Digital BW, The Print

Djon wrote:

>
>
>http://www.dpreview.com/news/0502/05020802fuji_finepixf10z.asp
>
>Fuji's stepping ahead of both of Canon and Kodak/Fuji's 4/3 (licensed
>to Olympus) format, not to mention poor Nikon, with a sensor and
>system that blows them away:
>
>http://www.pbase.com/image/41762986
>
>How about 1600ei without noticable noise in an aluminum bodied 6.3MP
>P&S with superior optics?  Or .1 second shutter delay? 
>
>Sayonara $1900 Leica Digilux 2: $400. 
>
>http://www.pbase.com/image/41762986   1600ei
>
>Imagine how incredible the next generation of Fuji DSLR will be. If
>Fuji rolls them out soon, nobody will want 8MP prosumer dslrs for
>Christmas. 
>  
>
The Fuji E550 that I have and the F810 use the same Super CCD but a 
slightly shorter zoom lens. The noise is low and the dynamic range 
good.  The E550 (at 12 MP setting) is better than the Olympus C8080 at 
400 ASA with less noise but the C8080 beats the E550 at 50/80 ASA.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilme550/page9.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilme550/page8.asp

The Fuji S3 isn't as competitive to the Canon DSLRs as the small Fuji's 
are to other compacts despite its APS size Super CCD. Could be that the 
Fuji technology and software works better on smaller sensor wells. Then 
that advantage will return in the higher resolution APS Super CCDs. If 
signal to noise was the only thing that's needed for a nice picture then 
we could use digital cameras with 3 pixels :-)

The Fuji E550s (and some other Fuji compacts) have the nasty habit of 
the zoom getting stuck midway when it gets out and touches your hand by 
accident.  I'm now a skilled owner that can get it right with a special 
twist of two fingers but I wonder how long the lens helicoils last.

Ernst