Fuji S5 Pro in 2018... Madness?

Always great to see a S5 thread. I don't log on very often since the S5 was my last Fuji camera (and also because before the X cameras came out this forum was more about photography than hardware) and I did not move to the X system. Too much invested in Nikon glass so I now mostly shoot with a D800. Nothing against Fuji, I worked for them for almost 30 years and left during the intro of the S3. Still love the company and their products. I still own a S5 but do not use it often. In fact my S5 probably has less than 5000 actuations and is in like new condition. (Maybe I should take it out more often.)

That all being said I find the RAF files from the S series cameras to be the most malleable files I've ever worked on. It's amazing how much detail, dynamic range and color realism you can achieve with these files. The fact that the sensor is only 6MP and almost 20 years old make it all the more remarkable. While I am blown away by what the D800 (and that's getting old now, but then, so am I) accomplishes there's something (what I call) nostalgic about the images I produce from the S5 files. I find that as processing software improves and new plug-ins and products appear I revisit some of my favorite files and coax even more out of them. One of the posters in this thread lamented the demise of the Super CCD. I, too, was sad to see it's development cease. Now the only differentiation of files comes from the firmware that camera manufacturers apply to the Sony chips. The Super CCD was different from its core and impossible to duplicate. There were many reasons for development to cease, cost and difficulty achieving adequate yield as Fuji tried to make a larger sensor being the main culprits. I'm sure I'll feel the same way when Fuji discontinues Velvia.

So, I think it's a great idea to acquire a S5 as a second camera. It will take some getting used to (I hated the D800 when I first got it; love it now) but once you do you'll be amazed at what that piece of equipment will do. Attached is a S5 image printed to 16x20 hanging in my bedroom. Reminds me of a great 30 years every morning.