Latest – Review by Digital Photography School (added 03 March’09)
Fujifilm Finepix S100fs is a 11.1 megapixel digital camera that features a 2.5 inch LCD, extended dynamic range, and an ISO range from 100 to 6400.
Loading ...
| Lowest Price
Read More Reviews – (updated 03 March’08)
Digital Photography School
“This is possibly the ideal camera for those who want a DSLR but without the hassle and expense of additional lenses to make it sing and dance. Make no mistake: this is a serious shooter and one that I and many others would be keen to use on all our photo projects.”
RegHardware
“It isn’t a bad camera, but it we suspect most people will want to leap straight from compact to a DSLR rather than opt for this model.”
Rating: 
LetsGoDigital
“The camera has a tad too many issues that I can’t or won’t get used to. It is a typical case of a camera that performs excellently when tested extensively in a lab but doesn’t live up to that expectation in practice.”
Rating: 
DigitalCameraReview
“The most obvious “lens flaw” that presents itself in many images is poor chromatic aberration control: blue/purple fringe shows up in to some degree in almost every high-contrast boundary area.”
StevesDigicams
“The advantage this model has is the awesome 14.3x Zoom, and super fast burst modes. That said, I feel this model does not offer the best “bang for your buck.”
GoodGearGuide
“The S100fs was lightning quick. It exhibited an extremely minimal 0.04 seconds of shutter lag, just one second between shots and a start-up time of two seconds.”
Rating: 
InfoSync
“From the ergonomic body with the luxury of lots of buttons to the long zoom with great macro performance to its extended dynamic range and high ISO shooting, the S100FS was a greater and greater pleasure the more I used it.”
Rating: 
ImagingResource has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“From the ergonomic body with the luxury of lots of buttons to the long zoom with great macro performance to its extended dynamic range and high ISO shooting, the S100FS was a greater and greater pleasure the more I used it.”
Overall, Review was Favorable: 
NeoCamera has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“While it may not be perfect, there is little not to like about this camera other than the use of a small viewfinder and the use a lithium-ion battery. The dilemma with this model is that its size, weight and price makes it comparable to a DSLR. Some people even mistake it for a DSLR!”
Overall, Review was Favorable:
DCResource has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The Fuji FinePix S100fs is an impressive camera, though its price makes it a tough call. It costs twice as much as other super zoom cameras, and more than some entry-level D-SLRs (though, to be fair, adding a comparable lens pushes the price of an SLR to over $1000).”
Overall, Review was Favorable:
PhotographyBlog has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The first thing that impresses about the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS is its build and weight – a large proportion of that due to the chunky optic bolted onto the front – and, image quality apart, it’s an impression that stays with you.”
Rating:
ComputerActive has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“This is a good camera, and image quality is very impressive, as is the long lens. But in the past the advantage of Fujifilm’s hybrid cameras has been one of price – they’ve been much cheaper than equivalent SLRs. With SLRs getting cheaper, some cheaper than the S100FS, there seems little point in this camera for most people unless they really like the Fujifilm way of doing things and want to stick with it.”
Rating:
Photoxels has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The Fujifilm FinePix S100fs is everything you would want in a bridge camera: from the wide-angle zoom with image stabilization to the excellent image quality at low ISOs.”
Rating:
OutbackPhoto has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“Coming from a DSLR background we are quite critical here. On the other side this camera features an amazing zoom range without switching lenses. If you learn to handle the CA and can live with the very slow xD write speed the S100FS can be a nice travel camera with a strong reach in the tele range.”
Overall, Review was Favorable:
CNET.co.uk has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“As a bridge camera, the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS is definitely closer to the dSLR side of the bridge than the compact. Fujifilm has packed it with features and given many of them their own controls. The Olympus SP-560 UZ may be less intimidating, while for a similar amount of money, you could get into dSLRs with an entry-level model such as the Pentax K200D.”
