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veroman
Online
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 4468
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Review Date: Mar 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Brilliant camera design. Should have tried the Super CCD a long time ago. This is about as close as you can get to a quality film image without shooting film. Build-wise and feature-wise, the S2 seems "old" if not ancient by today's standards. But IQ-wise, it's anything but. And I have great cameras to compare it to, ie 1Ds II and 5D. Best out-of-camera JPEGs you will ever see. Love it.
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 Mar 15, 2009
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EOS20
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 6, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 13683
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Review Date: Apr 27, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Velvia like images, Decent build quality, Nikon mount.
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Cons:
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Dual battery system (I just use AA's), A little slow.
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I got my S2 as a free give away and I thought I would use it to give me the opportunity to try out the Nikon system, And a few lenses before investing into a more expensive body.
Sure this camera is old now, But I like the images it puts out, With the famous Fuji Super CCD sensor, And it does resemble the classic Velvia look so many people have commented on over the years.
It is a little slow, But then again we are talking about a camera that was first released back in 2002. The dual battery system is a pain, But it seems to work without the use of the expensive CR123A batteries, And functions well with just the AA's (But you can't use the built in flash, But who really uses that anyway?).
Overall its a good camera, And I am sure I will put it to good use and make time to shoot with this classic.
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Apr 27, 2008
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eddyboy
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jun 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 599
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Review Date: Jul 2, 2006
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Recommend? |
Price paid: $2,100.00
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Pros:
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Nikon Body
great saturated colors
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Cons:
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dual battery arrangement
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I bought a D-100 and a S2 on the same day. It was a defensive move because I can't keep my wife away from my camera stuff.
Two of either model would have not worked out. My wife, being an accomplished artist, was immediately drawn to the Fuji style color rendition which is similar to her own palette.
I was switching over from an F-100 which we had tried somewhat unsuccessfully in the past to share.
The occaision was a photo expedition to Botswana. We had done it once before with a couple of F3's and a basket of film.
The S-2 was a huge hit! It performed flawlessly in Africa with only the known silly battery issues as a complaint. about 20 minutes per day were spent figuring out which battery to replace. This in the context of many hundreds of perfectly exposed exposures a day. I must say the D-100 results looked rather dull next to the S2 Pro colors. In retrospect, I'd say that the D-100 was close to dead accurate while the S2 rendition was, well, "Velvia" like. Otherwise, the Fuji was a dream camera for the trip. even with a fairly long zoom tele Sigma 135-400, her results were, well, remarkable. This with almost no practice with the camera before the trip.
Having two different sets of batteries in a single camera is a silly, user-unfriendly design compromise and one they did not repeat in the S-3Pro.
Under heavy workloads, it is frustrating to be dealing with batteries all the time. Luckily, we brought two bricks of Costco
AA batteries with us, as well as a supply of 123's that would do the most obsessive compulsive among us proud.
I think if we traded cameras, neither of us would be as happy...LOL. I am jealous, though, of the slightly larger file size in the Fuji. I am much, much happier with the additional accessories like the NIKON MBD-100 battery pack with rechargeable Li Ion batteries. I have not really ever taken it off the camera in 3 years. Fuji would do well to licence the MbD100 or something like it.
Once set up, though, the Fuji was solid, and made accurately exposed and highly reliable exposures.
Conclusion: I would not buy one for myself because it is not really suited to high volume use. The dual batteries is a pain.
I don't hesitate to recommend it for those who prefer/need the Velvia super saturated (and quite beautiful) color space.
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Jul 2, 2006
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eddyboy
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jun 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 599
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Review Date: Jul 2, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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"Fuji" color rendition,
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Cons:
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Unending dual battery hassle (fixed in S3 I hear).
Non intuitive controls
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I bought a D-100 and a S2 on the same day. It was a defensive move because I can't keep my wife away from my camera stuff.
Two of either model would have not worked out. My wife, being an accomplished artist, was immediately drawn to the Fuji style color rendition which is similar to her own palette.
I was switching over from an F-100 which we had tried somewhat unsuccessfully in the past to share.
The occaision was a photo expedition to Botswana. We had done it once before with a couple of F3's and a basket of film.
