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Fuji S3 Pro Review
Having owned a Fuji S3 Pro for almost a year, I've had ample time to put it through its paces and learn most of the subtleties of its use and performance. Based on my experience with this camera, I've come up with this review - an honest analysis of its capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, by a photographer and for photographers. This is also an organic review, meaning that I'll continue to add to and modify it over time, as gain more experience and insight with this camera. You'll probably want to bookmark this page and check back often for updates!
For the most part, I'm satisfied with the S3. Really satisfied! I've been able to take some spectacular photos with this camera (though I can't say there haven't been some duds as well). As a portrait tool, this camera is in its element. Let me say that this is its greatest strength. I've found the S3 to be extremely well-suited to my favorite style of photography, portraiture, and the camera seems to deliver the most in natural light and low-light situations. It faithfully reproduces skin tones and generally delivers an almost film-like reproduction quality under the right circumstances, and even better in the studio. Below are a few portrait examples I've shot with the S3.
Film Simulation Modes - Digital Provia and Velvia?
| Some S3 portraits shot in F1 "Provia" mode. This is my favorite mode to use with the S3, use it only for people shots (click for larger version). |
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Notice that I said "under the right circumstances". This camera is complicated enough and offers enough shooting modes and options that learning to get the most out of it takes some time. Thus the S3 is a camera that I would describe as being somewhat tricky to master. It's also not a tool for the photographic novice. It takes a certain skill and knowledge about light, color and exposure in order to work with this camera's strengths and weaknesses and fully realize its potential (true about any camera, but more so with this one). At the same time, one needs to become accustomed to the various different modes and settings, and this can only be achieved through patience and persistent experimentation. For example, the S3 offers a "Standard" shooting mode, in addition to 2 different "film simulation" modes: F1 (Film negative-like, similar to Fuji's Provia film) and F2 (Higher saturation and contrast, similar to Velvia film stock). In practice, these three modes deliver much different results that can either make or break your photo. While the "Standard" mode can pretty much be used safely with any shooting scenario, F1 and F2 are much more specialized and need to be used carefully. For the most part, F1 mode works best with human models, delivering a film-like look and great skin tones. F2 is more tricky. It tends to really bump up the saturation, especially in the reds and greens, and can get you into trouble if not used carefully. I think F2 tends to oversaturate (see the landscape shot below), but with certain subjects, this can work well (see the oil derrick sample below). You just need to experiment. While Fuji recommends F2 for landscape shots, I often find that the colors look unnatural when shooting landscapes in F2 mode. But again, it depends on the colors in your composition, blue skies tend to look really great but greens can be tricky. You really need to experiment to find the best combo and this is where patience comes into play since there aren't any good resources for figuring out the optimal settings other than trial and error. It must be noted as well that F1 and F2 modes are NOT available if you switch the color space to Adobe RGB; they are only available if you us sRGB. If you are using Adobe RGB, which tends to give a wider color gamut, you can ONLY shoot in Standard mode.
| F2 mode "Velvia" examples. Fuji recommends this mode for landscapes but F2 produces the most unpredictable results - sometimes photos look great, sometimes not. |
This landscape is oversaturated, especially the greens
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Here the extra saturation looks great, with deep rich blues and strong reds
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The extra saturation here looks dramatic, but maybe too much for some?
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Guggenheim museum in Bilbao looks spectacular
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Although the Fuji colors can sometimes look oversaturated on a computer monitor, it's worth noting that they often look better in print, simulating the "Fuji look" on paper that so many photographers have come to love from Fuji filmstock. It's also worth noting that B/W conversions from photos shot in color on the S3 usually look fantastic! I haven't tried shooting in B/W on the S3, only because I'd rather have the option of using a B/W AND color picture and can easily convert to B/W in Photoshop. I've found that images shot with the S3 generally look very nice when converted to B/W, especially using Photoshop's Channel Mixer .
What's all the Fuss about Dynamic Range?
