Customer Reviews

Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera with 14.3x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes I sold all my DSLR equipment after I bought this camera. It's that good for what I needed. The only negative worth talking about is some minimal purple fringe at extra high contrast type scenes.

I was concerned about focusing accuracy and in low light. The camera excels at both. It has dedicated ISO and EV buttons which are a must. The fast lens is sharp even wide open but sharpens up even more at around f/4-4.5. The new 2/3" sensor handles the 11 megapixels with the associated noise just great. The manual zooming lens is so quick. Just like a DSLR. With all the bells and whistles, extra external buttons and dials it's truly designed like a much more expensive DSLR. The continuous focus and optical stabilazation are simply amazing. Of course with a EV you don't get the speed of a DSLR tracking but I don't need that particular feature.

The highly taughted dynamic range increase is good for a least one additonal stop and possibly two in jpg. Of course in RAW one can process however many they need through HDR.

Frankly I've been waiting for any manufacturer to come up with a not too big of a camera with a true optical stabilized 28-350/400 lens with a 2/3" sensor to keep the lens small enough to keep the weight down but large enough to let in enough light to keep it fast. Also needed a manual zoom and not those slower electronic zoom models that are too slow for me. I think Fuji has delivered the camera of my dreams and I imagine those of others as well.

I've also owned the Panasonic FZ-30/50 which are very special cameras but the Fuji S100fs simply has so many more features the Panny's just can't truly compare. The Fuji clearly has more resolution and FAR LESS noise. At least two stops less.

This Fuji camera is definitely a highly recommend from me. As I use more of the features I'll report back my findings. Anyone who downgrades this camera is only looking for ANY reason not to buy/keep it. Because the bottom line is, it delivers the goods.

The Fujifilm Finepix S100fs is a superb camera, in most instances exceeding expectations. Whilst I am not a Pro photographer I consider myself an able amateur and have used many cameras over the years. As I am traveling more I decided I wanted a replacement for my Pentax K10D DSLR - which is an excellent camera, on par if not exceeding the Canon and Nikon offerings in its range (sub $1000.00). Lugging extra lenses around when traveling can be a real chore - yet there has really been no alternative - until now.
The S100fs is a real DSLR alternative at last - and this is from a REAL USER - not someone who has just read reviews or posts on the Internet.

The image quality is magnificent. Fuji have outdone themselves with this lens, it is a step above most Tamron, Sigma and kit lenses and approaches the quality of the higher priced offerings of the big manufacturers. The PROOF is in the images. I have standard scenes I always photograph to test cameras - one of them of the lake view from the rear of my house. Using the Velvia film setting on the S100fs I was astonished at the images it captured - some of them exhibiting an almost 3D appearance. This camera has produced the best images of this scene I have taken with any camera!

There is a lot of talk about Purple Fringing - mostly by Pixel Peepers who have never held the camera but who inspect low grade images uploaded to the Internet and make derisory comments. I have found however that using the camera involved a learning curve that I hadn't expected. Some of my first images were not as good as I had hoped - but I concluded that the camera was better than what I was seeing. More careful handling and attention produced startlingly better results. Have I seen some purple fringing - yes - but LESS than in Tamron and Sigma lenses I own, some of which approach the cost of this camera itself. This is easily corrected in post processing however. Though as I have spent more time with this excellent camera I have seen it less and less - implying that most of what people are seeing is USER error and not due to the camera itself.

And let me say this - IMAGES IN POOR LIGHTING / Night Scenes ARE MAGNIFICENT - better than my K10D!

If you are looking for the BEST superzoom camera out there - this is it - by far. If you are looking for a DSLR - but cannot afford the investment of good quality lenses (don't fall for the "kit offerings") - this is it. Tired of lugging around countless lenses and accessories for your DSLR - give this a try. You will not be disappointed (as long as you persevere and learn how to use this camera).

