Spider67
Well-known
Hi Folks,
Do some of you have used a S5 Pro?
I am very tempted by a very good offer price wise, but would like to check with your experiences with that strange animal, how does it hold up when compared to the Nikon D 200, 300 or 90?
All the descriptions I read sound as if it's a "better" Nikon or at least a "best of two worlds solution".
So truth or myth or just soso?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards
Des
Do some of you have used a S5 Pro?
I am very tempted by a very good offer price wise, but would like to check with your experiences with that strange animal, how does it hold up when compared to the Nikon D 200, 300 or 90?
All the descriptions I read sound as if it's a "better" Nikon or at least a "best of two worlds solution".
So truth or myth or just soso?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards
Des
emraphoto
Veteran
I suppose it depends on the use. It can be a bit slow if you are looking for a rattle them off kind of affair.
The dynamic range is brilliant and it's high iso ( up to the 1600 sort of range ) was pretty admirable in my books.
The absolute resolution is a bit tricky but I had no problem with CP's, AP's or AFN's image banks. Some argue that it actually a 6 megapixel camera VS a 12 as advertised blah blah blah. Was never an issue for me but if you're of the pixel peeping, enlargements the size of a Volkswagen type then give it some thought.
In all I found it a great, tough camera. Was just a touch slow for the job I was doing.
The dynamic range is brilliant and it's high iso ( up to the 1600 sort of range ) was pretty admirable in my books.
The absolute resolution is a bit tricky but I had no problem with CP's, AP's or AFN's image banks. Some argue that it actually a 6 megapixel camera VS a 12 as advertised blah blah blah. Was never an issue for me but if you're of the pixel peeping, enlargements the size of a Volkswagen type then give it some thought.
In all I found it a great, tough camera. Was just a touch slow for the job I was doing.
Platinum RF
Well-known
I have both S5 and D200
The skin tone and white balance of S5 is excellent, sharpness and high ISO goes to Nikon, it is a fun camera to use, I only shoot jpeg on S5, raw is huge and slow.
The skin tone and white balance of S5 is excellent, sharpness and high ISO goes to Nikon, it is a fun camera to use, I only shoot jpeg on S5, raw is huge and slow.
italy74
Well-known
+1 S5 Pro for skin tones and D/R: this is really a clearly ceremony/formals/portraits/weddings-targeted camera
+1 D200 for everything else: it's a more versatile tool, aimed more to sheer performances and sports.
+1 D200 for everything else: it's a more versatile tool, aimed more to sheer performances and sports.
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narsuitus
Well-known
When I went shopping for a DSLR, I went into a camera store with a Nikon lens, a CompactFlash memory card, and a laptop computer. My intent was to take a few test shots and evaluate the image quality.
I was unable to test the D90, D200, or D700 because the store did not have them in stock. The store did have a D3 in stock but I did not bother to test it because I do not do enough low-light shooting to justify its high price.
I was able to take a used Fuji S5 off the shelf and a new Nikon D300 out of the box and take a few test shots. Both cameras performed well, felt good in my hands, and displayed no significant difference in resolution. However, I preferred the warmer images of the S5 to the cooler images of the D300. This is probably because I primarily shoot people (weddings and portraits) and preferred the way the S5 handled skin tones.
I purchased the S5 and have since used it not only for people shots but also for nature, landscape, architectural, close-up/macro, still life, and action shots. I have been very satisfied with its performance. However, if I shot more action photography and more low-light photography than I do, the S5 would not be my first choice. I would instead pick the D3, D700, or D90 for their higher frame rates and higher ISO settings.
I was unable to test the D90, D200, or D700 because the store did not have them in stock. The store did have a D3 in stock but I did not bother to test it because I do not do enough low-light shooting to justify its high price.
I was able to take a used Fuji S5 off the shelf and a new Nikon D300 out of the box and take a few test shots. Both cameras performed well, felt good in my hands, and displayed no significant difference in resolution. However, I preferred the warmer images of the S5 to the cooler images of the D300. This is probably because I primarily shoot people (weddings and portraits) and preferred the way the S5 handled skin tones.
