Replacement for a Fuji S3 Pro?

[stargazeruk55]

I damaged my S3 Pro and my Insurance Company Specialists have offered me a 'suitable' replacement of a .......Nikon D3100

Forgive me if i sound like a 'snob' but isn't the Fuji a 'Pro' camera and the D3100 an entry level model? I did a comparison and yes, the Nikon came out a lot better in many respects but it's described as a compact (size wise) entry level and to be honest i feel insulted if i had to go down to this level as a replacement.....Besides, I don't want movies, and don't want to buy SDHC cards and spare batteries etc...

5 Years ago i had all my gear stolen (including an S2 Pro) and i was offered a D200 as a replacement....

I enjoyed the D200 so much i upgraded to a D300 and have never been disappointed. I had the S3 Pro as a backup camera and used it for Christenings, Portraits and at a wedding, image quality was superb...a lovely piece of equipment.

So, can I ask what the panel thinks would be a suitable replacement please...??

I look forward to your thoughts...(and i'm not a snob really)

Cheers, Martin

[Ashleyj]

I would have said a new Nikon D3100 is a suitable replacement for a used Fuji S3 Pro.

Apparently the Fuji is no longer available so you really haven't got a lot of choice. As you said yourself the Nikon compares well to the Fuji so personally I can't see what the problem is.

[greenwing]

You're probably out of luck if you want a camera that doesn't do movies, pretty much all DSLRs do now. Batteries? You'd have to change lens mount to get one that runs on solely AA these days, and it's amazing how long they can go on one charge. SDHC? It's not that much money; xD (if anyone still uses it) would involve a lens-mount change and CF would mean the D300s or FX, and I doubt if you could persuade them to go for FX - but try by all means.

I'd base my argument on my stock of Nikon F-mount AF (not AF-S) lenses. The D3100 and D5100 will not drive those lenses for Autofocus. The D7000 will, making it the lowest suitable replacement. Of course, if the insurers wanted to replace said lenses with AF-S equivalents, I might accept a D3100.

Chris

Last edit, I promise: You could argue about the portrait orienation shutter release etc. That might make the D4 the nearest equivalent? Or add a battery grip to the D7000 which would give you AA batteries too.

[stargazeruk55]

Thank you for your comments......I'm still not happy to accept an entry level camera for a Pro though, bit like having an E-Type Jag and having it replaced with an MG Midget (not that there is anything wrong with the MG)

I only own two lenses, a Sigma 24-70 F2.8 EX DG and the Nikon 70-300 AF-S ED IF VR and i do have the use of the Sigma 70-200 F2.8 but couldn't tell you off hand all the letters that follow it...would they all work as they should on a D3100??

The lens i was using with the S3 was also damaged ( a very old Vivitar 35-70- F2.8 Manual) they have offered me a Tamron SPAF 28-75 F2.8 XRDi LD at £360....I only paid £40 for the Vivitar, the lens is worth more than the D3100...

I might argue that they cannot compare a Pro DSLR with an Entry Level DSLR and barter that way. I'm prepared to forgo the Tamron lens for a better camera. As a last resort they will offer vouchers which means i could agree an amount and then use them towards a D7000 or even a D700....but i won't be holding my breath!!

Why can't life be a little easier?? LOL

[jet_kit]

Hello Stargazer,
It will, ultimately, depend on the insurance policy that you have. I pay a lot for my policy and for that I get a 'New for Old'.
When my S2Pro was stolen I was initially offered a little Canon 'Point & Shoot'. Words were exchanged. The principal was that I needed to be able to use my pre-77 Nikon glass which made the D700 the only viable replacement. I can't say the Insurers were particularly happy, but I was just excerising my rights in the terms of their policy.
I think your first step is to read your policy very carefully.
Good luck, just persevere.

[Derek300Savage]

its either the s3 or s5 pro if you look at it its a d300 body . when my d80 was pinched i was gutted but it was replaced with a d90 which is a cracking bit of kit id suddgest to them you wouldnt accept any less than a d7000 or better still a 300s but you know insurance companies theyl do anything to get out of spending cash good luck with this keep us posted on what happens . if you dont get any joy with them put their name up on here to warn other potential customers off . for what its worth zurich are pants it took me 5 mnths to get mine replaced and at one point they werent going to do it at all until i told them that the shots were at a charity event for macmillan cancer support that seemed to change their tune a bit

[stargazeruk55]

Hi, and thanks again for your comments and suggestions. Below is a copy of my email to them ; I will gladly let you know what they say

Incidentally, this claim is being handled by an 'Insurance Replacement Specialist', so they probably don't have a real clue about photography, and my all risks policy, on my house contents, is 'new for old'.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your recent email advising me of the replacements for my damaged equipment.

I have to disagree with your choice of camera though. You cannot really compare a Pro DSLR with an Entry Level DSLR from the lower end of the market.

The Fuji S3 Pro is a Professional grade camera, with a superb image quality and the ability to handle a wide dynamic range. This camera is my perfect choice for Portrait, Christening and Wedding photography and even though it was at least 5 years old it stood up to the job. This camera also had an additional shutter button for use when taking pictures in a vertical orientation. One bonus feature was it’s ability to handle any Nikon lens, regardless of their age….

