[benjikan]

My other camera is a fuji f30. Its an amazing little camera for a PS.

I also have the F30. I would consider it one of the best IQ in this catagory. The images at 100 iso are publishable.

Ben

[stewart_photo]

I made the mistake of buying a Fujifilm S9600 camera with the idea of keeping it in the glovebox of my vehicle at all times (quicker to access than my camera equipment in the trunk). After buying it, I discovered Picture Stabilization (not true image stabilization, but simply increased ISO to allow quicker shutter speeds) was only available for one setting on the mode dial, while I expected it to be available in all modes. Not a big problem since I could always select a higher ISO with the other modes. Image noise and purple fringing was also greater than expected, but tolerable for a limited use camera.

The ultimate killer was the external (non-TTL) flash hotshoe. I had to turn the ISO up to 800 or greater (image noise) before any flash I tried worked with this camera's F4.9 aperture. Lowering the auto flash range was an option, but only by sacrificing flash distance. In the end, I sold the camera to a guy who insisted he needed no external flash and went back to digging in the trunk for my real camera (no more bridge cameras for me).

stewart

[Jodokast96]

My first digicam was a Fuji S3000 I bought in November of 2003. Not the easiest camera to get to focus, but the pictures it produced were pretty nice. High ISO noise is excellent, but hgh ISO on this thing is 200 lol, and the camera decides what the ISO will be set at. It was performance only, not IQ, that made me start looking for a replacement. THe kids still use it and I must admit I'm still impressed with the pictures it produces.

[Confused]

Hi Stewart

Re your experience:

I made the mistake of buying a Fujifilm S9600 camera

Funny that, I nearly did the same, so it would be fair to say that it was almost a case of 'a bridge too far'.........lol ! Incidentally, it appears you were fortunate that your 'command-dial' didn't stop functioning on the camera, as it infamously did with a lot of owners of the previous S9500 model.

Best regards
Richard

[PDL]

I have three Fujica cameras -- 35mm SLR's from the 70's.
ST-801 - First SLR to have LED's in the viewfinder - to replace needle meters.
ST-901 - First AV SLR to have LED shutter speed in the viewfinder (using "standard" shutter speeds for viewing, but the shutter was really AV)
AZ-1 - my first camera with a autowinder (not motor drive - but a auto winder powered by 4 AA batteries).
All of them are m42 thread mounts - and no, I can not use them on my K mount Pentax cameras - they use a small pin that is depressed to shut down the iris. Yes, I tried to use Pentax mounts but the pin would have gotten caught in the electrical contacts on the K mount.

The Lenses are all EBC (Electron Beam Coated) rangeing from 28mm to 135mm. Sweet glass. Now, come to think of it I do have 8 rolls of E-6 slide film in the fridge........ huummmm.

The Elitist - Formerly known as PDL

[Tipptoggy]

I'm still a Fuji holic, the 602z is amazing, I've had it for ages , maybe 8 years and it still delivers. Seems it is popular with its owners as it hardly ever comes up for sale on Ebay, probably the best bridge camera Fuji have made IMHO.

I tried the 9600, and it was worse than the 602z, very noisy pix and a sloooooooooooooooow.
I saved my money and bought a Nikon D70 instead, fast a lightning and the batteries last for ages.

I have a Nikon 5700 ( rubbish) and a HP -something or other, (again rubbish, but OK for AVI video) . I did have another Nikon point and shoot which was OK until one of my kids accidently kicked it and the lens stopped working - cheap build quality, Phillipine made Nikon.

For serious stuff I have a big hefty Fuji S2 , and that just has awesome dynamic range, and gives amazing 4 MB pix files too.


As you say early experiences often develop into a lifelong loyalty to a brand. I began shooting on Praktca then onto Fuji screw mounts, and I've always liked the Fujis.

I dallied with a film based EOS Canon camera about 15 years ago and hated it , finally trading it in for a Pentax Mz 30, I loved it, even bought a second body and lots of lenses. So a week ago I reviewed my camera collection. Lots of Nikon/Fuji stuff which I use for pro work (magazine pix mainly and some weddings) .

