Reviews for Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: excellent image quality; pro-level features; easy to use; very good color reproduction; reliable and comfortable to use;

Weakness: battery system is wacky; 2 sets of batteries are needed to have flash capability.

I don't know what kind of Fuji S2 Pro the first reviewer is using, but it sounds like a different camera from the S2 I'm using. I've had great results with studio work, nature/landscape, events, and travel. The camera has a quick & reliable auto-focus system, pro specs, and is very reliable.

I recently dropped my S2 with lens attached onto an asphalt street in Harlem, NY (from a waist level bag)and saw no visible damage to the camera. It has continued to function flawlessly. Color reproduction is vivid and brilliant when controls are properly set. My clients like the results and so do I. I can't speak for Fuji's customer support record, as I've never had to contact them.

The S2 is a great camera!! You can get big blow-ups at 12-megapixel (interpolated)I've gone as far as 16x20 inch prints. Coupled with Nikon's Vibration Reduction lenses (I have the 24-120mm & 80-400mm) you can't go wrong. I took some hand-held night shots in Amsterdam & Haarlem (Netherlands) recently and was impressed with the results even with the ISO set at 1600!

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Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: Ease of use, durability, quality of capture and final prints

Weakness: battery are its weak link.

I own two of these babies. Don't drop them as they are not F5s. But I have printed 20x24s from 6MP files which were moderately cropped. I'm a pro shooting film for 12 years. Let me tell you, these are fine cameras, once you master the dos and don't of the digital revolution.

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Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: Great color, low noise and excellent resolution. Nikon has better super wide angle lenses than Canon. Firewire.

Weakness: Heavy to lug around with one of the big Nikon lenses. Not too many RAW conversion software packages available as compared with the Canon line. Nikkor lenses are not cheap.... but are terrific.

I love the results. There is a learning curve to get the color balance, color saturation, contrast, metering and ISO settings all optimized for the best results. I would have bought the Canon 1Ds but couldn't afford that! Great camera, but best suits a more sophisticated user. Now I am lusting after more Nikkor lenses. Bought the 28-70mm AFS for the general purpose lens which is very sharp. Now I want the new 70-210 VR and 12-24mm Wide angle for a full range selection.

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Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: Excellent out of the camera images, very film like, with amazing skin tones. Very low noise through iso 800. You must go to digital forums to understand how to overcome autofocus and TTL quirks.

Weakness: Double battery system is the pits, as is Fuji Software and customer support. Like other digitals, do not let batteries run down!!!!

No other DSLR in this price range does what this camera does. It is unfortunate that Fuji does not know how to support its product with decent software and customer service.

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Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: Produces a decent image when it works.

Weakness: Cheap consumer-grade build, unreliable autofocusing system, soft images, plastic body, two -battery system, tunnel vision viewfinder, terrible customer service.

Don't let the camera's name fool you. This is not a "Pro" camera. It is, at best, a consumer camera. The autofocus is horrible. About 50 percent of shots are soft. Fuji's answer: use a higher ISO, don't shoot at apertures wider than f/4 and turn on hard sharpening. I might as well buy a point-and-shoot. This is a studio camera. It is not a camera for action, sports, wildlife, etc.

And then there is the matter of service. Before you buy this thing, try calling Fuji in Edison N.J. Try getting through to the service department. Try sending them an e-mail. Then ask youself if this the kind of company you want to have to deal with when (not a matter of if with this camera) your camera develops a problem.

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Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro

Strengths: We get very decent photos from the S2 in the studio - publicity, product shots, web illustration art and so forth.

Weakness: The camera itself is quite nice. The Fuji software that allows you to use the camera with a computer is badly out-of-date. The OS X installation of software is flawed.

There are lots of pro photographers that like and use this camera.
Additionally, there are lots of pros on Macs.
Fuji has been non-responsive to this segment.
We want to use Panther (on all our Macs) and not have to resort to work-arounds or using older OS.
Not worth buying the camera if it doesn't work in the studio.

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FujiFilm FinePix S2 Pro

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