Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Review

April 23, 2012 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is a new super-zoom digital compact camera. Looking and handling like a DSLR, the bridge-style Fujifilm HS30EXR boasts a 30x zoom lens which covers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 24-720mm and features mechanical image stabilisation and twist-barrel manual zoom and focusing controls. Other highlights of the HS30 EXR include a 16 megapixel EXR Back Side Illuminated CMOS sensor, a 3-inch tilting 460k-dot LCD monitor, 920k-dot electronic viewfinder with eye-sensor for automatic switching, and full 1080p HD movie recording with stereo sound. In addition there's an ISO range of 100-12800, High Speed movie capture at 320 fps, continuous shooting at 8fps, 0.16 second auto-focusing, 600 shot battery life, a customisable Function button, full manual controls and support for the RAW file format. The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is available now for £439.99 / $499.95 in the UK / US respectively.

Ease of Use

In terms of its external design the new Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR looks almost identical to the HS20EXR model that it replaces. Therefore a lot of the comments that we made about that model apply equally to the HS30, which looks, feels and handles very much like a mid-range DSLR. Designed as a do-it-all, all-in-one solution for the serious photo enthusiast, the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is more than weighty and well built enough to withstand a few glancing knocks in the heat of the action. The moulded curves of the body and matt black finish deliver a purposeful look that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical, with nice chunky controls, an ergonomic control layout that allows both quick and easy access to functions, and a deep hand-grip with a well-thought-out indentation into which a middle finger slots comfortably.

At the heart of the HS30EXR is the same incredible non-interchangeable 30x zoom lens as on the HS20, complete with manual zoom and focus rings, just like on a DSLR lens. This incredibly versatile lens offers a focal range starting at an ultra-wide 24mm and finishing at an ultra-telephoto 720mm, which, as Fujifilm cannily point out, would take at least two super-zoom DSLR lenses to offer similar reach. Throw in the 1cm Super Macro Mode and impressive maximum apertures of a bright f/2.8 at 24mm wide-angle to a slightly brighter f5.6 at 720mm telephoto, and it's clear that the HS30EXR is perfectly suited for any subject that you can think of, near or far.

To help avoid blur resulting from camera shake when shooting in low light or hand-holding the camera at the telephoto extremity of the zoom, Fujifilm have added a 'belt and braces' solution of high ISO sensitivity, stretching up to ISO 12800 at full resolution (Small JPEG only), a built-in mechanical stabilizer with Continuous or Shooting Only modes, and digital image stabilisation too if required. Activated via the IS Mode menu option, you can set the system to Continuous, Shooting Only, either mode with the addition of digital stabilisation, or Off. Note that the camera will only automatically adjust the ISO speed when using the Auto shooting mode - in the other modes the ISO speed that you select will always be used, so only the mechanical CCD-shift part of the system is used.

The full 30x zoom range also be accessed in the Motion JPEG format movie mode, with the HS30EXR offering full 1920x1080 pixel footage at 30 frames per second with constantly adjusting auto exposure and auto-focus with stereo sound. You can now also manually focus during movie shooting, something that the HS20EXR sorely lacked. It can record video clips up to 29 minutes long for the 1920x1080 and 1280x720 pixel formats, with longer times available for VGA and SVGA modes. The dedicated Movie button on the rear makes it quick and easy to shoot a movie without missing the start of the action, and there's a mini-HDMI port for connection to a HDTV (cable not supplied). You can select one of the Film Simulation modes to give your footage a more creative look, and there's the option to take a still photo at any time during movie recording.

Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Fujifilm FinePix HS20
Front Rear

In addition to these "normal" movie modes, the HS30EXR also offers several high-speed modes. There are three different speeds on offer - 320, 160 and 80fps, with the file size varying from 320x112 to 640x400 pixels respectively. This slow-motion effect is initially very appealing and sure to impress your friends, but there are some drawbacks to be aware of. Sound isn't recorded at all, horizontal bands can appear as the lighting fluctuates, and the actual sizes of the recorded movies are pretty small.

