Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

Comparisons
Nikon D200 – Read this review. Half the good stuff we say about the S5 is because it's built on the D200. At a street price around $1,600, the D200 has more speed, more pixels and costs $400 less than the S5. Plus, the D200's menus are merely long and convoluted – they're not a visual assault on the user like the S5’s.

Canon EOS 5D – The 5D has the second-best dynamic range scores we've tested, behind the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro. It costs about $550 more at street prices, but it delivers twice the pixels, a full-frame sensor, 3 frames per second, and an image processing system that doesn't choke on itself while writing five images. On the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro's behalf, $550 could buy a very nice lens. The S5's external design is faster and more intuitive, and its seals are superior. The Nikon flash system is better, and the S5 acts as a wireless commander. The Canon 5D requires a flash on the hotshoe to control other flashes wirelessly.

Canon EOS 30D – The Canon EOS 30D is an 8-megapixel 5-frames-per-second DSLR with excellent color, excellent noise performance, and very good dynamic range for about $1,100 these days. Opinions will vary on whether the distinction between the Canon's 8 megapixels and the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro's 6 megapixels amounts to much, but the Canon has a $900 advantage, which is significant. The 30D's burst rate and number of shots is also a major advantage over the S5. The 30D is mechanically inferior to the Nikon D200 and by extension, the FinePix S5. The 30D is pretty stale in the Canon line – whatever replaces it will probably still cost less than the S5, and have some new advantages.

Value (7.5)
At $2,000, the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro is kind of lonely. Hundreds more than the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D, hundreds less than the Canon 5D, it could look like a bargain, or it could look overpriced.

Here's why it might look overpriced: A slow, heavy, 6MP DSLR without dust control or integral image stabilization shouldn't cost $2,000 with the Pentax K100D, the Canon Rebel Xti or even the Nikon D40 on the market. Taking a Nikon D200, cutting its resolution by 40 percent, and its speed by about 70 percent, should not prompt a $600 price increase.

Here's why it's a bargain: Its color quality is great. Its image noise is excellent and stays under control throughout the ISO range. It controls noise in long exposures very well, too. Its dynamic range is extraordinary. Though it has a low pixel count, its resolution scores are good, and it undersharpens its JPEGs, which decreases the possibility of artifacts.

In short, it delivers $2,000 worth of image quality.

Who It's For
Point and Shooters – The S5 is too complicated, too expensive, and not automated enough for this group.

Budget Consumers – It's not cheap, and it's not versatile. This group should keep looking.

Gadget Freaks – The S5 provides enough settings and menu entries for the geekiest geeks. And the software will remind them of the interfaces of Linux GNU-licensed software in beta.

Manual Control Freaks – Compelling image quality with a unique range of control parameters... The S5 is a good fit here.

Pro's/Serious Amateurs – These types need to pretend they're shooting with a film-era Hasselblad, or better yet, a Speed-Graphic. Then, the slow pace won't get to them. The image quality should appeal to wedding and portrait shooters, but they're going to have to get used to taking two shots with the S5 when a Nikon or Canon can get off five or six.