I am shooting a D200 in a Subal Housing.

I am trying to decide which (another D200 or a S5) to purchase as a backup camera.
The second camera will be used for topside.

Another consideration, if I do get a S5, which camera do i use for uw and topside.

Any recommendations?

I have been going through the same thoughts as you, and im not convinced of the merits of the S5 for underwater use. It is great for wedding photographers who want jpegs that look great straight out of the camera, but i think as underwater folks we tend to be quite into our raw files and tweaking the colours etc.

Reports so far are that the S5 is not as sharp, and is slower to operate than the D200, add to that the extra cost i'm not sure its worth getting (and i do a bit of studio work, so it would make sense for me in a way).

I really want someone to buy one and try it out though, so, please, go ahead, get an S5!!

The fact the batteries are not cross compatible is a total pain too, i think for the rare instance you might want higher dynamic range it's probably not worth the hassle.

However, if you like to shoot in JPEG all the time then this camera will be great for you.

I'm still sitting on the fence, but im leaning towards nikon again

The other consideration is that street price is about $400 cheaper for the D200.

Looking at the specs, the S5 looks almost like a slightly upgraded S3.
The S3 and the S2Pro were great cameras, but that was two years old tech.

To me, the main added benefit of the S5 is the dynamic range. Is it that much better for landscape and portraits to justify the purchase.

I think some of the other guys have tried the S5 UW on this forum. But I haven't seen any reviews from the usual suspects (ie, Ken Rockwell, Thom, DPreview, luminous landscape).

I am a bit surprised that Fuji hasn't come out with something sig better. I think the only reason we are talking about this camera is because it used the D200 body and it fits in my housing. Otherwise, I would have completely ignored it.

Thats how I feel about it right now. I am in the same boat as you all. I am looking for a backup and I am leaning towards getting a used-d200 for backup/topside. NOTHING has convinced me that the extra $$$ to purchase the S5 is worth it.

Larry,

I found myself with the same decision to make a month ago. Cost aside, the slower speed and lack of sharpness reported in side-by-side comparisons led me to get another D200. I shoot exclusively in RAW and with proper attention to histogram information in the D200, didn't see any noticeable advantage to the marginal increase in the dynamic range of the S5. Given his love for JPEG, I expected Ken Rockwell to rave about the S5 but he actually gave some fairly balanced comments here:

"If speed is more important, get the 5FPS D200 for sports. If you want to shoot resolution targets, get the D200. If you already own a D200, get another, since the S5 works quite differently and I would go crazy with both around my neck at the same time. The colors will not match between them - pick one and stick with it. - Ken Rockwell"

Bottom line, I don't think you can go wrong with another D200.

It is a difficult decision.
It is a hard one to get a straight answer from the forums because those who have forked out the cash for the S5 inevitably sing its praises, while those that haven't can't see any difference from the D200.

The only back to back test I have seen underwater is here:
http://www.aquatilia.com/S5Pro/BtoB.htm
which is discussed on the forum here:
http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...17825&st=20

Some more tests are here:
http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18356

Both of these quote little difference. And I am coming to the conclusion that the S5 offers little real difference in real world shooting. Which is a pity. I love the idea of a back up camera with a different skill set to my main camera (even if it is only small). And for me I would find it very difficult to resist getting a S5 as a backup for a D200.

Alex

I think the S5 is a good backup camera if you already have a D200 – but I would mainly use it topside for it skin rendering ability.
Claude

I've gone through the same decision process and have decided to go for another D200. I was hoping greater dynamic range would outweigh some of the negatives, but I've decided it doesn't. I would rather use the same batteries, raw processing work flow, etc.

Very interesting topic. I was reminded this past weekend, when I shot a topside event with my S2, why I love the fuji sensors. For shooting people they're unsurpassed and generally great for overall color. I was also reminded of everything I hate about the S2: slow, slow, slow, poor battery life, small viewfinder, older generation AF, and having to support a separate workflow. Surely an even more advanced Fuji sensor in a D200 body would represent the best of both world?

Well, after reading just about every anecdote, review and comparison available online the best I've been able to determine is; maybe..maybe not. Fortunately I don't have a major UW trip coming up for a couple of months so I can sit on the fence for a while longer and continue to watch.

BTW I have yet to see any evaluations using the HS-V3 converter. I know a lot of people stress the JPEGs right out of the camera with the S5 but I always got my best results using the Fuji EX converter when shooting RAW with my S2.

Hopefully we'll see something one day. The camera is getting a lot of ambivalent responses, which is a shame if the dedicated Fuji RAW software makes a significant difference. This said, having to deal with different RAW workflows would be a pain, and there is still the res issue.

too bad, it seems like Fuji was ahead of the game in 04, and now even Nikon has surpassed them.

I have a trip to the Philippines in two wks.
I need to figure this out....


it might end up being on a coin flip.
sad way of making a purchase.

so, when is the D3 coming out?..........

which reminds me, obviously different cameras and price points, but how is the dynamic range of the D2X compared to the Fuji cameras?

just curious.