This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Digital Camera (16MP EXR-CMOS Sensor, 30x Manual Optical Zoom) 3 inch Tiltable LCD Screen (Electronics)
I have been a semi-pro photographer -part of my job in Tech Pubs- since 1968, mostly industrial with weddings and things on the side at weekends when I could not get out of them. I also was on-call working freelance for a couple of local papers. So you could say I have an idea of what makes a good camera. Well I don’t, as every job might require a different camera or lens be it 35mm or 120 which turns out to be a real lump to carry around. I still lean to the right from the weight of the camera bag. That was then but this is now.
I retired early finding myself in the digital age which I had embraced early with enthusiasm, ending up with a couple of Canon 20D’s, a range of lenses and all the paraphernalia that goes with them, which still serve me well. Not the sort of kit to carry around for your own use.
When it first came out, I bought for myself a Fuji 9600 followed later by the HS10, both of which filled my need for a “Jack of all trades” but NOT a master of none camera. The 9600 I gave to my partners youngest daughter for school course work when I upgraded. I had the 9600 for a number of years and had taken a load of pictures with it, but it was still in mint condition. A couple of months with it’s new owner and it looked like it had been through a war, but it still worked fine. The HS10 I traded in locally against a HS30 having been offered a good deal.
Being lazy, I just set the camera on the EXR mode, jpg mode only and bang away. So far every picture has been usable and excellent quality. Night shots a dream especially in black and white.
I took a photo of a couple of crows on the spire of my local Town Hall. Despite the freezing cold, and I had left my gloves at home and I was standing in shade when I tried the shot. With my hands shaking badly and a shutter speed of 1/280 @ f8 on 100 asa with 720 mm zoom, the picture came out better than I hoped with colours that made me think, ‘How on earth do they do that’. The photo produced was not centered as I had intended due to my hand shaking, which shows how cold it was and how good the anti-shake system on the camera is. I would say the picture was 95% sharp or better. With low light I do not find that a problem. In fact there is little to worry about if you are of an average user. But there are those who would complain that when blowing the image up to 100% they can see grain. They then go on to compare the camera with one that is two to three time the cost. What do they expect with a £250 camera? Print that image at A4 or even A3 and they should have no complaints.
HD video is also excellent, with good low light ability. I have also been taking digital video for about 30 years when the video recorder was separate and joined by cable to the camera, which was then a Sony with only a 5X zoom and used full size video tapes. Video quality by todays standard was crap but better that Super8 film.
A lot of HS30 YouTube reviewers have the camera panning too fast and as a result is a bit of a frame show and have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The worst thing is that the reviewers never learn and often blame the camera. If you pan too fast with any mid range camera/camcorder it does not give the auto focus time to settle and the video will go in and out of focus under certain conditions. Perhaps they just don’t have the intellect to use the manual focus. The worst of all is some of the comments to their movie say how good the reviewer’s video is. The blind leading the blind.
By comparison, in 1969 I bought a Pentax Spotmatic 2, f1.4 50mm, 35mm film camera secondhand for £195. A BMC Mini new cost nearly £700. Work it out in todays pricing.
With the HS30 costing under £250(how much does a new Mini cost now?) you get a lot of bang for your buck. I won’t go into the spec but just to say the camera is well made and feels solid, has great optics and so many functions that you would probably never use. You get a hell of a lot of camera for your money. I would quite happily have use this camera on a photo shoot, but a client would have expected you to turn up with a bag of cameras and lenses to seem to get their money’s worth.
If only I could have had one back in 1968. I would be walking upright now.
