Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Digital Camera Reviews
Fujifilm’s FinePix HS20EXR is a high quality, advanced function SLR-styled long-zoom camera built for the professional or enthusiast photographer, but also easy enough for even a first time user. Improving on the excellence of its predecessor, the FinePix HS10EXR, the FinePix HS20EXR features a new 16-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor, a powerful FUJINON 30x manual optical zoom (24mm-720mm equivalent) lens, a tilting 3.0-inch high contrast LCD with a electronic viewfinder featuring a “heads up” sensor that automatically changes from LCD to EVF, and countless features serious photographers seek for versatility and performance.
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Expert Reviews
- TechRadar—“What they have achieved is a feature-filled super zoom that does produce stellar images when used manually, but may provide disappointing results for those shooters content with using auto commands.”
- PhotographyBlog —”The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR builds on the success of the original HS10 predominantly by using a new 16 megapixel EXR sensor, which expands the ISO range up to 12,800, maintains a fast continuous shooting speed and slow-motion movies, and adds the useful EXR modes which improve your images in certain situations. It’s not all good news, however, as the 16 megapixel sensor also results in more noise and loss of fine detail than on the 10 megapixel HS10, first appearing at the slow speed of ISO 200 and becoming all too obvious at ISO 400. The HS20 EXR also suffers from the same slow RAW processing speeds and high price tag that adversely affected its predecessor.”
- InfoSync—”At the end of the day these guys didn’t like photographing with this camera as much as they did using the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. And as they say, “That’s just too bad.” They recommend Fujifilm should pay attention to their review and take care of the problems their review points out. If you are the type of person who’s only criteria is the best still photos from one of super zoom models and you’re alright with the limitations then you should be thrilled with the HS20 EXR.”
- Pocket-lint—”For all of its plus points there are certain areas (such as the viewfinder quality) that fall just short of the mark and other small niggles (like the awkwardly-placed flash that interferes with the manual zoom) which see the HS20 EXR shy of greatness. This may be forgiven if image quality was extra special, but that highly-populated 16-megapixel sensor won’t see the most critical of picture-lovers outwardly impressed. It’s perfectly good for standard day-to-day snaps, but it’s not encroaching on DSLR territory.”
- Neocamera—”Overall, the Fuji Finepix HS20 EXR is most suitable for just about any static scene, close or far. The real key is to use the right EXR mode to get the best performance according to the lighting situation.”
- What Digital Camera—”All in all there’s a lot on offer here. The screen, viewfinder and lens combination provide a very useable and capable system that will come to good in a whole variety of scenarios. “
If you are Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Users just add any comments here to share your User Reviews
Loading ...
i have always been a fan of Canon and have had these models over the past 8 years: Canon G1, ...
thanks for sharing this information really useful for me. nice picture also.
Comment by beas62 on 30 May 2011:
I had spent my first day with the HS20EXR and was generally very pleased with the functionality and performance. Make no mistake, this is not a DSLR, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. This camera packs some capabilities and features that I would dream to have in one of my DSLRs. Although it’s not a large camera, for those who’ve used the HS10, you’ll already know that the build feels solid and the handling is somewhat like a smaller DSLR. The menu system is fairly easy to navigate and more common functions, like exposure, focus, and flash modes are easily accessible via dedicated controls. Be prepared to spend an hour or so getting familiar with the controls and menus – it may be intimidating if you’re brand new to this type camera, but most experienced photographers will pick it up quickly.
A couple of early concerns materialized. First, I experience the temperature warning display that has been noted in some early reviews. However, I didn’t see any degradation in performance even with the warning lit. Upon calling Fujifilm, they quickly sent a replacement and I’m happy to say the problem didn’t reoccur to that extent, but later I experienced temp warnings in warmer and more continuous use conditions. Another minor irritant while shooting was that the display froze for a moment while focus was obtained. If shooting a moving object, this could mean the difference in getting or not getting the shot. After some further testing, I discovered that this problem seemed related to the “Multi” focus mode. I did not experience the same degree of delay in Center, Area, or Tracking modes.
