Fuji FinePix S2 ProFuji updates their digital SLR with a 6 megapixel CCD, with the same excellent color...<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 7/24/2002 |
Test Results
From Dave: Read our shootout article, comparing this camera to 3 other digital SLRs!
In keeping with my standard policy, my comments here are rather condensed, summarizing my key findings. For a full commentary on each of my standard test images, see the Fuji S2 Pros "pictures" page. (The comments on the pictures page really go quite a bit beyond the condensed listing below- If you're seriously interested in the camera, you owe it to yourself to read them.)
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, I encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the S2 Pro performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the S2 turned in a superb performance, really surprising me with how well it did against the very stiff competition from Nikon's D100 and Canon's D60. The first thing I observed in studying its photos was that it sports the same beautiful color as its predecessor, the S1 Pro. The S1 was renowned for its excellent color, and particularly for its handling of skin tones. The S2 seems to continue that tradition, with genuinely beautiful color across a wide range of subjects and shooting conditions.
While the S2's color was very good, I'd more or less expected that, given the past performance of the S1. I was probably most surprised by the S2's resolution, which went a good bit beyond what I'd been expecting. In the past I've found that Fuji's SuperCCD sensors do indeed deliver a bit more resolution than conventional CCDs of similar pixel count, but the difference was never dramatic. In the S2 though, the SuperCCD seems to have really hit its stride, as I felt that the S2 Pro delivered noticeably more resolution than either the D100 or D60. To some extent, this may be splitting hairs: All three cameras produce very sharp, film-like images, but the S2 Pro seems to go a bit beyond. A note though: To obtain the best results, you'll need to work in the largest (interpolated) file size, and leave the internal sharpening turned off. - Sharpen post-exposure in Photoshop to extract the maximum amount of detail.
Another minor surprise was how well the S2 Pro did in low light conditions. This was particularly impressive, in that the camera doesn't use a conventional "dark frame" noise reduction approach. - There's thus no additional delay imposed between successive shots, even when working with very long shutter times (30 seconds plus). This could be a significant advantage for shooters working under very limited available light.
Image noise on the S2 Pro was quite interesting: It exhibited lower luminance noise than the D100, although it showed more noise in the individual color channels. - This is likely the result of a conscious choice by Fuji's engineers, opting to permit more chroma noise (which is generally less visible to the eye) to achieve lower luminance noise. Overall noise was quite low regardless.
I really liked the S2 Pro's tonality, as I felt it was less prone to losing highlight detail than some of its august competition. This conclusion wasn't the result of any formal dynamic range measurements, but rather simply an impression drawn from a good bit of shooting, and close examination of the resulting photos.
I do have one significant gripe about the S2 Pro though: Apparently as a holdover from the film-based N80 body it's built upon, its exposure compensation adjustment has rather coarse 1/2 EV steps. These compare to the 1/3 EV steps that are almost universally employed in digicams from consumer to professional models. In my experience, being limited to 1/2 EV exposure steps makes it difficult to achieve spot-on exposure, resulting in frequent (if minor) over- or underexposure. If I could make only one change to the S2 Pro's design, it would be to include an option to select either 1/2 or 1/3 EV exposure steps.
All in all, the S2 Pro proved to be an exceptionally strong contender in the 6 megapixel Digital SLR category. If you're considering purchasing a D-SLR, you owe it to yourself to give the S2 Pro a close look. (Particularly if you already own a kit of Nikon lenses.)
Conclusion
Fuji's original S1 Pro did well partly due to its beautiful color rendering, and partly due to a price that was thousands of dollars less than other D-SLRs at the time of its introduction. A lot of people (myself included) have questioned whether Fuji could stay in the game with Canon and Nikon's competing models actually selling for a bit less than the S2. I confess that I approached the camera with more than a little skepticism, expecting it to come up short after the wonderful experience I'd had with the Nikon D100 just before it. I was thus somewhat surprised by how much I ended up liking the S2. Its color is indeed every bit as accurate and (more to the point) as pleasing as the S1 before it, and I was genuinely amazed by its resolution and how delicately it rendered fine detail. I didn't like its body style quite as much as the D100's, but the differences are relatively slight. I really liked its user interface design, with the small rear-panel data readout and "soft buttons" below it, but this is very much a personal preference that others may not share.
What's clear though, is that Fuji has crafted a very strong entry in the 6 megapixel D-SLR category, and are very much still in the game. Fuji had a strong market for the S1 among commercial portrait and wedding shooters, thanks to the excellent handling of skin tones. The S2 will likely continue to lead that market, but will find many other happy homes as well. Kudos to Fuji for another well-executed entry in the D-SLR race!
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