Some questions on S5 Pro

[tbong27]

Hi, I m looking to either get a used S5 pro or save more $ and upgrade to the d700. Not very particular about the speed fps. More interested in low light prowess and great colours. I know the D700 would probably win in the high iso comparisons and maybe IQ but the S5 has the colours and dynamic range(have yet to test the S5 pro-none available). This what i know. How much does the S5 pro cost retail 1 year ago? And what would people generally recommend? Legendary colours Fuji or modern performance D700?

Thanks Guys!!

 

[brapodam]

I think you can infer the answer from the number of S5 pros being sold 2nd hand...The reason why there's none is because nobody is selling it...There's also a reason why nobody's selling it.

 

[SVG84R]

There are people who sell but not many...s5pro and d700 compliments one another. If you take a look over at dpreview forums, many have compare s5pro to d700 or even to d3 and find that the ageing s5pro manages to hold its own despite the many years in the market.
S5pro excels in colours and dynamic range. Iso performance is actually not that bad..but thats where the d700 shines.

 

[Fotophilic]

Hi, I m looking to either get a used S5 pro or save more $ and upgrade to the d700. Not very particular about the speed fps. More interested in low light prowess and great colours. I know the D700 would probably win in the high iso comparisons and maybe IQ but the S5 has the colours and dynamic range(have yet to test the S5 pro-none available). This what i know. How much does the S5 pro cost retail 1 year ago? And what would people generally recommend? Legendary colours Fuji or modern performance D700?

Thanks Guys!!

1) about 2 years ago, a brand new piece cost about 1.2k.
2) not to invite a camera war, i would take D700 over S5 Pro if money is not an issue. it's just my preference.
3) I can't answer your last question. I like fuji colors. And perhaps that is the only thing i like about them.

 

[TheChef]

If money is not an issue, I will buy another 2 sets of S5 Pros and 1 set of D3s. If money is an issue, which is always the case, I will stick with my S5 Pro. I am very fortunate that I was decisive, rushed down to an unknown camera shop downtown and bought one of the last sets of S5 Pro. This camera is top notch and as a bonus, I befriendd many great photogs through shooting with this gem of a camera.

 

[tbong27]

Hey Guys,

thanks for the input, been really helpful. I do see sets of the S5 Pro being sold on the Buy and sell. However, from prices ranging from 1.1 to 1.2k. I was curious how much a new set would cost. So basicallyy they are trying to sell them at a brand new price. Hum. Guess discontinued allows them to do so. Money is a bit of an issue. Thats why the D700 comes into play. and not the D3s. Probably I'll wait till a cheaper 2nd hand S5 pro is being offered. How about the colours of the D700? Any experience?

 

[RichardSeah]

Hey Guys,

thanks for the input, been really helpful. I do see sets of the S5 Pro being sold on the Buy and sell. However, from prices ranging from 1.1 to 1.2k. I was curious how much a new set would cost. So basicallyy they are trying to sell them at a brand new price.

Depends which "brand new price" you are talking about. I bought mine in Nov 2007 for $2.3K and another friend bought earlier in 2007 fr $2.5K. Even at those prices, we have no regrets and we feel the satisfaction we got out of our images is invaluable.

A recent piece of S5 was being offered at $1050 inclusive of battery grip, so it is actually not that expensive. Don't expect the price to drop much further. Some months ago, I sold mine for 800 (because very high shutter count and rubber grip came off, badly patched back) and was lucky to buy another mint piece for $850. The guy who bought my S5 thought I was upgrading to D700, but no, I was simply upgrading to a newer S5.

In general, expect to pay $900 to $1,100 for S5 body and consider yourself lucky if you can buy. The majority of S5 (and S3) Pro owners are very happy with their cameras and will not sell.

Apart from price, another point to consider is the crop factor. With S5 Pro (and other DX format cameras) the effective focal length of the lens becomes 1.5x longer. For me, and many of my friends who shoot "uptight" - close up / tight cropping, this is a major plus factor. Eg 80-400mm lens now has max reach of 600 mm. If buy a 600mm lens, it will cost big big money and lens too big for general use, need tripod, car etc etc. Of course if shoot wide angle, then the D700 and FX format cameras have an advantage.