I have had the Fuji S100fs camera for almost a month now, and have quite a bit to say about it's performance. First, I am very impressed with the image quality in general and the low noise images produced by this camera. Pictures up to 400 ISO are almost noise free, while 800's show very little noise and still show great detail. 1600's are not too bad either, but you probably would not want to print too big, as there is some noise there - however, compared to pretty much every other point and shoot out there, noise levels are quite satisfactory. I was able to get some great shots at my daughters' dance recital last week. Using 800 ISO for the slower ballet & pointe, and 1600 for the faster action, like clogging & hip-hop, I captured some very nice images with little or no motion blur. A few were out of focus: I noticed that when tracking moving objects the focus had a little trouble locking on some of the time. Overall, pretty pleased though.
Next, the Dynamic Range expansion feature on this camera really works. Some shots that would have been too contrasty at standard DR turned out extremely nice - almost never have a blown highlight and shadowy areas are lit enough to show detail that would be lost otherwise. Great feature!
Another feature of the S100fs is the film simulation mode. I do like the "Velvia" setting, but it cannot be used at the same time as DR expansion mode (the camera switches DR off when Velvia is selected). There is a way around this, however, by setting color to "high" and tone to "hard" in the main menu (this is what Velvia setting does to the camera anyway). By doing this, you get more vivid color and tone and still be able to shoot with expanded DR. Very glad I experimented with the available settings to discover this.
This camera has a lot of adjustment buttons and many choices in the menus. The menus are easy to use and the many features accessed there are pretty useful. Many DSLR-like controls here allow quite a bit of experimentation and adjustment, making this camera work better for the more experienced photographer, and allowing trial and error for the less experienced to get better at what they are able to capture. If you want to let the camera do most of the work, it will, and do it pretty well. I still recommend using the camera at least on P mode for best results.
Now for the bad news: Purple fringing and other chromatic abberation is there. To be honest, out of 950+ shots, I have only had a REAL problem with about 7 or 8, but it is there on very high contrast shots, especially at wide angle & a little less at full telephoto). Most of what I shoot will never really show this flaw, but once in a while, it will be there. ALWAYS use DR400% on shots like that and, in some cases, it may help lessen visible CA.
Now for the pros / cons list:
Pros: Image quality overall is very impressive - not quite DSLR quality, but most shots are very close, rivaling those of the cheaper DSLR's.
Visible noise is much lower than pretty much any point-and-shoot made today: larger image sensor, and the fact that a Fuji Super CCD is used, are predominantly the reasons here. Again, not quite as clean as a DSLR can produce, but not that far off.
Very convenient: 28mm wide angle & 14.3x zoom lens on the camera, no dust issues, no lens changing & packing around. There are some of us that just do not want those things no matter how good the photo is (I'm not doing this for a living, just want decent everyday shots and still be able to produce pretty professional looking photos once in a while - this camera allows me to do that).
There are other pros, but I've covered the main ones. Here are the con's:
Purple fringing is definately this camera's weak spot. Fuji could have done better in this department. The S100fs would be invincible (as a point & shoot anyway) if not for this. Like I said before, most of what I do is not affected by this, but it would be nice not to see it crop up EVER. If you do alot of outside picture taking (especially shooting through trees or at buildings in front of a bright sky or other bright & contrasty pictures) you might not be happy with the results unless you are good with PF removal software and have the time to use it.
Manual focus is pretty worthless on the S100fs. It is electronic rather than a true mechanical focus mechanism. It is unresponsive, as it does not really matter whether you turn the ring quickly or slowly - it just adjusts in slow increments either way. Since you can't quickly focus in & out, it's hard to tell if you're right on or just close (and close is not good enough). Not very useful. Fortunately, the auto focus works well nearly all of the time. Low light/contrast and moving subjects do pose some problem, but most point and shoot cameras suffer a little in this area.
Software included with the camera, particularly the RAW processing software, is not that great. DPreview said it was slow: I don't find it to be that bad speed wise, it just does not allow me to adjust the things I really want to, like noise reduction (software just applies the same NR that the camera does to jpeg's). White balance, color, etc. can be changed with many other programs, so I do not find the software very useful. S7raw for RAW conversion and Neat Image for NR application does a much better job, it just takes extra steps that I wish I didn't need to take.
Overall, I have to say that Fuji has built a fine camera in most respects. I am really enjoying all of the many features available, and, more importantly, the great images I am able to capture with this very capable and convenient camera. If not for the PF/CA issues, I would give 5 stars, but due to that, I cannot do so. I think most people wanting good performance (better than that available from the tons of point and shoot cameras out there) without the hassles, drawbacks and expense of a DSLR, would love this camera. I have read many personal opinions of actual users of the S100fs, and I agree with the majority of positive comments offered about it. It really does a lot of things very well, and I do not regret buying it at all. For what I want in a camera, it suits me very well.
UPDATE 9/9/08: I have now used my camera extensively for 4 months now. Still enjoying the good results I'm getting. I have changed some settings as I have now had time to really experiment more with different images. First, I have changed the tone setting from "hard" to "standard", as I have noticed that highlights are generally retained better when set this way. The camera does not bump the contrast as much. "Soft" tone will result in even more highlight retention, but the image looks too flat for my taste. The other change is with the dynamic range setting - 200% is now my setting of choice. I have inspected many of the 400% and 200% images, and my opinion is that I prefer the cleaner image with a little less highlight detail over the noisier one with better highlights (don't get me wrong, though, ISO 400 is not bad). ISO 200 is just noticeably cleaner and the highlights are still much improved over ISO 100. Another change in my routine is the use of Photoshop Lightroom 2 to process images. This is a GREAT program - saturation, clarity, vibrance, contrast, highlight recovery, tone (broken down into highlghts, lights, darks & shadows which you can boost or cut individually), noise reduction, lens corrections and fringe removal, etc, etc. etc! Yes! I have improved CA and removed purple fringing from my worst shots with great results. Definately something to consider for making the most of your S100fs images. I have left friends and family in awe of some of my processed shots.
I hope this review is not too long now, but I felt I should add some experiences & preferences that have evolved from my continued use of this camera. Hope it helps!