I have an aluminium box full of Pentax gear. So I decided to buy a Pentax DSLR, I went for the K100D, as I figured it wouldn't be my full time camera, but should be a lot of fun ( reviews looked promising, anti-shake with a dust off mechanism , my old lenses would work with it , no huge money for Nikon VR lenses etc). London Camera Exchange and various Ebay shops had it for about 300 Euro with a lens, looked a good value buy at that price.

I finally got my K100D yesterday... what a disappointment, it wont take AA batteries, just keeps saying the batteries are "depleted!
I now read this is a common issue (not enough current in the AAs to trigger the threshold switch or something). I got a couple of CR V3's , cost me 22 Euro -ouch. Does anyone know if you can use rechargeable CRV3s with it or will they just read blank?

I shot in Raw and found the Pentax photo lab stuff clunky and slow compared to Nikon's offering. I also found the JPEG compression brutal, with final file sizes at around 20% with only 2 MB saved.

I don't worry about pixels, that's just marketing tosh, file size it what is important, and the K100D is seriously tiddly. Seriously folks- well physically separated photosites on the sensor are the key, they give less noise,: pixels are back interpolations, ie software corrections. That's why Raw should be useful. But I know photo-agencies who only accept TIFF, because RAW isn't standardised


TIFFs are big but why no TIFF mode in camera? I can't get the photo lab to do a batch convert and the on screen pix that you work on to do the corrections are small and slow to work around. There's no batch convert topic in the help menu, so can it do it?


I have a commission ongoing for pictures for a web site, so I'll give the K100D a spin on that, the small file sizer is no demerit there.

However, thus far the K100D has done nothing to persuade me to move back to Pentax big time, it's just ok,(not even OK with capitals O & K ). The battery issue is a serious disadvantage and the image quality is less than my Fuji 602z and far worse than my ancient Fuji S1, which I was selling to fund the Pentax, I'm re-thinking that decision.

I'm now considering swapping the K100D for a used Nikon D40.

I'll take a look at the latest Pentax offerings at the Pro Camera show in Dublin next month, but they'll have to be way WAY better than the K100D to shift cash out of my wallet.

Tipptoggy

Picture the Music

[navcom]

He's right...it's not just a girl thing! Camera's are men's accessorizing toy!

There are alot of P&S cameras out there that are really good, but I cannot honestly say there are any that are better than a good DSLR. Some of this is because of the versitility you have with a DSLR as noted in other posts.

On the girl/boy thing....we all know boys like their toys. We also know boys like their tools and their shop, etc. because they like to create and invent and their shop or garage is that avenue. My camera allows me to utilize my creativity while using a real cool toy/tool at the same time!

With that, why would I want a silly P&S that does the "inventing" for me? I want that control!

...of course nothing beats the power of a good table saw or planer.

[Geekybiker]

TIFFs are big but why no TIFF mode in camera? I can't get the photo lab to do a batch convert and the on screen pix that you work on to do the corrections are small and slow to work around. There's no batch convert topic in the help menu, so can it do it?

Tiffs have the most of the disadvantages of both raw and jpg. They're big, and they're "processed" IE white balance etc has already been set.

As for processing your RAW files, I would skip right over the pentax software and goto adobe light room, or another RAW processing engine.

[Confused]

Hi Tipptoggy

I have this camera and thoroughly agree with your sentiments that:

The S602Z is amazing, I've had it for ages, maybe 8 years and it still delivers.

Some time ago when DSLR's were still way too expensive, I was almost tempted to upgrade from it to the S9500/9600,
but as you mentioned:

I tried the 9600, and it was worse than the S602Z, very noisy pix and a sloooooooooooooooow.

....not forgetting to mention that the command dial of the S9500 had an unfortunate habit for either failing to work properly or breaking-off entirely at the most inconvenient moment !

However, although I don't have a K100D myself, I was very surprised to read that:

I finally got my K100D yesterday....what a disappointment, it wont take AA batteries, just keeps saying the batteries are "depleted !

Personally I always use either NiMH or LIon rechargeables with my S602Z, as the typical bog-standard variety are pretty hopeless when used in most digital cameras.

