Review based on a production Fujifilm FinePix S100FS
For many years, consumers wanting more control and range than a compact but lower weight and cost than a DSLR have been able to buy 'bridge' cameras, which look a lot like DSLRs but do away with the bulky, expensive mirror assembly that defines an SLR. They have traditionally had smaller sensors which allow long zoom lenses to be created in a relatively smaller space.
However, in recent years, more manufacturers have started to compete at the bottom end of the DSLR market with slimmed-down offerings at ever-more aggressive prices. This has left the bridge camera in a tight spot - why buy a DSLR-like camera if you can nab the real thing for around the same money? Until recently, it appeared to be a question with no answer: most bridge cameras shrank from the challenge and began to look and feel more like compacts with an absurd zoom on the front. Fujifilm's fully-featured S9100, launched back in August 2006 disappeared from the market without any sign of a replacement.
Until the announcement of the Fujifilm S100FS, that is. And it's an interesting package: one of the largest sensors we've seen in a non-DSLR for many years, a lens covering a 14.3x zoom range (that, importantly, starts at a usefully wide-angle 28mm equivalent), and the eighth generation of Fujifilm's Super CCD sensor technology. There's some photography-related features that have been added too, such as presets designed to mimic the behavior of specific Fuji films and a dynamic range expansion mode.
| Street price | • US: $750 • UK: £400 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Sensor | • 2/3" Super Type CCD • 11.1 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3840 x 2880 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30 fps • 320 x 240 @ 30 fps • AVI Motion JPEG with WAVE monaural audio |
| Lens | • 28 - 400 mm (35 mm equiv) |
| Focus | • TTL contrast-type autofocus |
| Focus distance | • Normal: 50 cm (wide) / 2.5 m (tele) - Infinity |
| Metering | • TTL 256-zone metering |
| Shutter speed | • 30-1/4000 sec (extremes depending on exposure mode) |
| Aperture | • F2.8-F11 (wide), F2.8-F8 in automated modes • F5.3-F11 (tele), F5.3-F8 in automated modes |
| Shooting mode | • Auto • Program • Aperture Priority • Shutter Priority • Manual • Film simulation bracketing • Movie • 2 custom modes • Scene modes |
| Scene modes | • Nature |
| Sensitivity | • Auto |
| White Balance | • Auto • Fine • Shade • Fluorescent (daylight) • Fluorescent (warm white) • Fluorescent (cool white) • Incandescent • Custom |
| Image parameters | • Film simulation modes: Provia, Velvia, Soft, Portrait |
| Continuous | • 3 fps, max 7 JPEG, 3 RAW (Top-3 or Final-3) |
| Flash | • Built-in pop-up • Range (Auto ISO): 7.2 m (w), 3.8 m (t) • Modes: Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, all with Red-eye reduction option. |
| Storage | • 25 MB internal memory • SD/SDHC memory card (not included) • xD-Picture Card (not included) |
| Viewfinder | • 0.2" electronic viewfinder (EVF) |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5" TFT LCD • 230,000 dots • Approx. 100% coverage |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 High speed • A/V out (NTSC/PAL switchable) |
| Power | • NP-140 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery • Charger included |
| Other features | • DPOF |
| Optional accessories | • Leather case • Compact AC Power Adapter AC-84V • RR-80 Remote Release cable |
| Weight (no batt) | 968 g (34 oz) inc memory card and batteries, 918g without. |
| Dimensions | 133 x 94 x 150 mm (5.3 x 3.7 x 5.9 in) |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2008 dpreview.com and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey
Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera with 14.3x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom | $999.99 |
Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera with 14.3x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom | $999.99 |
Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 14.3x Optical Triple Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD | $624.46 |
Fujifilm Finepix S1000fd 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom | $60.00 |
Fujifilm Finepix S5100 4MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom | $45.81 |
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