The S-2 was a huge hit! It performed flawlessly in Africa with only the known silly battery issues as a complaint. about 20 minutes per day were spent figuring out which battery to replace. This in the context of many hundreds of perfectly exposed exposures a day. I must say the D-100 results looked rather dull next to the S2 Pro colors. In retrospect, I'd say that the D-100 was close to dead accurate while the S2 rendition was, well, "Velvia" like. Otherwise, the Fuji was a dream camera for the trip. even with a fairly long zoom tele Sigma 135-400, her results were, well, remarkable. This with almost no practice with the camera before the trip.
Having two different sets of batteries in a single camera is a silly, user-unfriendly design compromise and one they did not repeat in the S-3Pro.
Under heavy workloads, it is frustrating to be dealing with batteries all the time. Luckily, we brought two bricks of Costco
AA batteries with us, as well as a supply of 123's that would do the most obsessive compulsive among us proud.
I think if we traded cameras, neither of us would be as happy...LOL. I am jealous, though, of the slightly larger file size in the Fuji. I am much, much happier with the additional accessories like the NIKON MBD-100 battery pack with rechargeable Li Ion batteries. I have not really ever taken it off the camera in 3 years. Fuji would do well to licence the MbD100 or something like it.
Once set up, though, the Fuji was solid, and made accurately exposed and highly reliable exposures.
Conclusion: I would not buy one for myself because it is not really suited to high volume use. The dual batteries is a pain.
I don't hesitate to recommend it for those who prefer/need the Velvia super saturated (and quite beautiful) color space.
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Jul 2, 2006
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CommonWealth
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 29, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 66
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Review Date: Mar 15, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Excellent colour rendition , nice MP options,really cool lay out of functions on the camera body and i dig the red light for the mini display.Decent pricing and its pretty light.
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Cons:
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Terrible body construction and really really really bad power source.I also found that edges come out really soft or blured in alot of pictures.Really small body with no weight to it so it topples over with a large or even medium zoom when placed down.
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I must say what ever bad thing to say about this unit or the problems I've had i feel regretful that i did get rid of it as the color rendition is just awesome.
Anyway i purchased this and a Nikon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D AF and a Nikkor 70-210 f/4AF,the body was 800$ and the lenses 400.00$.My first issues are with the CR123's they have to be brand new and fully charged if they are going to work,i had a pair that had 80% charge on them and it just wasn't enough for the s2 pro.I found Maxell Cr123's to last the longest and fit well but the system in general is just poor as its in to half's some what digital and mechanical.
The AA's last a good length but it just feels so cheap putting double AA batteries in such a great camera.I don't see why Fuji couldn't borrow a proprietary battery system design from Nikon,but oh well.The tray it self for the AA's is a very soft plastic that just added to the feeling.
The body was very well laided out and ergonomic,but it was high impact ABS which felt cheap,i would not dare drop it as i can only imagine the mess that would come from it.Its functionality is simple and easy to use and should for the most part make Nikon users feel at home with it,As for me a Canon user is was all Greek too me.
I also found that i had to USM all my images from it and i think my sample shows some of my qaums with it.
http://www.pbase.com/maxjenkins/image/56263205
all in all i blame my self for not enough time to learn it better but its build quality is inexcusable and so is its power source and for that alone turned me away from it.
I traded it for a 10D  .
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Mar 15, 2006
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LarryFRCGP
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 4, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Oct 12, 2005
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $1,560.00
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Digital version of the Velvia 50. Good colour rendition.
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Cons:
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too plastiky feel of the body, cannot cope with Zoom gaints like 28-70mm AF-S(not to mention the 70-200VR!). CF card writing speed too slow. Only writes to FAT16 format card, and MOST OF ALL--notorious for its CCD sudden black-death!
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If not for the CCD sudden black-death(that cost me US$488 to repair---OUCCH!), I would rate it a 10. Still asking for a refund form Fujifilm Hong Kong-SAR, who at time of writing ,still refuse to refund the cost of replacing this already world-wide known CCD problem. My S2 Pro died in August, their advisory notice on *certain* serial numbers came out this month. But Fuji, please, ALL S2 pro are prone to this fault, forget about the darn list of serial numbers!
I won't recommend this product until Fuji sort out this messy CCD fault.
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Oct 12, 2005
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wesoly
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 21, 2005
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 21, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good for working in studio and outdoor.
In studio, you don't need the small batery power.