Aside from the film simulation modes, the S3 also offers a few different options for extending the dynamic range of the image. Much has been made of this feature and it's one of the strongest selling points (or at least marketing points) of the S3. If you're not familiar with dynamic range, it just means the range between the lights and darks that can be faithfully rendered without clipping (losing) either the highlights or the shadows. A perfect example of this would be a very dark skinned black woman wearing a bright white wedding dress and standing in the sun. This kind of scenario would pose a nightmare to any wedding photographer because it would be difficult, if not impossible to properly expose the skin without blowing out the whites in the wedding dress, or retain the detail in the dress without under-exposing the skin tones. By extending the dynamic range, theoretically at least, it would be possible to maintain correct exposure for both the dark skin tones and the highlights of the white dress. This is a rather extreme example but you get the point...
The S3 offers 3 kinds of dynamic range: Auto, Wide 1 and Wide 2, with Wide 2 offering the most dynamic range, albeit with a performance hit in terms of the time it takes to process the shot and write it to the memory card. To further complicate matters, the extended dynamic ranges are only available when shooting in "Standard" mode, not in F1 or F2 film simulation modes. Auto mode seems to be the best option to use as the S3's sensor evaluates the light in the image and intelligently decides how much dynamic range to expose with. If you want to force the sensor to use the widest dynamic range possible, us Wide 2 (though be prepared for a performance hit, especially if you are shooting RAW).
So how well does the S3's extended dynamic range really work? Well, in my opinion, this feature is usually subtle and somewhat over-rated, but if used properly it can definitely improve your images, especially in the shadow detail. However it's not a sure ticket to great photograph by any means. Too many amateur photographers who pick up the S3 think that extended dynamic range is the be all and end all of image quality. It's not. Extended dynamic range will rarely make a photo better than low dynamic range. And it's certainly no substitute for bad composition or lighting. If you know how to work with it though, it CAN make a difference. I find that the best part of the extended dynamic range of the S3 is in providing greater shadow detail. This means that you can underexpose photos to catch very brightly lit highlights and later boost the shadows in Photoshop, using the Shadow/Highlight too. I've found that images shot with the S3 in extended DR really hold up well to boosting the shadows without introducing objectionable noise or losing detail. It's quite remarkable actually...
Another area I can think of where the extra dynamic range really makes a big difference is in wedding photography. Here you are dealing with bright white wedding dresses that need to retain detail without under-exposing skin tones. For wedding photography, the S3 delivers and it has gained a well-earned reputation as a must-have tool among photographers who shoot weddings for a living. If you don't shoot weddings, play around with the extended dynamic range settings, but don't let them be a crutch for bad lighting technique.
| Dynamic Range examples: Both images were shot with the exact same settings except that the one on the right was set for extended dynamic range. Look at the details in the curtain on the lower right of each image. In the extended range sample, the details of the curtain do not blow out and are more visible, despite being shot using the exact same exposure. |
Dynamic range = Normal
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Dynamic range = Wide 2
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Low Light Performance - A Low Noise Champion?
One feature of the S3 that really does make a difference in image quality is its excellent low-light performance. More specifically, it delivers very good, low-grain results at higher ISO settings. The ability to shoot comfortably at 800 or 1600 ISO without displaying image noise is a boon for the Nikon-based photographer and the S3's performance rivals that of Canon's digital SLR offerings. Though you'll lose some image detail at higher ISO settings, I usually don't have any problems with noise even at 1600 ISO. This makes the S3 a superb performer for indoor and outdoor (flash-less) concert photography. The samples below show that even at 1600 ISO, there's very little noise, even in the shadows. While you will lose a little detail at higher sensitivities, this is one of the most impressive and useful features of the S3. Unfortunately however, the S3 doesn't offer any incremental settings between 800 and 1600, so you've got to use one or the other, even when something like 1200 might be more appropriate. It would be great if Fuji offered smaller increments throughout the ISO range, as both Nikon and Canon do.
| High ISO Live Concert Samples |
ISO 400
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ISO 800
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ISO 800
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Handling and Ergonomics
In terms of ergonomics and handling, the S3 performs well. The camera feels particularly good in your hand and the heavily sculpted, built-in grip makes it easy to carry and feels nearly ideal. The vertical shutter release button is not particularly well-implemented though. Besides the fact that if feels cheap, there are no adjacent dials which means that you cannot manually adjust the shutter or aperture with your shooting hand while shooting vertically. This makes the shutter button almost useless in manual mode, which I use 95% of the time. The vertical release button also tends to get in the way when you are previewing photos on the LCD. If you accidently hit the button while previewing (very easy to do), then your preview is cancelled, and worse, when you hit preview again you need to start over with the first image, as it forgets where you were last. It is possible to set the lock switch to "on" to prevent this, but it seems it would be smarter on Fuji's part to just make a better quality button that doesn't release at the slightest touch.
