Early on in the digital imaging revolution, Fujifilm Corporation (with competition primarily from Olympus) was an industry leader. Consumers loved the Finepix 6900Z, the 3800Z and the Volkswagen of entry level digicams, the 2600/2650, but in recent years Canon, Nikon, and Sony have stolen much of Fuji's thunder. Last years "S" (S3000, S5000, S7000) series was supposed to put Fuji in a position to challenge Canon's dominance of the very popular (and very profitable) prosumer digicam market niche. "S" family cameras look and handle like SLRs, but the features and controls are more like those found on prosumer Point & Shoot models.
What's New? The S5100 is a 4 megapixel Digicam (the S5000 was a 3 megapixel unit). The S5000 (the S5100's predecessor) sported Fuji's SuperCCD sensor which used octagonal sensors rather than the square sensors used in most digital cameras. The S5100 uses a standard sensor array. There's also a new 10 position mode dial which provides better operational control.
NUTS & BOLTS Viewfinder/LCD The S5100 uses the same EVF (electronic view finder) as its predecessor. Color accuracy and fine detail are excellent, but action is a bit jumpy (there's some lag between "real time" in front of the camera and what you see on the EVF screen). I really liked the large rubber EVF eyepiece surround.
The S5100 also re-cycles the 1.5" LCD screen used in the S5000 (I would have liked to see the S7000's 1.8" LCD screen instead). Color is bright and images are crisp, but there's some noticeable video lag (the images on the screen don't always keep up with what's happening in front of the camera). LCD brightness can be adjusted and the EVF/LCD button allows users to quickly and easily switch between the EVF and the LCD. There's also an "on demand" framing aid display and an excellent exposure/status information display.
Zoom Lens The S5100's most salient feature is its 10X Fujinon EBC f2.8-f3.1/37-370 mm (35mm equivalent) zoom. This is the same optic used in the S5100's predecessor. The S5100's lens shows minor barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but pincushion distortion (at the telephoto end of the range) is very well controlled. I did notice some vignetting (darkened corners) at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and there is visible chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in high contrast color transition areas. Overall, the S5100's zoom is quite good, but the combination of noticeable vignetting and above average chromatic aberration at the wide-angle end of the zoom's range could be a deal breaker for landscape shooters. Minimum focusing distance is 3 feet in normal AF/MF mode. Filter thread (with included adapter ring) is 55mm.
Auto Focus The FinePix S5100 utilizes a proven (but hardly cutting edge) TTL (Area, Center and Multi with manual AF point selection) contrast-detection AF system with three focus options: Continuous AF (the camera focuses continuously until the shutter is tripped), Single AF (press the shutter button half way to lock focus), and manual focus. AF is fairly quick and consistently accurate
Manual Focus The S7000 utilized the lens ring to focus (just like traditional camera lenses) in MF mode and I wish Fuji had adapted this capability to the S5100, instead users must unlock the focus selector to engage the manual focus mode and THEN press the AF/MF button and select manual focus, a counter intuitive operation. MF is possible, and the focus directions (at the bottom of the LCD screen) are helpful, but overall it is too cumbersome to be a genuinely useful option.
Flash The built in multi mode (Auto—available only in the AUTO mode, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill, Slow Synch, Slow Synch w/Red-Eye Reduction, and off) flash must be manually popped up. Fuji claims the maximum flash range is almost 15 feet, which seems a bit optimistic to me. Flash coverage is pretty good (slightly above average).
Memory Media The FinePix S5100 save images to xD-Picture Cards
Image File Formats JPEG & RAW
Connectivity USB 2.0, A/V out, DC in
Power Management and Battery Life The S5100 is powered by four AA batteries. Fuji supplies four alkaline AA's, but users will need to buy at least four (eight is better) 1700-2300 mAh NiMH rechageables and a charger. Fuji claims the S5100 is good for 300-350 exposures (full time LCD/EVF use and occasional flash use) with 2100mAh NiMH batteries, but those numbers are based on best-case scenarios---realistically users can expect somewhere between 200-300 exposures.