In my gallery 4 and 5 all the pictures in studio are make whit the S2 Pro.
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Cons:
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the ratio DX ! I prefer the full sixe CCD , as Kodak DCS
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Feb 21, 2005
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tangovictor
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 17, 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 71
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Review Date: Apr 29, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 2
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Just thought I'd let people know, I spoke with Fuji UK today 30th April, and was informed, that the projected release of the S2 Pro, is now
October, I wasnt told why the delay, Think I'll buy a D70
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Apr 29, 2004
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jmcfadden
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 30, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 30256
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Review Date: Feb 16, 2004
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $1,800.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Big files, Nikon F mount, nice color
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Cons:
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Battery weirdness, vertical banding in the shadows, raw convertor, no mirror lock up, slow, slow, slow
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Coming from the D100 to this camera was like going back to using a brownie camera LOL , I took it back after 2 outings . The D100 is edged by the files out of the camera only if you are a shooter who doesn't understand post processing the D100 files. I prefer the D100 to this camera hands down, the D100 has better noise reduction and allows much more latitude in the darkroom for recovery of shadow detail , if you process the same shot between the 2 cameras the D100 will not show banding in the shadow areas , the files are smaller , from the D100 , have to be massaged more in post processing , the skin tones are not as good out of the camera , but on the plus side the D100 is so much faster in teh field to use , it seems so much engineering was left out of the camera on the S2 ,
In short it is not a good fit for my needs , oh how I wish it were , perhaps the S3 will be the Fuji for me
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Feb 16, 2004
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Jacques G
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 19, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 40
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Review Date: Jan 12, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Almost 2 1/4 mage quality. Excellent menu system. Lightweight body. Silent shutter (for my show pictures). Great TTL flash control (Metz).
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Cons:
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Poor viewfinder. No vertical shutter release. Insufficient WB options. Capricious CF usage.
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Just bought my second body (1000$ CAN cheaper than the one bought 12 months ago...). Sold all my Olympus 35mm equipment, one of my 2 Mamiya 645s and my E-10. These Fujis accomplish all that I expect from them. Not even sure I'll look at the S3.
Highly recommended.
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Jan 12, 2004
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Sectarian
Offline
[ X ]
Registered: Jan 26, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1888
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Review Date: Jan 11, 2004
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,950.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Incredible resolution - beyond any 6-megapixel competitor. Extremely good value. Larger buffer than D100. Takes AA batteries. Extremely accurate color. Low noise. Comes with RAW software (USA model)
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Cons:
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Not a 'tough' camera. Large RAW Files, Slow write speed in RAW
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The Fuji S2 replaces my D1x. I won't miss that behemoth. After a couple of days of timkering I'm getting images that simply blow by mind. I can't believe this camera has been around for two years & it took me this long to get one.
Simply put, this is the camera that can give a Canon 1Ds a run for its pixels. I tried a Kodak 14n (briefly) and it was a joke. This camera is no joke.
There is only one requirement to compete with the 1Ds, that is the S2 requires one to shoot in RAW format, and to use Fuji's RAW converter. Do that & 12 megapixel RAW files come out as sharp as can be. They don't even need additional sharpening. Much debate has gone on about the Super CCD, now forgotten in a frenzy over CMOS technology. Well frankly I think it is just super.
I sort of wish there was a true 'pro' level camera from Fuji with a super-ccd in it. The N80 body is just a cheap camera body & shouldn't be used as the basis for any camera (that's part of the Kodak 14n joke). Still I'd rather have two S2 bodies than one D1x, or three S2 bodies than one 1Ds. Three lenses, three bodies...that's convenience. There is no compromise with this camera when it comes to pixels.
For what it is worth the Fuji does an outstanding job with long exposures. I tried out a 6 megapixel Canon, their CMOS sensor is extraordinary when it comes to low-light images, but the Fuji is 95% as good even at that. No joke.
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Jan 11, 2004
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peterj
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 8, 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 18
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Review Date: Dec 23, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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12mp raw files--superb image quality---good buffer--huge range of nikon lenses --1.5x crop--bult in flash (good for fill flash without having to carry 80dx)--aa batterys---light weight
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Cons:
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Bit slow at writing raw or tiff
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Great camera can compete with 35 mm film no problem and for me iso 400 is better that film.I use the mb16 grip (for the f80) so it takes 8 aa batterys and will go all day on one charge(2200 mah batterys) which keeps running costs lower. still use film (nikon f5) as at only 2fps the s2 is a bit slow but most of the time its not a problem.Dust on the ccd can be a pain but thats the case on all dslrs so not a fault of the camera.
