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Rick Rizner
The FinePix S2 Pro is a heavyweight in every sense of the word. At 1 pound, 15 ounces for the body alone (with batteries), it is one of the heaviest cameras we've reviewed. It's also one of the biggest: The body is a bulky 5.5 inches wide by 2.75 inches deep and 5.4 inches high.
At least part of this bulk is due to the six batteries that power the camera: four AA and two disposable CR123 lithium batteries. Unsurprisingly, the S2 Pro aced our battery tests, taking 500 pictures without making much of a drain on the batteries. In fact, I only managed to run them halfway down in several days of heavy-duty testing. The only downside (apart from the weight) is that if one set of batteries runs down before the other, you're stuck: The camera doesn't work if one set dies.
Although big and bulky, the FinePix S2 Pro fits comfortably in the hand, with two control dials (one on the front and one on the back) falling under the index finger and thumb. There's also an LCD screen on the top of the camera, which shows a lot less information than most: just the shutter speed, aperture, program mode, and focus zone. Other information (such as the ISO and number of shots remaining) is shown on the second LCD display on the back of the camera.
The four buttons beneath the second LCD provide an interesting way of accessing the controls. For example, if you are viewing images on the larger screen, icons for four options appear...