Product Description11.1 MegaPixel 2/3" Super CCD 14.3X Wide Angle Zoom/2.5" Tiltable LCD Dual Image Stabilization/EVF/Film Simulation Mode, Wide Dynamic Range, Multi-Bracketing Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Customer ReviewsReviewed on 2008-07-01  
Heavy but very good
This is a great camera for a non DSLR. The features are extensive and the camera can be used either by a novice or advanced amateur with little difference in the final outcome. The zoom is very good and easy to use and you don't have to cart separate lenses, etc. The view finder and display are both available which beats most DSLRs which is a plus for those who like versatility. It can be held above heads and still get a preview of the picture with the tilt screen. As with most cameras with a 400mm zoom, it is relatively heavy, but the results are worth the weight. |  | Reviewed on 2008-06-30
Great DSLR replacement
Yes, a DSLR gives you more flexibility and perfect pictures even in less than ideal conditions. But if you don't want to haul all those interchangeable lenses around all the time, or you just don't need all the bells and whistles, this is a great replacement. Don't get me wrong - this machine has settings gallore you can fiddle with. But you don't have to. I've done semi-pro shooting for some time in the past, but now with a growing family, seldomly find time to do any serious shoting anymore. What I need is a camera with outstanding picture quality and a big lens to carry to family functions, take pictures of the kids and occasionally shoot a bird, or a flower, or a pretty landscape. This camera does the trick. And don't give too much attention to all those rumors about "purple fringing" - the picture quality is outstanding, and if you really must shoot at very low level light conditions, change back to the DSLR.
So, to sum it up - great picture quality, settings gallore, big lens. Great camera. | | Reviewed on 2008-06-24
Battery and ARE included with charger
The battery and charger, manual, lense protector, and shade are all part of this camera kit. I called to find out if I needed to buy a battery, and the customer service rep. did not know. As the battery is a $40plus item and not always included, I think it is important to make note of this. | | Reviewed on 2008-06-18
An Excellent "Crossover" Superzoom Camera
I found this gem by accident. I was researching the Nikon "superzoom" lens and related DSLR cameras [...]. The review and associated sample photos were compelling, and I purchased the camera from Amazon. I have found the camera user friendly, cost effective, and takes really good photos. [...]. My comments are only from a user perspective.
I started 35mm film photography in junior high - a long, long time ago, and have used several Leicas and several Nikon "F" series film cameras, and for the past few years, compact digital cameras (my favorite being the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX series for its native 16:9 image ratio). I wanted to minimize hauling around six to eight primary lenses and the attendant lens changing as much as possible. This camera serves my purposes for most of the photos that I take, and I suspect those of most people.
The f/2.8-5.6 27-400 mm lens (35mm equivalent) is very good - for a "superzoom" really good, and fits comfortably on the camera body. I had found that the Nikon 18-200 mm (27-300mm 35mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 seemed too big for the Nikon 40/40x/60 series cameras, which in turn, seemed too small for my hands. The design of all lens, and especially "superzooms", are compromises, and this one is no exception. The dpreview gave the F100FS a Recommended rating, and apparently it missed the Highly Recommended rating primarily due to noticeable color fringing under test conditions. For the size of photos I take, even up through 8 x 10, to date color fringing has been of no concern. Where I enlarged some images on my Mac and specifically looked for it, it was easily removable in PhotoShop (unfortunately Abobe's PhotoShop Elements does not seem to contain the necessary module). Optical image stabilization works well.
From my photos to date, image resolution has been very good to excellent - certainly through ISO 800 and through ISO 1600 unless one is super critical. I shot at ISO 3200 at a graduation ceremony under very poor lighting conditions, and was far from the stage. The resulting photos were quite acceptable - not great but considerably better than any one else in the group obtained that night. Image color under good lighting is accurate and can be "tweaked" through menu entries, as desired. Using automatic white balance, color under poor lighting is variable. At the graduation noted earlier, some images had very good color and some needed a little work in PhotoShop.
Function buttons on the camera body are similar to those on a DSLR camera, are minimal in number, and reflect functions that are actually useful in taking the photos without having to enter the menus, and the menus themselves are quite well laid out. Three buttons especially are appreciated: the ability to change the ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation by single purpose buttons, and a toggle button to change manually between the view finder and the LCD. The light metering methods can be selected from a dial on the back of the camera. The tiltable LCD is quite usable. Other incorporated "must haves" are listed in the Amazon S100FS product description.
Since I don't use the Fuji software, I cannot comment.
This "cross over" camera should be judged against other "superzooms", both compact and entry level DSLRs with comparable lenses. Given that the Nikon 18-200 mm (27-300mm 35mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 alone is about the same cost as the Fuji S100FS camera, the S100FS should be considered by anyone interested in a very good camera with a superzoom lens that is easy to use and takes really good pictures under a wide variety of conditions. Yes, it can be used on "automatic", but the camera has more capabilities than just "automatic". The manual is pretty good, and the more advanced capabilities can be learned "bit by bit", as needed.