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Dec 23, 2003
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spurs
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jun 30, 2003
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Sep 19, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $5,000.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Ease of use plus great studio work, although i mainly use 28-105 Nikkor lens, the results have been superb, i always shoot in Jpeg mode, (and coming from a retouching background i don't feel there is much of a difference between shooting Jpeg and Raw) and then do any post production work in Photoshop, (adding USM, Saturation, levels etc)
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Cons:
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Battery consumption was a problem until i switched to rechargeable, now not too much of an issue. Dust on the sensor is a hassle but i quick check in Photoshop gets rid of any that might appear, plus regular cleaning with a swab keeps things pretty clean.
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I use this camera for general photographic work, studio and on location. Macro shots are excellent, i do a lot of jewellery images with extension tubes and find the results are superb. I also do portrait work, some of which have been enlarged to A1 posters, which the client has been very happy with. My local camera shop here in Auckland advised this one against the D100 as most of my work was studio based, and i have to say i haven't regretted it. All in all, a very capable camera.
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Sep 19, 2003
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carminef
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 4, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Jul 5, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Large buffer for continuous shooting. Wonderful image quality. I can easily go 11x14 at 300 dpi without going to a stair step action. I love AA batteries. I use 2000 mah batteries and get great power. Very easy to understand menus and great custom settings.
I don’t like propriety batteries. They are expensive and with AA you can always buy more anywhere in the world.
Great RAW software. All the changes you need are in the software.
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Cons:
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I don't see any!!!!!
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Great Images on all modes. I used aperture priority on a creative assignment last week. The results were amazing. Great for shallow f-stops. Shutter priority works just as good.
I do a lot of custom lighting and the results are wonderful when I create a custom white balance. It's even great on a auto balance
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Jul 5, 2003
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GlassEye
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jun 24, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 212
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Review Date: Jul 4, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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12MP interpolated mode. Extremely strong & accurate colors and tone handling built in the camera itself. Onboard firewire support & compactflash, smartmedia, etc. Sturdy, well-built - handles all newer Nikon & Sigma lenses. Simply a joy to own & use! The best!
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Cons:
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The battery configuration. (AAs and 123s)
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A good friend had a D100 and I read every single review from this side of the world around again before making such a important decision. I managed to get this camera and a lens + (2) 1GB microdrive units for the fabulous price of $1800.00 including shipping. (This was several months ago now) It is true that for the same picture, with the same lens, at the same time with the same technique, the S2 will take the prize over the D100. In its native .jpg mode, (which I tend to shoot a lot in for simplicity reasons) it is an -amazing- machine. This was a huge expense for me and my nativity with photography and my advancement from a N65 and Casio QV-3000 unit. I have learned so much about myself, photography and the skill involved in composition --- not just about the most expensive equipment on someone's shoulder bag.
The D100 and the S2 are both extremely good DSLR units and therefore I admire both of these tools. I have learned that the S2 like any piece of
photographic equipment is mearly a tool like a chisel to a woodcarver.
I would not be any more gifted nor my photographs any more well-composed using a D100, 10D, D60 or a D1x. To that end, I am cognizant that the S2 provides me all of the advantages of the modem DSLR in an extremely well-built and well-managed package. I would definately purchase one again over any other DLSR in the ~$2000 range. It is simply that good! I love my S2!!!!!!!!!! You will too!
HTH,
Andy
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Jul 4, 2003
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sdai
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 26, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 3387
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Review Date: Apr 5, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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The ONLY D-SLR capable of reproducing Digital Velvia effect
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Cons:
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Battery
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Like the title says, S2 is the ONLY reason why I'm still keeping several Nikkor lenses.
My only grin with the camera is its battery ... wondering why Fuji didn't have an integral solution for that, I really wish they would fix that in S3. Other than that, the camera is just perfect ... it's beats every one in the 6MP class.
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Apr 5, 2003
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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18
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53306
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Mar 15, 2009
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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83% of reviewers
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$2,351.13
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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6.00
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8.17
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8.2
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