From the front the Fujifilm HS30EXR looks like a serious bit of kit. The large zoom lens dominates proceedings, with a push-on lens cap, retaining strap and lens hood provided in the box. Above the lens and extending out across the lens barrel, which boasts a textured surround allowing you to get a good firm grip and achieve a smooth, steady zooming action, is an attractively sloping ridge that conceals the pop-up flash (when not in use), which is activated via a dedicated button positioned on the right. Still viewing the HS30EXR from the front, the stereo sound speakers are positioned one on either side of the lens barrel, with a familiar dual purpose AF-assist illuminator and self-timer lamp to the left. Above the pop-up flash is another DSLR-like touch - a hotshoe for additional illumination via an optional external flashgun (EF-42 and EF-20 models).

Looking down on top of the camera, viewed from the rear, there's a clearly labeled and logically laid out control set, with a chunky, ridged shooting mode dial which is reminiscent of those found on, yes you've guessed it, DSLR cameras. Ranged around the dial, which turns with just the right amount of resistance for it to lock firmly into place at each setting, are the expected shooting options, such as full auto, program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes, along with a customizable mode via which favoured shooting settings can be saved for rapid access, plus two scene position modes (SP1 and SP2) pre-optimised for common subjects.

In addition, there are several more shooting modes that are particularly noteworthy. First up is the EXR Auto mode (one of the four EXR modes), which is an 'auto everything' scene recognition mode that's the equivalent of Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode. Although far from infallible - if you're not paying close attention and it's presented with a busy scene it will call up landscape when macro is needed and vice versa – it instantly makes the HS30EXR more beginner friendly, instantly recognising 10 basic scenes and then applying one of the three other EXR modes too.

Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Fujifilm FinePix HS20
Top Front

Fujifilm's EXR sensor can be utilized in one of three ways by the photographer. There's a choice between shooting at full 16 megapixel resolution in High Resolution (HR) mode, or an 8 megapixel image in the Low Noise (SN) mode for shooting without flash in low light conditions, or the Dynamic Range (DR) mode to achieve an optimal balance between shadows and highlights. The latter offers five strengths ranging from 100-1600%. If you can't decide which is best for a chosen scene or subject, then just leave the camera on the scene-detecting EXR Automatic Mode and let it choose for itself.

Next is the rather misleadingly named Advanced mode, which actually has four options that are well suited to all experience levels. The Pro Low-light mode uses multi-bracketing technology, taking a series of four high sensitivity/low-noise shots in quick succession and combining them into an image with less noise than the single exposures. The Pro Focus mode makes it easier to achieve a blurred background, perfect for portraits where compact digicams traditionally struggle, with three strengths of blurring on offer. In the new Multiple Exposure advanced mode the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR can combine two seperate images into one.

The final shooting mode is the Panorama option, clearly inspired by Sony's popular Sweep Panorama function. This lets you capture a 120, 180 or 360 degree panoramic image very easily without the use of a tripod. All you need to decide is whether you would like to start from left or right, top or bottom, then press and hold down the shutter release while doing a "sweep" with the camera in hand. Exposure compensation is available before you start the sweep, with the exposure fixed once you depress the shutter button. After you are done with the sweeping, the camera does all the processing required, and presents you with a finished panoramic image. You can see examples of all four Advanced shooting modes on the Image Quality page.

Although undoubtedly fun, there are a few catches. The final panorama is of relatively low resolution, and if you do the sweeping too slowly, or you let go of the shutter release button too early, the panorama will be truncated. If the exposure varies throughout the scene, then some areas will be over or under exposed, depending upon the exposure value that was chosen as the panorama was started. Finally, people and indeed anything that moves in the frame are recorded as several ghost outlines, which means that you can really only record static, empty scenes, something that Sony have solved in the latest iteration of their Sweep Panorama feature.

Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Fujifilm FinePix HS20
Tilting LCD Screen Side

To the right of the shooting mode dial is a smaller command dial with a positive clicking action which is used for scrolling through features and captured images, and will feel immediately intuitive to anyone who has handled a DSLR before. The same dial is also used to change the aperture and shutter speed when using the more advanced shooting modes. In the Manual mode, you hold the Exposure Compensation button down with your forefinger and give the dial a flick with your thumb to change the aperture, not as intuitive as having two separate command dials but perhaps understandable given the HS30's target audience. Otherwise the exposure compensation button works largely as you'd expect, with a visual slider graph on screen accompanied by a live histogram.

Next to the EV button is the rather innocent-looking Continuous Shooting button, which accesses another of the HS30EXR's mouth-watering features. Pressing this button brings up four options - Off, Top 4, Best Frame Capture and three different kinds of bracketing (exposure, film simulation mode and dynamic range). Choosing Top 4 allows you to take 8 full-resolution photos at 8 frames per second, which is faster than most compact cameras and indeed most DSLRs too. The only fly in the ointment are that only 4 out of the 8 are actually saved to the memory card. Choosing Best Frame Capture shoots at 11fps at 8 megapixel resolution from the moment that you focus and then saves up to 16 images including pre-recorded frames. Once the burst is completed, it now takes just over two seconds for the camera to clear the buffer, during which you cannot take another picture, a massive improvement on the HS20EXR. There is also another continuous shooting speeds where the Fujifilm HS30EXR shoots at a faster speed 11fps at at 4 megapixel resolution for up to 32 frames.

Forward of these two controls is the main shutter release button encircled by the on/off power switch. Flick this to On, and the rear LCD or electronic viewfinder – depending on which one you previously had selected – blinks into life, a process taking around two seconds, which for once is not quite as good as most DSLRs. Still, the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS is very fast to determine focus and exposure with a half press of the shutter button, taking less than 0.20 seconds to lock onto the subject. Both JPEGs and RAW files are now quickly committed to memory in single-shot mode with only the briefest pause between each one, another big speed improvement. JPEG or RAW images are committed to SD / SDHC / SDXC cards, although there's no card supplied out of the box, with just the 25MB internal capacity to fall back on.

Moving to the rear of the HS30EXR, your attention is immediately drawn to the large 3-inch monitor, which offers 100% scene coverage and a resolution of 460K dots. The HS30EXR's LCD screen can be moved 90° upwards and 45° downwards to get your shot or aid visibility, but unlike some other cameras it can't be pivoted left nor right, or indeed turned so the screen is protected face-into the body when not in use. While some may debate whether an adjustable LCD is an essential feature or a sales gimmick, once you get used to using one it's something you find yourself missing when it's not there, proving particularly useful when holding the camera above your head or as a waist-level finder for more candid shots.

Fujifilm FinePix HS20 Fujifilm FinePix HS20
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

To the right of the LCD is a small button for swapping the display between monitor and the 920k-dot resolution electronic viewfinder with 100% scene coverage and surrounding eyecup. The EVF also has its own dioptric correction wheel to its immediate left, which is far less stiff and physically larger than found on competing models, meaning that for the myopic adjustment can be made in a faction of a second. The viewfinder display is itself large, bright and clear, though the temptation to predominantly utilise the more flexible LCD below is almost overwhelming. A welcome addition comes in the form of a sensor which automatically switches between the EVF and viewfinder when you hold the camera up to eye-level, speeding up the transfer from using the LCD to taking a shot through the EVF. Note that his feature can be turned off if you find it annoying.

To the left of the LCD screen is a vertical column of five small buttons which provide direct access to most of the HS30EXR's key controls, once again mimicking the control layout of several entry-level DSLR cameras. Starting from the top, there are buttons for choosing the ISO speed, metering (multi pattern, spot or average), AF mode (center, multi, area or tracking), AF type (continuous, single shot or manual), and the White Balance. All five buttons also perform actions during image playback, denoted by the blue symbols, resulting in a logical system that provides quick and easy access to most of the camera's key functions.

