READ THIS! Found on www.dpreview.com

[puglover]

Here is the link to the page, but I posted on this site to give buyers a more accurate perspective on the S2 since all of the reviews I read were positive (except for this one)...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinion_text.asp?prodkey=fuji_s2&opinion=15080

I found this guys review and found it interesting since all of the problems I am experiencing happen outside of a studio environment:

"VERY POOR: CCD NOISE SPOILS IMAGE QUALITY

I work as a consulting Engineer for photo labs, professional photographers and prepress shops; and I've been called in to troubleshoot many hundreds of S2 images from several S2's that are spoiled. Common among the images, after disassembling the CCD data, is poor CCD performance, especially in less-than-daylight shooting conditions.

To put this in perspective, I'm actually buying a second S1 Pro instead of "downgrading" to the S2 Pro. [I moonlight as a photographer covering the Indy Racing League for a Major open wheel racing magazine; and starting this season the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) for their oicial photo agency.]

The reason is what I call the CCD "native" ISO, i.e. what the unamplified CCD sensitivity actually is. Yes, you can "crank up" the ISO; but especially with the S2, the noise penalty is outrageous. With the ISO set at 400, which is what an event photographer would use to stop the lens down to f/11, the images are not saleable.

What is really mind-numbing is that as good as the S1 is (was) with it's native 320 ISO is the horrible S2 performance. For a studio photographe working 100% of the time the 100 ISO performance is OK. For anyone else actually using a camera in Real Life the performance drop-off above ISO 100 renders this camera all but useless.

Another flaw that carries over from the S1 - That the boys at the Raritan Arsenal should have fixed - is that if we use an external power supply - Like a Quantum battery pack - we also lose the built-in flash, having to remove the two CR123 cells and insert a special (and expensive, at $24 61) battery compartment "dummy." This is a Major Pain In The Ass for outdoor shots, as now I have to mount a Speedlight (or clone) just for fiill flash... And this is INEXCUSABLE for a $2049 (wholesale) camera.

Overall, I would FLUNK this camera: Go to eBay and buy an S1 Pro instead: You'll be happier.


Problems
Incredibly awful blue channel noise among all S2 samples I've used/seen. Also, does not meet the ATA 1.4 standards for CF cards."

very interesting....for anyone interested - I just posted several examples of the problems I have been experiencing with my S2.

http://www.s2pro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1268&perpage=15&pagenumber=6

[sandman]

I'm happy with mine

[Wichita Wayne]

When it comes to exposure "one size does not fit all". As the ISO increases you need to adjust the sharpness. His noise problem could probably be eliminated by shooting RAW and/or turning the sharpness to OFF. In fact any ISO above 400 will show a lot of noise with the sharpness set to STD or HARD. Thom Hogan even recommends turning the sharpness off for all digital shooting and letting Photoshop handle this function. Turn the sharpness to OFF and you have one of the best ISO 1600 exposure sustems (film or digital) that I have ever used. Then you can use USM to control the sharpness (noise) and enhance the photo. When I shoot at ISO 100 or 200 I can turn the sharpness to hard and get great results. I would also bet that this guy spends a lot of time complaining about nearly everything in his life that changes or is new.

[Swampy]

If you don't like it, don't buy it.

Mine works fine. :D

[puglover]

And see, this is why I am posting these reviews - to try to find out if some Fuji users are experiencing these problems and some not - I am - but many are not. I also shoot a wide range of images - from studio to weddings to live shows to outdoor portraits, etc... sometimes the camera performs, sometimes it doesn't. I am trying to narrow down the possible causes so I can either learn to work around the issues or send the camera back- again. For those of you who love the S2, don't get defensive because I am trashing your beloved. :) I am very happy that most of you get great results from your camera - I just wish I did. It may be me, which I can accept, but I am having a hard time believing that because I have never had this problem with another camera. My Sony 707 outperforms the S2 a lot of the time - accept for shutter lag, of course... and my old Olympus 2100UZ was the best digital camera I owned to date - if that camera had more resolution it would be a killer.