The flexibility in shooting is remarkable, given the standard PSAM controls, plus some really interesting advanced features, there’s few still shooting situations the camera will not handle. Those extras I found very appealing are the EXR High-ISO/Low Noise (SN mode), the Pro Low-Light modes. In SN priority mode, I was able to shoot at higher sensitivities up to ISO 1600 with very low noise and even ISO 3200 was very usable. I’m sure I’ll get flack for this, but I have to admit some shooting modes outperformed my D300. I believe this has more to do with the HS20’s high ISO performance than general lens clarity or image detail, in which most DSLRs excel. The Pro Low-Light mode is another trick-up-the-sleeve that combines 4 exposures taken in rapid succession into one very low noise image even in very dim light.
Not surprisingly, the HS20 autofocus did seek a little in low light, but not much more than my DSLRs in the same setting. The zoom lens was impressive for such a small package and both wide and full zoom shots were crisp. There are many more modes and options, but none of these bells and whistles would mean much if the end results didn’t deliver. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised at the sharpness of the full sized 16MP images – I really expected to see a lot of artifacts from noise reduction and other in-camera processing. On the contrary, my “pixel peeping” revealed clean edges and very good fine detail. Pictures of my cat actually show individual fine hairs instead of the painterly effect of some compact cameras. It seems like Fuji took lessons from predecessors and managed to squeeze more image quality out of their tiny sensor than many of us expected.
One of the cool benefits of the CMOS sensor is speed. Once I figured out the continuous shooting modes, I was tickled at being able to fire off 8 fps in full resolution. I also played with the 11 fps mode which works with at 8MP and felt like I was shooting an old movie camera instead of a point and shoot digital.
One issue of concern to me was the processing speed or write speed of the files to the card. This was a common complaint for the HS10. What I found was that the write speed is improved, but don’t expect DSLR performance. A JPEG Fine image would write to card in under 1 second to my SanDisk Extreme Pro, and a RAW file averaged 4 seconds. Now before you say “WHAT?”, let me explain that that is the write time itself, HOWEVER, due to the internal cache, the camera is ready for the next shot in less time than the write time. I found that generally it was ready almost instantly shooting JPEG and with RAW, there might be a second or two delay for an individual image. In burst mode, the camera was able to cache all images in the burst without pausing, although after capturing the images, the write time again took 4-6 seconds depending on the image sizes. So not a perfect situation, but definitely an improvement over the noted problems of the HS10.
The video was very easy to use and looks acceptable for simple scenes at wide to normal viewing angles. At full zoom, images were shaky and focus was slow. Plan on using a tripod for long zooms, and careful zooms and panning. With the manual zoom barrel, which is really geared toward still photography, zooms can be awkward during video recording, without the smoothness of the typical motorized zoom. The video issues were not a big deal to me since the features that attracted me to the camera were for still images.
One area that is still a minor irritant is the electronic viewfinder. It is still pretty low resolution and is difficult see small details in your scene. Given a bright outdoor scene, it does allow composition without fighting the glare on the LCD, but it seems like they could have could have packed a little more resolution in there to make it more useable. That problem is offset somewhat by the articulating LCD screen. It allows you to view from odd angles and with a little extra manipulation you can usually get a clear image even outdoors.
Another minor nit pick is the inclusion of alkaline batteries with the kit. Not only do alkalines not last very long with this camera, they actually heat up during use possibly contributing to some of the temperature issues. I quickly replaced them with NiMH Eneloops and surprisingly, the camera’s operation actually sped up noticably. If you buy this camera, invest in some good rechargeable NiMH batteries – you’ll be much happier.
The software accompanying the camera is not impressive, but it does what it needs to. It comes with picture management software Finepix Studio so you can view and organize your images. It also includes a RAW file converter (Silkypix) which allows you to adjust and save captured RAW images as TIF or JPEG images. Adobe Camera Raw didn’t initially recognize the HS20’s RAW format, but is now supported so if you are used to the Adobe workflow, you’ll be happier with Adobe Camera Raw.