EXPOSURE In Auto mode the S5100 makes all exposure decisions, all users have to do is frame the composition and press the shutter button. In Program mode users have a bit more input into the creative process while still allowing the camera to make most major exposure decisions. In Scene Mode The S5100 automatically optimizes all exposure parameters for portrait, landscape, sports, or night scenes. In Aperture Priority mode users select the aperture and the camera automatically matches the selected f/stop with an appropriate shutter speed. In Shutter Priority mode the user selects the shutter speed and the camera automatically matches the selected shutter speed with an appropriate f/stop. The S5100's Manual exposure mode is actually a restricted semi manual mode (if full manual control is an important consideration the S5100 is probably not the best choice) it works, but like the S5100's MF mode, it is cumbersome and a bit less than it claims to be.
Movie Mode The S5100 has a very good movie mode. Users can capture video clips (with audio, but the zoom can't be used during video capture) at 640X480 @ 30 fps until the memory card is filled.
Metering The S5100 provides users with a broad range of metering options including: Multi-Pattern (default), spot and center-weighted averaging.
White Balance TTL Auto, and presets for daylight, cloudy, fluorescent x3, incandescent, and custom (manual).
Sensitivity TTL (through the lens) Auto (which shifts between ISO 64 and 400 depending on lighting) and manual settings for ISO (equivalent) 64, 100, 200, & 400
In-Camera Image Adjustment The S5100 does a pretty good job in this area, providing a useful range of in-camera image adjustment options including Color (normal color, "chrome" color, and black & white), Sharpness (hard, normal, & soft), Contrast (3 options plus auto), AE Bracketing (+/- 3EV in 1/3EV increments), and Exposure Compensation (+/-2 EV in 1/3 EV increments).
CONTROLS, DESIGN, & ERGONOMICS Appearance wise there isn't much difference between the S5100 and its predecessor. The S5100 is a fairly compact, stylish, and nicely balanced black polycarbonate bodied camera with a substantial handgrip. The camera is comfortable to use (if you are right handed) and has an SLR like "feel". The controls are well laid out and (generally) logical in their placement. The most interesting addition is the "F" button (from last year's S7000) which provides quick menu access and streamlined navigation, making the S5100's operation faster and simpler. Another nifty new feature is the "Chrome" color option, (also from the S7000) which can be used to bias exposures for high contrast and bright color for scenic shots and landscapes that are supposed to "mimic" the look of 35mm slides.
Technical Specifications Resolution: 4 megapixels (2272 x 1704)
Viewfinder: EVF (Electronic Viewfinder)
LCD: 1.5" TFT LCD Screen
Lens: 10X optical Fujinon EBC f2.8-f3.1/37-370 mm (35mm equivalent) Zoom
Exposure Modes: Program AE, Auto, Scene Program modes, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual exposure modes.
Metering: Multi-Pattern (default), spot and center-weighted averaging
Image Storage Media: xD picture card
Image File Formats: JPEG and RAW
Flash: built in multi mode Speedlight
Movie Mode: 640X480 @ 30 fps with sound
Auto Focus: Contrast detection AF system
Sensitivity: Auto, 64, 100, 200, & 400 (35mm equivalent)
White Balance: TTL Auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent x3, incandescent, and custom (manual) settings
Connectivity: USB 2.0 & A/V out
Power: Four AA batteries
MSRP $399.00 Street Price Range $260.00-$350.00
Included 16MB xD-Picture Card, four AA alkaline batteries, neck strap, lens cap, AR-FX5 adapter ring/lens hood, USB cable, AV cable, software CD-ROM, and users manual
Optional Fuji AC adaptor, Fuji Wide conversion lens, Fuji Tele conversion lens,
In the Field/Handling & Operation I have a good friend (who sells new and used digital and traditional film cameras). He and I both love to play with new photographic toys, so I wasn't too surprised on a recent Saturday morning when he stopped by with a new Fuji Finepix S5100 (the update of the Fuji S5000) and asked me if I wanted to help him check it out. We started off by running some color tests. Over the past couple of years we've developed a simple color test that works very well and allows us to compare results from one digital camera to another. We use a large cardboard box (with the front and top panels cut away) lined with white photographic background paper. We first auto white balance the camera (using the white background paper) and then set up and shoot a selection of brightly colored (red, blue, green, and yellow) plastic kiddie beach toys with the camera mounted on a tripod under a very simple single slaved single softbox lighting set-up. The S5100 color was relatively neutral---bright and well saturated, but not garish. Images shot under the daylight setting tend to be slightly warm and the incandescent setting renders images with a slight, but consistent and noticeable yellow/orange cast
The weather was absolutely beautiful, but still fairly cold. We took the S5100 to Cave Hill Cemetery to shoot the rows and rows of small white marble headstones (against a cobalt blue sky) on the small hill that serves as a final resting place for some of the thousands of Union soldiers killed in Kentucky during the Civil War. The top of the hillside has a smaller number of Confederate graves making this area is the only place in the country where Northern and Southern troops lie at rest together. The hill slopes down to a small pond at the edge of a group of old growth trees. It has long been a favorite shooting site for both of us, since (depending on season and weather) there are almost always some dramatic patterns from the road that separates the rebel and yankee areas. We spent about half an hour shooting the brightly frontlit headstones before the cold drove us back to the car for a quick trip to Heine Brothers coffee shop on Bardstown Road for warm up cappuccinos.