Jeff
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This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Digital Camera (16MP EXR-CMOS Sensor, 30x Manual Optical Zoom) 3 inch Tiltable LCD Screen (Electronics)
Previous Cameras include a Minolta Konica bridge camera of 10 years ago, panasonic compact TZ6 and a panasonic G1 4:3 with 2 lenses. These affect my opinion of this camera. I traded the G1 because of the inconvenience of changing lenses. The tilting lcd screen is useful for low level close-ups of flowers and for holding the camera high above the head but it only tilts in one plane and so does not tilt in portrait format and neither can it be folded with the screen towards the camera to protect it while being carried about. Both the old Minolta and the G1 had universally angled screens and folded to protect the screen when not in use and I miss this ability. The screen itself is fair and reasonably bright. The alternative viewfinder is useful in bright sunlight when reflections make the LCD screen difficult to use but the definition is not great. The close up capabilities of the HS30EXR are impressive and have not been bettered by any of the other cameras mentioned. However the sharpness of the images falls off gradually as the lens is zoomed even with a tripod and the timer set so that pressing the button does not cause movement and I am slightly disappointed with this. The camera is zoomed manually which is far quicker and precise for framing a shot than any motor zoom I have tried and I feel that this is a great plus point and probably reduces drain on the battery by a considerable amount. The battery supplied with the camera lasts very well on a charge but like most similar batteries for other camera makes a branded spare is expensive. Unbranded ones are obtainable at quite reasonable prices and the one I have bought seems to be lasting well on its first charge.The manual focus is a disappointment mainly because of the definition of the screen and viewfinder. The G1 was far superior in this respect and even the old Minolta was better. Why is this important? If you want to focus on an animal behind a fence or foliage then autofocus will give you a nice sharp fence or grass frond and a blured animal. A further downside for me was that, to be able to make use of this camera’s RAW image format, I had to upgrade my Adobe Lightroom 3 to Lightroom 4 as the earlier version did not recognise the Fuji files. RAW handling comes with the camera’s software but when you have past images in a particular software’s catalogue it is difficult to have to start over again. This camera is reasonably convenient to carry, does away with the need to carry and change lenses and seems to be robust. The lens has a thread to enable the use of protective or effect filters which is not the case in all the cameras in this class. It has many manual options but is capable of intelligent point and shoot. It also has HD video and so is a versatile tool. So long as there is not too much ambition for big enlargements then this should fit the bill. Talking of bills the price is very competitive.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Digital Camera (16MP EXR-CMOS Sensor, 30x Manual Optical Zoom) 3 inch Tiltable LCD Screen (Electronics)
I haven’t really had time to wear this one in, but here are my initial thoughts. Thus far this camera is amazing for what I paid. The price seems to have gone up since then but it’s still an extraordinary deal. This approaches SLR quality yet is around £200 cheaper than a basic SLR. It should be noted though that this is basically the same camera as the Fujifilm FinePix HS25EXR except that that one takes AA batteries while this one has its own brand. Also, the SDHC Card on this one isn’t located in the same compartment as the battery so every time you change the card the camera doesn’t turn itself off. I really hate that space-saving feature on a lot of cameras these days.
I’m coming onto this from a Fujifilm FinePix JZ300, which was nice except that I wore out the rubber on the zoom lens through overuse. I can tell I won’t have that problem on this one since the lens doesn’t move in and out every time I turn on the camera. In fact the zoom lens is adjusted mechanically by twisting it, a must for me since it allows for greater control and accuracy. This camera has a 30x lens which allows for incredible closeups. It’s basically like having binoculars hooked up to the front of your camera. I was able to zoom in and make out a hawk in the distance that I just plain couldn’t see with my own eyes. This incredible zoom just makes it all the more unforgivable that the camera has a plastic tripod screw. How on earth can you make a camera with a 30x zoom and not expect people to use it with a tripod?
This isn’t an SLR but it’s close. The lens is built in and unchangeable, but it’s good enough that only real pros would need a different one. It even has decent macro settings. The settings do take a little fiddling with to get them to work right. The manual isn’t particularly helpful in this regard. But the automatic mode (EXR) is pretty basic to use and does a good job of determining the proper settings to take the best picture. Once you figure out how to use it manual mode works very well. Changing the aperture and the shutter speed is pretty simple and there is a manual focus dial that makes it quite easy to use. The ISO and aperture are adjusted though a dial next to the mode dial while the focus is on the lens itself. Only complaint here is that the viewscreen doesn’t show you the picture you’ll actually take but just the view out of the lens. That means it’ll take a lot of practice to get good shots out of this. Fortunately it takes pictures really quick so you can try quite a lot of things in a short period of time.
