is simply a masked N80 viewfinder (the D100's was altered slightly). That means that the camera information appears quite far from the image area (i.e., there's a large space between the two). This takes a bit of adjustment, and it's impossible for me to pay attention to framing while looking at camera settings (or vice versa), even though they're both visible at the same time, even with my glasses on.
On the color LCD on the back of the camera, you'll see 100% of the image. Probably of most use on the color LCD is the ability to see a histogram of any picture you take, allowing you to tinker with exposure to get every last bit of dynamic range out of the sensor (like slide film, always expose so that the brightest highlight doesn't blow out--you can usually recover shadow detail that blocks up, but blown highlights are obnoxious to the eye and not easily fixable). Fujifilm's color LCD has a few foibles to note:
Colors are off. On five different S2 Pro bodies I've seen, I've seen five slightly different color interpretations. Some were off subtly, one was quite blue, another quite reddish in tint. You can't judge color by the color LCD.
The protective cover has to be removed to see well. Get one of Hoodman's solutions if you don't want to be jerking the cover on and off.
Histograms are hard to read. First, they're small in size and stuffed into the right corner of the already small display. Second, there is no differentiation of color between histogram points and the histogram frame, making it almost impossible to tell whether you've got a spike at the highlight end. On the plus side, you can look at histograms for individual colors.
The color LCD on the back doesn't display a preview of image before you take the shot (the S2's CCD is blocked by a shutter curtain and mirror, after all). Frankly, I don't find this to be a drawback at all, and a bit of a plus (the power-hungry color LCD is only on when you're reviewing pictures or making camera adjustments). The regular viewfinder is just fine for determining composition and focus, though the image is a bit smaller and darker than the N80's.
The Fujifilm S2 takes any Nikon F mount lens (well, lenses earlier than the AI manual focus Nikkors damage the mount if you try to put them on the S2, and a few specific lenses won't work on the S2, usually because they have elements that stick into the mirror box and require mirror lock-up). Non-CPU lenses don't allow metering and must be used in Manual exposure mode. When you mount a lens on the S2, the effective focal length is increased by about 1.5x (e.g., a 20mm lens shows roughly the same angle of view as a 30mm lens would on a 35mm body [Note: the actual magnification impact is closer to 1.56x, which is somewhat higher than the D100, enough so to be visibly apparent with very wide angle lenses.]). Apertures aren't really affected by this change. Because only the central portion of the lens is used, if you've been making any exposure adjustments at maximum aperture to account for light falloff, you should not do that on an S2. The focal length change has several good points, and a couple of bad ones:
Free teleconverter. Your 300mm f/4 lens just started producing the angle of view of a 450mm f/4 lens! Wildlife and bird photographers love the extra "oomph" the S2 gives to their lenses.
Better optical quality. The fact that only the central area of any lens is used means that chromatic aberration is lessened, light falloff is reduced, corners are sharper, and even consumer-oriented lenses (such as the 18-35mm Nikkor) produce professional-looking results.
Wide angle options are limited. The widest rectilinear lens made is 14mm (though the 12-24mm DX Nikkor now gets you a bit wider), which produces basically the same results as a 22mm lens when you mount it on a S2. Also problematic is that all the 14mm lenses have a significant tendency towards flare and contrast reduction when light hits their pronounced front elements.
Depth of field judgment isn't quite right. The real key here is that you're likely to blow up the original image by a greater magnification than you would with 35mm, so you shouldn't use the 35mm standards, despite the fact that it may appear that you should (Fujifilm doesn't address this issue in their documentation or marketing materials; I do in my book).
The SuperCCD sensor the S2 Pro uses is currently unique to the S2. It consists of a 3024 x 2016 array, and it has massive (compared to the consumer cameras) photosites. That's just one reason why the S2 can produce 12-bit RGB images with rich color and low noise. Like virtually all digital cameras, a filter array is placed over the S2's CCD. This filter has three purposes:
1.Provides the Bayer pattern. The Bayer pattern is named after the Kodak engineer who invented it. On the Fujifilm SuperCCD, this pattern is actually rotated 45 degrees to produce a set of color filters with an alternating pattern of GGGG... (on even-numbered rows) and offset RBRB... (on odd-numbered rows) pixels. The final image is rebuilt by interpolating the actual pixel values at each position. Fujifilm's odd pattern has a tendency to produce more horizontal and vertical detail than traditional patterns of the same size, but this comes at the expense of diagonal resolution. Some third-party RAW converters have trouble getting the S2's files rendered without patterns that are obviously CCD layout induced.
2.Filters out some infrared. CCDs are sensitive to infrared light, and to keep infrared energy from biasing colors and exposure, some (but not all) of this light is filtered out. Near infrared response on the S2 Pro is still quite good.
3.Provides a low-pass anti-aliasing filter. Digital sampling is subject to color fringing (artifacts) when high frequency detail in a scene approaches that of the sensor pitch.
The S2 Pro produces several different types of files: JPEG, TIFF, and RAF. The JPEG options work as you'd expect, but you pay a small penalty for using that format: the files are compressed and lose a bit of detail, plus they are converted to 8-bit format, losing some of the S2's tonal range in the process. Fujifilm's JPEG engine tends to produce very sharp-looking images, much more so than the Nikon D100. TIFF formats are available to prevent the compression loss, but they, too, produce only 8-bit RGB. The RAF format is the only one that retains the full data the S2 is capable of acquiring. Indeed, the RAF format contains exactly the data that came from the CCD, with no interpolation or camera processing! Unfortunately, you need an extra software program to fully use this format. The camera comes with an LE version that lets you get files from RAF into your editor, but the EX converter (also called Hyper Utility Software [yuck!]) gives you more control over post-exposure manipulations. As I write this, QImage, Bibble, Adobe RAW Converter, and at least one additional software interpolation program all understand RAF files, and I'm pretty sure we'll see others. But each seems to render images quite differently, as I noted in the 4th issue of my D1 Report (now Nikon Digital SLR Report). Only Fujifilm's converter seems to consistently produce excellent detail and color. Adobe RAW, for example, doesn't know how to find the S2 Pro's black point and sometimes produces incorrect results from a RAF file.
In the US, the S2 Pro comes with an initial set of batteries (4 heavy duty alkaline AA, 2 CR123a lithium). You'll want to get at least 1800 mAh Nimh rechargeable AA batteries and the charger for them. Battery life is quite dependent upon a number of factors, and can range from a couple of hundred shots to a thousand, at least in my observation so far. Note that IBM Microdrives use more power than Compact Flash cards, and thus, exhaust the batteries faster.
But everything isn't hunky dory in the battery realm. CR123 batteries seem to have a fairly limited life span in the S2, with 500-1000 exposures being about average, in my experience (and they discharge even when the camera is on AC power and even when the camera is OFF!). When they die the camera goes into what I call a "moping about" mode. The battery indicators may both indicate low, but the viewfinder display won't stay lit, and other features start to work sporadically (such as DOF preview). The camera will continue to mope until you either replace the CR123a, take the CR123a out and shoot just with the AA, or your AA go dead. If you shoot without the CR123a in, the battery indicators no longer are accurate (they'll read low even with fully charged AA's most of the time) and you lose use of the internal flash.
My recommendation: go to a warehouse store such as Costco and stock up on CR123a. The minute the top LCD shows a battery low indicator, pop the CR123a out and put fresh ones in.
The camera weighs in at 26.8 ounces, and that's without a lens or the battery, so it's a lot lighter than the D1, a bit heavier than the D100, but significantly heavier than the N80.
So I bought my S2 Pro and I haven't looked back.