After we finished our cappuccinos we drove over to nearby Baxter Avenue to shoot the huge coffee pot and cup outside Lynn's Paradise Cafe. We lucked into some very nice lighting on Lynn's "kitschy" signature sidewalk sculptures. I switched the S5100 to the nifty "Chrome" color option. We both agreed that the enhanced color saturation and slightly increased contrast did not actually mimic the look of a 35mm slide, but as a creative option it worked nicely. The huge concrete kitchen symbols absolutely glowed with high contrast color and superb detail. After we finished up at Lynn's we called it a day.
Sunday morning was much warmer than Saturday with blue skies and wispy clouds. We headed downtown to shoot skateboarders at Louisville's Waterfront Extreme Park . Skateboarders gravitate to the park at all hours of the day and night to perfect their moves. The place is a photographer's dream because the colorfully clad boarders stand out dramatically against the snow-white concrete. There's a twenty-four foot full pipe, an eleven-foot bowl, and a six-foot quarter pipe. The bowl is perfect for grabbing action shots of boarders in gravity defying leaps. We mounted the S5100 on a favorite old (1971 vintage) Leitz Tilt-All tripod to check out the camera's shutter lag, AF lag, and action/sports shooting capabilities.
Really good skateboarders move at fantastic speeds and the S5100 just wasn't able to keep up with really high-speed action, making it virtually impossible to get the framing and body language just right. We spent about fifteen minutes shooting several very skillful boarders showing off for us, but we couldn't manage to put all the pieces together. We did grab a couple of half way decent shots, but nothing that was really very good.
From the Extreme Park we headed for the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center to catch the annual Carl Casper Custom Auto Show. Casper's show is one of the first signs of spring in Kentucky (I know winter is drawing to a close because I have a Hyacinth in bloom in my back yard – which is strange since Forsythia is usually the first thing to bloom here in North Central Kentucky). Casper stores his massive collection of custom cars in Louisville and the annual show here is the last of its kind (at one time there were dozens of Custom Car Shows around the U.S. every year) so we are lucky in Kentucky. When the sky outside is gray and everything else is cold and wet and dirty brown, the folks in Louisville head for the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center to look at candy apple red road rockets and dream of the romance of the open road with the wind in your hair, a powerful V8 under the hood, and a gorgeous babe riding shotgun.
Casper (along with George Barris and Ed "Big Daddy Roth) helped inspire the muscle car craze of the sixties and early seventies. Casper has designed and built custom autos for the movies (the Batmobile from Tim Burton's "Batman" film and the 1966 GTO from Vin Diesel's "XXX") and television (the General Lee from "The Dukes of Hazzard"). There were hundreds of custom cars and thousands of people so we had plenty to shoot. The S5100 performed nicely (in Auto mode) easily handling whatever we tried (even under the crazy mix of daylight and fluorescent lighting inside the cavernous exhibition hall). This is the third time we've tested a digital camera at the car show which makes for a neat shooting venue --- since dazzling chrome, colorfully painted custom cars, historic hot rods, classic lowriders, and scantily clad models beat frigid winds, cold rain, and dismal gray skies hands down.