I'm not going to get into a lot of specific's. Those have been cited by others already. I have several digital camera's, including Canon D30 and a Nikon D40x. This camera will give those well advertised cameras a real run for the money, and in most cases, will shoot better than the ones I just cited. I've now shot just under 7,000 photos. Those photos have covered the spectrum, i.e., portraits, scenic, sporting events, etc. They have turned out extremely well. I took several photos with the Nikon and the Fuji S100fs. Both were on tripod's and the photographs were of the same subjects. Overall the Fuji outshot the Nikon. The Nikon, in several of the shots, suffered slight blurriness. And yet a couple of the shots were very good. Overall ALL of the Fuji shots were very good. Couldn't be much better. That also includes taking photos using the telephoto lens at 400mm. You can't believe the detail in those shots. It's extraordinary.

I do have an issue with the comment about battery life. So far I'm averaging roughly 300 photos to a battery. There have been times when I've shot 400 or so on a battery. I don't know how much you expect from a battery, but for me I'm very happy with the results so far. I also have two backup batteries. I have additional batteries for all of my cameras. Not to do so could be limiting yourself.

Look, the bottom line is this. If you want a great camera, that cost less than most DSLR's then give this a try. Otherwise look for something else. It's that simple. You make choices all your life about this-n-that, and this is no different. Personally, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I have been involved with photograpy for over fifty years, purchasing about one new camera per year. This one was for my wife, but I like so much i may steal it.

Please don't call this a point and shoot, It is no toy, this is a serious camera that does things that Canon and Nikon can't match even for an additional $1,000.

First the F/ 2.8 lens functions very well, even in dim light, all the way from 28mm to 400mm without ever having to carry or swap in another lens. This is a BIG advantage when you are traveling.

Second the sensor is a revounary breakthrough. 1/2 the size of the big boys for better depth of field, twice the size of the cheapies for better noise control. This sensor and lens were designed together as a package, Nothing stuck on here.

The list of features is too long to list, but chances are if you want it is here, plus some things you didn't even know that you wanted. Can you tell that I like it!

I had great hope for this camera when it was announce back in Jan. so I placed an order for one back then just on the specs. I was worry that the lense was too optimistic and I was right.

So lets back up a little bit here. I have been a long time user of digital cameras. I started with the Apple quicktake 100 in 1994 and had never look back since. Since than I have over two dozen digital cameras and DSLR from numerous manufactures. Here are some of my thoughts on the new Jufi FinePix 100fs.