There are nine other modes to chose from but those are the only two I really bother with. Panorama mode is really cool when it works, which it usually doesn’t. Having the gyroscope on is essential for this. It is rather more successful when recording a less than 360° view. I may get more use from this mode when I actually go somewhere worth getting a panoramic view of, but for now it’s just a waste. I have a panoramic app on my iPhone that’s a lot less finicky. Another mode takes 3d pics which seems cool but is just sort of gimmicky. Also there are two modes which are basically half of manual mode: one of which has auto aperture but manual shutter speed and the other mode has the inverse. Apart from these you’re better off just sticking to automatic. Surprisingly the video mode isn’t located on the dial but has its own dedicated button. This allows you to take photos while you’re using the video camera. Pretty cool. It records in 1080p which is bluray quality video. It all looks pretty good. Only thing is that it only records video for 29 minutes at a time, so if you’re thinking this can replace a dedicated video camera then you’re gonna be disappointed. No I don’t know why it won’t record an even 30, it just doesn’t.
So, gidgets that I like about this camera: it has a gyroscope that helps you keep the camera level which is very useful for horizon shots. It flips vertically when you turn the camera on its side. There’s an anti-blur feature which is useful but rarely seems to do much. It’s a bit hard to tell whether it’s working. Like all fujifilm cameras nowadays it features facial recognition software which works quite well unless there are multiple (or occasionally no) faces in shot. There are USB and HDMI outputs hidden under a panel in the side which are useful for displaying your photos over a TV or computer. The other side holds the memory card and the battery in two separate compartments. I’ve heard people have problem with the flash, but that hasn’t happened to mine yet. It does need to be manually opened and one of the more annoying features of silent mode is that it turns the flash off too. It does feature a slot on the top for an external flash which may be useful as the built in one isn’t very…
The Dog’s Danglies,
I have been a semi-pro photographer -part of my job in Tech Pubs- since 1968, mostly industrial with weddings and things on the side at weekends when I could not get out of them.
I also was on-call working freelance for a couple of local papers.
So you could say I have an idea of what makes a good camera. Well I don’t, as every job might require a different camera or lens be it 35mm or 120 which turns out to be a real lump to carry around. I still lean to the right from the weight of the camera bag.
That was then but this is now.
I retired early finding myself in the digital age which I had embraced early with enthusiasm, ending up with a couple of Canon 20D’s, a range of lenses and all the paraphernalia that goes with them, which still serve me well.
Not the sort of kit to carry around for your own use.
When it first came out, I bought for myself a Fuji 9600 followed later by the HS10, both of which filled my need for a “Jack of all trades” but NOT a master of none camera.
The 9600 I gave to my partners youngest daughter for school course work when I upgraded.
I had the 9600 for a number of years and had taken a load of pictures with it, but it was still in mint condition.
A couple of months with it’s new owner and it looked like it had been through a war, but it still worked fine.
The HS10 I traded in locally against a HS30 having been offered a good deal.
Being lazy, I just set the camera on the EXR mode, jpg mode only and bang away. So far every picture has been usable and excellent quality. Night shots a dream especially in black and white.
I took a photo of a couple of crows on the spire of my local Town Hall. Despite the freezing cold, and I had left my gloves at home and I was standing in shade when I tried the shot.
With my hands shaking badly and a shutter speed of 1/280 @ f8 on 100 asa with 720 mm zoom, the picture came out better than I hoped with colours that made me think, ‘How on earth do they do that’. The photo produced was not centered as I had intended due to my hand shaking, which shows how cold it was and how good the anti-shake system on the camera is. I would say the picture was 95% sharp or better.