To the right of the screen is the previously mentioned one-touch movie record button and a self-explanatory AE/AF lock button. Below is a familiar four-way controller with a dual-purpose menu/OK button at its centre. Ranged at north, south, east and west around this control are variously, the new customisable Function button which can be set to one of 10 key options (also doubling up as a file deletion button when in playback mode), the various flash modes, the self timer options, and shifting focus from infinity to either macro or super macro.

Press the Menu button in shooting mode and you get a comprehensive choice of options from two main folders., Shooting and Set-Up, with up to 6 screens containing 6 icons per screen. Most of the options are the "set once and forget" kind, so you won't have to dip into the menu system too often. Below the navigation pad is a dual-purpose control marked Display/Back that switches between the various LCD modes and also allows you to retrace your steps at any point. Completing the rear of the HS30EXR is a self-explanatory playback button for quickly viewing captured images.

The right hand flank of the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR features a flip-open compartment for the SD / SDHC / SDXC card slot, while the left has a rubber flap hiding the HS30EXR's mini-HDMI port and the regular USB / AV out sockets, plus the camera's built-in speaker. The base of the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR features a screw thread for a tripod, sadly made of plastic and not in line with the lens barrel, and a sliding door hiding the compartment for the new Lithium-ion battery. At around 600 shots battery life is much improved thanks to the adoption of a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. There are metal loops either side of the body for attaching the provided strap.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR produced images of good quality during the review period. It handled noise fairly well, with a little noise appearing at the relatively slow speed of ISO 400 and then becoming progressively worse at the faster setting of ISO 800. The fastest full-resolution settings of ISO 1600 and 3200 suffer from a loss of fine detail and colour saturation, while the headling-grabbing settings of ISO 6400 and 12800 are both actually shot at a reduced resolution (medium and small respectively) and they're very noisy too. Chromatic aberrations were well controlled, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The 16 megapixel images were just a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpen setting and require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera sharpening level.

Macro performance is excellent, allowing you to focus as close as 1cm away from the subject when the lens is set to wide-angle. Commendably barrel distortion is well controlled even at the 24mm focal length. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate overall exposure, although there is noticeable vignetting at 24mm. The anti-shake system works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds allows the cameras to capture enough light for most after-dark situations.

The Pro Low-Light scene mode produces better image clarity at high ISO levels at the expense of a loss of fine detail, while the Pro Focus mode effectively throws the background out of focus for portraits. The Sweep Panorama mode works largely as advertised, making it simple to take hand-held low-light and wide-vista shots, although there is a clear ghosting effect around any moving subjects. The EXR modes offer a choice between shooting at full 16 megapixel resolution in High Resolution (HR) mode, or an 8 megapixel image in the Low Noise (SN) mode for shooting without flash in low light conditions, or the Dynamic Range (DR) mode to achieve an optimal balance between shadows and highlights.

Noise

There are 8 ISO settings available on the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting:

JPEG RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

 
 
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

 
 

Focal Range

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR's 30x zoom lens provides a focal length of 24-720mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.

24mm

720mm

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little bit soft at the default sharpening setting, and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

   

File Quality

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

16M Fine (5.30Mb) (100% Crop) 16M Normal (3.81Mb) (100% Crop)
   
16M RAW (24.2Mb) (100% Crop)  
 

Chromatic Aberrations

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review. Just a little purple fringing was present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR offers a Super Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 1cm away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject in Macro mode (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR are Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, and any of those modes combined with Red-eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (720mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (720mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. Neither the Auto or Red-eye reduction mode caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red Eye Reduction

Red Eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Anti Shake

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with anti shake turned off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/12th / 24mm
     
1/7th / 720mm

Intelligent Digital Zoom

The new Intelligent Digital Zoom function can digitally boost the optical 30x zoom up to 60x, the equivalent of a 1440mm focal length.