[sandman]

Puglover
Lets keep this friendly , i'm sure most of the comments are because we seem to be going around in circles over the softness issue. many ,many people have experienced problems ,but just as many ,if not more are OK.
Nobody it seems has an answer, we just keep on raking up the same Q&A.
What C.S.M. setting?
Are focus settings correct?
Sharpness on or off?
Tripod or handheld?
Just when we think we've solved one problem ,up pops another thread , ''i've done that it does'nt work'' , back to square one.
The only people who can answer this are FUJI and they seem to be washing their hands of the issue , it may be a firmware problem with early models or not.
I don't think the above article is any use , because we've already bought the S2 ,good or bad, and the S3 will be with us soon and that may have resolved any problems .
I know this post won't help anyone with problems , it's just this forum is no nearer solving it ,than it was when the first problem was reported.

My 2 penneath Brian

[puglover]

Thank you - that was a great reply. My blood pressure didn't rise one bit :) It just gets very frustrating when all the people with working cameras act as if those of us with poorly functioning ones must be doing something wrong - I appreciate your response. I am getting ready to call Fuji again to see if they will replace it AGAIN - maybe third time is a charm. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

[sandman]

I'm sure every member of this forum wishes you luck on this .
As for blood pressure ,it's hard when you're staring at a screen and seeing seemingly unhelpful remarks coming at you , words are hard on the screen ,and most of us can't put down in writing exactly what we're thinking.
As i get older i get more diplomatic, seen to many bar room brawls start over nothing.
Best of luck again
Brian

[puglover]

Thanks Brian, I am learning to control my temper - but i have to admit, my blood pressure rises pretty easily. hehe :)

I will post my experience with Fuji service... oh how I am dreading going thru this again...

[lightwrangler]

I wonder sometimes just how many of these issues of focus and noise are attributeable to lenses and also to processing? The fact that a Sony 707 seems to give better images than an S2 may be largely due to the lens. The Sony has a digitally optimized lens, the S2 ... well who knows? My Olympus E10 produces images right out of the box that are just as good if not better to the S2 right out of the box. (not that I can enlarge them any better) It also has a raw file that is pretty good. But when I use a prime lens, shoot raw and process the image with Photoshop, the S2 blows the Oly away. But give the Sony and Oly their due, their lenses are designed and built for only the camera that they are on. There are only a few truly digital optimized lenses for the S2, most lenses you buy are film lenses and you have to deal with that.

Lenses are a real question mark with digital and I predict will be for sometime to come. I am currently looking at replacements for a couple of zooms I have and I am having a devil of a time. In tests that I see and with the images I shoot in the store, there are only a few that I really like. And as luck would have it, they are the ones which are both limited in zoom range and have the higher price tags. I am turning more to primes, which is a hassle as my back like me is not getting younger. The alternative is instead of having 2 zooms that cover 95% of my shooting I will most likely end up with 3 that cover 75% of my shooting with primes comprising the other 25%

Frankly it's something that I warn amateurs about all the time when they gaze with lust at a digital SLR like the S2, D100 or Canons. Lenses, not camera technology are the weakest link in obtaining sharp images with good contrast and free of aberations. It's a matter of picking the right ones and throwing out the same criteria that you used when you bought for a film camera.

[lightwrangler]

Oh and BTW, I do believe that it is possible for Fuji to make bad cameras, so this may be the problem in some cases. However I think that the probability of the same owner getting two bad cameras has got to be pretty low. In this case I think that the problem may be in other areas. Repeated focus problems would make me concentrate on technique (no slag intended - we all can stand to brush up sometimes, myself included) and on external equipment, such as lenses and finally on processing procedures.

[puglover]

This is a VERY valid point, and I am sure lenses do play a role in this problem many are having with the S2. Makes me want to buy a 6MP digital with a built in zoom lens...simplify :)

I am curious, what lenses have you tried that you really liked? I am thinking I need a tele, not a zoom like i have - any thoughts?

[puglover]

As far as focusing techniques I have tried everything I can think of - and you are right - the chances have to be pretty slim on my getting two bad S2's. I posted many images in the problems forum earlier today...maybe you could take a look and tell me what you think. And just so you don't think that I am just a horrible photographer - problem solved - here is a link to my work on another photography site. I am still pretty new to photography - admittedly - but I have been sleeping, eating and breathing it for the last few years and I think I have a basically good handle on it. Of course, there is still a ton to learn - these forums help a lot.


http://www.photosig.com/go/users/userphotos?id=11241

[lightwrangler]

I did not mean to insult or question your abilities in any way, I'm sorry if my messages inferred that. And I have looked at your samples, there is a problem, I'm not sure what it is. There are many things to consider, it would be easier for me to trouble shoot if I had the gear in my hands.