I purchased the S5 and have since used it not only for people shots but also for nature, landscape, architectural, close-up/macro, still life, and action shots. I have been very satisfied with its performance. However, if I shot more action photography and more low-light photography than I do, the S5 would not be my first choice. I would instead pick the D3, D700, or D90 for their higher frame rates and higher ISO settings.
narsuitus
Well-known
Here are some of the Fuji S5 features that I like. Please note that this is not a comparison with other cameras. They are just features that I find useful.
1. High quality, warm images better for people shots
2. Optional viewfinder grid lines
3. Programmable configuration
4. Built-in eyepiece diopter adjustment
5. Hot Shoe and PC external flash connections
6. Multiple exposure feature (2 to 10 images on one frame)
7. Uses CompactFlash memory cards (allowed me to use the same cards I was using in my previous digitals)
8. Crop Factor of 1.5x is good for telephoto lenses
9. Noise reduction setting suited for capturing the detail needed for astrophotography
10. Bracketing feature easy to use
11. Image histogram useful for analyzing exposure
12. Works well with older PB-4 Nikon bellows unit
13. Mirror-up feature useful for reducing mirror vibration
14. Exposure Delay Mode useful for reducing mirror vibration
15. Self-timer useful for reducing camera shake
16. Ability to lock certain features.
1. High quality, warm images better for people shots
2. Optional viewfinder grid lines
3. Programmable configuration
4. Built-in eyepiece diopter adjustment
5. Hot Shoe and PC external flash connections
6. Multiple exposure feature (2 to 10 images on one frame)
7. Uses CompactFlash memory cards (allowed me to use the same cards I was using in my previous digitals)
8. Crop Factor of 1.5x is good for telephoto lenses
9. Noise reduction setting suited for capturing the detail needed for astrophotography
10. Bracketing feature easy to use
11. Image histogram useful for analyzing exposure
12. Works well with older PB-4 Nikon bellows unit
13. Mirror-up feature useful for reducing mirror vibration
14. Exposure Delay Mode useful for reducing mirror vibration
15. Self-timer useful for reducing camera shake
16. Ability to lock certain features.
narsuitus
Well-known
Here are some of the Fuji S5 features that I dislike. Please note that this is not a comparison with other cameras. They are just features that give me problems.
1. Crop Factor of 1.5x is not good for normal and wide-angle lenses
2. 95% viewfinder coverage instead of 100%
3. Fixed viewfinder (I need waist-level finder & sports finder)
4. Fixed view screen (I need a screen that makes manual focusing easier)
5. Battery dependence
6. No true mirror lockup, however, the mirror-up feature is very useful
7. No provision to attach standard cable release
8. Not possible to use Exposure Delay Mode and Self-timer at the same time
9. Difficult to manually focus in dim light
10. Unable to turn off viewfinder display (need it off for astrophotography)
11. Unable to save setup configuration in a user-defined custom setting.
1. Crop Factor of 1.5x is not good for normal and wide-angle lenses
2. 95% viewfinder coverage instead of 100%
3. Fixed viewfinder (I need waist-level finder & sports finder)
4. Fixed view screen (I need a screen that makes manual focusing easier)
5. Battery dependence
6. No true mirror lockup, however, the mirror-up feature is very useful
7. No provision to attach standard cable release
8. Not possible to use Exposure Delay Mode and Self-timer at the same time
9. Difficult to manually focus in dim light
10. Unable to turn off viewfinder display (need it off for astrophotography)
11. Unable to save setup configuration in a user-defined custom setting.
giellaleafapmu
Well-known
I have it and it is one of my favourite cameras but it is a completely different beast than any of the Nikons you mentioned. The reason to get it is the dynamical range and the great jpg it produce without any raw developer. If you shot portraits, ceremonies, weddings and you have a certain volume of work it is very hard to beat.
Of course you can use the camera for other things but this is its strength and what set it apart from all the others.
Anyway, I love mine and I really hope they will make a full frame version sometimes!