On day one, I took a liking to this camera and gave it a starting rating of four stars. As I got more familiar with the HS20, I’ve posted sample images and video and links to these can be found in the attached comments. Although I’ve identified some issues that could be improved, this camera actually exceeds my expectations for a point and shoot. I can capture images that rival an entry-level DSLR, and not have to carry around 20 pounds of equipment (camera body, wide and telephoto lenses, tripod, etc.). The HS20EXR more than meets my desire for a relatively small travel or hiking camera that still has good reach and image quality. If I could, I’d give a rating of about 4.6 stars. I don’t love everything about the camera, but as a whole, it’s fun to use and a great photo-taking machine for the price.
Pros: Shooting speed, low light performance, image quality, flexible shooting controls, massive sharp zoom range
Cons: Slow autofocus/instability during video, low quality EVF, display lag on shutter release
UPDATE – April 19th, 2011: Firmware update to address the temp warning. Everything else is working fine.
UPDATE – April 29th, 2011: Adobe Camera Raw now supports EXR RAW files. Great news!
Comment by darthRad on 30 May 2011:
The HS20 shares the same body and lens as the HS10, but has been beefed up with much faster and more capable electronics. It is what the brain-dead HS10 should have been. After all, it should be expected that one of the biggest uses for a superzoom camera would be shooting live action long distance shots and sporting events. This sort of photography makes full use of the superzoom lens, but does need very fast focusing and fast shot to shot times.
I had earlier purchased, reviewed, and returned the HS10. The camera had terrific features, but was just too slow for anything more than predictable portrait shots.
The HS20 focuses faster and processes and stores images faster than the HS10. Not as fast as a full fledged DSLR, but close enough. An example of a few runs I did on this camera: At 16Meg Fine resolution, with RAW turned off, I could get off 16 shots in 20 seconds, manually clicking away. With RAW and JPG both turned on, the speed dropped sharply to 5 shots in 20 seconds; with only RAW turned on – 6 shots in 20 seconds. At the opposite end of the spectrum, at 2Meg Normal resolution, with RAW turned off, I could get off 22 shots in 20 seconds. With RAW and JPG both turned on, the speed dropped to 9 shots in 20 seconds. The setting I’m most likely to use – 8Meg Fine resolution with no RAW – shoots at 20 shots in 20 seconds, one per second, which is pretty good. Certain settings help improve the speed slightly – autofocus continuously, turn off the automatic picture review and red eye features, etc.
The feature with the high speed series of shots has also improved from the HS10, with a maximum run of 32 shots from 3fps to 11fps. This is much better than the HS10, which only allowed for a short run of 6 shots. The maximum resolution of the images drops from 16M to 4M as you go from the smallest series of 4 shots at 3fps to the full 32 shots at 11fps
The video also has improved. Both the HS10 and the HS20 have 1920×1080 HD video, but the HS20 has a continuous focus mode that adjusts the focus as you track a subject, which the HS10 could not do (although the continuous focus during video on the HS20 is still a bit sluggish, I have to say). The HS20 can do a 30 minute long 1080p HD video segment (I think the HS10 was only 15 minutes). There is also an ultra high speed 320fps video at 320 x 112 resolution which runs for 30 seconds.
A few quirks and gimmicks on this camera – there is a setting for “silent mode” in the menu. This does indeed turn off all the beeps and artificial shutter clicks. It also turns off the flash! I set the camera to “silent mode” before testing the flash, which then did not fire. For a moment, I thought I had gotten a bad camera with a broken flash. To make this camera silent without turning off the flash, there are two other settings that should be used – volume settings that adjust the volume of the camera beep and the shutter click.
Another setting gives you an electronic horizontal “level” in the lcd/viewfinder.