30x

30x (100% Crop)
   

42x

42x (100% Crop)

   

60x

60x (100% Crop)

EXR Modes

Fujifilm's EXR sensor can be utilized in one of three ways by the photographer. There's a choice between shooting at full 16 megapixel resolution in High Resolution (HR) mode, or an 8 megapixel image in the Low Noise (SN) mode for shooting without flash in low light conditions, or the Dynamic Range (DR) mode to achieve an optimal balance between shadows and highlights. The latter offers five strengths ranging from 100-1600%. If you can't decide which is best for a chosen scene or subject, then just leave the camera on the scene-detecting EXR Automatic Mode and let it choose for itself.

Resolution Priority

Resolution Priority (100% Crop)

   

High ISO & Low Noise

High ISO & Low Noise (100% Crop)

   

D-Range Priority - 100%

D-Range Priority - 200%

   

D-Range Priority - 400%

D-Range Priority - 800%

   

D-Range Priority - 1600%

 
 

Pro Focus

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR's Pro Focus mode makes it easier to achieve a blurred background, perfect for portraits where compact digicams traditionally struggle, with three strengths of blurring on offer.

Pro Focus 1

Pro Focus 1 (100% Crop)

   

Pro Focus 2

Pro Focus 2 (100% Crop)

   

Pro Focus 3

Pro Focus 3 (100% Crop)

Pro Low-Light

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR's Pro Low-Light scene mode produces better image clarity at high ISO levels, with the camera automatically taking a series of four high sensitivity/low-noise shots in quick succession which are then combined together using in-camera processing into an image with less noise than the single exposures. The main drawback is a noticeable softening of fine detail.

Pro Low-Light Off

Pro Low-Light On

Multiple Exposure

In the Multiple Exposure advanced mode the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR can combine two seperate images into one, as shown in the example below.

Film Simulation Modes

The Fujifilm Finepix HS30EXR offers 5 different film simulation modes to help replicate the look of your favourite film stock from the past.

Provia / Standard

Velvia / Vivid

   

Astia / Soft

Black & White

   

Sepia

 
 

Panorama Mode

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR allows you to take panoramic images very easily by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching, and there are three views available. The main problems are that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution - 1080 pixels high and 5760 pixels wide for the 360 degree image - moving objects are recorded as "ghost" images, and different lighting sources cause obvious vertical streaks to appear.

120 Degrees
Full-size Image
 
180 Degrees
Full-size Image
 
360 Degrees
Full-size Image

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Fujifilm RAW (RAF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1280 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 34.6Mb in size.

Product Images

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Front of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Front of the Camera / Pop-up Flash

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Front of the Camera / Lens Hood Fitted

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Isometric View

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Isometric View

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Function Menu

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Top of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Bottom of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Side of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Side of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Front of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Front of the Camera

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Memory Card Slot

 
Fujifilm FinePix HS20
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR super-zoom camera is a rather modest upgrade of its predecessor, but it does address some of the main problems that afflicted the HS20EXR, most notably the incredibly long image processing speeds for RAW files and continuous shooting. You could argue that these issues shouldn't have been present in the HS20 at all, but at least Fujifilm have addressed them in this latest iteration, along with adding a much improved electronic viewfinder, better image quality and greatly extended battery life.

As the HS30EXR is so similar to last year's HS20, it offers the same main benefit of being a real all-in-one alternative to a DSLR,. with no need to buy or change lenses thanks to the 30x optic, which is remarkably distortion-free and admirably fast at either end. The manual zoom and focus rings further reinforce that DSLR feeling, as do the external flash hotshoe, command dials, tilting LCD screen, full range of manual shooting modes and RAW format support. Full 1080p movie recording with stereo sound is the icing on the cake, making the HS30 a viable replacement for your video camera too.