GLF
giellaleafapmu
Well-known
peter_n
Veteran
I use a Fuji S5 Pro but I cannot personally compare it to any other dSLR since the Fuji is the only dSLR I've owned. I bought it for its reputation; excellent dynamic range and JPEG quality. I'm happy to say that it's reputation is well earned, the camera is excellent. I'm told by someone who uses both that the Fuji's DR still exceeds that of the D700, and I can tell you from personal experience that the out-of-camera JPEGs (6MB) are amazing. The most PP I do is levels, +5% saturation, +10% contrast, +25% unsharp mask, done. That's it, the pic is perfect.
The camera is sold as 12 megapixels but it's really a 6-8MP camera. However (this is my understanding - I'm not a pixel person) it uses 6mp for shadows/medium tones and 6mp for highlights so you get a lot of tonal depth. It has a Fuji custom sensor that provides this great dynamic range and it means that you never have to use RAW (I don't know how to use RAW on the cam
) and can go straight to JPEG with absolutely minimal post-processing as I've described above. Skin tones are excellent, and I'm told that it's the favorite camera of portrait and wedding photographers and I can believe it. What the S5 is not good for is action photography where you need to write very quickly to the CF card, like sports for example. If you're into that, get a D300.
I use two auto-focus lenses with mine, a Nikkor 17-55/2.8 DX zoom and the new 35/2.8 DX prime. I highly recommend both. The 35/2.8 DX costs $199 and produces very high quality images. As a user of some very expensive Leica glass I'm mightily impressed with it. No wonder it is flying off the shelves.
The Fuji S5 is not too big and clumsy, is reasonably quiet in operation, has terrific build quality, and has been completely reliable in my one year of ownership. I've set it up to give me a completely different experience from using a film rangefinder: no manual focus lenses, only AFS, simple operation - all I do is change ISO and aperture, OOC JPEG files of the highest quality, minimal post-processing. It is the perfect solution for what I use it for, mostly work, family and personal stuff requiring good quality color but very quick turnaround. It provides a really pleasurable counterpoint to my B&W RF film work and it's great to have those differences in both the workflow and the output.
The camera is sold as 12 megapixels but it's really a 6-8MP camera. However (this is my understanding - I'm not a pixel person) it uses 6mp for shadows/medium tones and 6mp for highlights so you get a lot of tonal depth. It has a Fuji custom sensor that provides this great dynamic range and it means that you never have to use RAW (I don't know how to use RAW on the cam
) and can go straight to JPEG with absolutely minimal post-processing as I've described above. Skin tones are excellent, and I'm told that it's the favorite camera of portrait and wedding photographers and I can believe it. What the S5 is not good for is action photography where you need to write very quickly to the CF card, like sports for example. If you're into that, get a D300.I use two auto-focus lenses with mine, a Nikkor 17-55/2.8 DX zoom and the new 35/2.8 DX prime. I highly recommend both. The 35/2.8 DX costs $199 and produces very high quality images. As a user of some very expensive Leica glass I'm mightily impressed with it. No wonder it is flying off the shelves.
The Fuji S5 is not too big and clumsy, is reasonably quiet in operation, has terrific build quality, and has been completely reliable in my one year of ownership. I've set it up to give me a completely different experience from using a film rangefinder: no manual focus lenses, only AFS, simple operation - all I do is change ISO and aperture, OOC JPEG files of the highest quality, minimal post-processing. It is the perfect solution for what I use it for, mostly work, family and personal stuff requiring good quality color but very quick turnaround. It provides a really pleasurable counterpoint to my B&W RF film work and it's great to have those differences in both the workflow and the output.
Jeff Fillmore
Member
Colors are nice- I personally did not see a huge DR advantage but maybe thats just me.
My biggest complaintwas the menu system was aweful. I guess being use to Nikon's I found theirs difficult to navigate. Did not have the camera long enough to ever get past the frustration.
My biggest complaintwas the menu system was aweful. I guess being use to Nikon's I found theirs difficult to navigate. Did not have the camera long enough to ever get past the frustration.