I was merely wondering (specifically and generally) if there could be other issues other than the camera. If it is the camera and indeed in your case two of them I would hope that Fuji bends over backwards to make it right. The post from DPreview I must question only because I have in many cases encountered complete and utter garbage on those forums. So much so, that I no longer visit the forums, but I do like the news and reviews as provided by Phil Askey. While I don't agree with him sometimes, I think for the most part he is balanced and impartial. The forum writer could be right and then again could be out in left field. After a year with the camera, I have to say that I haven't had the problems he describes - not that it means it doesn't exist, but I can't believe his view that it is true for all S2s.

Prime lenses seem to work the best for me. I have a Tamron 90mm that is very sharp and free of aberation. A Nikon 24 f2.8 and 50 f1.8 that are flawless and I've been looking at a 200 2.8 that seems to be just peachy. My preliminary test of the Tamron 28-75 2.8 DI lens is promising, I may go for it, but the range is awfully small. So far I have eliminated the 28-200 XR from Tamron and the 24 -120 VR from Nikon. I found both prone to barrel distortion and chromatic aberation. Please, owners of these lenses, don't take this personally, I think in a great many cases these are good lenses, just not for my needs.

[puglover]

I didn't think you were insulting my abilities at all - I just meant that when you look at my samples (which are crappy images) don't judge my professional work by them :)

And about that dpreview review - I rarely go there unless I am researching a camera - I just happened to run across that as I was looking to see if anyone on that site had encountered any problems - and mostly all the reviews were good. Also, this is a big part of my point - that some of the S2's - a lot - seem to be fine. But every now and then someone gets one that makes them want to chunk it in the trash. So I have just been trying to figure out if I should even attempt to send mine back again or find out if the problem lies elsewhere...

Thanks for the lens info. :)

[photowife]

Puglover,
Just so you know, I got two bad cameras in a row. The first one I bought was SOOOOOO bad, I new to return it right away, but I gave it a three day trial. The second one...well you know my issues with that, but it is better, unacceptable still, but better. I cannot use any tamron lens I own with it..terrible images. My Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and Nikkor 20-35mm 2.8 are ok.

[jeffinkansas]

I have to say that with my old S2 the blue channel was my favorite, but when I had to send it back, they gave me a new one which has these problems as described by the original poster. I do not shoot over 100 now. It just has not been worth it. Not to mention the track noise is AWFUL. Yes it is a nice camera, but fuji's refusal to admit this is a problem, is a HUGE problem.

[puglover]

So you are not going to send back the second one? I am still deliberating on what to do with mine - i shoot a wedding tomorrow and that may be the deciding factor... we'll see how it goes. That is awful not to be able to shoot over ISO 100 - unacceptable. mine is not THAT bad, but very often disappointing...

[jeffinkansas]

I really cannot decide. Financially, I cannot afford to switch systems lenses whatever. I just feel kinda stuck.

[puglover]

Is the warranty up? Can't you get them to replace it again?

I have a question about portable hard drives - I noticed on another thread that you have one...i looked everywhere today for one that was reasonably priced - nothing. Is the best place to get them online? some of the sales people didn't even know what i was talking about...there are so many on the market now I found that odd.... any advice?

[Yamatan]

Try this URL below. They've got plenty of them.

http://store.yahoo.com/insidecomputer/

I got mine from there.

Thanks.

[jeffinkansas]

I am not sure about the warranty, the problem is when I send it in they never think anything is wrong.

I bought my hard drive online, and so far aside from some cheapo feeling it has been great. It is fast and reliable. Ipod has a new converter to allow it to read CF. Seems like the marriage made in heaven. If you have any other questions I would love to answer them, but I have to run now

[puglover]

Here is some nice noise - only at ISO 200. In her hair... I called Fuji today - getting a loaner - my warranty is up next month - wanted to see if i can get another new one...try and try again.