Fuji Finepix F700 (SuperCCD SR )

Gene F. Rhodes ...... 04-07-05 ............ home
When I had to capture a high contrast image before the F700 I took two photos with 2-stop bracketing and combined them with Picture Publisher. A tripod was needed so was limited to still photos and even then the process wasn't always successful. My understanding of the Fuji SR sensor was that it takes two simultaneous images with 2-stop bracketing and combines them with firmware. Confirmed.
After 1.5 years my lens assembly failed. $120 and over a month later it was returned with a new lens. Slow service, but not a bad price. I want this camera for very high contrast scenes.

Dynamic Range: This personal test compared my F700 with my Dimage D7i. The test shows the D7i might be a little better then the F700. (No apprent difference in resolution) I was very disappointed in Fuji, but enjoyed the other features of the camera.

RAW Conversion: Downloaded RAW converter s7raw.exe freeware and tested dynamic range again. This software confirms Fuji's claim of wider dynamic range. The data is in the file, but the camera needs software help to bring it out. I'm very excited. When the scene contrast is too high for the supplied equations I create separate and edited R and S images and clone the R highlight details into the S image. (I don't expect Fuji's HS-V2 raw file converter to work as well.)

Long Period Continuous: Seven shots for the child and four for the father. Sections were cut from the 10 pictures and pasted in the final print. Exposure rate estimated at 2 / second.

LCD Hood: I need a hood over my LCD in bright sunlight, so I installed velcro strips on my camera to mount it. I started using this hood with my CP-950 and can't do without it. (The LCD monitor has white vertical and horizontal lines that assists in capturing upright images.)

xD Card & Battery: This image shows how the xD card and battery are installed in the lower compartment.
  Erasing xD Card: Like my Sony MS card, the xD card must be erased in the camera. Otherwise the card must be reformatted in the camera.

Slave Flash: My Wein microslave module works well with the F700 and my Sunpak 622 flash unit. I'm using a BH-1 bare bulb head tilted and rotated over the camera lens. The bare bulb lights up the whole room. (Sample) - - - (Aperture Priority: When I pick an aperture I expect it to stay put. Not so with the F700. Every time I touch the zoom button the aperture changes and I have to set it again.)

Compact Slave Flash: My SL-2 slave module is used with my Vivitar 283 flash. A useful combination, but with less flash power. The bracket is hand made of 1/8" aluminum.

Battery/Charger: The Fuji BC-65 comes with an adapter for the NP-40 lithium battery. Two hour charge and I have two batteries..
xD Picture Card: I bought an Olympus MACF-10 adapter so I could upload my images into my compact flash cards reader, but have since started using a Lexar 6-card reader. 512MB:14m39s, 6MB:343, 3MB:651 - - - 256MB:7m9s, 6MB:167, 3MB:318. (Have a 245MB card for images and a 512MB for movies.)

Sensor Size: Compares F700 and S2 Pro CCDs to 35mm film size.