Lastly, what I find really difficult to accept is that:

The image quality (of the K100D) is less than my Fuji S602Z

Bearing in mind the comparative size of the APS-C sensor in the K100D versus that in the S602Z, it may be stating the bleedin' obvious, but I reckon that there must be something seriously amiss with your K100D if that is truly the case ? By the way, what camera settings are you currently using ?

Best regards
Richard

[dosdan]

I finally got my K100D yesterday... what a disappointment, it wont take AA batteries, just keeps saying the batteries are "depleted!
I now read this is a common issue (not enough current in the AAs to trigger the threshold switch or something). I got a couple of CR V3's , cost me 22 Euro -ouch. Does anyone know if you can use rechargeable CRV3s with it or will they just read blank?

TIFFs are big but why no TIFF mode in camera? I can't get the photo lab to do a batch convert and the on screen pix that you work on to do the corrections are small and slow to work around. There's no batch convert topic in the help menu, so can it do it?

Regarding RCR-V3's in a K100D Super, I do and have had no problems, but it's not recommended by Pentax. See PentaxUser.co.uk :: View topic - Using CR-V3 and RCR-V3 batteries in Pentax DSLRs


Regarding Pentax Photo Lab, you can do batch conversion to 8/16-bit TIFF. Select multiple files in Pentax Photo Browser, then click on the Pentax Photo Lab icon at the top.

1. In Pentax Photo Lab, click on Processing Mode (third icon from left) and set to Auto (defaults to this mode - Alt-A hotkey).
2. Set Save Format (4th icon from right) to 16-bit TIFF.
3. Save location can be changed in Options (2nd icon from right).
4. Click on Save icon (2nd icon from left - Ctrl-S hotkey) and it will process the lot.

Dan Bridges.

[shutterpuppy]

I'm still a Fuji holic, the 602z is amazing, I've had it for ages , maybe 8 years and it still delivers. Seems it is popular with its owners as it hardly ever comes up for sale on Ebay, probably the best bridge camera Fuji have made IMHO.

I tried the 9600, and it was worse than the 602z, very noisy pix and a sloooooooooooooooow.
I saved my money and bought a Nikon D70 instead, fast a lightning and the batteries last for ages.

I have a Nikon 5700 ( rubbish) and a HP -something or other, (again rubbish, but OK for AVI video) . I did have another Nikon point and shoot which was OK until one of my kids accidently kicked it and the lens stopped working - cheap build quality, Phillipine made Nikon.

For serious stuff I have a big hefty Fuji S2 , and that just has awesome dynamic range, and gives amazing 4 MB pix files too.


As you say early experiences often develop into a lifelong loyalty to a brand. I began shooting on Praktca then onto Fuji screw mounts, and I've always liked the Fujis.

I dallied with a film based EOS Canon camera about 15 years ago and hated it , finally trading it in for a Pentax Mz 30, I loved it, even bought a second body and lots of lenses. So a week ago I reviewed my camera collection. Lots of Nikon/Fuji stuff which I use for pro work (magazine pix mainly and some weddings) .

I have an aluminium box full of Pentax gear. So I decided to buy a Pentax DSLR, I went for the K100D, as I figured it wouldn't be my full time camera, but should be a lot of fun ( reviews looked promising, anti-shake with a dust off mechanism , my old lenses would work with it , no huge money for Nikon VR lenses etc). London Camera Exchange and various Ebay shops had it for about 300 Euro with a lens, looked a good value buy at that price.

I finally got my K100D yesterday... what a disappointment, it wont take AA batteries, just keeps saying the batteries are "depleted!
I now read this is a common issue (not enough current in the AAs to trigger the threshold switch or something). I got a couple of CR V3's , cost me 22 Euro -ouch. Does anyone know if you can use rechargeable CRV3s with it or will they just read blank?

I shot in Raw and found the Pentax photo lab stuff clunky and slow compared to Nikon's offering. I also found the JPEG compression brutal, with final file sizes at around 20% with only 2 MB saved.

I don't worry about pixels, that's just marketing tosh, file size it what is important, and the K100D is seriously tiddly. Seriously folks- well physically separated photosites on the sensor are the key, they give less noise,: pixels are back interpolations, ie software corrections. That's why Raw should be useful. But I know photo-agencies who only accept TIFF, because RAW isn't standardised


TIFFs are big but why no TIFF mode in camera? I can't get the photo lab to do a batch convert and the on screen pix that you work on to do the corrections are small and slow to work around. There's no batch convert topic in the help menu, so can it do it?


