Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS

On Apr 3, 2:07 pm, "Sarath" <CSar... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
> I'm an Amateur in photography. I'm planning to buy a new camera. Two
> options are infront of me
>
> Canon S3 IS and Fuji Fine Pix s9000
>
> I heard that Fuji's picture clarity is superb and also S9000 is an SLR-
> Like Camera. Canon's brand name and it's zoom lens attracting me to
> it.
>
> Could you please help me to choose in between?

I don't have the S3IS, but from what I have read it is a very capable
camera and an excellent choice for 'general use' whatever that is.

I do have the S9000, and here are my quick comments:
- it *is* a big camera/lens, very DSLR like, but it handles very well
and feels 'right' to me
- the lens is a little soft at the extremes of the zoom range (some
corner softness at wide angle, slight softness across entire frame at
300mm), but image quality is generally excellent and the images
process very well. (see comments in www.imaging -resources.com
Imatest results for the Fuji)
- sensor is 'unusual' - huge (18MP!) Raw files (slow to save but I
only use RAW for critical landscapes), normal 9Mp images are a little
soft but sharpen very well, roughly equivalent to an 8Mp DSLR (in good
light!).
- 'good' high ISO performance. Well, it's better than any other
similar (non-dslr) camera except the Fuji F20/30, so it will be better
than the Canon for shooting low light images, especially if your
subject is moving (that's where IS doesn't help). But a DSLR would be
*much* better than either!
- no IS, but that doesn't bother me much - I'm from the old school and
am used to tripods and careful hand-holding..
- good AF (better than other prosumers I have owned) - *very* good if
you put it into high speed mode (restricts focusing range to 2m and
out)
- very little shutter lag - pre-focus gives almost instantaneous
shooting
- on board flash is usable but weaker than most and takes too long to
recharge
- very useful lens range of 28-300 equiv.

Overall, I'm very happy with the s9000, for what it is. It's the
camera I take when I don't want to lug too much weight, but still want
a good lens range and high quality results. It's a little quirky in
some areas, and you will probably need to experiment with it to get
the best results.

I would suggest your choice is mostly about IS or no IS, and the lens
range - the Canon goes from 36-430 if I recall correctly, so if you
want to get down to 28mm, you'll need an adapter...

And if you want good low-light performance and ultra fast focus, go
DSLR...
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Apr 3, 7:50 pm, mark.thoma... DeleteThis @gmail.com wrote:
>(see comments in www.imaging-resources.com Imatest results for the Fuji)

that should read:
http://www.imaging-resource.com
and in fact here's the direct link
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S9000/S9KIMATEST.HTM
- although you will need a degree in high level digital imaging and
optics to understand it..
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Apr 3, 3:16 pm, ASAAR <cau....DeleteThis@22.com> wrote:
> On 2 Apr 2007 21:07:01 -0700, Sarath wrote:
>
> > I'm an Amateur in photography. I'm planning to buy a new camera. Two
> > options are infront of me
>
> > Canon S3 IS and Fuji Fine Pix s9000
>
> > I heard that Fuji's picture clarity is superb and also S9000 is an SLR-
> > Like Camera. Canon's brand name and it's zoom lens attracting me to
> > it.
>
> > Could you please help me to choose in between?
>
> Not really, because each has advantages that the other doesn't,
> and the S3 IS would be better for some people and the S9000 better
> for others. But I'm not sure why you're comparing these two
> specific cameras, and I don't mean because they are dissimilar. The
> S3 IS is the current model, and it's not much different than the
> slightly older S2 IS which you should be able to get for a
> significantly lower price. On the other hand, the S9000 is Fuji's
> older, discontinued model which was replaced by an improved S9100.
> I'd think that you'd want to decide between either an S3 IS and an
> S9100, or between an S2 IS and an S9000. For what it's worth, I
> have Fuji's older S5100, which resembles the S9000, but is much
> smaller, about the size of the S2 IS, and based on my experience
> with it, if I had to exchange the S5100 for either an S3 IS or the
> S9100, I wouldn't hesitate to get the S9100. But as I said, the S3
> IS would be preferred by some other photographers. No matter what
> I've said or what others say, the only way you could know for sure
> which would be the better camera for *you* would be if you had both
> of them to play with for a month or two, but that's probably
> unlikely to happen, so to some extent you'll have to make a
> not-fully informed choice. My recommendation would be to read as
> many reviews of the S3 IS and the S9100 as possible, not once but
> several times, and if possible because you have a good local camera
> dealer, handle both cameras and take some pictures with both. You
> don't want to make what you think is a good decision only to end up
> with a camera that feels uncomfortable because for your hands, it's
> too big or too small, or the controls of one camera aren't as easy
> to get your fingers on compared to the other camera, or one has a
> menu system that's more difficult to navigate that the other.

