Fuji S5 Pro

[Tiny Malone]

And now for the SLOWEST camera in the free world. The image size is HUGE (24.4mb raw, 69.9mb 16bit tiff), but she does produce a good clean image with good glass. Of course, an XTI will produce a good clean image with "L" glass. The problem seems to be that in RAW the S5 Pro has, oh, about a 12 frame buffer and if you shoot raw + jpeg....well it's like shooting an H3D tethered to a 1992 era desktop via string and cans. I shoot nothing but static (no I am not talking about image and composition quality, though some of you may take exception to that statement coming from me), so speed is rarely an issue for me. It shoots clean out to about 2800 ISO. This camera DOES have some very cool film simulations (Velvia 50 being my all time fav), and it is built like a tank and well sealed. They position this camera for fashion work and portrait work, so I knew the image it created would lend it's self to landscape and static auto work. But this is no turn two camera...anywhere!!! The S5 Pro is sorta of a Frankenstein amalgamation (new word for the day) of a D200 with a Fuji Chip and Firm wear. If you shoot static and can handle a subframe sensor, it's a good rig.

[Mark Vann]

I really want one of these because of the extended DR range the Fuji chip provides. If I recall DPreview shot frames a few stops hot and retained all the detail in highlights by processing in ACR. Have you had any experience with this?
Also, the Fuji cams are known for turning out GREAT jpgs. It is probably the only camera I would consider shooting jpgs from.

[Blair Cook]

Wow I had no idea it wrote files of that size. Thanks for the heads up; I was seriously considering this as my next camera.

The dynamic range would have been nice but I am just not sure I want it in my bag. Fugi stigma I guess.

[David Adolphus]

I seriously considered it, but I've been using an S3Pro since spring of 2005, and you never get used to the slowness. THAT shoots 3fps for 3 frames in RAW, and I shoot action all the time. I think someone coming from a fast camera would kill themselves. Actual file size there averages around 25.6 MB RAW, by the way, which was by far the most MBs for the money in '05. Of course, you only get out what your RAW converter allows.

You know the best things about it? It uses AA batteries, and accepts a $12 cable release.

The jpegs are worthless, by the way.

[Tiny Malone]

The .jpegs from the S5 pro RAWK! But, truth told, I always shoot raw anyway. I did a photo shoot for some models portfolio and did the RAW+Jpeg thing and the jpegs for superlative. I must say that no other camera in the world (DSLR) that I have seen or used (most of them) can maintain detail in highlights like the S5 Pro can. This camera has proven to be a HUGE step up from the S3, but you MUST tweek it a bit in camera before you get it all set up right. I am used to Canon, where I basically set everything to 0 or +1 and go shoot. The S5 pro does not run on AA's anymore (uses same batt style as D200, but Fuji put a proprietary electrode on the batt so that you have to buy Fuji brand...nice huh?). I added the Nikon MB-200 Grip and there is a tray to use AA's for that if you want. I just use 2 Fuji D200 styles and shoot for days!

Again, this is NOT a good track day camera. Too slow.