While the HS30EXR does produce better image quality than its predecessor, with the 16 megapixel EXR sensor offering an extensive ISO range up to 12,800, fast continuous shooting speeds, slow-motion movies and the useful EXR modes, it's still no match for the company's flagship bridge camera, the X-S1, or for some of its similarly priced rivals. The X-S1 doesn't exhibit noise until ISO 800, whereas the HS30EXR begins to show it at ISO 400 - only you can decide if the former camera is worth paying the substantial price premium for.

On the subject of price, £439 / $499 is undoubtedly a lot to pay for a compact camera with a small image sensor. On the other hand the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is a very full-featured and now responsive camera that delivers appealing pictures, particularly in more helpful lighting conditions. It definitely fits the bill as a great all-rounder and a real alternative to a DSLR, just so long as you don't expect DSLR-like image quality.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4
Value for money 4

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR from around the web.

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

You'll likely be attracted to the Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR by its long zoom and high resolution, and you wouldn't be disappointed. It's packed with features, produces a great set of pictures and takes no time at all to get to grips with.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Model name FinePix HS30EXR / HS33EXR
Number of effective pixels *1 16.0 million pixels
Image sensor 1/2-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter
Storage media
  • Internal memory (Approx. 25MB)
  • SD / SDHC / SDXC(UHS-I) memory card*2
File format
still image
JPEG (Exif Ver 2.3)*3, RAW (RAF format), RAW+JPEG
(Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible)
movie
H.264 (MOV)
Number of recorded pixels
still image
L : (4:3) 4608 x 3456 / (3:2) 4608 x 3072 / (16:9) 4608 x 2592
M : (4:3) 3264 x 2448 / (3:2) 3264 x 2176 / (16:9) 3264 x 1840
S : (4:3) 2304 x 1728 / (3:2) 2304 x 1536 / (16:9) 1920 x 1080