Thanks alot for expressing your opinion. Most probably I'll go for a
S3 IS

BTW Could you please give me some links to learn about photography?

Regards,
Sarath
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Apr 3, 6:50 pm, mark.thoma....DeleteThis@gmail.com wrote:
> On Apr 3, 2:07 pm, "Sarath" <CSar....DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi All,
> > I'm an Amateur in photography. I'm planning to buy a new camera. Two
> > options are infront of me
>
> > Canon S3 IS and Fuji Fine Pix s9000
>
> > I heard that Fuji's picture clarity is superb and also S9000 is an SLR-
> > Like Camera. Canon's brand name and it's zoom lens attracting me to
> > it.
>
> > Could you please help me to choose in between?
>
> I don't have the S3IS, but from what I have read it is a very capable
> camera and an excellent choice for 'general use' whatever that is.
>
> I do have the S9000, and here are my quick comments:
> - it *is* a big camera/lens, very DSLR like, but it handles very well
> and feels 'right' to me
> - the lens is a little soft at the extremes of the zoom range (some
> corner softness at wide angle, slight softness across entire frame at
> 300mm), but image quality is generally excellent and the images
> process very well. (see comments inwww.imaging-resources.com
> Imatest results for the Fuji)
> - sensor is 'unusual' - huge (18MP!) Raw files (slow to save but I
> only use RAW for critical landscapes), normal 9Mp images are a little
> soft but sharpen very well, roughly equivalent to an 8Mp DSLR (in good
> light!).
> - 'good' high ISO performance. Well, it's better than any other
> similar (non-dslr) camera except the Fuji F20/30, so it will be better
> than the Canon for shooting low light images, especially if your
> subject is moving (that's where IS doesn't help). But a DSLR would be
> *much* better than either!
> - no IS, but that doesn't bother me much - I'm from the old school and
> am used to tripods and careful hand-holding..
> - good AF (better than other prosumers I have owned) - *very* good if
> you put it into high speed mode (restricts focusing range to 2m and
> out)
> - very little shutter lag - pre-focus gives almost instantaneous
> shooting
> - on board flash is usable but weaker than most and takes too long to
> recharge
> - very useful lens range of 28-300 equiv.
>
> Overall, I'm very happy with the s9000, for what it is. It's the
> camera I take when I don't want to lug too much weight, but still want
> a good lens range and high quality results. It's a little quirky in
> some areas, and you will probably need to experiment with it to get
> the best results.
>
> I would suggest your choice is mostly about IS or no IS, and the lens
> range - the Canon goes from 36-430 if I recall correctly, so if you
> want to get down to 28mm, you'll need an adapter...
>
> And if you want good low-light performance and ultra fast focus, go
> DSLR...

Thanks alot for your comments.

Regards,
Sarath
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:07:01 -0700, Sarath wrote:

> Hi All,
> I'm an Amateur in photography. I'm planning to buy a new camera. Two
> options are infront of me
>
> Canon S3 IS and Fuji Fine Pix s9000
>
> I heard that Fuji's picture clarity is superb and also S9000 is an SLR-
> Like Camera. Canon's brand name and it's zoom lens attracting me to
> it.
>
> Could you please help me to choose in between?

Before you make a decision, I'd suggest you look at the cameras. I'd also
suggest you look at a Kodak P series.
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On 3 Apr 2007 03:36:50 -0700, Sarath wrote:

> Thanks alot for expressing your opinion. Most probably I'll go for a
> S3 IS
>
> BTW Could you please give me some links to learn about photography?

You're welcome. As for learning about photography, one place to
start is DPReview's glossary. It won't really teach you about
photography, but it's a place to go to that will teach you more
about digital cameras, and understanding their components and how
they work can only help reduce the potential for problems that can
make photography more difficult. The glossary doesn't exclusively
cover digital topics. You'll find many in the Optical section, such
as "Depth of Field", "Circle of Confusion" and "Focal Length" that
apply to all cameras, and each topic is relatively short, so you can
browse the topics whenever you wish and should be able to digest the
individual topics quickly.

For learning about photography, a good book might be worth
considering, but before getting one that might be too basic, I'd
read some of the numerous articles on websites. These may have much
more than want or need.

http://luminous-landscape.com/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/
http://www.bobatkins.com/
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/contents.html
http://www.dimagemaker.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.photo.net/
http://www.fredmiranda.com/
http://www.normankoren.com/
http://www.ronbigelow.com/
http://www.photozone.de/
http://www.megapixel.net/html/cover.php
http://bythom.com/

While the last link primarily covers Nikon equipment, it has some
good articles that apply to general photography.

