Customer Reviews

Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 14.3x Optical Triple Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My first Fuji bridge camera was the excellent S7000 a couple of years ago. I bought it used, refurbished, and I was amazed what a fantastic imaging chip it had with 12MP, wonderful dynamic range, brilliant fuji film emulation JPEG, and ease of use. Some of my favorite shots were done using the S7000. One of my shots using that camera has gotten well over 19,000 views in Flickr.

I also have the S2 and S3 Fuji SLRs using the Nikon 16-85mm lens for which I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the imaging chip (basically the same as the S7000) and the very sharp Nikkor lens. This is a great line of imaging chips Fuji has developed and continues with the EXR version and the JPEG software in-camera that brings out the best this remarkable imaging chip can do.

But the Fuji S2 and S3 are quite large and heavy, especially with a Nikkor zoom lens attached. So I was glad to see that a successor to the Fuji S100 was available at a reasonable price and with additional features.

This might become your preferred walk-about gear. You can do quite a lot with its features. The 435mm zoom is real. The 30mm wide-angle is about all you need for most situations. The sharpness varies according to how steady you hold the camera. Yes, there is vibration reduction, but at such an extreme zoom it never hurts to brace yourself against something on these long telephoto shots for optimum results.

This review is based solely on using the EXR setting. I wanted to see what it would do on its most touted super automatic mode. It pairs three ways of using the imaging chip's two types of pixels along with six scene modes. The choices it makes are not always what I would choose. Too often it would select too low an ISO speed or shutter speed on a telephoto shot but it generally got good results. The color was excellent but not as exaggerated as I prefer in the Velvia film emulation mode. But certainly no complaints.

When in EXR mode it selected ISO 800 or higher, graininess or noise was visible on high magnification in Picassa 3, the editing software from Google. But this is only something you would see if you blew up a photo to print at 20" by 30" or greater. It is not noticeable on my 22" monitor at full size. And certainly not on a snapshot or even 8" x 10" print. You would have to spend at least two to three thousand dollars more for an SLR and top lens to get better image quality. It is not the same quality I get with my S2 or S3 and a top nikkor lens.

But fortunately, the camera does not cost nearly as much or weigh as much! The results from my use so far in my limited use are encouraging, to say the least. This is a great bridge camera. The F2.8 lens is fast at wide angle settings. On automatic modes it will even jump to ISO 6400 if needed to get the shot. I don't think there are many amateur photographers who would regret buying this.

The battery, right out of the box, had some charge. You can load it in the well designed battery compartment (when you flick the yellow tab it falls right into your palm) and take a few test shots to get some familiarity with the features. But charge it for a couple of hours and you will get over three hundred shots. It is a good idea to buy the AC power input unit for doing your upload to your computer lest the battery give out during the process. Also, the external power unit is good for studio type work where you are shooting many hundreds of shots daily. You can find aftermarket batteries and power bricks for this on Amazon at very good prices.

The feel, the ergonomics, of the S200EXR are excellent. On manual, you use the control dial to change the shutter speed, but hold the +/- button on top while using the control dial to change the aperture. On photo review mode, use the up and down on the main dial to magnify the reviewed image. It has no front control wheel as some cameras of this type do.

I'd recommend keeping it on continual autofocus. It hunts a bit on single autofocus. In general, I was pleased with the focus I got. There are three modes you can choose so experiment to find what suits your needs.

The latches for the memory card, battery, and I/O connections are sturdy and fit perfectly, avoiding accessory compartment rage a few cameras engender. The lens takes a 67mm filter. I noticed no vignetting on wide angle, but a thin filter is always a good idea. Just get lens protection, not UV or warming or anything like that. The editing software in your computer is what does those things now. If you want motion blur, get an 8X neutral density filter. Another good one to have is the polarizing filter which brings out the sky, cuts through reflections, and reduces the shine on skin in portraits.

Let me say for starters I have been dabbling in photography for years and have always had Nikons. F100, D100, D90. I wanted something to carry around without the huge camera case and lenses so I tried the Canon Sx10is which in itself is a nice little camera, then Panasonic FZ35, which again is a nice little camera, both of which feel like toys in comparison to Nikon D90, but their results are very good, but Pany was just too small for my hands. Then comes the SX200EXR. All the feel of an SLR without the motorized zoom, which I hated, and so far results that are very impressive. The colors and resolution are IMHO on par with any DSLR I have used without even trying to get it right. Although you can go full manual if you want to, all the programs from shutter priority to auto EXR are showing great results. Auto EXR is very impressive and I usually wouldn't say that about any "auto" mode!
There has been alot of talk about the fringeing problem that it's predecesor, the S100SF has and I have yet to see any with this camera. I love it.

