Fujifilm FinePix HS10 Review

Cuzzy | June 18, 2010 | Comments (0)

Pros
Awesome 30x optical zoom lens with manual operation; Versatile 24-720mm focal range; Cool Pro Low-Light Shooting mode; Bright 3.0-inch, tilting LCD; Well built and comfortable body; Produces nice exposures and colors outdoors; Competitive shooting performance for a mega-zoom; Great Price; Good battery life for a model using AAs; Captures nice 1080p HD video for a digicam

Cons
Uncomfortable eye piece; Narrow viewfinder magnification; Above average amounts of noise at all ISO settings; ISO 3200 and 6400 are pretty much useless; Limited playback information

Bottom Line
FujiFilm has produced a competitive model in the mega-zoom category. This model is sure to please those who are looking for a step up from their current point-n-shoot, but are not quite ready to take on the dSLR world. Our only real complaint is that we were hoping for better image quality and high ISO performance from the BSI CMOS sensor.

FujiFilm has released one of their most impressive high performance “Bridge” cameras to date (6/2010) with the introduction of the Fujifilm FinePix HS10. This new camera combines a powerful Fujinon 30x manual optical zoom lens and advanced functionality, all in a body slightly more compact than a standard DSLR, but with all the attributes of its full sized brethren. The Fujinon 30x optical zoom covers a versatile 24-720mm (equivalent on a 35mm camera) range from true wide-angle to ultra telephoto. And the fact that this is a fixed lens means no worries about dust on the image sensor. Some of the great features of the HS10 are attributed to the BSI CMOS sensor and include: High Speed Continuous Shooting which shoots the action at 10fps at full resolution, Multi-Frame Technology which lets you use powerful Pro Modes to capture scenes with mood and depth and High Sensitivity/Low Noise which means superior photos in low light with even lower noise. A bonus that we like to see on cameras is a large 3-inch Tilting LCD screen for overhead or low to the ground shooting. The HS10 has a selling price of around $450.00 from our partner stores.

FinePix HS10 Features:

10-Megapixel BSI-CMOS imager for pictures up to 3648×2736 pixels

Fujinon 30x optical zoom covers 24-720mm (35mm equiv.)

Triple Image Stabilization combines a mechanically stabilized CMOS sensor with high ISO sensitivities and advanced multi-frame digital stabilization

0.2-inch EVF (Electronic ViewFinder) w/200K pixels

3.0-inch, Tilting LCD monitor w/230K pixels and 97% frame coverage

Movie Mode; 30fps @ 1920×1080(Full HD), 1280×720(HD), 640×480 or 320×240 with Stereo Audio

High Speed Movie Modes up to 1000fps

10fps High-Speed Continuous shooting at full resolution

Voice memos can be attached to still images

SR Auto (Scene Recognition Auto), Program AE, Shutter speed or Aperture priority and Manual exposure modes

16 Scene modes (including Panorama)