The camera does give you a “heat” warning when you fire off a lot of shots very fast, e.g., fire off a couple rounds of 4M shots at 11 fps for a series of 32 will provoke this warning. So far, though, the camera has kept going even with the heat warning on.
The camera comes standard with a hard shell (not foldable) bayonet mount “petal” lens hood (unlike the HS10). Yay! What an intelligent idea! This allows you to use a regular thickness 58mm lens filter/protector without causing vignetting at the ultra wide angle lens settings.
The camera comes with a mini USB cable connector (unlike several of Fuji’s other superzoom cameras, which came with a micro USB plug), and the image/video files transfer directly to your computer without needing any intervening software or SD card reader. One of the most annoying things about the Nikon P100 (which I had also purchased and returned) was the fact that the image files would not transfer directly from the camera to my computer. The HS20 also has an HDMI plug (no cable) and a video plug (with cable)
Finally, the biggest reason that I have stayed with Fuji cameras – they still use AA batteries! Now I know a lot of people are just the opposite and hate AA batteries and think they are heavy and obsolete. I prefer heavy and obsolete to “expensive, dead, and unavailable”, i.e., your camera stops working just when you need it, which is the truth behind all proprietary rechargeable lithium batteries. In a pinch, AA batteries can be found virtually anywhere in the world, which is absolutely not true for proprietary lithium batteries. As many other reviewers (including me) have mentioned, the key to success with AA batteries is to use only the Sanyo Eneloops, which are without doubt the best ever, far superior to any other rechargeable or alkaline battery. In my first test run, I fired off over 1,000 shots on my HS20 (mix of file sizes) on a single charge of these AA eneloops. Your mileage may vary.
Compared to the Nikon P100, the HS20 is slightly faster in shot to shot times – not sure about the new P500. I prefer the manual zoom and AA batteries of the HS20 though.
The HS20 also has an external TTL flash mount, unlike the HS10. Two Fuji flashes are supposed to be available soon, the EF-42 and EF-20. The Fuji EF-42 looks like a re-branded Sunpak PZ42x with a proprietary Fuji hotshoe, priced a hundred dollars more. Hopefully somebody will make a cheaper TTL synced flash for the HS20 soon.
All in all, this camera is just too feature packed to go over all the details. Having suffered through the HS10, I am familiar with the camera’s basic strength, which is its powerful manually focused superzoom lens. The improvements in electronics have finally made the HS20 what the HS10 should have been.
Comment by Robin Schleien on 30 May 2011:
After several months of researching super-zooms, I had selected the HS20 based on superior specs and early reviews. I purchased the camera on April 7th and promptly returned it within 24 hours. To be fair, I rated overall image quality as very good. Controls are simple and I particularly liked the addition of button on the rear left (similar to my Nikon D90). THat’s the good news.
The bad news is that within 5 minutes of shooting indoor samples using EXR Auto and burst mode, the temperature warning light came on. Shutting down the camera, I let it rest for a couple minutes and restarted the process. Irrespective of shooting mode, the warning light continued to come on.. go out and reappear. Note that I was using the batteries right out of the Fuji box and later switched them up for another brand new set. No difference.
My feeling is that for $499, the consumer should not have to “settle” for a flaw as fundamental as this. In so many respects, this camera is superior (IMO) to the other top alternatives I assessed (Lumix FZ100, Nikon P500, Canon IX30). Dollars aside, this was a no-brainer. An over-heating camera on the other hand is not acceptable and I most certainly am not the only consumer who has run across this issue. DPReview in fact has several forums and blogs about this with MANY people experiencing this problem… especially in warmer climates!
Perhaps this is a sacrifice that some people are willing to make, given the camera’s many positive attributes but I for one, would be very concerned about other flaws popping up if QC on this product overlooked something as basic as temperature control right out of the box. My expectation for a brand such as Fuji is that the camera is functionally perfect and can be relied on not to fail or require the user to find workarounds to accommodate oversights by the manufacturer.