<Motion Panorama>
360° Vertical 11520 x 1624 Horizontal 11520 x 1080
180° Vertical 5760 x 1624 Horizontal 5760 x 1080
120° Vertical 3840 x 1624 Horizontal 3840 x 1080
Lens
name
Fujinon 30x optical zoom lens
focal length
f=4.2 - 126mm, equivalent to 24-720mm on a 35mm camera
full-aperture
F2.8 (Wide) - F5.6 (Telephoto)
constitution
11 groups 15 lenses
Digital zoom Intelligent digital zoom approx. 2.0x (up to approx. 60x, with 30x optical zoom)
Aperture F2.8-F11 (Wide) F5.6-F11(Telephoto) 1/3EV step
Focus distance
(from lens surface)
Normal
  • Wide : Approx. 45cm to infinity / 1.4ft. to infinity
  • Telephoto : Approx. 3.0m to infinity / 9.8ft. to infinity
Macro
  • Wide : Approx. 7cm - 3.0m / 2.7in. - 9.8ft.
  • Telephoto : Approx. 2.0m - 5.0m / 6.5ft. - 16.4ft.
Super Macro
  • Approx. 1.0cm - 1.0m / 0.4in. - 3.2ft.
Sensitivity Auto, Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400* / 12800* (Standard Output Sensitivity)
  • * ISO6400 : image size M or lower, ISO12800 : image size S
Exposure control TTL 256-zones metering, Multi / Spot / Average
Exposure mode Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Shooting modes
SP
Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Dog, Cat, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Party, Flower, Text
MODE DIAL
EXR, AUTO, P, S, A, M, C, PANORAMA, SP1, SP2, Adv
Image stabilizer CMOS shift type
Face detection Yes
Exposure compensation -2.0EV - +2.0EV 1/3EV step
Shutter speed (Auto mode) 1/4sec. to 1/4000sec., (All other modes) 30sec. to 1/4000sec.
(combined mechanical and electronic shutter)
Continuous shooting
TOP
Super High : approx. 11fps (Size M,S)
High : approx. 8fps (Size L,M,S)
Middle : approx. 5fps (Size L,M,S)
Low : approx. 3fps (Size L,M,S)
  • * SD memory card with a write speed (4 MB/sec.) or better is recommended.
  • * The frame rate varies depending on the shooting conditions or numbers of frames in continuous shooting.
Best Frame capture
Super High : approx. 11fps 8/16 frames (Size M,S)
High : approx. 8fps 8frames (Size L,M,S)/16 frames (Size M,S)
Middle : approx. 5fps 8frames (Size L,M,S)/16 frames (Size M,S)
Low : approx. 3fps 8frames (Size L,M,S)/16 frames (Size ,M,S)
Auto bracketing AE Bracketing : ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, ±1EV
Film Simulation Bracketing : PROVIA / STD, Velvia / VIVID, ASTIA / SOFT
Dynamic Rang Bracketing : 100% / 200% / 400%
Focus
mode
Single AF / Continuous AF (EXR AUTO, Movie) / Manual AF (One-push AF mode included)
type
TTL contrast AF, AF assist illuminator available
AF frame selection
Center, Multi, Area, Tracking
White balance Automatic scene recognition
Preset
Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light, Custom
Self-timer Approx. 10 sec. / 2 sec. delay / Auto release / Auto shutter (Dog, Cat)
Flash Auto flash (super i-flash)
Effective range : (ISO AUTO)
Normal
  • Wide : Approx. 30cm - 7.1m / 1ft. - 23.2ft.
  • Telephoto : Approx. 2.0m - 3.8m / 6.5ft. - 12.4ft.
Flash modes
Red-eye removal OFF
Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro.
Red-eye removal ON
Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.
Hot shoe YES
Electronic Viewfinder 0.26-inch., approx. 920,000 dots, color LCD viewfinder approx. 100% coverage
LCD monitor 3.0-inch, approx. 460,000 dots, TFT color LCD monitor, approx. 100% coverage
Movie recording 1920 x 1080 pixels / 1280 x 720 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames/sec.) with stereo sound
  • * Optical zoom function (manual) can be used.
Photography functions EXR mode, High Speed Movie (80 / 160 / 320 frames/sec), Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Face recognition, Advanced mode (Pro focus, Pro low light, Multiple exposure, Individual shutter 3D), Motion Panorama360, Film simulation, Electronic level, Histogram display, Framing guideline, Frame No. memory, Best frame capture, Advanced Anti Blur, Date stamp
Playback functions Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Multi-frame playback (with micro thumbnail), Protect, Crop, Resize, Slide show, Image rotate, voice memo, histogram display, exposure warning, Photobook assist, image search, Favorites, Mark for upload, Panorama, Erase selected frames
Other functions PictBridge, Exif Print, 35 Languages, Time difference, Silent mode
Terminal
Video output
NTSC / PAL selectable with monaural sound
Digital interface
USB 2.0 High-Speed
HDMI output
HDMI Mini connector
Power supply Li-ion battery NP-W126 (included)
Dimensions 130.6(W) x 96.6(H) x 126.0(D) mm / 5.1(W) x 3.8(H) x 4.9(D) in.
Weight Approx. 687g / 24.2oz. (including battery and memory card)
Approx. 637g / 22.4oz. (excluding battery and memory card)
Operating Temperature 0°C - 40°C
Operating Humidity 10% - 80% (no condensation)
Guide to the number of available frames for battery operation Approx. 600 frames (AUTO mode)
Accessories included Li-ion battery NP-W126
Battery charger BC-W126
Shoulder strap
USB cable
A/V cable*4
Lens cap and Lens cap cord
CD-ROM
Owner's manual
Lens hood*5
Optional accessories Lens hood LH-HS10
Remote release RR80
Shoe Mount Flash EF-42 / EF-20
Protector Filter PRF-58

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