The occasionally controversial, sometimes opinionated Luminous
Landscape has many articles and sections for essays, techniques,
tutorials, columns, an "Understanding Series" and more, covering not
just photography but printers and printing as well.

The controversial, opinionated, irreverent Ken Rockwell has many
interesting things to say about photography and photographic
equipment that's worth reading, and tends to infuriate similarly
opinionated photo purists. His "Books" links take you to a "Highly
Suggested Photography Books and Magazines" page which contains a
fairly large number of excellent books. These include several
written by Ansel Adams, famous for his wonderful photographs and the
Zone System that originated that is a system that can help you to
understand how to determine the ultimate exposure. This might be
more than a bit too advanced for most photographers but it's worth
knowing about. Also included is "123di - The 123 of digital imaging
Interactive Learning Suite" which was produced by the author of many
of DPReview's glossary entries and would probably be worth getting
if you appreciated the glossary and want to delve deeper.

Bob Atkins has good stuff too, but where ByThom (Thom Hogan) is
primarily written for Nikon owners, Bob Atkins' website is the
equivalent for Canon owners.

I'm not familiar with The Digital Journalist, but it has been
recommended before, and probably is the place to browse if you have
any interests in photo journalism.

I've read some interesting articles on "The Digital Image Maker"
website, and the author/owner (Wayne J. Cosshall) pops in to this
newsgroup from time to time to let us know about new articles,
reviews or tests that he's just put up. His website is worth
visiting for anyone that shares his interest in infrared
photography.

Imaging Resource has some tutorials and photo lessons, but I'm not
familiar with them. I go there primarily for the camera reviews.

Other websites that I'm not familiar with but which have been
praised by others include Photo Net, Fred Miranda's, Norman Koren's,
Ron Bigelow's and Photozone. These are probably more advanced
websites, visited by more serious photographers. Photozone has some
articles on photo technique, but it's primarily of interest to
gearheads. A late addition, also unfamiliar is Megapixel.Net

These should provide a good start, although if you are able to get
even halfway through them you probably won't *need* any of the good
books mentioned above. <g>
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

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 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

> Here's an article I wish I'd read before buying a camera.
> http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/2dig.htm
>

The article above is hugely biased towards SLR's which I think is a little
unfair.

I personally own both and each have purposes for which the other would not
be suited.

In addition to the shirt-pocket P&S cameras the super zooms do have a
valuable role in the market.

To buy a digital SLR and an image stabilised lens capable of 400mm zoom
(35mm equivalent) you are looking at the best part of £1000.

For the same zoom range from a point and shoot (with image stabilisation) it
is approximately £250 (a quarter of the price).
In addition the P&S super zoom is far smaller and lighter.

This is the reason I bought an S3IS for when my wife and I go backpacking
instead of taking my Canon 300D SLR.

Don't get me wrong, I love my SLR but it would be a burden to carry on my
back for a whole year in conjunction with all the lenses I would need to
give the equivalent capabilities of the S3IS.

I hope this is of help and as others have stated there is no substitute for
playing with the cameras in a shop.

(If you do use the services of a shop please give them your business
provided their prices are reasonable, and by reasonable I expect 5% more
than online)
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 17:41:10 +0100, John Ortt wrote:

>> Here's an article I wish I'd read before buying a camera.
>> http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/2dig.htm
>
> The article above is hugely biased towards SLR's which I think
> is a little unfair.

That's odd, since Ken has also been accused of having an unfair
pro P&S bias based on his infamous $150 P&S vs. $5000 DSLR article.
I guess that he's an equally opportunity annoyer. I think that
he makes good points in both articles. If you reexamine the
article, you may not see as much bias. I don't think that he's
saying that you don't have a good reason to use and appreciate your
S3 IS. He's complaining more about the $1000 P&S cameras that on
the whole can't compare with much less expensive DSLRs. It's also a
bit out of date, since when he wrote it Sony had no DSLRs (2004).