We brought our Ukrainian friend Ivan along again. He is totally amazed by the lowriders, which he calls "crazy jumping cars" -- his fantasy is to buy one and take it back to Kiev to dazzle his friends and family with the ultimate American souvenir. After we finished at the car show we stopped at the world famous Bambi Bar, a popular East End watering hole since the forties, to grab a cheeseburger and discuss the S5100..
PERFORMANCE Image Quality The S5100's images were consistently very good. We usually print out and review a couple 8x10's but we ran out of time (goofing around at the Bambi Bar) this trip so image quality impressions are strictly subjective, but they are the combined "subjective" impressions of two veteran photographers (we reviewed the images on a 19" NEC CRT monitor). Overall the S5100 does a decent job, images show accurate color (more accurate than most consumer digicams, but like most consumer digicams colors are slightly over saturated for a brighter more vibrant "look" and better skin tones), images tend to be a bit contrastier than average, with very good detail, and a nice dynamic range.
The S5100's White Balance system worked nicely handling several different types of outdoor/indoor lighting very well (images shot under the daylight setting tended to be slightly warm (which is typical for consumer digicams) and the incandescent setting renders images with a slight, but consistent and noticeable yellow/orange cast). The ISO 64 setting was almost noise free, and at ISO 100 noise management is very good, but the 200 and 400 ISO settings showed much higher noise levels. We didn't shoot any macro, so I can't comment on macro image quality.
Shutter Lag/Timing The S5100's boot up cycle is a noticeably longer than average. Shutter Lag is about average for long zoom 4 megapixel digicams. The S5100 ain't no speed demon, but it ain't a complete dog neither. The camera is actually quite fast when pre-focused (capable of decent action shots for photographers who can track their subject, frame their compositions on the fly, and anticipate the "peak" moment by about half a second). Shot to shot times are a bit quicker than average and write to card times (with a fast card) are about average.
A Few Concerns For point & shoot photographers the S5100's warts probably won't be very important, but more serious photographers may be disappointed by the high noise levels at ISO 200 and 400., vignetting (dark corners) at the wide angle end of the zoom range, and slightly above average chromatic aberration. There is also noticeable barrel distortion at the wide-angle end the zoom range and the S5100's Manual Focus Mode is cumbersome and awkward. The Manual Exposure mode doesn't provide users with genuine unlimited "manual" input into the exposure process. Finally, the S5100's minimum focusing distance (3 feet) is a bit too long in normal AF mode (which complicates shooting some types of tight compositions). Fuji's engineers should start developing some sort of anti shake or image stabilization technology for their next generation of long zoom digicams, their competition has it already.
Conclusion Fuji's S5000 had a few irksome shortcomings so expectations (the S3000/S5000/S7000 series had some genuine promise) were high for this update. The S5100 corrects most of its predecessor's faults and in the final analysis it isn't really a bad camera. Fuji's engineers just failed to push the envelope – and in this era of cut-throat competition and lighting fast product evolution that might be an unpardonable sin. The S5100 could have offered consumers a real alternative to Olympus' C765/C770 and K-M's Dimage Z3, the potential was clearly there for the S5100 to be on the cutting edge, unfortunately Fuji's design/development folks lacked the cojones that can put a product out in front of its competition.
Budget conscious point & shooters looking for a workhorse 4 megapixel – 10X zoom digicam with lots of nifty features won't be disappointed in the S5100. More serious/advanced shooters looking for a digicam that will keep pace with them as their photographic skills develop will do better kicking up a little extra scratch ($100-$150) and springing for the Konica-Minolta Dimage Z3.
Links For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review:
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1 For information on comparable digicams the reviews listed below may be helpful:
Konica-Minolta Digital Cameras Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3
http://www.epinions.com/content_159561911940 Olympus Digital Cameras Olympus Camedia C-765
http://www.epinions.com/content_152865181316 Olympus Camedia C770
http://www.epinions.com/content_160344280708 Panasonic Digital Cameras Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
http://www.epinions.com/content_162095730308 