I have shot about 40 pictures so far with the camera and love it! I have yet to take a poor picture with it. The three bracketing shots with their different film emulations works great. So do the macro modes for clear close-ups with very blurred backgrounds. I have owned four Fuji cameras, if you count the one that I gave my wife, but used when my S9100 bit the dust. This fifth one takes the cake. Noise is visibly reduced and usually non-existant. I did get some dots on a hummingbird's tummy, but I don't know if that was the camera or the bird. The hummingbird was in shadow with strong backlighting. The learning curve is a little steep, because there are so many bells and whistles on it. I need to keep reading the manual until I figure out all that it does. But, then again, I never did use some of the features on the S9000 and the S9100. I recommend the S200EXR to anyone who wants a very capable super-zoom digital. No, it isn't an SLR. I seriously considered buying the cheapest Canon so I could use the lenses from my old film camera. I am happy I didn't. I can get all the telephoto and wide-angle effects that I would have gotten with the Canon and my lenses, but I don't have to swap lenses and I don't have to worry about dust on the mirror and sensor like an SLR owner does. Check it out on Fuji's website and here for more information.

Well I will keep this short and sweet.

I own both the S200EXR and the HS10 and to be honest if I had to pick I would go with the S200EXR. The S200 is faster and has a better burst feature. Both are good in Low light. The shots all are great.

But it does not have a ext. flash port other then the hot shoe.

The only thing I don't like is it does not use AA's like others do. But hell I can live with it.

If you would like to see samples of shots I have done Email me for them

daveburgie@aol.com subject line S200EXR samples

Dave

Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 14.3x Optical Triple Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD

I am a photo hobbyist. I do photograph a few paid clients and events using a DSLR and other photo equipment. Recently I planned an eastern cruise but didn't want to lug all that equipment with me and changing out several lenses. I researched this camera for weeks and it was a toss up with two other brands in similarity. At the very last moment I decided on this one. Absolutely NO regrets.
Beautiful photographs...easy to use by everyone...even my five year old granddaughter had fun with it.
The Carribean waters and sunsets were awesome shots with this camera. I did get some grainy shots with the sunsets and night photography however noise reduction software cleared that right up. The silent mode and EXR came in handy at the night shows where cameras and flashes are not allowed.
I thought I would need a large camera bag for the lens being attached and long, but my small upright compact purse worked great with extra room to spare. I just divided 3/4 of the inside purse with a soft divider for the camera's protection and it was easy access and carry. It was so light weight on my shoulder.
The flash worked really good for filling in shadows around faces without beaming on the skin. The zoom lens pulled in a lot of detail with no effort. The custom modes work alot like a DSLR.
I also have a shaky hand. You would not know it looking at the photos taken. I usually grab the tripod. Not on this trip! I've decided to take this camera to a special events function for "hot shots" and special memories.

- First: I typically use a Canon 30D with multiple lenses to get the results that I want.

- Second: I am not a professional photographer, however a very experienced enthusiast.

I bought this camera for my father for his birthday. Throughout this, I have had the opportunity to use this camera myself, and also give my younger brother a very short lesson on how to use cameras and what ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed and the rest of all the details are on cameras. I spent one evening and 30 minutes of field work with my brother, who has no camera experience whatsoever, and he walked away producing several photos that I was very impressed with.

After using this camera in Full Manual with utilizing the setting to manually set the "Film Mode", I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this camera. My next camera was going to be the Canon 7D. However, after working with this camera I believe that I will get this camera for my own use within the next few months - mind you I own a Canon 30D with several Canon lenses along with others by third party manufacturers.

Ultimately, a very good camera. However, I can honestly say that one truly needs to get into the full manual modes to completely appreciate the capabilities of this camera. It offers some of the settings which are not found in cameras $20 less than this. In addition, some of the auto settings which come standard with this camera far exceed those which are offered in other cameras.

One draw back - this camera does not offer HD video recording.

In my opinion - WHO CARES?! I DO NOT BUY STILL CAMERAS FOR MOTION PHOTOGRAPHY. If you wish to get motion photography at its highest details, buy a Canon XH A1 ([...]); ([...]) or above if you are truly serious. If not, there are more than enough sub $1K options available for those who wish to get HD video.

Sorry, my opinion is that if you purchase a still photography camera for the purpose of still photography then motion photography is not a concern. A convenience, however nowhere near a necessity nor a true concern. - There are plenty of options for HD capable video + still photography cameras (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fuji, etc.)

This is an excellent camera at a great price. I got it for $400. Absolutely one of the best cameras one could possible purchase for that price.

Pros:

- High speed memory card
- Rechargeable Batter Pack
- Lens - 30.5mm to 436mm (35mm equiv)
- Fixed Lens - This lens is manually adjusted just like a pro lens. The focal length is not adjusted electronically by use of a lever/dial. One must manually adjust the focal length of this lens JUST like that of a lens which one would find on a Canon/Nikon higher end camera - such as a Canon 30D.
- FILM IMITATION (Some of the best film [Fuji Velvia] on the market is by Fuji, which this camera can imitate.)