Pro:

-Features galore
-Built quality is outstanding
-Excellence ergonomics
-Use SD and not just XD memory
-Manual zoom
-IS (Image Stabilization)
-Tilt LCD display
-Best EVF I have ever seen

Cons:
-Purple fringing, more than I would like.
-Soft Photos
-Will not replace your DSLR for your kids sporting events. I took it to my son Kindergarten running event and most of my photos were out of focus, and they don't even run that fast.
-Battery life is not very good, you will need a second battery.
-Won't turn back on automatically when goes to sleep. Therefore you might lose those candid shots if you have to turn it off and on again. Canon, Sony, Nikon and most other will automatically turn back on when you press the shutter halfway.
-Hunt when focus @ high focal leanth, I even experience where it will not focus at all when the subject is small or don't have enough contast. ( I think that is normal for this type of camera)
-IS (anti-shake) is not as effective as my DSLR built-in IS

I was hoping this camera would be the one that will take on my trip and where it will do it all. But the purple fringing really is a problem for me, so it will go back to Amazon. I wish that Fuji had made this camera with a more conservative lens like a 28mm to a 200mm with better quality. But if you are looking for one camera that does it all than this might be the one. It is quick, features galore, versatile zoom range, good image quality and very well built.

I will come back to update my review when I spent more time with it.

I found this gem by accident. I was researching the Nikon "superzoom" lens and related DSLR cameras [...]. The review and associated sample photos were compelling, and I purchased the camera from Amazon. I have found the camera user friendly, cost effective, and takes really good photos. [...]. My comments are only from a user perspective.

I started 35mm film photography in junior high - a long, long time ago, and have used several Leicas and several Nikon "F" series film cameras, and for the past few years, compact digital cameras (my favorite being the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX series for its native 16:9 image ratio). I wanted to minimize hauling around six to eight primary lenses and the attendant lens changing as much as possible. This camera serves my purposes for most of the photos that I take, and I suspect those of most people.

The f/2.8-5.6 27-400 mm lens (35mm equivalent) is very good - for a "superzoom" really good, and fits comfortably on the camera body. I had found that the Nikon 18-200 mm (27-300mm 35mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 seemed too big for the Nikon 40/40x/60 series cameras, which in turn, seemed too small for my hands. The design of all lens, and especially "superzooms", are compromises, and this one is no exception. The dpreview gave the F100FS a Recommended rating, and apparently it missed the Highly Recommended rating primarily due to noticeable color fringing under test conditions. For the size of photos I take, even up through 8 x 10, to date color fringing has been of no concern. Where I enlarged some images on my Mac and specifically looked for it, it was easily removable in PhotoShop (unfortunately Abobe's PhotoShop Elements does not seem to contain the necessary module). Optical image stabilization works well.

From my photos to date, image resolution has been very good to excellent - certainly through ISO 800 and through ISO 1600 unless one is super critical. I shot at ISO 3200 at a graduation ceremony under very poor lighting conditions, and was far from the stage. The resulting photos were quite acceptable - not great but considerably better than any one else in the group obtained that night. Image color under good lighting is accurate and can be "tweaked" through menu entries, as desired. Using automatic white balance, color under poor lighting is variable. At the graduation noted earlier, some images had very good color and some needed a little work in PhotoShop.

Function buttons on the camera body are similar to those on a DSLR camera, are minimal in number, and reflect functions that are actually useful in taking the photos without having to enter the menus, and the menus themselves are quite well laid out. Three buttons especially are appreciated: the ability to change the ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation by single purpose buttons, and a toggle button to change manually between the view finder and the LCD. The light metering methods can be selected from a dial on the back of the camera. The tiltable LCD is quite usable. Other incorporated "must haves" are listed in the Amazon S100FS product description.

Since I don't use the Fuji software, I cannot comment.

This "cross over" camera should be judged against other "superzooms", both compact and entry level DSLRs with comparable lenses. Given that the Nikon 18-200 mm (27-300mm 35mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 alone is about the same cost as the Fuji S100FS camera, the S100FS should be considered by anyone interested in a very good camera with a superzoom lens that is easy to use and takes really good pictures under a wide variety of conditions. Yes, it can be used on "automatic", but the camera has more capabilities than just "automatic". The manual is pretty good, and the more advanced capabilities can be learned "bit by bit", as needed.

Added 19 June 2008. Like a "compact" digital camera, the S100FS LCD is available full time. DSLR cameras with their mirrors are not available "full time" as a framing tool. The tilting LCD make it even more useful to visualize the image from various angles. While I prefer to use the eyepiece to frame most images (using the eyepiece usually provides a sturdier hand hold), the always active LCD is really useful under some conditions.