Image Quality and Operating Speed
I terms of image quality, the S3 definitely delivers. While RAW mode will give you 12 megapixel files with the best quality, I find that out-of-camera JPEGs look just marvelous. Consequently I use JPEGs 90% of the time instead of RAW which slows down both in-camera processing times AND post-processing times. Speaking of in-camera processing times, this is one area where the S3's performance is rather lacking. Fuji put so much of its engineering efforts into developing a CCD technology that delivers industry leading dynamic range that they didn't spend enough time actually USING the camera day-to-day like a working photographer does. If this were 2003, you might not complain too much. But it's 2006 and the truth is that competing entry-level DSLRs from Nikon and Canon which cost significantly less can run circles around the S3 in terms of operational speed. In practice, the S3 feels slow to respond and it IS slow. Though previewing on the LCD isn't so bad, shot-to-shot time is and it gets much worse if you shoot in extended dynamic range or RAW. Even at the most conservative setting, it's not a camera you want to be out shooting fast moving subjects with. Especially since the auto focus isn't particularly fast either. This may very well be the S3's biggest Achilles heel and the one thing that keeps it from being a stellar camera instead of a very good one.
On unique feature worth mentioning is that the S3 has 2 media card slots, allowing you to use both a Compact Flash Card and an XD card simultaneously. Since most sources report that the XD card provides faster read/write times (and my own testing confirms this claim), XD cards seem to be the better route to go when buying media. However, the ability to have an extra card in your camera (even if it is the slower Compact Flash variety), is a plus since it's easy to run out of space with only one card. Hint to Fuji: it would be nice if you could back up from one card to the other, in-camera. For S3 owners out there, if you go the XD card route, make sure to get Type H cards instead of Type M. The H stands for High Speed and they are significantly faster than Type M cards. Most 1GB XD cards on the market are Type M but Olympus does make one that is Type H.
Another thing worth noting about the S3 is that the LCD screen, while very good, displays the images much brighter than they are in real life. Boy, if the images on your computer screen looked as good on the LCD, this would be the best camera around. But the LCD preview is not accurate and one needs to take note of this. Generally you'll find your images are underexposed if you rely on the LCD preview for exposure accuracy, though to its credit, the S3's images respond very well to post processing in terms of boosting exposure. This is especially true with shadow detail, which holds up very well. The S3 images can be improved a lot through the use of Photoshop's Shadow/Highlight tool and shadow noise remains low up to reasonable levels.
Conclusion
The S3 has its limitations in the speed department, but for certain specialized tasks, particularly low-light photograpy and portraits, it really delivers. I love the rendition of skin tones and the ability to shoot at higher ISOs is a huge plus. I like the handling and overall the camera "feels" nice in hand and the different modes encourage me to experiment and pushes my creative impulses. I also like the neutrality of not having to deal with the Nikon vs Canon debate, as Fuji have their own approach, allowing me to avoid the religious wars that go on between users of these other brands. But the S3 is not a camera for amateurs, impatient people, or those who want something simple to use. It's best suited to experienced photographers who are willing to spend the time to get to know the camera and coax magic out of its complex sensor and shooting modes. As a second body that's dedicated to portraits or studio work, it will deliver and this is probably its best niche. As an only camera for inexperienced photographers, it might be frustratingly inconsistent - sometimes you'll get great results and sometimes not. Are you patient and willing to learn, to experiment, to push the envelope?? Ask yourself this before going down the S3 route.
In closing, I would say that the S3 is a rather unique photographic tool that requires patience and commitment to master. It is not a particularly good "general use camera" for amateurs or novices, but rather a specialized tool that fills a particular niche inside of the working photographer's roster of equipment. If you're willing to work with it and learn its unique traits, it will reward you with superb results. What is the S3 best suited for? Weddings, portraits, studio work, concert photography, abstract and artistic photography. Worst? Sports, landscapes (arguable), general travel.
Pros: Image quality, Fuji film simulation modes, extended dynamic range, low noise at high ISO, body ergonomics
Cons: Slow performance, some handling issues, some colors don't look natural, takes time and patience to figure out and master different modes and settings, not a beginner's camera
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