I purchased the S7000 in early January 2004 and have taken well over 2000 images with the camera (through March 31, 2004). My initial impression of the camera was it produced excellent images and it was very easy to use. The images reproduce well (I printed many images to 20x24 with excellent results), but the color saturation and vividness I am accustomed to was lacking in the finished photographs – [I was a professional photographer for 12+ years and shot primarily with a Hasselblad and professional film and flashes (studio and portable)].
I attempted to alter/enhance the images with software, but the challenge is that what you see on your monitor isn’t necessarily what gets produced at your photo lab (professional or other) or on your printer. I also advise that you have your images printed at a photo lab and then evaluate the results. Because as I said, what you see on your screen isn’t necessarily how it will reproduce.
Through trial, error, and testing, I discovered that if you set the S7000 to Chromacity (more vivid color setting) that the images look more like negative film photographs. The final photographs are much more vivid and brilliant. I also do not agree with other reviews that you should set the camera to soft. I shot primarily at the 12M, N, or 6M with sharp (not soft) settings. With the 12M or 6M you can still crop the images and create large prints, but at the smaller mega pixel settings the results are grainy and unacceptable.
I also used the Sans Disk Compact Flash with the camera. The Sans Disk CF transfers data at 1MB/second according to the technician at Sans Disk. I contacted Fuji to find out how fast the camera is able to transfer data and they could not give me an answer. Therefore, I cannot say whether the CF II is better for the S7000. I also did not have any problems with the CF draining my batteries. I tested the camera and it didn’t drain the batteries after 7 days of non-use. I also recommend rechargeable batteries as the camera eats up AA’s (I rotated 12 rechargeable 2100’s, but you probably only need 8). I also used (4) 256 MB CF’s and couldn’t detect any difference from the 12x’s CF’s versus the Sans Disk CF. Since there doesn’t appear to be an industry standard for stating the speed of the CF’s I am not sure what the 12x’s really means.
Problems:
The biggest problem with the S7000 is the camera shutter lag. The lag challenge is my principal complaint with the camera. The S7000 freeze frames the shot (approx ½ - 1 second) and then allows you to capture the shot. You lose the ability to see your subject or the action as the “frozen frame” remains on the screen.
Compared to other point and shoot digital cameras the S7000 isn’t necessarily worse, but it is unacceptable if you want to capture the image exactly when you press the shutter release. I had tremendous difficulty capturing fast moving events such as sports.
I worked around the lag problem by pre-focusing on a scene (pressing the shutter ½) and then waiting for the action to come to the location. I found myself pre-focusing for most events and then anticipating the action……This is a completely undesirable way of photographing anything of importance. You don’t really know what you are capturing as you’re about ½ to 1 second off (late) on every shot.
The burst function of the camera is also useless as it doesn’t appear to re-focus with each frame……and you cannot see what is being captured as the viewfinder goes into “freeze frame.” Then, you have to wait for the camera to write the 4 images to the digital film.
I believe the S7000 is a good camera for the hobbyist who just wants to take decent photographs with little to no thought. I also believe there are much less expensive digital cameras (1/2 the cost) that will perform this point and shoot function with the same mega pixel results.
The S7000 shouldn’t be the choice for anyone who wants a camera that actually functions like a “real camera.” My dissatisfaction with the S7000 prompted me to purchase the Canon Digital Rebel (I received it last Friday and have shot over 450 images). I just picked up my first prints from the lab and I am pretty satisfied, but I know I’ll have to play with the custom saturation and color settings to achieve the results I am looking for). I will provide my feedback and review of the Rebel Digital after using it for a few months
I attempted to alter/enhance the images with software, but the challenge is that what you see on your monitor isn’t necessarily what gets produced at your photo lab (professional or other) or on your printer. I also advise that you have your images printed at a photo lab and then evaluate the results. Because as I said, what you see on your screen isn’t necessarily how it will reproduce.
Through trial, error, and testing, I discovered that if you set the S7000 to Chromacity (more vivid color setting) that the images look more like negative film photographs. The final photographs are much more vivid and brilliant. I also do not agree with other reviews that you should set the camera to soft. I shot primarily at the 12M, N, or 6M with sharp (not soft) settings. With the 12M or 6M you can still crop the images and create large prints, but at the smaller mega pixel settings the results are grainy and unacceptable.
I also used the Sans Disk Compact Flash with the camera. The Sans Disk CF transfers data at 1MB/second according to the technician at Sans Disk. I contacted Fuji to find out how fast the camera is able to transfer data and they could not give me an answer. Therefore, I cannot say whether the CF II is better for the S7000. I also did not have any problems with the CF draining my batteries. I tested the camera and it didn’t drain the batteries after 7 days of non-use. I also recommend rechargeable batteries as the camera eats up AA’s (I rotated 12 rechargeable 2100’s, but you probably only need 8). I also used (4) 256 MB CF’s and couldn’t detect any difference from the 12x’s CF’s versus the Sans Disk CF. Since there doesn’t appear to be an industry standard for stating the speed of the CF’s I am not sure what the 12x’s really means.
Problems:
The biggest problem with the S7000 is the camera shutter lag. The lag challenge is my principal complaint with the camera. The S7000 freeze frames the shot (approx ½ - 1 second) and then allows you to capture the shot. You lose the ability to see your subject or the action as the “frozen frame” remains on the screen.
Compared to other point and shoot digital cameras the S7000 isn’t necessarily worse, but it is unacceptable if you want to capture the image exactly when you press the shutter release. I had tremendous difficulty capturing fast moving events such as sports.
I worked around the lag problem by pre-focusing on a scene (pressing the shutter ½) and then waiting for the action to come to the location. I found myself pre-focusing for most events and then anticipating the action……This is a completely undesirable way of photographing anything of importance. You don’t really know what you are capturing as you’re about ½ to 1 second off (late) on every shot.
The burst function of the camera is also useless as it doesn’t appear to re-focus with each frame……and you cannot see what is being captured as the viewfinder goes into “freeze frame.” Then, you have to wait for the camera to write the 4 images to the digital film.
I believe the S7000 is a good camera for the hobbyist who just wants to take decent photographs with little to no thought. I also believe there are much less expensive digital cameras (1/2 the cost) that will perform this point and shoot function with the same mega pixel results.
The S7000 shouldn’t be the choice for anyone who wants a camera that actually functions like a “real camera.” My dissatisfaction with the S7000 prompted me to purchase the Canon Digital Rebel (I received it last Friday and have shot over 450 images). I just picked up my first prints from the lab and I am pretty satisfied, but I know I’ll have to play with the custom saturation and color settings to achieve the results I am looking for). I will provide my feedback and review of the Rebel Digital after using it for a few months