Fuji S2, S3 or S5 PRO?? Assistance Needed!

mistermejia wrote:

LaFonte wrote:

mistermejia wrote:

Say thanks, i appreciate that. When you say S3 is slow, i would think that might be due to your studio work in a fast paced environment?? I am not a pro, just shoot family, friends and my kids, but my kids actualy LIKE to pose for me and they actually wait for me, which is nice

Basically i just want it for fun for portraits photos, not for a business and not to take fast action photos. My friend just asked me to take a look at it first before deciding as you said, maybe i should. For $200 dollars it sounds very tempting and i do LOVE 1 piece camera bodies without battery grip, like my Nikon F5, but the F5 view finder is HUGE.

I guess if i do like the S3 with a smaller view finder i could just use AF lenses, My Rokinon 1.4 will be too difficult to use, BUT if the view finder IS INDEED just as small as the Nikon D60 then FOR SURE i don't want it.

What are your thougths?

Are you really, really sure you want the old S? I know budget constrains and nostalgic feeling are important, but they are now generally pain to work with. I mean they were fantastic when they were new, but now they are slow to use, slow to write, heavy, not good in high ISO and have slow AF and obsolete raw software. A good drawer item.

Ok, S3 maybe as a collector item, but for day to day hobby shooting? Seriously? $200 is not much, but for $350 you can have small modern m43 and believe me in general you will be much happier with that. Especially if you use it for family and kids.

You know some people here would say they still use S3 or S5 as their favorite camera for weddings and portraits but don't get distracted by that, they all usually have also the newest and fastest machines and they bought them for reason. There is nothing "hobby" in using old S cameras, it is just old, it cost $200 for reason because it will get on your nerves pretty fast and you will endup buying something else anyway as everybody else did.

I agree and disagree with you Yes, most people do have something newer. This camera wont be my main and only camera either, i will be buying "possibly" the Nikon D7100 when it comes out. I am not getting any of this Fuji for performance capability, i am getting one because the picture output is COMPLETELY different from any nikon i have ever had, D200, D300, D7000. I like that "older" film look and i would like to experiment with it.

by the way, what brand is a M3??

This is not in response to what is an M3 but to something you said above.  First, there are a lot of great suggestions that have been put forth in this thread.  I will say I own a camera store's worth of bodies and lenses (digital that is with some old film cams) including what the previous poster referred to as the latest and greatest.  Certain cam and lens combos are used for a variety of purposes and in my case I enjoy the technology and challenge to get just the right capture.

Your comment:  Basically i just want it for fun for portraits photos, not for a business and not to take fast action photos suggests that an"S" cam will fit your specific needs quite adequately and the latest, the S5, is probably the most versatile and reliable of the possible cams in that category.  I own 2 S5 bodies and use them during "people" and "portrait" - critical times.  Though I do not use either any longer for landscape photos I will say that in my large office the only large prints that get the oohs and ahs are the landscapes taken years ago with the S5.  Go figure.

Don't over-think the purchase.  However, my 2 cents says that the S5 is the choice and since it is a D200 in Fuji-clothing, it is a solidly built cam and you can still get the accessories that will work.

Just be sure to post some of the initial photos.

Good luck,

Bob