With low light I do not find that a problem. In fact there is little to worry about if you are of an average user. But there are those who would complain that when blowing the image up to 100% they can see grain. They then go on to compare the camera with one that is two to three time the cost.
What do they expect with a £250 camera? Print that image at A4 or even A3 and they should have no complaints.
HD video is also excellent, with good low light ability. I have also been taking digital video for about 30 years when the video recorder was separate and joined by cable to the camera, which was then a Sony with only a 5X zoom and used full size video tapes. Video quality by todays standard was crap but better that Super8 film.
A lot of HS30 YouTube reviewers have the camera panning too fast and as a result is a bit of a frame show and have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The worst thing is that the reviewers never learn and often blame the camera. If you pan too fast with any mid range camera/camcorder it does not give the auto focus time to settle and the video will go in and out of focus under certain conditions.
Perhaps they just don’t have the intellect to use the manual focus.
The worst of all is some of the comments to their movie say how good the reviewer’s video is. The blind leading the blind.
By comparison, in 1969 I bought a Pentax Spotmatic 2, f1.4 50mm, 35mm film camera secondhand for £195. A BMC Mini new cost nearly £700. Work it out in todays pricing.
With the HS30 costing under £250(how much does a new Mini cost now?) you get a lot of bang for your buck. I won’t go into the spec but just to say the camera is well made and feels solid, has great optics and so many functions that you would probably never use. You get a hell of a lot of camera for your money.
I would quite happily have use this camera on a photo shoot, but a client would have expected you to turn up with a bag of cameras and lenses to seem to get their money’s worth.
If only I could have had one back in 1968.
I would be walking upright now.
Jeff
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|Convenient and reasonable value,
Previous Cameras include a Minolta Konica bridge camera of 10 years ago, panasonic compact TZ6 and a panasonic G1 4:3 with 2 lenses. These affect my opinion of this camera. I traded the G1 because of the inconvenience of changing lenses. The tilting lcd screen is useful for low level close-ups of flowers and for holding the camera high above the head but it only tilts in one plane and so does not tilt in portrait format and neither can it be folded with the screen towards the camera to protect it while being carried about. Both the old Minolta and the G1 had universally angled screens and folded to protect the screen when not in use and I miss this ability. The screen itself is fair and reasonably bright. The alternative viewfinder is useful in bright sunlight when reflections make the LCD screen difficult to use but the definition is not great. The close up capabilities of the HS30EXR are impressive and have not been bettered by any of the other cameras mentioned. However the sharpness of the images falls off gradually as the lens is zoomed even with a tripod and the timer set so that pressing the button does not cause movement and I am slightly disappointed with this. The camera is zoomed manually which is far quicker and precise for framing a shot than any motor zoom I have tried and I feel that this is a great plus point and probably reduces drain on the battery by a considerable amount. The battery supplied with the camera lasts very well on a charge but like most similar batteries for other camera makes a branded spare is expensive. Unbranded ones are obtainable at quite reasonable prices and the one I have bought seems to be lasting well on its first charge.The manual focus is a disappointment mainly because of the definition of the screen and viewfinder. The G1 was far superior in this respect and even the old Minolta was better. Why is this important? If you want to focus on an animal behind a fence or foliage then autofocus will give you a nice sharp fence or grass frond and a blured animal. A further downside for me was that, to be able to make use of this camera’s RAW image format, I had to upgrade my Adobe Lightroom 3 to Lightroom 4 as the earlier version did not recognise the Fuji files. RAW handling comes with the camera’s software but when you have past images in a particular software’s catalogue it is difficult to have to start over again. This camera is reasonably convenient to carry, does away with the need to carry and change lenses and seems to be robust. The lens has a thread to enable the use of protective or effect filters which is not the case in all the cameras in this class. It has many manual options but is capable of intelligent point and shoot. It also has HD video and so is a versatile tool. So long as there is not too much ambition for big enlargements then this should fit the bill. Talking of bills the price is very competitive.
