The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR Camera
The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR Camera is Fujifilm’s newest attempt at the complete camera for wedding photographers. This camera has a fresh version of the company’s extended-range SR sensor, with fresh adjustments that are meant specifically to manage facial highlights and white dressing (wedding clothes). The FinePx S5 has powerful dynamic range and beautiful color are its unique marketing points which are essentially a Fujifilm sensor and image operation rig dropped into a differently unchanged Nikon D200. The S5 comes into the D200′s superior construction, shooting interface, TTL flash system and autofocus, but unluckily, not its burst speed. Speed has been a sore point of Fujifilm DSLRs, and apparently, it will continue to be.
The general build is amazing, rubberised grips and well-laid-out controls helping the camera’s bulk look comfortable in the hands. Buttons and dials are positive operational and, thank you to the position of the power switch around the shutter button, plus a very fast AF system, one-handed snapshot-fests are possible.
All the better shooting options, specified AE and AF modes, plus lock, bracketing, white balance and ISO sensitivity are reachable via on-body controls, their settings displayed in an LCD at top right. On a Compact Flash or Microdrive card and single rechargeable lithium-ion battery loaded, the camera’s ready to shoot near instantaneously. Burst mode is unsatisfying at a maximum 3fps (frames per second), so a sports photographer’s camera this isn’t. Internal noise reduction gets two passes and does a game job of moderating noise in captures of up to ISO 3200 equivalent, though shots at more regular ISO sensitivities are reasonably well detailed, although slightly soft on close examination, and have fantastical dynamic range.
For those looking for a pro-level digital SLR that is both fully featured and easy to use, the Fujifilm Finepix S5 Pro is a good-value purchase. Some may baulk at the sensor technology, which doesn’t offer true 12-megapixel performance but a result interpolated from each photosite’s dual sensors. All the same, for portraiture and high-contrast compositions, the camera performs very good.