 

[tbong27]

Hi Richard!

The cameras that quoted for 1-1.2k were bought a year ago as stated by the sellers. So maybe it might be around the 1k mark or so. Yes I agree that the value will definitely be there since it is highly sought after. I have not used a full format cameraand is still using the D70 now. I have bought a few film lenses to prepare for the jump to fx in the future. But seems like the S5 pro is a very competent contender for my upgrade How does low light capability of the S5 compare to older generation cameras like the D70? iso 1600 is appalling for the D70.

 

[RichardSeah]

Hi Richard!

The cameras that quoted for 1-1.2k were bought a year ago as stated by the sellers. So maybe it might be around the 1k mark or so. Yes I agree that the value will definitely be there since it is highly sought after. I have not used a full format cameraand is still using the D70 now. I have bought a few film lenses to prepare for the jump to fx in the future. But seems like the S5 pro is a very competent contender for my upgrade How does low light capability of the S5 compare to older generation cameras like the D70? iso 1600 is appalling for the D70.

I very seldom shoot in the day, almost all my pixs taken at night especially shooting stage performances, so my ISO settings mostly from 2000 to 3200. Far from being "appalling" the S5 performs very well in low light / high ISO. If convert from raw using Fuji's hyper utility software, performance is excellent. Only have to be patient because hyper utility is a pain to use, very slow software - so I use it only for my most important pixs. Overall, very seldom do I have to use noise reduction software for my S5 pixs.

You can view my article on night photography, with S5 images (and ISO and other info provided), here: http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/7097

 

[tbong27]

Hi Richard!, the photos looks pretty amazing. I used to shoot at 1/10 when i was starting out and now have truly believe above 1/20s is adamant for reducing camera shake. Looking at your EXIF, you must have got your hands pretty still! Any tips on the film simulating modes? Quite a rare subject on S5 reviews. Nonetheless thansk for the feedback. Will try to hunt for a mint copy, if not i'll have to pay triple the price for the 700

 

[RichardSeah]

Hi Richard!, the photos looks pretty amazing. I used to shoot at 1/10 when i was starting out and now have truly believe above 1/20s is adamant for reducing camera shake. Looking at your EXIF, you must have got your hands pretty still! Any tips on the film simulating modes? Quite a rare subject on S5 reviews. Nonetheless thansk for the feedback. Will try to hunt for a mint copy, if not i'll have to pay triple the price for the 700

Yes 1/10 needs luck but with VR can be done, 1/20s is safer bet.

Film simulation mode was one of the reasons why I bought S5 but in the end did not use it. Initially I did play play a bit but after a while find that "std" mode is good enough. Apart from slide simulation (which is not great), the rest are simulations of various types of professional film used in studio and as I do not have experience with these types of film, I don't fully appreciate them. Anyway if you shoot raw you can see the effects of all the different modes by using Fuji HyperUtility. To me, makes more sense just to adjust things like curves, exposure etc rather than film simulation. But now that you mention it, yes, perhaps I will explore it further. I am sure it is useful.

Good luck with your search. To me, S5 is much better buy than D700.

 

[ZeroDivine]

If you need full frame camera - there is no comparison.
For me I don't really need the additional crop of the dx sensor, but I value the 'lost' sides that is cut off by the dx sensor.. the feel from using fast 1.4 lenses with the shallow DOF is brought back to live with FF.

I moved up from S5 to D700 and have not regretted it since.
S5 is good enough if you don't need the kind of resolution and pixel to pixel detail ( in comparison.. S5 files are mushy vs D700 real 12 mp), but if you have the money and looking more for the long term, I would strongly recommend D700.
FYI, shot on RAW, the D700 DR is massive - just losing it slightly to the S5.
But for now, I have come to appreciate the slightly contrastier, punchier, look of the D700 jpeg file as it kind of reminds me a bit of Slide films. The S5 in comparison is more like good negative films with larger tolerance but not as punchier file.

ps. but having said that, with 2 yrs using S5 it has brought me quite a few winner .. so I would say it still has a special place in my heart.
you can probably get a good deal for 1k together with the grip.
I sold mine for 1.2k some 5 months ago.