Added 19 June 2008. Like a "compact" digital camera, the S100FS LCD is available full time. DSLR cameras with their mirrors are not available "full time" as a framing tool. The tilting LCD make it even more useful to visualize the image from various angles. While I prefer to use the eyepiece to frame most images (using the eyepiece usually provides a sturdier hand hold), the always active LCD is really useful under some conditions.
Henry, Florida | | Reviewed on 2008-06-10
Impressed with S100fs - not perfect though
I have had the Fuji S100fs camera for almost a month now, and have quite a bit to say about it's performance. First, I am very impressed with the image quality in general and the low noise images produced by this camera. Pictures up to 400 ISO are almost noise free, while 800's show very little noise and still show great detail. 1600's are not too bad either, but you probably would not want to print too big, as there is some noise there - however, compared to pretty much every other point and shoot out there, noise levels are quite satisfactory. I was able to get some great shots at my daughters' dance recital last week. Using 800 ISO for the slower ballet & pointe, and 1600 for the faster action, like clogging & hip-hop, I captured some very nice images with little or no motion blur. A few were out of focus: I noticed that when tracking moving objects the focus had a little trouble locking on some of the time. Overall, pretty pleased though.
Next, the Dynamic Range expansion feature on this camera really works. Some shots that would have been too contrasty at standard DR turned out extremely nice - almost never have a blown highlight and shadowy areas are lit enough to show detail that would be lost otherwise. Great feature!
Another feature of the S100fs is the film simulation mode. I do like the "Velvia" setting, but it cannot be used at the same time as DR expansion mode (the camera switches DR off when Velvia is selected). There is a way around this, however, by setting color to "high" and tone to "hard" in the main menu (this is what Velvia setting does to the camera anyway). By doing this, you get more vivid color and tone and still be able to shoot with expanded DR. Very glad I experimented with the available settings to discover this.
This camera has a lot of adjustment buttons and many choices in the menus. The menus are easy to use and the many features accessed there are pretty useful. Many DSLR-like controls here allow quite a bit of experimentation and adjustment, making this camera work better for the more experienced photographer, and allowing trial and error for the less experienced to get better at what they are able to capture. If you want to let the camera do most of the work, it will, and do it pretty well. I still recommend using the camera at least on P mode for best results.
Now for the bad news: Purple fringing and other chromatic abberation is there. To be honest, out of 950+ shots, I have only had a REAL problem with about 7 or 8, but it is there on very high contrast shots, especially at wide angle & a little less at full telephoto). Most of what I shoot will never really show this flaw, but once in a while, it will be there. ALWAYS use DR400% on shots like that and, in some cases, it may help lessen visible CA.
Now for the pros / cons list:
Pros: Image quality overall is very impressive - not quite DSLR quality, but most shots are very close, rivaling those of the cheaper DSLR's.
Visible noise is much lower than pretty much any point-and-shoot made today: larger image sensor, and the fact that a Fuji Super CCD is used, are predominantly the reasons here. Again, not quite as clean as a DSLR can produce, but not that far off.
Very convenient: 28mm wide angle & 14.3x zoom lens on the camera, no dust issues, no lens changing & packing around. There are some of us that just do not want those things no matter how good the photo is (I'm not doing this for a living, just want decent everyday shots and still be able to produce pretty professional looking photos once in a while - this camera allows me to do that).
There are other pros, but I've covered the main ones. Here are the con's:
Purple fringing is definately this camera's weak spot. Fuji could have done better in this department. The S100fs would be invincible (as a point & shoot anyway) if not for this. Like I said before, most of what I do is not affected by this, but it would be nice not to see it crop up EVER. If you do alot of outside picture taking (especially shooting through trees or at buildings in front of a bright sky or other bright & contrasty pictures) you might not be happy with the results unless you are good with PF removal software and have the time to use it.
Manual focus is pretty worthless on the S100fs. It is electronic rather than a true mechanical focus mechanism. It is unresponsive, as it does not really matter whether you turn the ring quickly or slowly - it just adjusts in slow increments either way. Since you can't quickly focus in & out, it's hard to tell if you're right on or just close (and close is not good enough). Not very useful. Fortunately, the auto focus works well nearly all of the time. Low light/contrast and moving subjects do pose some problem, but most point and shoot cameras suffer a little in this area.
Software included with the camera, particularly the RAW processing software, is not that great. DPreview said it was slow: I don't find it to be that bad speed wise, it just does not allow me to adjust the things I really want to, like noise reduction (software just applies the same NR that the camera does to jpeg's). White balance, color, etc. can be changed with many other programs, so I do not find the software very useful. S7raw for RAW conversion and Neat Image for NR application does a much better job, it just takes extra steps that I wish I didn't need to take.
Overall, I have to say that Fuji has built a fine camera in most respects. I am really enjoying all of the many features available, and, more importantly, the great images I am able to capture with this very capable and convenient camera. If not for the PF/CA issues, I would give 5 stars, but due to that, I cannot do so. I think most people wanting good performance (better than that available from the tons of point and shoot cameras out there) without the hassles, drawbacks and expense of a DSLR, would love this camera. I have read many personal opinions of actual users of the S100fs, and I agree with the majority of positive comments offered about it. It really does a lot of things very well, and I do not regret buying it at all. For what I want in a camera, it suits me very well.
| |
|
