Steve's digicams reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"But there's a price to be paid for the S3's in-camera processing, and it's not just the cost of the camera; while the power-on, shutter lag and AF times are unaffected in Film Simulation or Wide Dynamic Range modes, responsiveness suffers when shooting continuously. In normal mode, the S3 is capable of 2.5 frames per second for 12 shots at any image size or quality; this slows to 1 fps in Wide mode and depth decreases to 6 images at 6-MP, and 9 images at 12-MP (yes 9, that's not a mistake). In RAW mode, the capture rate slows to 1.4 fps for a depth of only 3 images. The interval between subsequent images with a full buffer also suffers, extending to 1.5 seconds at 6MP, 2 seconds at 12MP and 10 seconds shooting RAW. JPEG image sizes in Wide mode are roughly equivalent to their Standard mode counterparts, roughly 3-megabytes for a fine 6-MP image and 5-megabytes for a fine 12MP. But RAW images double in size, growing from 12.8-megabytes in Normal to 25.1 megabytes in Wide mode."
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Sample images at Steve's Digicams

Lets go digital reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"Compared with the FinePix S2 Pro Fujifilm improved an awful lot and added some useful functions to the S3 Pro. It is obvious right away that the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro is a camera for the professional photographer. Speed is not the strongest side of the camera, to put it mildly. But then, speed is not of great importance to the portrait, wedding and nature photographer. He needs high resolution and the FinePix S3 Pro delivers 12 Megapixels which is the top at this moment. And of course the camera has an attractive price tag. It’s a good alternative for the Kodak Pro SLR/n and the Nikon D2H for example. Although the other cameras have different strong points."
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EPhotozine reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"As a current S2 user I found the camera very easy to adapt to, in fact it was harder using the S2 when the camera was returned. Immediate reaction was the grip had been vastly improved, as had the weight and balance. Using just one set of batteries offered a better solution as well. Image quality was hard to split the S2 and S3, unless the extended dynamic range was used. Overall it was well laid out, with the main controls well placed."
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NoEndPress reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"The S3 has its limitations in the speed department, but for certain specialized tasks, particularly low light photograpy and portraits, it really delivers. I love the rendition of skin tones and the ability to shoot at higher ISOs is a huge plus. I like the handling and overall the camera "feels" nice in hand and the different modes encourage me to experiment and pushes my creative impulses. I also like the neutrality of not having to deal with the Nikon vs Canon debate, as Fuji have their own approach, allowing me to avoid the religious wars that go on between users of these other brands. But the S3 is not a camera for amateurs, impatient people, or those who want something simple to use. It's best suited for experienced photographers who are willing to spend the time to get to know the camera. As a second body that's dedicated to portraits or studio work, it will deliver and this is probably its best niche. As an only camera for inexperienced photographers, it might be frustratingly inconsistent - sometimes you'll get great results sometimes not. Are you patient and willing to learn, to experiment, to push the envelope??"
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Luminous Landscape reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"My feeling is that the biggest danger in today's marketplace is to focus on just one competitive attribute at the expense of all-around performance, and this I'm afraid is what Fuji has done. During the year that Fuji spent redesigning the S3's Super CCD SR II dual sensor, the world moved on. Nikon introduced the D70, offering tremendous value and very fine image quality, and these are selling now for well under $1,000. It would therefore appear that at $2,500 the Fuji S3 is going to have a tough row to hoe, except among Fuji's most loyal fans. The bottom line is that the Fuji S3 produces top quality images, of very high resolution, and with extended dynamic range (but only of real significance when shooting in JPG mode). But, this is achieved at a significant cost premium over Nikon's offerings, let alone some non-Nikon lens mount alternatives. It's therefore going to be hard for potential purchasers to know whether the substantial premium that one has to pay for the Fuji S3 is ultimately worthwhile."
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By Thom reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"Before we get to specific drawbacks and positives, a general comment is in order. The S3 Pro is a love it or hate camera. Overall, if you're willing to give up some camera convenience and performance for superb JPEG image quality, you'll probably be in the "love it" camp. If you shoot only raw files and need a responsive camera, you'll probably be in the "hate it" camp. More so than most DSLRs, I think the S3 Pro is going to create a very bipolar response amongst photographers. Personally, I'm not yet sure which camp I'm in. I tend to only shoot raw, but I also don't need a responsive camera. I'm looking forward to taking the S3 Pro down to the Smoky's in April--it seems like the perfect spot to see if that "green punch," low noise, and extended dynamic range works in a really tough landscape environ. Until then, I'm not sure where the S3 Pro fits into my shooting gear choices (especially since a D2x should arrive shortly)."
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DPreview reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"The S3 Pro's unique selling feature, its extended dynamic range, really does exist and does work. We measured up to 10 stops of dynamic range in the camera's "Wide 2" mode, however it's seldom that this would be obvious in everyday shots. The reason for this is that in wide dynamic range mode you get the gain only in the highlights, it would have made sense to instead have the option of a completely different tone curve and expose for shadows to spread the additional dynamic range across the tonal scale rather than just in highlights (we often don't mind clipped highlights as long as the roll-off is smooth). More interesting however were the results we got from Adobe Camera RAW, this revealed that there is quite a lot more dynamic range information available in the S3 Pro's RAW files than are being extracted by either the camera's processing (JPEG) or Fujifilm's own Hyper-Utility2. This is in effect crippling the apparently more impressive capability of the SuperCCD SR II sensor."
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Sample photos at DPreview

Shutterbug reviewed FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro and wrote:
"This is a terrific camera and one I can highly recommend to the professional portrait and wedding photographer. When I first heard the specs, I think my reaction, and the reaction of many of my fellow pros, was, “Why bother with a new camera if the chip is the same size?” That question has been answered. Like I said before, I’m no engineer, I deal in the world of results. And the results from this camera can give me a much higher quality image and allow me a little more leeway when shooting JPEGs, which I typically do. It is not a “half-step,” but a major advancement. Priced at about $2500 the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro can give you beautiful, smooth high-quality files easily."
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