 

[tbong27]

Thanks Zero!... Seems like I m sitting on a swing, going back and forth :sweatsm: But I will probably settle on the S5 pro, not very advisable to splurge on the D700 given my current income.

I guess I'll have to wait for a nice copy w batt grip at 1k. :S the D300 also have dropped till 1.5k thereabouts but I m sure I'll get a hard time from you guys comparing them both.. My dad has the D300. Pretty fantastic too I should say.

That said, would love to get a more solid pro spec camera. Used the F5 for a while before and what a beast!! Sadly my photographic skills did not compliment it. No way should a D3s swing by so soon!! Please feel free to contribute more on the D700 and S5. Would love to hear more!

 

[archon75]

S5pro can and still can produced very good image and a pair up with a good sharp len, it is a cost effective combo that rival the more expensive and modern system. The catch is to use the "light" and supress the ISO noise.

Really waiting for the rumoured Fuji "S7pro". Hope that I am not dreaming

 

[jhbong]

I tried the hyper utility and convert the raw file to tiff, but it seems that the color is a bit different when i load the tiff image file using the aperture. Is this normal?thanks

 

[RichardSeah]

I tried the hyper utility and convert the raw file to tiff, but it seems that the color is a bit different when i load the tiff image file using the aperture. Is this normal?thanks

No experience with Aperture but I do find the colour different - better - compared to Lightroom, which tends to produce a magenta tint. I think it is normal that different software renders the image differently and that, usually, the software produced by the camera maker gives the best results. The difference may not be great for pixs taken in bright daylight, but for pixs taken under difficult lighting conditions, eg stage performances in low light, which I do a lot, the difference can be big and Fuji's Hyper Utility images are much better.

Where noise is concerned, Fuji's Hyper Utility certainly produces far cleaner images compared with, say, Photoshop or Lightroom.

 

[wheresmycheese]

No experience with Aperture but I do find the colour different - better - compared to Lightroom, which tends to produce a magenta tint. I think it is normal that different software renders the image differently and that, usually, the software produced by the camera maker gives the best results. The difference may not be great for pixs taken in bright daylight, but for pixs taken under difficult lighting conditions, eg stage performances in low light, which I do a lot, the difference can be big and Fuji's Hyper Utility images are much better.

Where noise is concerned, Fuji's Hyper Utility certainly produces far cleaner images compared with, say, Photoshop or Lightroom.

uncle Richard is hardcore Fuji Hyper Utility user. I guess depends what you TS wish to achieve the best possible or just touch and go, for me i was using bridge and ever since Richard Seah introduced me LR previously i used it for sorting and for batch processing.

 

[RichardSeah]

uncle Richard is hardcore Fuji Hyper Utility user. I guess depends what you TS wish to achieve the best possible or just touch and go, for me i was using bridge and ever since Richard Seah introduced me LR previously i used it for sorting and for batch processing.

Not that I am a hardcore user. I use it only for images that are important - because Hyper Utility is a bit of a pain to use - and sometimes just to see how it compares with other software.



This is a noisy image processed with Lightroom:

And now the same image processed with Hyper Utility:

 

[TONYPHOTO]

There are people who sell but not many...s5pro and d700 compliments one another. If you take a look over at dpreview forums, many have compare s5pro to d700 or even to d3 and find that the ageing s5pro manages to hold its own despite the many years in the market.
S5pro excels in colours and dynamic range. Iso performance is actually not that bad..but thats where the d700 shines.

I agree with your view. I own a S5 Pro and a Nikon D3. They are both excellent gems. I use S 5 Pro for colourful subjects, landscape as well as portrait shots. In terms of the colour effect, it outshines the D3 in certain ways. That is the reason why i am still keeping it. With D3 it is of different feel altogether. For street and on a more robust outing, D3 is the priority of choice. For a moderate outing and where speed is not an issue , S5 pro would be the choice. I am glad that i do own both of them.

 

[tbong27]

Hi all, Just became a proud owner of the s5 last weekend. Lovely camera, just have to get used to the controls. And the dynamic range is so good that it makes the photo looks like HDR..gotta tone it down a bit i guess Now how about telling us what genre of photography you used the S5 for and what settings you prefer? Thanks again Guys.