Fujifilm FinePix S9100

Reviewed January 2007

Image Quality

It is difficult to consider the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600 as being a new model. With the exception of an increase in size for the LCD monitor — from 1.8-inch to 2-inch — in all other aspects of the camera's operations, be it with respect to its external controls or its menu options, the S9100/S9600 is indistinguishable from the previous model, the S9000/S9500.

Internally, however, the S9100/S9600 is advertised as benefiting from some improvements.

The S9100/S9600 is described as offering;

• "increased sharpness and resolution via improvements in new image processing algorithms";
• "improved autofocus speed (...) enabling the user to compose, frame and take action photographs without delay especially in dark conditions by up to 40%"; and
• "intelligent flash function, achieving even foreground illumination, with blur-free, well-exposed background".

Moreover, Fujifilm's most advanced RAW image processing software, Hyper Utility 2, is now bundled with the FinePix S9100/S9600.

The first of these improvements, an increase in sharpness and overall image resolution did not strike us as obvious. Comparisons between images captured with the S9000/S9500 at the end of 2005 and those captured with S9100/S9600 in early 2007 did not reveal any clear differences.

For instance, just like the S9000/S9500, the 9100/S9600's JPEG images contain little noise at 80 ISO. Noise gradually increases at 100, 200 and 400 ISO, a level at which it is readily visible.

At 800 ISO and even more so at 1600 ISO, images seen at 100% scale on a monitor look pixelated and show little detail, whether captured under bright direct sunlight, or with flash. Nevertheless, when 9-megapixel high ISO images are printed out to a 4 x 6 inch (10 x 15 cm) size, although grainy, the resulting prints are usually acceptable.

Moreover, equipped with the same lens and sensor, the S9100/S9600's images exhibit the same characteristics as those of its predecessor.

Images captured at the wide angle end of the zoom can be subject to a chromatic aberration, but show little barrel distortion unless the camera is very close to the subject. They are, however, slightly softer than those captured at longer focal lengths. At the telephoto end, pincushion distortion is invisible, and sharpness is at its highest.

By the same token, still lacking a true image stabilization system — the Picture Stabilization mode simply boosts the sensitivity increasing the noise in the image — great care must be taken when the zoom is at its maximum telephoto setting to avoid camera shake ruining the image.

The second improvement assigned to the S9100/S9600 is an improved autofocus.

Indeed, as far as we can tell, the S9100/S9600 may be a bit quicker at focusing in low light than its predecessor. However, this model has the same autofocus assist light that projects a green pattern on the subject, and is in all other aspects of autofocus operations just as capable as the S9000/S9500...

The third improvement the S9100/S9600 is described as offering relates to flash photography. Intelligent Flash only operates in the modes that use Auto sensitivity since the system works by increasing sensitivity automatically to ensure that the background parts of the scene about to be photographed are sufficiently bright. For all other modes (P, S, A, M), the camera provides a very effective flash exposure compensation with a range of ± 2/3 EV.

Another change between this and the previous model is that while it too offers a RAW image mode, it presets the image size to 4864 x 3648 pixels, the equivalent of 18 megapixels instead of the 9.1 megapixels captured by the camera which normally yields an image size of 3488 x 2616 pixels. Left to this image size, the software produces a 52 MB file per image when saved as TIFF, instead of the already respectable 26 MB of a 9.1 megapixel TIFF file, and causes the appearance of very visible interpolation artefacts; in effect nullifying the value of a RAW image.

Indeed, although retailed with Fujifilm's top-of-the-line RAW image processing software, the RAW mode of the FinePix S9100/S9600 requires time, and fair bit of tweaking. Moreover, the software supplied with this test camera did not appear to be specifically tailored for this model, but instead for the S20, S2 and S3 cameras. The upshot of this is that almost invariably, we obtained better photos with the camera set to capture JPEG images than we got after spending a lot of time on effort with RAW files.

In fact, processed by the camera and using the Fine JPEG image quality, the images are generally on par with those we had obtained with the S9000/S9500. The 256-segment metering is precise and avoids both over- and under-exposures. Moreover, with snowy photos such as those presented on this page, the camera never required the use of exposure compensation to make the snow look as it should, the metering obviously detecting the presence of snow and taking its brightness into account. And as with so many other Super CCD cameras produced by Fujifilm, the colour rendition of the vast majority of subjects was impeccable.

This said, the introduction of this "new" model could have been a perfect vehicle for Fujifilm to offer greater flexibility to the users in the area of image quality. As it is, the FinePix S9100/S9600 only provides one high quality JPEG format, Fine, and even this level sustains a relatively strong compression since its ratio runs at around 6:1.

In our opinion, presenting the FinePix S9100/S9600 as a serious revision of the S9000/S9500 is a bit of a stretch. And, while the S9000/S9500 was indeed a ground breaking camera when it was introduced in mid 2005, this is now 2007 and a lot of developments have taken place since. So, although based on an SLR design that makes it comfortable to use, the S9100/S9600 does not have either the flexibility, nor the image quality that dSLR cameras offer; and with a street price that is close to some entry-level dSLR cameras, the S9100/S9600 may be faced with some tough competition.