Rating:
Pocket-lint has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The Fujifilm FinePix S100fs is undoubtedly an ensemble of high specification camera features and some clever and reliable Fuji digital camera wizardry. But it’s an ensemble that is not the complete sum of its parts and ultimately might disappoint you, as it did me.”
Rating:
TrustedReviews has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The Fujifilm S100FS is a worthy successor to the S9600, and has superior handling, performance and image quality to any other super-zoom camera on the market, but comparing it to a real DSLR is a bit disingenuous. It is very expensive, more expensive even than an entry-level DSLR, and for all its qualities it doesn’t quite compete on the same level.”
Rating:
T3 has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“But this is no digital SLR: you can’t swap the lens out and the viewfinder shows only a flickery electronic image instead of the bright view you get with a real SLR. So what do you get for half a grand? Behind the crisp (and optically stabilized) lens lives a respectable 11MP sensor that can pump out vivid images, smartface detection and red-eye removal technology, plus color tweaks that aim to copy Fujifilm’s old Velvia and Provia 35mm films.”
Rating:
ePhotozine has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The Fujifilm Finepix S100fs has so many different features available, it was difficult to know where to start.
I like the different film simulations available and the handy chart showing the Dynamic Range, Color, Tone and Sensitivity. Fuji have noticed that people like their film and have recreated it so users can continue to get the same results as they got from a film camera.”
Rating:
PhotoReview has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“The FinePix S100fs has just been named as the Best Superzoom Digital Camera for 2008 by the European Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). We are also nominating it as an Editor’s Choice for the Advanced category of compact digicams – although with some reservations. Our main concerns lie with the high lateral chromatic aberration we found with the test camera’s lens.
However, the sporadic failures of the autofocusing system and poor quality of images shot at the top ISO sensitivity are also of concern, as is the lack of any ability to switch noise-reduction processing off and on. If these issues are of little or no relevance, the S100fs will be an excellent and rewarding camera choice.”
Rating:
DPReview has reviewed the Fujifilm Finepix S100fs and they write -
“Unfortunately, we can’t quite in all conscience highly recommend a camera with such a flaw in its image quality. Which is a real shame because, for a lot of users, it will be a great camera that offers a well-priced and remarkably flexible alternative to a DSLR. But for anyone wanting to make large prints on a regular basis, it could be a disappointment, so we’d have to suggest they take a look at DSLRs and pore over our lens reviews.”
Rating:
Actual Owner Feedback
“At least as far as I’m concerned. This is my 4th full size digital camera and, the best, by FAR, even over my Fuji S9000.”
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“I’m really surprised about that camera.I wish the battery that came with it would last longer but its not bad at all. “
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“I have owned many DSLR’s, icluding a Canon 1D. This non-DSLR is a better alternative, both in cost and ease of use. Unless you’re shooting for a magazine, this camera’s performance is more than enough. “
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“At least as far as I’m concerned. This is my 4th full size digital camera and, the best, by FAR, even over my Fuji S9000.”
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“I absolutely Love this camera. It is bigger than the Fuji s9100 I had. I love every feature about it. It takes awesome pictures.I can’t wait to use it more.”
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“The flash is stronger than I was led to believe by some digital camera review sites. The ability to use SD cards is a great relief since it’s suddenly become difficult to find high speed Xd cards where i live.”
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
“After doing a lot of research I ended up with the S100FS.
I can highly recommend this camera if you’re (like me) in need of a good camera, but you just do not want to deal with the limitations of a DSLR.”
Portions of actual user comment on Amazon.com
Sample Photos
[Sample Photos at RegHardware]
[Sample Photos at LetsGoDigital]
[Sample Photos at StevesDigicams]
[Sample Photos at ImagingResource]
[Sample Photos at NeoCamera]
[Sample Photos at DCResource]
[Sample Photos at PhotographyBlog]
[Sample Photos at Photoxels]
[Sample Photos at Pocket-lint]
[Sample Photos at TrustedReviews]
[Sample Photos at DPReview]
[Sample Photos at Fujifilm]
Specifications
[Official Fujifilm Specifications]
Press Excerpt
Fujifilm UK today unveiled the FinePix S100FS (Film Simulation) digital camera, its most advanced SLR-styled camera to date. The FinePix S100FS provides an all-in-one solution for photo enthusiasts and advanced amateur photographers seeking the manual controls and functionality of a Digital-SLR without the bulk, hassle and expense of additional lenses and other accessories.
