DSLR with wide dynamic range - Fuji S5 Pro only?

Once I queried in these newsgroups about HDR feature that is directly
built in a digital camera. One response indicated that HDR technique
needs more computing memory and time to process, and therefore not
efficient to be included as a process in the camera. Hence the
availability of softwares such as Photomatix, PS CS2, etc to create
such images.
However, I recently heard about a Fuji Finepix S5 Pro DSLR which has
became the wedding photographer's first choice camera, because of its
wide dynamic range feature. I heard that you can adjust the dynamic
range of the photos in 6 ranges from narrow to wide, or automatically
choosing it for you. Is the technique similar to producing HDR images,
and built into the camera? Or is this a different kind of dynamic
range technique and images? Can anyone who own a S5 Pro share their
experience here? Is Fuji S5 Pro the only one that has such a feature,
or are other professional SLRs such as Nikon D1, Canon 1D or others
also has such a feature? Thanks for info.

 

It's built into the camera, and sort of like a 2-image HDR.

Each pixel consists of two pixels, a big one and a small one, and the small
one is used to for bright parts of the image that would have blown out the
big pixel.

This means that the big pixels are somewhat smaller than what you'd get on a
generic 6MP dSLR, so there's a cost. And no one who is technically competent
has analysed that cost to my satisfaction. (That I've seen.) I have seen
some images that looked as though it worked, though.

Note that to use it, you have to shoot in raw, and record two values for
each pixel, meaning that raw files are twice as large.

Yes. It's unique to Fuji. They make the sensor.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

 

The Fuji sensors pixels are Hexagonal and the smaller ones fit in the
spacebetween the botem left and right of 2 and top left and right of the
lower two
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Fuji-Super-CCD-SR--HR-FAQ-1

 

If you have shutter speed bracketing, and a "main" exposure of
1/250, you should be able to get three shots (+- 1 EV) off in around 1/80 second.

Post processing does the rest, expanding your potential camera
candidates.

BugBear

 

I thought they were Octagonal.
Hence the design of Fuji's SuperCCD logo.

 

YEP thats the word shape ect Excuse me for being an Idiot.
I have not used it on my 9600 yet as the interpolarated 19mb raw put me off

 

I don't think I have it on my 5600.
It has the SuperCCD, but I don't think it has the Wide Dynamic Range
feature.

 

It's a good thing big CF cards are getting cheaper<g>.

But you'd only need two exposures, +1 and -1, or even +2 and -2, I'd think.

The only problem would be the time to read out and reset the sensor. I'd
think that'd be more like 1/10 second than the essentially zero you are
figuring. This might be something for Sony's new parallel A/D converter
sensor.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

 

This feature has it drawbacks. You will lose more detail than you will gain
by using the in camera HDR feature. This camera is fundamentally flawed and
isn't necessarily a good choice for weddings, write speeds is too much of an
issue for any professional wedding photographer as it is too slow. Overall
image quality scores average on the numerous of tests and reviews out there,
get the D200 which is the same body and is cheaper, and gives better results
too.

 

off

Yes and within that 19Mb RAW file you won't get as much detail as you
expect. Gimmick it is.

 

A good point (sadly...)

BugBear

 

The S5200 and the European 5600 both use the fifth generation CCD-HR,
with the 45 degree shifted sensors. The CCD-SR II / CCD-SR Pro seperates
the light sensor from the color sensor and has much wider dynamic range.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Fuji-Super-CCD-SR--HR-FAQ-1
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0301/03012202fujisuperccdsr.asp

 

Because the HDR process needs a LOT of user input, I just do not think
it would be practical to use it IN the camera.

Besides, the appearance of HDR prints is weird, very flat, and look
more like a painting than a photograph.

Remember, printing paper only has a dynamic range of about 50:1, or
between 5 and six stops. So any image with more range than that must
be either reduced in contrast or printed with either shadow or
highlight details lost. HDR processing uses the former scheme, and
REALLY cranks down the contrast.

 

Ah, I see.
So it has a wider dynamic range by default.
I thought it was a setting which had to be activated.
Thanks.

 

Hence the reason the S5 only scores average on image quality in most
reviews. Its a gimmick which really doesn't work that well.

 

Someone asked about the source of my statement that Fujifilm is
popular with for wedding photographer. I got the information from a
recent magazine (Popular Photography & Imaging) in the newstand - 2008
Buyers guide (www.popphoto.com). There is a review article by Dan
Richards about Fujifilm Pro S5.

However, I also found numerous statements from camera reviews in the
various websites. Here are some links:
http://reviews.washingtonpost.com/product/Fuji/FinePix-S5-Pro.htm
http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Fujifilm-FinePix-S5-Pro-Digital-Camera-Review.htm
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_fujifilm_s5_pro.php
http://www.onlineweddings.co.uk/weddingdirectory/module/news/article.php?storyid=260
If any of the above links is broken, just google and search for
"Fujifilm Pro S5 for wedding photography.

Some photographers enjoy the razor sharp pictures produced by Nikon
and Canon cameras and their lenses. In particular, there appears to be
very strong enthusiasts and followers who believe razor sharp pictures
are the best in photography. I must agree in some cases, as I like to
see sharp quality images. However, perhaps sharpness may not always be
a good criteria for wedding photography. Perhaps they are looking for
softness and high dynamic range photos.... hence their support for the
S5. Can't all wedding photographers around the world be wrong? They
must have found something which is dearly missed in other professional
cameras. Could the supper CCD in Fujifilm digital camera be the
answer?

As a follow up, I seem to notice that a number of other cameras also
have (or probably already have done so for a while - I do not follow
things like this frequently) similar options/settings in the camera's
feature for high dynamic range images. I noticed that the Sony A-100
DSLR has the D-range optimizer function, the new Canon 40D has the
Highlight Tone Priority, and the new Nikon D300 has the D-lighting
extender. So, after all Fujifilm may be in the right direction after
all. My original question was whether Nikon and Canon's top of the
line professional cameras - the D1 and 1D have already had this
feature. Perhaps someone who uses this camera can provide this info.
Thanks.

 

Probably not. It's only a 6MP camera, and quality wedding work has
traditionally been done in medium format. Even with soft focus effects,
there's still a lot of underlying detail with MF that 6MP simply isn't able
to capture. (6MP is a tad shy of 35mm in detail capture.)

Of course, there are a lot of couples that don't understand or don't care
about image quality, and there are a lot of wedding pros who use 35mm to
cater to that clientelle. But if the client wants quality formals, the S5
won't hack it.

Which brings up the other wedding camera: the 5D. With 8 or 9 stops* of
dynamic range even at ISO 400, there really isn't a problem. And the image
quality is comparable to 645.

*: Count them yourself.
http://www.pbase.com/davidjl/image/76131098/original
http://www.pbase.com/davidjl/image/76131302/original

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

 

That old chessnut, you don't want sharp images, what if you DO. At least if
you have sharp images you will always have sharp images and anything else in
the way of effects can be done in PS.