Cons:

- No HD Video Photography

Buy. Enjoy.

I will not cover areas by others, just low light.

1) EXR Low noise setting works fairly well at ISO 1600

2) Pro Lo light takes four shots and then merges the images and this works.

The low light functions are actually doing a brightness boost and it is amazing how much additional light is captured. I tested this in many areas of a church that had stained glass, metal, wood, textiles, tapestries, marble, paintings, low light, medium light and high light. There are numerous settings and I spent about 4 hours time.

My conclusions are:

Both EXR low noisw and Low lite pro are valuable and produce good results....if you have a steady hand....I do not, so even though the images were much brighter without having to use a flash , they are still blurry because I could not hold the camera steady enough for it to cycle through 4 shots, it was bright, color was good but blurry. There was more blur than there was noise, so the lower noise claims are true.
I could not use these features on the fly without a tripod at a certain level of low light, they worked but too fuzzy. They do work very well, and if I were only about 25% more stable they would be bright, clear and mild noise.

It is very hard to hold this camera by hand for it to take the 4 shots in a row it has to take for low light as they are not immediate, there is a lag and you shake between the individual shots.

The balance between the larger lens and the camera body itself is awkward, therefore it is hard to hand hold the camera for low light situations. The design is lobsided, as the lens is not centered. It seems to be designed for right handed people.

Next week I will try the camera in regular mode at ISO 3200, for the exact same museum objects and lighting I used for test my Canon SX20 IS ( which so far I think I like better) Since I have not tried the Fuji in ISO 3200 mode, I cannot do a fair comparison until this weekend.

I suspect the Fuji in ISO 3200 for low light will be as good as the Canon SX20, but will have less noise, but it is a much larger camera to carry around.

Compared to the telephoto, the Canon SX20 will win because it is 20X vx 14X.

Be aware that the focus on the Fuji is auto, but the zoom is manual whereas on the Canon the zoom is auto as well.

The Fuji uses lithium instead of AA, but it looks like at high resolution the Fuji will handle at least 200-300 images on one charge. I quit before the battery did.

I think this is a good camera, but I did get better results with my Canon SX20 in ISO 3200 mode, even if the Fuji does better at ISO 3200, I do not know if it will be worth the price and size bulk difference, unless you are rock steady in low light.

One thing I did notice about the Canon SX20 was that give the normal amount of shaking I do hand held in dark light, the pictures were acceptable (not great, acceptable). I am inclined to think that the image stabilization on the SX20 might be a little better than the Fuji. In both cameras the final low light ISO images are not full size as they would be for normal use...they would have more resolution.
SO for either camera in low light more you wont be able to do much of an enlargment, the resolution isnt there, even if the noise isnt there.

The Canon 20SX in ISO 3200 mode tended to be more stable for the low light shots, but the price you pay is more noise than the Fuji.

So Fuji = cleaner low noise low light image
Canon = Better stability and better balance for low light shots, but more noise than the Fuji.

In rapid fire shots the Canon would win in telephoto because of auto zoom and auto focus, but the Fuji batteries will last longer in manual telephoto.

If you have a tripod the Fuji would probably win in low noise low light.

I still have to test Fuji in 3200 and 12000 ISO.

Normal picture modes in the Fuji are very nice, set the camera for sharpness and toned down colors.

If you are doing movies the Canon 20SX will take higher resolution video, the Canon SX video is not great but certainly not bad.

Fuji was way better than Canon for color saturation for stained glass but if the light was too bright the sensor bloomed out in white highlites.

The objective was to determine which camera holds better for stained glass without using a tripod because stained glass has so much light variation.

THe Fuji had better color saturation but tended to bloom, the Canon colors were acceptable but didnt clip out on the white highlites as bad, but did still clip.

But put this in context, the objective was "hand held" , normally on a tripod you would not shoot a bscklit window at that high of an Iso setting so the setting itself would cause wild highlites, again the whole exercise was 100% handheld use.

I like them both, so far the Canon SX has a slight edge as an all around tourist camera.

For normal outdoor scenes I did like the further zoom range of the Canon.

The Canon Super Macro is better than the Fuji macro in low light for stability.

On a tripod in low light the Fuji would probably make a cleaner image.

Fuji supports raw (viewer will not have that until November), Canon SX20 was jpeg only.