IGMeanwell
Well-known
The one thing that the S5 stands out more than it's Nikon brothers are DR and JPEG quality. Now when it comes to DR for the S5 it is more in the highlights than the shadows... honestly my D90 and the D300 files I have used have better shadow recovery, however the S5 can retain almost 2 more stops of highlights before they lose their information. I have accidentally overexposed some shots in the 2 years I have had the camera and still been able to recover the highlights in lightroom. Obviously RAW retains more information, but honestly even the JPEGs retain almost as much highlight headroom. White balance as mentioned before is the best out of any digital camera I have used.
The D90 is very close in terms of DR, but where is you might have 2 stops of tolerance with the S5, the D90 is about 1 stop before the details get completely washed out.
With the S5 it thrives on quality glass but due to it's strong AA filter mediocre glass can really show it's flaws. For Wedding work the S5 can help produce amazing images, especially in bright conditions, but it is a camera you need a certain amount of patience and good technique to get the most out of it.
One last thing, the build quality is the same as the D200, in fact the S5 is my foul weather camera... I had an event shoot at the top of the slopes at Gore Mtn, I was doing many portraits in various heavy snow squalls and the S5 performed with out a single hitch.
It has paid for itself, it's a great camera for the portrait/wedding pro, and I would recommend it along with a faster body for any 2 camera setup.
The D90 is very close in terms of DR, but where is you might have 2 stops of tolerance with the S5, the D90 is about 1 stop before the details get completely washed out.
With the S5 it thrives on quality glass but due to it's strong AA filter mediocre glass can really show it's flaws. For Wedding work the S5 can help produce amazing images, especially in bright conditions, but it is a camera you need a certain amount of patience and good technique to get the most out of it.
One last thing, the build quality is the same as the D200, in fact the S5 is my foul weather camera... I had an event shoot at the top of the slopes at Gore Mtn, I was doing many portraits in various heavy snow squalls and the S5 performed with out a single hitch.
It has paid for itself, it's a great camera for the portrait/wedding pro, and I would recommend it along with a faster body for any 2 camera setup.
solar_sea
Member
A lot has been said about S5's perfect, ooc jpeg images, so I will not comment them further
Instead, if you shoot in raw you get an even larger DR span, like 13,9 ev at iso 100. Note, that the extended DR is only available up to iso 800. 1600 and above fall to 8 ev steps.
Now, about the Raw converters - some Japanese guys have created a program called S7Raw - it's freeware and it's targeted only at cameras using the fuji super-ccd sensor like the S5. It features aberration correction, distortion, vignetting, color settings and most important - allows you to Very precisely merge the normal image with the low-sensitivity one in order to get the extended dynamic range.
In addition to being the perfect wedding camera, it's very useful for contrast landscapes out in the nature (extended DR, perfect colors), as well as for street shooting (good high-iso performance). A bit impractical for the last given it's size, but a winner nevertheless
Forget about for sports, you only have a 7 frames jpeg buffer on max dynamic range and it takes like 15-20secs to clear out.
--
note: everything else is like a nikon d200 - as Thom said it walks like a d200, quacks like a d200, etc. Well, there are some differences in the menu system, it just takes some time to get used to.
edit: (addition)
Be sure to quickly find an AA-capable battery grip for it though.
According to FUJIFILM's British representatives the original batteries have been discontinued from production.
Instead, if you shoot in raw you get an even larger DR span, like 13,9 ev at iso 100. Note, that the extended DR is only available up to iso 800. 1600 and above fall to 8 ev steps.
Now, about the Raw converters - some Japanese guys have created a program called S7Raw - it's freeware and it's targeted only at cameras using the fuji super-ccd sensor like the S5. It features aberration correction, distortion, vignetting, color settings and most important - allows you to Very precisely merge the normal image with the low-sensitivity one in order to get the extended dynamic range.
In addition to being the perfect wedding camera, it's very useful for contrast landscapes out in the nature (extended DR, perfect colors), as well as for street shooting (good high-iso performance). A bit impractical for the last given it's size, but a winner nevertheless
Forget about for sports, you only have a 7 frames jpeg buffer on max dynamic range and it takes like 15-20secs to clear out.