Henry, Florida

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.

The image stabilization, dynamic range expansion, equivalent zoom range of 28-800mm (including digital) and high resolution are giving me the best pictures I have ever taken.

My favorite settings:
aperture priority or manual (right next to each other on the knob)
color: high
tone: hard
ISO: 400
Dynamic expansion: 400% (requires ISO 400)

The dynamic expansion really improves the brightness capture range. I guess this what they used to call lattitude in film photography. I have definitely noticed fewer blown highlights and fewer blotchy, near-black areas.

Neat feature: if you're in aperture priority and decide to go manual, it's just one click away on the mode knob and your aperture choice is automatically carried over to manual. The metering switches to a very convenient slider that lets you instantly compare your settings with what the meter is predicting. This feature essentially lets you intuitively set exposure compensaion in a visual way without fooling with a separate button or function.

I've never had a camera with image stabilization. Wow. Handheld shots with telephoto, pulling the neckstrap tight, really surprised me.

Fuji wisely moved the 2 and 10 sec self timers out of the menu and right on the 4-way selector, so when you're doing tripod work, you make 2 clicks and hit the shutter to make hands off shots. I do this a lot so this was a major productivity enhancement.

I'm finding that I use the extra zoom much more than I had anticipated. You can get very personal head-and-neck pictures of people, instead of the usual head-to-waist shots, without getting so physically close to them that you artificially change their behavior.

Being able to zoom while taking a movie produces results good enough that I haven't bothered to buy a video camera.

The tilting LCD makes it easy to get low and high angle shots. When taking a movie, you can put the camera on your tripod, tilt the LCD down, and hold the camera way up in the air while still being able to see the framing.

I especially like how you can set the focus to manual, yet still hit the autofocus button to preset and lock the focus at a certain point. If you also set the exposure in manual, there's nothing left for the camera to calculate when you hit the shutter and response time is quite fast.

There is so much extra resolution available, that you can easily crop out very useful photos from inside the full frame without worrying about losing detail. Even when you use the digital zoom, you're still getting 800mm of zoom at 5 megapixels! One of the first things I do in post processing is resize and throw away excess content, unless I anticipate using the image for a poster print. My favorite way to get a panorama is to zoom out, then crop the top n bottom out of the image.

I use one glass filter, a Hoya Moose's warming circular polarizer. I picked up a 67 to 77mm step-up ring and use Cokin P series filters.

Definitely get a coupla spare batteries. There's one seller here on Amazon that sells 2 packs of higher capacity than Fuji's battery.

I think the SDHC 8GB, class 6 cards are the way to go. I got a couple, and one with a bundled reader, as I can't just pop them in my computer like the XD cards. Scads of video recording time.

WalMart sells a camcorder case (made by Extreme) that is a perfect fit for this camera, holding the camera sideways with the memory card access door up, and pockets to hold batteries, charger, cables, and even room for a minipod and a cut down piece of Kodak grey/white card. I have the polarizer, Fuji lens hood, and the dustcap all on the camera and it still fits snugly in the case. It also will hold the original Moose filter box.

I realize that full-fledged DSLR's could take better pictures, but you'd probably have to spend over 5 times the cost of this camera (including lenses) to do better and still have to hassle of carrying everything and changing lenses. Don't forget the dust patrol, too.

Regards,

Mark

This camera at first seems to be an odd duck, a non-DSLR camera at about the same price (or more) as an entry level SLR. If you're only taking photos of people in normal situations or landscapes with a fairly wide angle lens, that's true. But if you were to consider the cost of a similarly capable wide range zoom lens of less range and the cost of an entry level SLR body, you'd find that the price would run somewhere between double and triple the Fuji S8100, possibly more if you really compared the sharpness of the lens at the longest focal length.

For someone like me who is interested in wildlife photography, specifically birding, but who also likes to shoot general scenery and travel photos, the convenience of the one lens, lower weight and wide range makes this an extremely attractive camera. I would guess that it should also work well for sports photography. I'd probably stick with manual focus for that as the autofocus isn't particularly fast.