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|A Really Good Deal,
I haven’t really had time to wear this one in, but here are my initial thoughts. Thus far this camera is amazing for what I paid. The price seems to have gone up since then but it’s still an extraordinary deal. This approaches SLR quality yet is around £200 cheaper than a basic SLR. It should be noted though that this is basically the same camera as the Fujifilm FinePix HS25EXR except that that one takes AA batteries while this one has its own brand. Also, the SDHC Card on this one isn’t located in the same compartment as the battery so every time you change the card the camera doesn’t turn itself off. I really hate that space-saving feature on a lot of cameras these days.
I’m coming onto this from a Fujifilm FinePix JZ300, which was nice except that I wore out the rubber on the zoom lens through overuse. I can tell I won’t have that problem on this one since the lens doesn’t move in and out every time I turn on the camera. In fact the zoom lens is adjusted mechanically by twisting it, a must for me since it allows for greater control and accuracy. This camera has a 30x lens which allows for incredible closeups. It’s basically like having binoculars hooked up to the front of your camera. I was able to zoom in and make out a hawk in the distance that I just plain couldn’t see with my own eyes. This incredible zoom just makes it all the more unforgivable that the camera has a plastic tripod screw. How on earth can you make a camera with a 30x zoom and not expect people to use it with a tripod?
This isn’t an SLR but it’s close. The lens is built in and unchangeable, but it’s good enough that only real pros would need a different one. It even has decent macro settings. The settings do take a little fiddling with to get them to work right. The manual isn’t particularly helpful in this regard. But the automatic mode (EXR) is pretty basic to use and does a good job of determining the proper settings to take the best picture. Once you figure out how to use it manual mode works very well. Changing the aperture and the shutter speed is pretty simple and there is a manual focus dial that makes it quite easy to use. The ISO and aperture are adjusted though a dial next to the mode dial while the focus is on the lens itself. Only complaint here is that the viewscreen doesn’t show you the picture you’ll actually take but just the view out of the lens. That means it’ll take a lot of practice to get good shots out of this. Fortunately it takes pictures really quick so you can try quite a lot of things in a short period of time.
There are nine other modes to chose from but those are the only two I really bother with. Panorama mode is really cool when it works, which it usually doesn’t. Having the gyroscope on is essential for this. It is rather more successful when recording a less than 360° view. I may get more use from this mode when I actually go somewhere worth getting a panoramic view of, but for now it’s just a waste. I have a panoramic app on my iPhone that’s a lot less finicky. Another mode takes 3d pics which seems cool but is just sort of gimmicky. Also there are two modes which are basically half of manual mode: one of which has auto aperture but manual shutter speed and the other mode has the inverse. Apart from these you’re better off just sticking to automatic. Surprisingly the video mode isn’t located on the dial but has its own dedicated button. This allows you to take photos while you’re using the video camera. Pretty cool. It records in 1080p which is bluray quality video. It all looks pretty good. Only thing is that it only records video for 29 minutes at a time, so if you’re thinking this can replace a dedicated video camera then you’re gonna be disappointed. No I don’t know why it won’t record an even 30, it just doesn’t.
So, gidgets that I like about this camera: it has a gyroscope that helps you keep the camera level which is very useful for horizon shots. It flips vertically when you turn the camera on its side. There’s an anti-blur feature which is useful but rarely seems to do much. It’s a bit hard to tell whether it’s working. Like all fujifilm cameras nowadays it features facial recognition software which works quite well unless there are multiple (or occasionally no) faces in shot. There are USB and HDMI outputs hidden under a panel in the side which are useful for displaying your photos over a TV or computer. The other side holds the memory card and the battery in two separate compartments. I’ve heard people have problem with the flash, but that hasn’t happened to mine yet. It does need to be manually opened and one of the more annoying features of silent mode is that it turns the flash off too. It does feature a slot on the top for an external flash which may be useful as the built in one isn’t very…
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