Fuji S5 vs Nikon D200

I plan to buy a new body in the weeks to come. I'm a Nikon user since 1991 and

happy about it (F601, F-801, D70s).

 

The S5 is made from the D200 body and have a better ccd and better Mpix count

(12 instead of the 10 for the D200)and they are about same price. Why not go

for the S5? Any advise are welcomed.

 

I heard that the fuji raw file from S5 is quite difficult to work with. Is PS

able to open it and work with thse files? Also, I read ( in Black and White

photography magazine) that the S5 as an output resolution of 12.1 Mpix but that

resolution chart test showed that it captures the same amount of details as the

D200 ccd of 10 Mpix (I really dont understand that part of the article....

 

thanks.

S5 does 6 mega pixels. Using Fuji SuperCCD tech they can turn that into 12. But in reality it is more similar to 10. That is what the magazine was trying to say.

 

S5 is a lot slower camera to work with than the Nikon. So for shooting sports or action you are better off with the D200.

http://www.radugrozescu.com/photo-tech/nikon-d200-fuji-s5-review.html

 

Read this.

The Fuji S5 is $1900: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/475792-REG/Fujifilm_600005590_FinePix_S5_Pro_Digital.html while the Nikon D200 is about $1500 (and it was $1330 a couple of months ago when I bought mine; I did not expect this price increase). So even with the higher price for the D200, the difference is still $400.

 

The main advantage for the S5 is that it has superior dynamic range and low-light/high ISO performance. However, it is a slow camera. If you are shooting in the high dynamic range mode, it is below 2 frames/sec. The S5 is essentially a special-purpose DSLR for low-light applications such as wedding photography.

 

The D200 is an excellent, general-purpose DSLR and can give you 5 frames/second.

 

If you do a search for "Fuji S5 Nikon D200" within photo.net, you'll find a number of old threads on this topic, both in the Wedding Forum and here in the Nikon Forum.

Fuji is better for weddings by far, Nikon better for everything else IMHO. Doug

Here's an exhaustive list of pros and cons:

 

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/FujifilmS5Pro/page28.asp

I forgot to mention that I don't know anyone who uses S5 in raw. That's the joy of it, the AWB on jpg on everything I have used (and others) is excellent. Doug

What are you going to shoot with it? That should really be the deciding factor. Unless you are shooting weddings (and even then, I am not convinced yet of this), you don't need it.

 

RAW files are not difficult to work with if you have the right software to process them with. As they are larger in size than JPG files, they also take more time to load, adjust and then save.

 

On another note and this is only a 'guess' on my part, the D200 will be upgraded eventually, and perhaps shortly, with 'bigger and better' and unless you absolutely need a camera today, you may want to consider holding off a little bit. (Of course there have been rumors for quite some time and nothing has come out, yet).

 

The d200 is over 1 1/2 years old, 'old' by digital standards, and due for an upgrade. My d40, although stripped down in features, takes pictures equal to or better than my d200 (out of the camera)m which is not a suprise as it incorporates Nikon's latest technology.

There are good reasons that the Fuji DSLRs such as the S2, S3 and S5 are favorites among some wedding photographers. For example, they are excellent for the typical bride/groom white/black formal outfit, high-dynamic-range situations. However, they are slow to operate and in some wedding situations, you need to take several shots in quick succession. Therefore, I don't think you want one or two S5's as your only wedding camera(s). You are much better off having a mix of S5 plus D2X/D200 for different situations.

 

I have mentioned my discussion with Thom Hogan back in April, before I bought my D200. Hogan thinks that the D200 could be due for an upgrade because Nikon's high-ISO performance has improved with the D80 and again the D40x. Otherwise, IMO the D200 is still really good and in 2007, there simply isn't a whole lot you can improve on it or it would start eating into the market for Nikon's high-end DSLRs.

hi Pierre ...

 

i own both the D200 and S5 (plus D80/D2x) and each camera has it strengths and weaknesses, most notably for the S5, wider dynamic range and high-ISO with low noise. it's also great with producing more accurate flesh tones. additionally, the OOC JPGs are wonderful.

 

with both R and S pixels working, will produce a RAF (Fuji's RAW file extension) of 25 MB, otherwise the file size is ~12 MB. obviously, if you shoot RAW+JPG, you'll add about 5 MB for the JPG file.

 

for wide DR and high-ISO shooting, there's really nothing that beats the S5 (in its category). the D200 will break down (i.e. noise starts to show up) around ISO 800.

 

the link James Martin provided is ONLY for writing performanace - it's not a *true* D200 versus S5 comparison review. the DPREVIEW of the S5 is the more comprehensive review, although some of us out in the DPReview Fuji DSLR forum have had some [friendly] arguments concerning some of the tests (you can browse through the threads here: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1020).

 

yes, the S5 is a 6 MP camera and will interpolate to 12 MP, but it's not a true 12 MP - it's somewhere between 8->10 MP dependent upon the settings.

