After the Finepix 4900, a Fuji S2000 HD camera

[Stephen]

After the cheap Fuji Finepix 4900z, another cheap Fuji, from Ebay, a Fuji S2000, and only £10.50, due to a scratch across the lens. The seller say it does not affect results, which is quite believable, especially at longer focal length settings. Scratches on a normal fixed prime lens do not show, unless truly awful, but at wide angle the front element of a zoom may give marks or diffusion on the image.

Only about 4 years old, it has the conventional CCD target, not the super type the earlier Fuji models had. It should make an interesting comparison with the 4900, 10meg against 2.4 (4.2). Takes conventional AA batteries and SD cards, or a power supply.

Retained are the manual exposure options, and manual focus by the ⁺/_- buttons,(no ring on lens), but dropped taking an external flash, but added a more powerful built in auto flash.

Introduced as a budget price compared to the high cost of the 4900, it changed the metal finish to plastic. The main improvement was the 15x zoom and 10 mega pixels. The wide end is 28 mm equivalent.

^{Fuji s2000 HD.
Stephen}

[daveh]

a Fuji S2000, and only £10.50, due to a scratch across the lens

If only he had spent a few quid on a filter. The lens would now be unscratched and the camera worth even as much as £15. What used to be recommended for small chips in lenses was to paint them out with matt-black. I can't say I've ever tried it, but I suppose the logic is that it basically just blocks some of the light out and cuts down on reflections and refractions from the chipped area.

[Stephen]

Yes, quite right, it will work with black paint, but mainly on prime lenses of a symmetric layout of the glass, trouble is with zooms, the front element is in the wrong place at wide angle, but paint still works at telephoto settings. Only be able to assess after it comes, and there is always the choice of tracing on Ebay another non working Fuji, and swapping the front elements over.

Stephen.

[daveh]

It will be interesting to find out the relative shutter delays on the two cameras. I would expect that the later camera will have less delay, but still be considerably more than film cameras or top-end digital cameras (and that probably means DSLRs.)

I presume the S2000 has internal focussing and zooming. I wonder if that makes the scratch show up less, or maybe it'll show it up more.

[Stephen]

May 19, 2014 2:59:41 GMT -5 daveh said:

It will be interesting to find out the relative shutter delays on the two cameras. I would expect that the later camera will have less delay, but still be considerably more than film cameras or top-end digital cameras (and that probably means DSLRs.)

I presume the S2000 has internal focussing and zooming. I wonder if that makes the scratch show up less, or maybe it'll show it up more.

Usually the internal focusing, used by most Zooms, makes marks worst, as the theoretical nodal point is in an unusual position, rendering the front element as neutral at wide angle. This means that is not in focus by the rear elements but different to occupying a part of the light path where it is in a cone form. Hope this make sense, zoom optics are achingly complex!.....and the wretched things never as good as prime!! but useful, yes!

All digital have too many delays and lags, however hard they try to duplicate film. I hate the delays, but you learn to predict them and allow for it, but it never rivals a Compur or Leica shutter.

Stephen.

[daveh]

All digital have too many delays and lags, however hard they try to duplicate film. I hate the delays, but you learn to predict them and allow for it, but it never rivals a Compur or Leica shutter.

It is part of the reason why some digital cameras cost so much more without seeming to offer anthing extra. My Canon 7D has very little shutter delay. There is more compared to a film SLR, which in turn is more than a rangefinder camera. However, when other factors are added in it'll take most shots faster. I'd like to try the Canon 1D-X or 1d-C to see how they rate, but....anyone lend me a few thousand quid? In the end it's horses for courses, I suppose.