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Fuji S3 Pro Review
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Review Summary
Reader Score: 6.75 (out of 10)
Hands-on Look: This isn't a full review of the new Fuji S3 Pro. It isn't even a partial review. It's the result of my spending a few days shooting with a full production camera just days after the S3 started shipping in the U.S. and Canada in mid-December, 2004. Why bother then? Because I, as well as many who follow development in digital technology, have been fascinated to see what Fuji would deliver with their new Super CCD SR II dual sensor design. (More on this soon). This potentially makes the S3 more than just another new DSLR, and therefore of considerable interest. But, inveterate camera tester that I am, I can't resist looking as well at what kind of camera Fuji has chosen to put this sensor into. So, here then is a brief hands-on look at the FujiFilm FinePix S3
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Other Reviews For This Model
| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Imaging-Resource |
9.29 |
09-07-05 |
Read Full Review
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| Now comes the S3 Pro, a camera that takes a somewhat different path, trading off image resolution to achieve dramatically greater dynamic range. Its body size and design will prompt many to compare it with lower-end (and much cheaper) "prosumer" d-SLRs, but that's not really a fair comparison, given its amazing imaging capabilities. When it comes to preserving difficult highlights without disturbing the tonality or color rendition of the rest of the image, the Fujifilm S3 Pro is unquestionably without equal anywhere in the digital camera market. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| PC Magazine |
9.00 |
08-16-05 |
Read Full Review
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| Like the Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro before it, the new Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro is built on the Nikon N80 film SLR chassis-one of the most enjoyable cameras to hold. Because the N80 is a plastic-bodied camera, however, it's not as rugged as other pro cameras, such as the Nikon D2X, which has a harder magnesium-alloy body. It's just one of the ways in which the S3 Pro seems to exhibit an identity problem: Is it an expensive consumer digital SLR or a cheaper alternative to the high-priced pro D-SLRs? That's a question that you may have to answer for yourself, depending on your needs. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Digital Camera Info |
8.71 |
08-07-05 |
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| For users who don't have a cost/benefit analysis to run, the question is much more subtle. The FinePix S3 yields much, much better dynamic range than the Nikon D70 or Canon 20D, and better color. It's not better in any other respect, and it's inferior in many other regards, so the decision will inevitably come down to personal preference and shooting priorities. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| ePhotoZine |
8.50 |
04-06-05 |
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| This is Fuji's third Digital SLR in the S series of cameras, offering many changes from its predecessor. The camera is still based on the Nikon F mount, supporting a wide range of Nikon compatible lenses. A brand new CCD sensor is used in the S3 Pro to give an outstanding 12.34 million effective pixels, one of the many new features that Fuji promotes. As a current S2 user I found the camera very easy to adapt to, in fact it was harder using the S2 when the camera was returned. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Popular Photography |
8.25 |
10-29-04 |
Read Full Review
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| Fujifilm may not be the first brand that comes to mind when you think of digital SLRs. But among pros who shoot weddings and portraits, the $2,000 Fuji FinePix S2 Pro digital SLR (see Pop Photo, November 2002) has gained a cult status. Two years after its introduction, the S2 Pro still provides the highest resolution of any sub-$4,000 DSLR, plus excellent color accuracy, low noise, and compatibility with Nikon lenses and accessories. Now, hoping to expand its loyal digital SLR following, Fuji has introduced the new 12.3MP FinePix S3 Pro (we're guessing $3,000 street), which it claims has even higher resolution and image quality. But will it outgun the more affordable 6- or 8MP SLRs from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Pentax?
