S2 or D100 - Why S2?

[Rob]

Hello all,
New member here and I would like (and need) your help.
After reading what others say about the D100 and after reading the positive S2 comments here, I remain unsure D100 or S2. Those who have looked at pros and cons of both cameras then went w/S2 could u plz share some info? Why did u go w/S2?

I'm not worried about the few hundred $ diff in price. Just would not want to regret my purchase. One main concern is the so called "greater saturated colors" of the S2 as opposed to the "neutral" colors of the D100. Don't want oversaturated skin tones on my portraits, especially on people with medium to dark complextions. Granted, on fair complexted it may be a plus.

S2 use will primarily be portraiture indoor and out. Plan to use stobes w/pc cord at times and two SB-80DX's TTL mode other times.
Intend 2 print on Canon S900. Maybe the Epson 2200 in future.

Well, thanks in advance to all who can contribute and thanks to whomever thought up this sight.

Rob.

[SSonnentag]

I compared the two before getting on the S2 waiting list...


S2 Pros:
* Dual media
* Firewire
* PC Control
* RAW conversion software w/ camera
* 100 ISO
* Standard AA batteries (easy to have spares around)
* Easier and more intuitive controls (my subjective opinion)
* Pictures look slightly better in color and sharpness (subjective again)
* More flash compatability


D100 Pros:
* +/- 5.0 EV in 0.3, 0.5 EV steps (S2 only has 0.5 steps)
* 3 fps max 6 images (S2 only 2fps, but 7 images)
* Slightly better viewfinder coverage (95% vs S2's 92%/95%)
* Slightly smaller and lighter (700 g vs 760 g)

[DannyT]

The thing that really did it for me was the backward TTL flash compatibility of the S2. I own a lot of underwater flash gear and it will all work with the S2. I think Nikon really dropped the ball by not making the D100 compatible with the majority of flash guns on the market.

[Digi4Ever]

The 2 cameras are so similar, yet so different that it seems strange to me that they spawn from the same camera (F/N80). I was, actually, ready to buy a D100 even though I already owned an S1 and a D30. I figured that Nikon must be the better camera now that they are entering the "affordable" DSLR arena. Right?
I decided to look at the 2 cameras objectively and make an informed choice. I had the past experience of prior ownership of 7 Digital cameras and also the (probably rare) experience of 2 of them being DSLR's. Armed with this, I read all there was to read (not much, just pre-production preview's by Steve, Phil, Moose and a few others), went to the local Wolf's who (finally!) received a sample of the D100, played with it for half an hour and discovered that I absolutely Hated the layout of the controls, buttons and menus. I was already used to the S1 controls and, although I also had a D30 (which I feel has the best control arrangement along with the newer D60) decided that I needed to try out the S2 before committing to anything. I found a dealer in Arizona who had the camera in stock and was willing to commit to sending me the camera with a 30 day money back guarantee with no restocking fee. I bought it on the spot.
I am now in mid-week 2 and have finally done my own picture comparisons between the D100 and S2. My conclusions differ somewhat from Phil's, since he did much more controlled tests, but it convinced me I made the correct decision.
I saw a much more of a difference in color, Greens Reds & Blues, between the 2 and a definite difference in whites as well as white balance. The differences were so much that I had to re-check both cameras to be sure they were in as close to "standard" settings as possible. I ended up taking the same pictures twice as a result. The results were the same each time. With both cameras set to what I would call basic, default settings I took the same pictures with the same lens (Nikkor, 28-105 D-IF) in the camera store of several objects and will attach a link to a few pics below.
I only had time to put 2 different pics from each camera up tonight. Maybe the Nikon "test" body in the store has a problem, but the white balance is not right and the whites are yellowish. Even the building across from the store looks almost cream colored (which it is not). The Fuji is as close to reality as I have seen from any other DSLR. IMHO. Keep in mind these pics are greatly reduced in size.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation.tcl?presentation_id=161512
BTW, I have heard rumors of recalls of both cameras (D100 & S2) twice in the past 2 days from 2 totally unrelated sources. Anyone else?

[Rob]

To all those of you who have freely given of your time to help me better decide btwn the S2 or D100 - a many and grateful thanks!
I value your input and definately appreciate your sharing of the experiences you all have had regarding this matter.
In addition to what I gain from all of your insights I've continued with my own understanding. As Digi4Ever said "I figured that Nikon must be the better camera now that they are entering the "affordable" DSLR arena. Right?" but something told me maybe it was more marketing and reputation than the reality I needed to see. Not implying that the D100 is far inferior or somewhat of a fraud. To the contrary. The thing was for me to look at this two DSLR's head to head w/o pre-loyaties (I must admit, being a long time Nikon film camera owner) which I knew were deep seated. Alas, now that I divorced my heart from my mind I can see the the S2 with be the camera of my choice - without regrets. I've placed my order with Tallyn's and will wait my turn.
Once again, thanks! You were all like good friends will to share your time, your knowledge, and your experiece. A valuable offering much appreciated.
Rob

[memobug]

For me, it comes down to image quality, and I'm not talking resolution here, but more tone and color balance.

I took a memory card into the camera store today and shot a couple dozen exposures with each of the S2 and D100, both with the same lens, in JPEG High, open shade, indoors and in sunlight, and was amazed at the difference in difference in output between the two cameras. The S2 images had a warmth and character that was reminiscent of film, and the D100 (by comparison) had a sallow, dull look that reminded me of the D1 I own that I had hoped to be able to use for portraits, but didn't want to slave for hours correcting fleshtone in every photo!

Well the D1 goes on the ebay block next week, and I hope it will bring in most of what I need to buy an S2.

Regards,

Matt.