I bought this camera after I realized most digital cameras don't stay on the market for too long--unlike film cameras in the past. The reason for saying this? When Fuji designed this particular model they wanted to have the best still image. To this end they put their EXR sensor, and this sensor is bigger than most sensors used in this type of camera. All my pictures come out fantastic, note that the dafault setting for picture quality is set to "normal". This should be set to "fine" as the dafault setting is a smaller file size aimed at allowing more pictures to be stored in the memory card. All other settings should be experimented by individual owners as tastes vary. I did not try video because it does not have HD quality---I don't mind that since I did not buy this camrea for video. The current model ( Fujifilm FinePix HS10 ) in the Fuji line has HD video abeit at the expense of still image quality . Fuji only made this model ( S200EXR ) for less than a year---because they think most buyers in this catagory want HD video. But the current model doesn't come with the EXR sensor. The other feature I love is the manual zoom ring on the lense barrel, it is very easy to control and reminds one on a SLR type camera. In fact the handling of this camera is so much like a SLR that buyers with previous experience should feel right at home. I realize this is a general review, one can find detailed ones on the web anyway. I want to give an impression of a casual user. Very happy with the purchase. Wish they still make them.

I own a Fuji Finepix F20. When it was time to upgrade, I decided to stay w/ the Fuji brand. After 3 months of research, I settled on the S200 EXR and purchased from Amazon.com. One thing I love about Fuji is the consistency in their cameras. The functions/buttons on the S200 EXR are very similar to my smaller Fuji Finepix F20. So there wasn't a huge learning curve. Since I'm new to photography, I wanted a camera that provided a lot of options. I've had my Fuji Finepix S200EXR since Dec 2009 and have taken some amazing pictures. Feel free to view at (...). The S200 EXR has several great automatic settings to choose from. These auto settings make taking good pictures very easy. The camera also lets you shoot in full manual mode. This is a great benefit because you can control aperture and shutter speed - giving you more control when shooting. I've used the manual mode to take awesome pictures of the moon using only the S200 EXR and a tripod.

The optical zoom is another great feature. I've used the zoom when shooting at my son's school events and nature shots. This is a fabulous camera for anyone interested in photography as a serious hobby. Wouldn't recommend it for a novice photographer or anyone who only takes pictures every once in awhile.

Mega-zoom P&S camera are great for most part as long as you don't have to take lots of indoor pictures under poor lighting conditions. That's where DSLRs, even the cheapest ones, shine due to much larger sensor (full-frame, APS-c, or 4/3) and larger pixel size. Now days, small P&S cameras with larger (relatively speaking) 1/1.6 sensors and fast lenses (i.e. f2.0 or faster) are all the rage because they do better with indoor low light situations - Canon S95, Panasonic DMC-LX5, Samsung TL500 to name a few. Fuji likes to march to a different drum beat, coming up with EXR sensor that varies pixels with wide dynamic range setting to better capture images under less than ideal lighting situations rather than just using the brute force solution of putting faster lens and larger sensor. S200EXR is different from all other maga-zooms in that when you manually turn the zoom, it continuously refocuses automatically without having to push the shutter half way. It makes for much faster zooming and shooting. I've used a number of mega-zoom P&S cameras over the years (Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Nikon P90, Fujifilm S5100, Olympus SP-550UZ); they all take great pictures outside in daylight but all are lousy when taking pictures in dim indoor settings. S200EXR definitely does better than most all of them indoors; still not good as a recent vintage DSLRs but definitely an improvement. For me, S200EXR's ability to take better indoor picture was the main reason for getting it. It would be nice if had HD video recording and longer zoom. HD recording was not important for me; that's what HD camcorders are for. As for the longer zoom, because it's sensor and the lens were larger, 14.3X was about the maximum that it could go. Due to the market pressure of having to keep up with other manufacturere putting out cameras with longer zoom lenses, Fuji ditched the larger sensor and went with smaller sensor (1/2.33) and less megapixels (10 mp) in HS10 to go to 30x zoom. I didn't try out the HS10 extensively but it's pictures are grainier at higher ISO than S200 EXR. Now with HS20 EXR replacing the HS10, Fuji put the bigger sensor back (1/2) - well not quite as big as 1/1.6 sensor in S200 EXR but still slightly bigger; however, they crammed 6 more megapixels, totaling 16 mp. I haven't seen it up close as to what it can do but I wonder how grainy high ISO pics are when 16 megapixels are crammed into that puny sensor, despite boasting EXR high dyanmic range sensor technology.
Also, S200 EXR is huge, as big as my Nikon D90, although not nearly as heavy. Large size almost defeats the purpose of using it as a point & shoot but I don't mind the size. Having external flash shoe mount is a bonus if you need more light; it's useless in all other settings except in full manual since it is not TTL type. It needs a lens hood but but doesn't come with one like its predecessor, S100fs. You can pick up a generic one on Amazon. (67 mm size)
Bottomline, in my opinion, it is the best megazoom P&S in the market now in regards to low light situations unless the camera manufacturers start putting bigger 4/3 or APS-c sensors in the P&S cameras. Highly recommended!