The FinePix S100FS is equipped with a 14.3x Fujinon manual zoom lens, Fujifilm’s 8th generation 2/3” Super CCD sensor with 11 Megapixels, third generation RP III processor, 2.5” tiltable LCD and ISO capabilities of up to ISO 6400 (at 6 MP) and an incredible ISO 10,000 at 3 Megapixels.
Photographers will appreciate the ease of use and shooting versatility offered by the Optical Image Stabilization system, and Fujifilm’s acclaimed Face Detection 2.0 Technology with automatic red-eye removal, while enjoying a wide dynamic range of 100-400% that’s previously only been available to users of the highest-end D-SLR cameras, and film simulation modes that only Fujifilm can provide.
One-of-a-kind lens design for a one-of-a-kind camera
The FinePix S100FS represents the cutting edge of Fujifilm’s imaging technology innovation, and redefines what users can expect from a compact digital camera. Through a unique collaboration between Fujifilm and Fujinon R&D engineers, the development team approached the process of designing this unique camera as a single project, creating the lens and CCD for express function as a single unit.
This design allows the ultra-high precision Fujinon lens to achieve maximum resolution at all focal lengths of 28mm-400mm equivalent and maximum aperture of a bright F2.8 (wide angle) to F5.3 (telephoto). Because of the composite body and lens structure, there is no penetration of dirt and dust onto the CCD and the lens is perfectly matched to the sensor and perfectly aligned for the best possible results. The mechanical zoom offers framing with fingertip precision as well as offering a user experience that closely matches the use of a high end digital SLR.
A feature set borrowed from the FinePix S5 Pro
In the FinePix S100FS Fujifilm’s engineers have incorporated some of the features from the award-winning FinePix S5 Pro D-SLR that have been most appreciated by professional photographers, including film simulation modes and settings that expand the camera’s dynamic range. The FinePix S100FS has an extended dynamic range (100%, 200%, 400%) similar to that of negative film thanks to the newly developed low-noise 2/3-inch 11.1 Megapixel Super CCD VIII HR and the new RP Processor III.
This unique technology preserves subtle highlights and shadow tones and prevents harsh clipping whatever the subject. Fujifilm’s unique Film Simulation modes (FS) allow photographers to select the ideal “film” mode for the scene with a choice of four modes that optimise for portraiture, low-contrast (soft), vibrant colors (Velvia), or general use (Provia). Only Fujifilm has developed its camera technology from its photographic heritage in film, which allows the FinePix S100FS to capture subtle changes in tone and color reproduction and provide the photographer the widest latitude for the ultimate creative expression.
Face Detection 2.0 with automatic red-eye removal
Fujifilm’s proprietary Face Detection 2.0, featuring automatic red-eye removal was first seen on the award-winning FinePix F50fd. This one-touch selectable mode enables cameras such as the FinePix S100FS to detect up to 10 human faces in a scene, correcting focus, exposure and white balance automatically as fast as 0.05 seconds to ensure that photos of human faces are clear and properly exposed, no matter where subjects are located within the frame.
Fujifilm’s Face Detection 2.0 has an advantage over the other face detection systems currently on the market because it can identify faces at extreme angles – even in full profile. The system allows for up to a 90 O movement in either direction for profiles and up to 135 O for leaning or lying down in either direction, for a total range of 270°.
The automatic intelligent red-eye removal feature works in conjunction with Fujifilm’s Face Detection 2.0, automatically correcting red eye directly after the shot is taken and then saving both the original image and the corrected file. The user can then perform a side-by-side picture comparison in playback mode and select the best image.
Latest Pricing at Amazon
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
That sliding LCD is still my favorite feature, very handy in crowd situations!