I'm updating from a Panasonic/Lumix DMC FZ20S, which has been a fine camera. But the 5 megapixel images and lack of camera RAW, along with the poor low light capability has finally pushed me to look for a more capable camera. I found it. Fuji has a great reputation for performing well at higher ISO speeds. I certainly find that to be true. I've gotten some excellent photos at 800 ISO and quite usable snapshots at 1600. It takes pictures in RAW format without slowing down the way the current Panasonic model does. Its lens isn't quite as sharp but the image processor and programming give a much crisper image. Panasonic uses, IMO, a too aggressive noise reduction processing which makes the shots a bit soft.

The only real problem I see with this camera is a noticeable chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in high detail areas in bright light, like foliage and some barrel distortion at extreme wide angle. There is a slight pincushioning at extreme magnification but it's not bad considering the effective focal length. All these problems can be worked out by some on computer processing of the RAW images so they are more annoyances than real problems.

The image stabilization seems to be comparable to the Panasonic, which is quite good. It's amazing to be able to get usable photos with 400 + mm effective focal length while shooting offhand. Using my monopod helps. Shots with a tripod are terrific.

Most controls are accessible right on the camera and don't require digging into the menu system to change. It has full manual controls, including focusing, which is important when shooting photos of birds in branches. Autofocus usually gets you a photo of some clear twigs and a fuzzy bird. That's true with any camera. So manual focus is essential.

Balance is good and the camera is light enough to carry for hours. Color saturation is great and can be adjusted to presets that kind of mimic Fuji films. It may be a gimmick but I'm happy with the results. Time between shots is pretty good as is start up speed. Movie mode even takes HD/wide screen. HD eats up memory furiously but for short segments works well. Though the on camera mic does pic up any breeze when shooting. You can even zoom during movies. Manual focusing works best for that as there is some time lag that gives a second or two of out of focus movie on auto. The camera mic also pics up some of the zoom motor noise with auto focus.

If you don't need the extreme magnification then you might be better off with an SLR. But if you do need to get shots of distant or small subjects then this camera really shines.

Any camera is a compromise. You can get a more capable setup by using a SLR and a bag full of lenses. But I just don't want to bother with the complication or weight or to pay the cost of quality lenses of this focal length. I'm very happy with this camera. It's a great wildlife photo tool that can also cover a huge range of shooting conditions. It is capable of taking very good pictures and is the kind of camera that gets taken along more often than a larger and heavier SLR, compared to which, it's a great bargain. I'm happy with my choice and look forward to a lot of time with my new Fuji.

Credentials: Advanced amateur, S100fs replaced Fuji S9000.

I wanted/needed more zoom and was intrigued about a camera designed with nature photographer in mind. . . was annoyed that Fuji went to a special battery and cautious about the reported 'major' problem with purple fringing - but decided to buy the S100fs anyway.

A) I have yet to be able to kill off the battery. I take mainly existing light photos with ALOT of zooming and changing settings - so almost the same as flash. . . I haven't even gotten a 'battery is half gone' indicator yet (after 295+ pictures on one charge over 4-5 days of shooting) - so that doesn't seem to be a problem.

B) OK - purple fringing - to be frank, I've had a HARD time getting it to do this, mainly because most of my shots are zoomed or wide-angled. Yesterday I tried really, really, hard to get the fringing to appear - it only shows up in shots at 55mm or so and was only really visible in a shot that I just wouldn't normally take - the sun was at an angle I didn't like and the sunlight was bouncing off the brick building, it was that bright out. Soooooooo, if you take a lot of pictures at 55 mm (why do you want an ultrazoom then) and like really bright light - then it's a concern.

C) I LOVE THIS CAMERA! There are some differences from the S9000 and lower series that is taking a bit of getting use to - i.e. only two positions on on/off switch - preview is achieved with another button on S100fs. They moved the macro button back to the 4-way on the back (instead of on the left side - for the S9000).

D) I have gotten some fantastic shots - for example, a damsel fly about 20-30 ft away (on a piece of grass) - I was able to zoom in, hit the 2x digital and get a incredible close up (with a little work - see below for webpage with example). The angle isn't the best, but it's a great example of what is possible with this camera! Insects can be a pain, since usually to get close enough to get a great, detailed, shot - it becomes obvious to them and they move.

E) I'm haven't tried much more than about 1/3 of the stuff available on this camera - but I am very, very, very happy with it.

I made up a webpage with some examples: http://www.gassigns.org/scirillo/S100fs/