Unfortunately, whilst the Nikon D3100 has a higher MP count and many bells and whistles, it in no way compares to the Fuji.

It’s ability to handle my older non-cpu lenses is severely restricted, there is no option to add a battery pack to allow for vertical shooting and it will not even accept some of my newer lenses and it cannot capture the equivalent dynamic range I expect from my choice of camera….

I am not a Professional photographer (as in I don’t rely on photography for an income) but I am a serious amateur photographer with a number of older and modern lenses which would be rendered obsolete by using the D3100.

I have researched the alternative models and three are suitable…The D700 (but as a Full Frame this cannot be considered due to cost), A D300 (semi Pro) which comes very close to the Fuji’s abilities, and finally the D7000 which is perhaps more ideal, in that it handles image quality and the wide dynamic range almost as the Fuji does, plus it will accept an additional battery pack to allow vertical shooting and allows for many of my non-cpu lenses to be used. Whilst it cannot be considered a Pro camera it does in most cases come very close to it.

I have no problem with the choice of replacement lens, although the price surprised me…

I await your response with interest.

Kindest regards

[jet_kit]

Originally Posted by Derek300Savage

its either the s3 or s5 pro if you look at it its a d300 body . when my d80 was pinched i was gutted but it was replaced with a d90 which is a cracking bit of kit id suddgest to them you wouldnt accept any less than a d7000 or better still a 300s but you know insurance companies theyl do anything to get out of spending cash good luck with this keep us posted on what happens . if you dont get any joy with them put their name up on here to warn other potential customers off . for what its worth zurich are pants it took me 5 mnths to get mine replaced and at one point they werent going to do it at all until i told them that the shots were at a charity event for macmillan cancer support that seemed to change their tune a bit

Hi Derek,
It's not necessarily true. The criteria in my case was the acceptability of pre-77 Nikon glass. The D700 is the lowest spec camera Nikon make that will accept this. The quality, versatility, etc. etc. is all irrelevant if the prime function cannot be equaled or bettered. The D300s is a fine camera (I've got one of those as well), but it's not a replacement in every respect, and that's what the insurance is for.
The primary purpose of insurance is to place you in the position you would have been in had the incident not occurred which, with a 'new for old' means they've got to give you a new S3Pro, but if they can't do that it's got to be the next one up. Since they don't do the S5Pro any longer either, you just keep going up until all the criteria are met.
It took a lot of argument but I held out and got a new D700. It's a tough battle, but you have to ask yourself whether you just want an easy life, or whether you want what you've paid your premium for. If you want to put the pressure on, then tell them that you're hiring a suitable replacement camera until they sort themselves out and that you expect to be reimbursed for all costs.

[Derek300Savage]

Originally Posted by jet_kit

Hi Derek,
It's not necessarily true. The criteria in my case was the acceptability of pre-77 Nikon glass. The D700 is the lowest spec camera Nikon make that will accept this. The quality, versatility, etc. etc. is all irrelevant if the prime function cannot be equaled or bettered. The D300s is a fine camera (I've got one of those as well), but it's not a replacement in every respect, and that's what the insurance is for.
The primary purpose of insurance is to place you in the position you would have been in had the incident not occurred which, with a 'new for old' means they've got to give you a new S3Pro, but if they can't do that it's got to be the next one up. Since they don't do the S5Pro any longer either, you just keep going up until all the criteria are met.
It took a lot of argument but I held out and got a new D700. It's a tough battle, but you have to ask yourself whether you just want an easy life, or whether you want what you've paid your premium for. If you want to put the pressure on, then tell them that you're hiring a suitable replacement camera until they sort themselves out and that you expect to be reimbursed for all costs.

I was always under the impression that Nikon has used the same bayonet fitting since the F which is way before 77 all be it youd have to manualy focus and set the apeture . obviously ive been mistaken . although id have to agree that if you have new for old then it should be replaced by at least a camera of equal standing if not then slightly higher . im not too aware of the S3 pro spec but surley even though it was considered pro at the time pro cameras have moved on a fair bit since 2008 . ive got a leica r4 and if this was damaged it wouldnt be realistic to ask for it to be replaced by leicas current model they would simply laugh at the request . insurance companies arent camera experts or enthusiasts so they would look at spec and compare it they would simply look at the mega pixel factor and think this simply alone would compensate plus save them money . my camera was covered under my home insurance contents for being away from home for either theft , accidental damage or loss . mine was stolen from a hut on the river tay whilst we were having lunch the said hut was 15 yards away the insurance company said that they might not do it as they couldnt decide whether id lost it or it was stolen the reason for the loss theory was because the hut wasnt locked up. i informed them after asking for a manager that it shouldnt matter one way or the other as i was covered under both eventualities . i was told it had to be either one or the other and as when making the claim originally id said theft . like ive said insurance companies are snakes they take the payments but usually dont want to pay out .

[stargazeruk55]

A short response from the Repair Specialists state they are considering my comments and will have to refer it back to the Insurance company, obviously approval of a hike of £600 in the final bill isn't within their power to authorise....I would settle for a D7000 then promptly sell that and the lens and put it towards a D700....

Won't know now till early next week....good job i have another camera to use....