I have a commission ongoing for pictures for a web site, so I'll give the K100D a spin on that, the small file sizer is no demerit there.

However, thus far the K100D has done nothing to persuade me to move back to Pentax big time, it's just ok,(not even OK with capitals O & K ). The battery issue is a serious disadvantage and the image quality is less than my Fuji 602z and far worse than my ancient Fuji S1, which I was selling to fund the Pentax, I'm re-thinking that decision.

I'm now considering swapping the K100D for a used Nikon D40.

I'll take a look at the latest Pentax offerings at the Pro Camera show in Dublin next month, but they'll have to be way WAY better than the K100D to shift cash out of my wallet.

Tipptoggy

Picture the Music

The K100D doesn't take AAs? Mine sure does, I never use alkalines as they run out pretty fast, Eveloops are great as they don't drain while just sitting in the camera like other recharables.

Barry

[Tipptoggy]

Yup I know about the disadvantages of TIFF, but you should be able to get the white balance right from the start, use custom menus and an expodisc or even a top from a Pringles can - it works for me (with a Fuji).

I'm just saying that a number of photo agencies I work with only take TIFF, they do all the post processing themselves ,so that there is consistency across their products. And TIFF is a standard, whereas RAW is manufacturer specific. Also for print publication we use a rule of thumb, we need four separate colours to print the pix on paper (CMYK), so we look for a minimum of 250 Kb per colour, we prefer 1Mb per colour, ( see Home Irish Music Magazine for some idea of how we work).

I am also a member of Red Bubble a photo/art online community and they insist on LARGE files, seems the way to go for me, memory is cheaper than chips these days. I archive stuff to CD or DVD, CD I find better as the access time to the images for the computer is lower.

You might recall years ago when Sigma brought out the Foveon, it got bad pres coz you couldn't work with the JPEGS straight from the camera. Now cameras shoot RAW, Jpegs are getting bad press, enough to make make Mr Spock say "Illogical Captain".

[stewart_photo]

(snip) Funny that, I nearly did the same, so it would be fair to say that it was almost a case of 'a bridge too far'.........lol ! Incidentally, it appears you were fortunate that your 'command-dial' didn't stop functioning on the camera, as it infamously did with a lot of owners of the previous S9500 model.

Well, if we're going relate all this to the movie, I never reached the first bridge much less the one too far. I got ambushed on that narrow road and had to retreat. Like the movie, I also wasn't able to establish communications between headquarters (Fuji) and myself. Therefore, it certainly didn't look like reinforcements or alternative instructions were arriving anytime soon. The only solution was to wing it on my own, with retreat before the situation got worse the obvious solution from my perspective.

As for the command-dial, I didn't have the camera long enough for it to break. However, I had read about that beforehand and had treated it with very gently.

stewart

[shutterpuppy]

Hey all, been under the weather since I got my k100d and haven't been able to go on a full photoshoot, and now I've upset some on a Fuji forum I'm also on, for telling them how sharp my first pics came out with my Pentax compared to the s8000fd and it's mega 18x zoom, could someone post or send me a link to any shots made with the Sigma 70-300mm lens? I want to see some pics shot at the full focal length of the lens and some macro shots made with it, want to see a comparison as far as sharpness.goes, I've included some Fuji s8000fd shots to show how it handled a similar test. it Top tele shot shot needed quite a bit of PP to sharpen it





Thanks
Barry

[Tipptoggy]

K100D issues.

The camera will not work with any kind of AA battery, bog standard or rechargeable. I've tried it with everything from1100Mh to 2500mH sets and it won't work. Works instantly with CR V3s.

I 've used all sorts of settings with the camera from the green auto to fully manual, it was a real nostalgia trip to get bck to things like Tv after years with a Nikon system.

I've some JPEGS to process tonight for a web site job I'm doing and in the batch are a few sets I took for fun/testing, if I get 10 minutes I'll post them to the gallery.

Cheers

Tipptoggy