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Photographic |
8.00 |
04-30-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The big news about Fujifilm's FinePix S3 Pro is that it has two kinds of pixels-shadow and highlight-in its Super CCD SR II sensor. The larger "S" pixels respond to low light recording shadow detail, while the smaller "R" pixels capture highlights. Each set produces six megapixels and since data is added together to produce the final image, Fujifilm's new math calls this a 12-megapixel camera, but is it? Out here in the real world, the answer is: Who cares? The image files created by the FinePix S3 Pro are big, clean, and flat-out gorgeous. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| LetsGoDigital |
7.14 |
01-31-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro was already announced in February 2004, right before the PMA in Las Vegas kicked off. However it took until September before the S3 Pro was actually finished. So finally during the last Photokina show the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro was available. A camera with a number of highly interesting and new features. Especially the new Super CCD SR leaps to the eye, containing pixels that can have a high or low sensitivity, the so-called S and R pixels. These pixels enable extending the dynamic range, the combination of these pixels decides the extension of the range. According to Fujifilm 400% or 2 stops are possible. Fujifilm has already gathered sufficient experience with the phenomenon of the two different pixels on a sensor. It has become common on the Fujifilm compact cameras. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| DPReview |
7.00 |
03-16-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The S3 Pro was first announced on 5th February 2004, in the run up to the PMA show in Las Vegas. At that time the announcement was strictly the 'development of' type with very brief specifications and an expected completion date of 'second half of 2004'. Eight month later we've got our hands on a pre-production camera which is fully operational (although not final firmware). The camera looks and feels a 'level above' the S2 Pro, the new camera has a more rounded appearance with chunkier hand grips and more use of rubber around the hand grip and on the rear. In addition the S3 Pro now has a vertical had grip and shutter release button for easy portrait shooting. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Megapixel |
7.00 |
09-27-05 |
Read Full Review
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| At a glance, the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro cannot be confused with one of the mass audience digital SLRs: it is large, has an imposing weight, and is studded on all sides with knobs and dials.
Yet, at least with respect to its external controls, the S3 has much in common with the S2, the previous flagship camera of the Fujifilm line. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| DPReview |
6.86 |
09-12-04 |
Read Full Review
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| Just posted! Our detailed hands-on look at a pre-production Fujifilm S3 Pro. The successor to the popular S2 Pro this camera was first announced at PMA in February of this year. It features a new more rugged body with a built in vertical grip, a larger LCD monitor, support for CF and xD cards but most importantly an all new SuperCCD SR sensor designed to deliver extended dynamic range. There have been a few adjustments to both the design and features available since first announcement, including the ability to control the mix of the SR sensor's double-pixels and hence dynamic range. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| byThom |
6.33 |
02-02-05 |
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| The S3 Pro marks the third in a series of Fujifilm DSLRs based upon Nikon bodies. The S1 was based on the Nikon N60, while the S2 Pro and S3 Pro are based on the Nikon N80. The S1 came out in 1999, the S2 Pro appeared in 2002, and the S3 Pro appeared in late 2004, so it seems that Fujifilm is shooting for about two-year product cycles.
Overall, the Fujifilm digital bodies have tended to be a bit under specified for a pro user, their apparent target, but their image quality has been quite good. It's the sensor, baby! We'll see about that in a bit, but we've got some other things to get out of the way, first.
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
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| CNET Reviews |
----- |
05-31-05 |
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| The Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro digital SLR (dSLR) replaces the S2 Pro, which enjoyed some modest success among photographers who prized its image quality. Like its predecessor, the S3 Pro uses Nikon F-mount SLR lenses and a (debatably) 6-megapixel Fujifilm sensor. But the sensor, called a Super CCD SR II, is an all-new design that uses two photodetectors per pixel to deliver the widest dynamic range we've seen in a dSLR. The camera's performance is mediocre, but if you hate blown-out highlights and love rich colors, the S3 Pro is worth a close look. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Imaging Info |
----- |
02-01-05 |
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| The Fujifilm nameplate always brings something new to the marketplace. Think about it. What other camera company has introduced a more eclectic batch of 120/220 film cameras—running the gamut from a 645AF to a set of 6x7 and 6x9 rangefinders, a 6x8 studio camera, and a 6x17 panoramic camera? While only the GX617 and GX680III remain in Fujifilm's current film camera lineup, Fujifilm continues to shake the nuts off the trees with its latest DSLR: the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro. |
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| Review Site |
Review Score |
Date |
Link |
| Pocket-Lint |
----- |
04-04-05 |
Read Full Review
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| The S3 Pro is, as you might expect, a camera replete with professional specification features including up 1/4000sec shutter speed, Nikon F lens mount compatibility and both hot shoe and separate flash synch terminal for studio flash. You get 4 AA-battery power housed within a special slide that fits neatly into the vertical grip. The latter has its own shutter button and the nicely sculpted body while bulkier overall as a result is very nice to handle. |
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