 

as far as the statement made (from Doug), "...I don't know anyone who uses S5 in raw..." - i find it to be the contrary: everyone i know (and those i rub elbows with in the forums) shoots RAW+JPG (including myself).

 

the real issue with the S5 RAW files concerns software. although a number of 3rd party raw converters (Lightroom, Bibble Pro, etc) say they support the RAF file format, they arent quite there with respect to *true* support. there is only one option here, and that is Fuji's HS-V3 software: HyperUtility, which is a separate purchase ... granted, there is Fuji Studio bundled with the camera, but it is missing some important features. and the issue with HS-V3 (and Studio) is they are dog-slow if you use a Mac (since they are running it in the emulator).

 

as has already been mentioned, i use the S5 for weddings and low-light environments, such as concerts/shows. you really run a compromise in these situations with a D200. a well-respected wedding photographer, Lina Jang (google for her website) shoots 4 S5's at weddings, and shoots into the thousands of shots (about 2500 each camera) for each event.

 

as i said previously, there is a dedicated Fuji DSLR forum at DPReview - you might want to post over there for a more exhaustive "D200/S5" feedback - many of the folks there using both cameras.

 

regards, michael

I shoot primarily large format and any digital camera I use is a backup or for special

purposes. Having said that I use the S5 and find that a lot of the negative comments fall into

the myth category. RAW files are easy to work with; I work with them every day in both PS

CS2 and Aperture. Slow is relative and yes, if you are shooting sports this is not the camera

for you, for anything else it merits serious consideration. The color management and

dynamic range are the best on the market at the moment IMO and that alone was reason

enough for me to go this route.

I avoid using my S5, D2Xs and D200 on the same project whenever possible. The very different menus/shooting modes make working quickly between systems difficult and frustrating at least for me. In other words I don't like to use one system backing up the other. Colors will not match anyway.

That said I seldom shoot the Fuji in RAW capture, the j-pegs look fabulous. The Fuji S5 is a specialized tool.

Regards,

Dave

I own both the D200 and S5 and I've simply stopped using the D200. I do mostly weddings, and its speed has never been a problem. Yes it shoots raw at only 2 images a second, but that is still faster than my flash recycles (even with an external battery pack). And I can use it without the flash, something the D200 simply cannot do. I often switch back and forth between ISO 800 + flash and ISO 2000 no flash for a different feel during the key events. Outdoors is where it really shines. No more blow out, and enough latitude that I can almost always recover a good image when the meter gets confused.

 

Where I've learned it really shines, however, is shooting jpg. If the you shoot the jpgs with full dynamic range you simply don't need raw. The camera becomes VERY forgiving to exposure errors (much like film). That's because you're getting a full 6 1/2 stops in the jpg image. This is the opposite of the D200, with which I would never have dreamed of shooting jpg for a paid gig. I now shoot all my weddings jpg. About 60% of the images are find straight out of the camera and the rest need just a little highlight recovery. I shoot about 1200 images a night and can process them all in under 3 hours, as opposed to at least 8 when I was doing raw.

 

And personally I think it's GREAT for landscape and architecture, since you can now pick up both the shadow details and those nice fluffy clouds. Here's an image that was shot jpg, full dynamic range, with highlight recovery (which works great for the S5):

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6196508

 

To get this with the D200 I would have had to take two or more exposures and blend them. Painful and useless of something is moving.

I use both the D200 and S5 pro.

 

For me, the choice is dependent on what I'm shooting. If I'm shooting portraits, weddings - Then I use the Fuji S5. I've not had a problem with the S5 being slow in these situations. Not only does the Fuji handle the contrast between black tuxes and white dresses, it also delivers incredible skin tones.

 

For Sports or grab shots - it's the D200.

 

I shoot both in raw and use either PS or Dx0 to convert. Both support the S5 raw format now, so it's not a problem.

 

Yes, the menu's are different between the two bodies and if you use both on the same shoot it will drive you bonkers! To me, the Nikon menus are much more friendly and intuitive, but that's my opinion.

 

Lenses and Flashes are interchangeable, batteries are not, although the Nikon charger will charge the Fuji batteries just fine.

 

Bottom Line - it comes down to your budget and what you will be shooting more of ...Weddings / Portraits or Sports / Action.

I recently handled an S5 and it rocks.

 

Great D200 body. Fantastic skin tones.

 

I will probably buy one. Shooting at ISO 100 it produced some fantastic images, I didnt try the higher ISOs.

 

I read that its about 8-10 MP effective, given the sensor design and the interpolation between the 2 groups of sensors. Heck, thats enough for most applications for the next 5 years.

If you intend to shoot weddings and portraitures, look no further, the S5 will suit your needs pretty much, as a main camera or backup as well. I've own the Fuji for about 4 months now and I must say that I'm pretty much impressed with it's vibrant colors and natural skin tones, which are perfect for my style of shooting.

 

If you're a speed worshipper though, you will find this camera as slow as turtle trying to run a single lap of racing track, so it's normally not suitable for sports photography. I've tried it on low-light concerts and night portraits and it really stands out without any use of flash unit.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Randy Indra