--
note: everything else is like a nikon d200 - as Thom said it walks like a d200, quacks like a d200, etc. Well, there are some differences in the menu system, it just takes some time to get used to.
edit: (addition)
Be sure to quickly find an AA-capable battery grip for it though.
According to FUJIFILM's British representatives the original batteries have been discontinued from production.
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kuzano
Veteran
The answer to that comparison is very simple....
The answer to that comparison is very simple....
The S5 Pro is a Nikon that has been improved with a Fuji processor. No more needs to be said.
The answer to that comparison is very simple....
The S5 Pro is a Nikon that has been improved with a Fuji processor. No more needs to be said.
Ezzie
E. D. Russell Roberts
The D200 and the S5 Pro have the same housing, they are however very different in all other respects. Different sensors and imaging SW. The Fuji has the Super CCD sensor, which is a very different approach to capturing than all other sensor technologies. That's why the pixel count is often quoted as being both 12,3 and 6,7Mpix, due to the S and R pixels actually coverinng the same area a normal photosite on a regular CCD would do. One much larger than the other. I real life its a 6,7Mpix camera, but as one has seen with Sigma's Foveon sensors, that is not necessary the whole and full truth. Read this link to get an idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_CCD
The upside is not necessarily better resulotion, but better dynamic range.
The upside is not necessarily better resulotion, but better dynamic range.
Spider67
Well-known
Thanks for all the input guys. You helped me a lot. I am very impressed by your enthusiasm for helping me get the proper info!
I had this thread printed so that I can use it as a reference when I am on the hunt for the S5, as the one I was looking for got snatched away right before my eyes....(shaking fists in frustration).
So it's a borrowed D80 right now until I either find an S5 or I can afford a D700.
Actually we should have a review forum, so that all this wealth of information (especially the hands on experience of posters!) could be used over and over again by other readers.
Greetings from Vienna
Des
I had this thread printed so that I can use it as a reference when I am on the hunt for the S5, as the one I was looking for got snatched away right before my eyes....(shaking fists in frustration).
So it's a borrowed D80 right now until I either find an S5 or I can afford a D700.
Actually we should have a review forum, so that all this wealth of information (especially the hands on experience of posters!) could be used over and over again by other readers.
Greetings from Vienna
Des
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
I use the S3, with the same CCD, so I didn't change to S5.
Wonderful!
Best digital skins I've seen. With my shooting I don't need to shoot more raws per second than with my Hassie...
Cheers,
Juan
Wonderful!
Best digital skins I've seen. With my shooting I don't need to shoot more raws per second than with my Hassie...
Cheers,
Juan
peter_n
Veteran
This is correct, Fuji have discontinued the batteries. What are they thinking?
Luckily I have four OEM batteries so I'm set for a while. Now we'll have to rely on 3rd party batteries and some of those are decidedly dodgy. Best is to go to the Fuji SLR forum on dpreview where there are a number of battery threads, and you can sort out the wheat from the chaff there.Good advice about the grip too. AA batteries will work fine. Most of the grips slavishly copy the Nikon MB-D200, battery door problems and all. After some research I went for a Targus TG-BGD200 that has a completely different battery door design than the OEM, and I've been very happy with it. Recommended.
narsuitus
Well-known
I needed to replace my view screen with a rangefinder screen to help me manually focus accurately. As far as I know, Nikon and Fuji do not make replacement screens for the D200 or the S5; therefore, I bought a screen from a third party. The screen worked well but installing it was a costly disaster because the S5 and D200 cameras are not designed like my Nikon F2 or F4 where it is easy to remove the viewfinder, take out the view screen, and pop in another one.
I was able to remove my screen but almost scratched my mirror in my unsuccessful attempt to install the new screen through the mirror box. I finally gave up and took my camera to a repair shop where it cost me $100 to have a trained technician install the screen.
narsuitus
Well-known
Since it seems unlikely that Fuji will come out with an S6 or full-frame version of the S5, I just purchased another S5 to use as a backup. So right now, I am using two S5 bodies, one battery grip, and 6 batteries.