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/150-vs-5000-dollar-camera.htm
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On Apr 4, 3:05 am, ASAAR <cau....TakeThisOut@22.com> wrote:
> On 3 Apr 2007 03:36:50 -0700, Sarath wrote:
> > BTW Could you please give me some links to learn about photography?
> http://luminous-landscape.com/
> http://www.kenrockwell.com/
> http://www.bobatkins.com/
> http://www.digitaljournalist.org/contents.html
> http://www.dimagemaker.com/
> http://www.imaging-resource.com/
> http://www.photo.net/
> http://www.fredmiranda.com/
> http://www.normankoren.com/
> http://www.ronbigelow.com/
> http://www.photozone.de/
> http://www.megapixel.net/html/cover.php
> http://bythom.com/

That's an excellent list, Asaar.

I would add my recommendation for one that you listed - www.ronbigelow.com

It's a bit less mainstream/commercial than many of the others, but he
has covered a lot of topics in an understandable way, with lots of
good examples. Well worth a browse.
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

On 4 Apr 2007 04:06:21 -0700, mark.thomas.7.RemoveThis@gmail.com wrote:

>> On 3 Apr 2007 03:36:50 -0700, Sarath wrote:
>>> BTW Could you please give me some links to learn about photography?
>> http://luminous-landscape.com/
>> http://www.kenrockwell.com/
>> http://www.bobatkins.com/
>> http://www.digitaljournalist.org/contents.html
>> http://www.dimagemaker.com/
>> http://www.imaging-resource.com/
>> http://www.photo.net/
>> http://www.fredmiranda.com/
>> http://www.normankoren.com/
>> http://www.ronbigelow.com/
>> http://www.photozone.de/
>> http://www.megapixel.net/html/cover.php
>> http://bythom.com/
>
> That's an excellent list, Asaar.
>
> I would add my recommendation for one that you listed - www.ronbigelow.com
>
> It's a bit less mainstream/commercial than many of the others, but he
> has covered a lot of topics in an understandable way, with lots of
> good examples. Well worth a browse.

Thanks. When I decided several years ago to get a more capable
camera than my Powershot S20 I started saving messages that had
recommendations for photography websites, and I didn't restrict it
to "review" websites. With only about a dozen messages in this
folder it was pretty easy to create the list.

You can get an idea of what to expect from Ron Bigelow's home
page, which is simple, elegant. The pictures in his gallery are
wonderful, but too small for a decent display on screens larger than
PDA size, so I was surprised to not see anything on his website that
would allow people to purchase copies of his images, which confirms
what you said about it being less commercial than other sites. I
guess his email address will have to do. For those that haven't
been to www.ronbigelow.com, the articles are interesting, well
written, and concentrate on the technical, digital darkroom side of
photography. The articles on "noise" are pretty thorough, and
despite getting into technical details, are still very clear and
should be easily understood by most readers.
 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS 

"Signal" <nobody.DeleteThis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:ni1513lpae8942fv49gom9f95bl053911v@4ax.com...
> "John Ortt" <johnortt.DeleteThis@noemailsuppliedasdontwantspam.com> wrote:
>
>>> Here's an article I wish I'd read before buying a camera.
>>> http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/2dig.htm
>>>
>>
>>The article above is hugely biased towards SLR's which I think is a little
>>unfair.
>
> I'd say Ken lists pros and cons for DSLRs and P&S pretty fairly.

I wouldn't...read the quote below:

"All of the fixed lens cameras, which include the EVF cameras, regardless of
cost, are too slow and take too darn long to do anything."

Not true! While they are far slower the above is highly exagerated.

Furthermore this exageration of the facts is again evident in the next quote
below:

"To make a long article simple, today's 8MP and 10 MP and other fixed lens
digital cameras have
electronic viewfinders that look like crummy 15 year old TVs, work so slowly
they can't focus on
anything unless it's holding still and generally can be frustrating unless
your subjects are still. "

>>To buy a digital SLR and an image stabilised lens capable of 400mm zoom
>>(35mm equivalent) you are looking at the best part of £1000.
>>
>>For the same zoom range from a point and shoot (with image stabilisation)
>>it
>>is approximately £250 (a quarter of the price).
>>In addition the P&S super zoom is far smaller and lighter.
>
> More expensive, but significantly better results and so much more
> versatile and creative. As you say it depends on your requirements,
> but bodies aren't that dear so if you don't require many lenses not
> that big a difference. A used D70 with kit lens can be had for as
> little as £175.

Provided you don't need a super zoom.. (In which case the price for the
glass goes up cnsidderably).

As I said, I love my digital SLR and use it 90% of the time, but I think
this particular article of Kens is highly biased against point-and-shoot
cameras.

One thing I will say is that Ken's summary at the very end is very good (and
he does admit to being opinionated and using generalisations so I'll forgive
him)


 >> Stay informed about: Choose Between Fuji Fine Pix S9000 and Canon S3IS