- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200
- Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
- Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
- Fujifilm FinePix HS25 EXR
Rated 60% by by S.-Vogt (Mar, 2012)Like I mentioned, image quality just has too many flaws considering its sensor size and price.
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)This gives the HS30 a big advantage over its competitors, simply because it’s much quicker and far more intuitive to operate than the fiddly, spring-loaded power-zoom controls employed by its rivals.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Fujifilm X-S1 compared to the Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR
MP12
2/3"
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)With the new X-S1, Fujifilm have produced the ultimate super-zoom bridge compact camera, with a long list of desirable features, intuitive user interface and excellent image quality.
15.9 MP
1/2"
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)Furthermore, if 720mm doesn’t provide quite enough telephoto reach for you then the HS30 also offers 1.4x and 2x ‘intelligent’ digital zoom options that essentially take a crop from the central area of the sensor and enlarge it.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 15.9 MP   | 20 MP |
X-S1 by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)The X-S1 boasts a 24-624mm focal range, full 1080p movies with stereo sound, 3 inch tilting LCD screen, a high resolution electronic viewfinder, 7fps burst shooting, full manual controls and a 12 megapixel 2/3-inch sensor with JPEG and RAW formats.
FinePix HS30 EXR by c|net (Jun, 2012)If you're OK with smaller, 8-megapixel images (and you should be), you can get up to a fast 11fps.
sensor size
X-S1 by B.-Eibisch (Jan, 2013)If you really want a "full frame" DSLR and all it can do then cough up the thousands of dollars and start buying a whole suite of lenses; that'll cost you a damn sight more than the $800 approximate cost of the Fujifilm X-S1.
FinePix HS30 EXR by THE-GO-BETWEENBut at least the Sony has an APS-C sized sensor compared to the tiny one on the 30EXR.
wide angle lens
X-S1 by S.-Hock--slhimages (Feb, 2012)If you are interested in the shorter focal lengths, especially wide angle, you may like the camera.
FinePix HS30 EXR by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)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.
aperture size
X-S1 by kwa (Dec, 2012)Sure, you could match the DSLR to a nice 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and it would smoke the X-S1, but those lenses are $1000.
FinePix HS30 EXR by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)The lens itself is a Fuji-made Fujinon optic that offers a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at 24mm, rising progressively to f/5.6 at around 350mm and beyond.
zoom range
| 0x | 30x | 30x |
X-S1 by tousaveloI mainly wanted a camera with a good viewfinder (disappointment), a sharp 5x zoom (or higher) with no front/back focusing issues (disappointment with sharpness), great colors and exposure from Fuji (satisfied).
FinePix HS30 EXR by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is a bridge compact camera with a massive 30x zoom lens, full 1080p movies with stereo sound, 3 inch tilting LCD screen, 8fps burst shooting and a 16 megapixel back-illuminated EXR sensor with RAW support.
body size
135 x 107 x 149 mm
131 x 97 x 126 mm
X-S1 by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)7ps at full resolution is faster than most compact cameras and indeed most comparable DSLRs too.
FinePix HS30 EXR by mumix (Aug, 2012)Weight and size suitable for everyday use, I think one very remarkable feature is the digital level, which keeps the horizon with ease.
Performance Real world tests of Fujifilm X-S1 vs Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR
battery life
460 photos
600 photos
X-S1 by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)If you’d prefer to hold the camera to your eye the1.14million-dot electronic viewfinder offers a relatively large, bright and impressively sharp image, especially when set to 50fps (the 30fps setting increases battery life but is much too stuttery for anything other than still-life work).
FinePix HS30 EXR by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)At around 600 shots battery life is much improved thanks to the adoption of a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
max continuous shooting
X-S1 by tousaveloContinuous shooting: In TOP mode of continuous shooting (the Fuji wording for shooting bursts), the camera uses a different naming convention for files, generating e.g. S0137365.
FinePix HS30 EXR by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)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.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the FinePix HS30 EXR
| Much larger sensor | 2/3" | vs | 1/2" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Around 90% larger sensor; higher quality photos | |||
| Has an external mic jack | 3.5mm | vs | None |
| Very few cameras have an external mic jack | |||
| Slightly more highly reviewed by consumers | 83.93% | vs | 82.73% |
| Almost the same | |||
Advantages compared to the X-S1
| Much higher resolution | 15.9 MP | vs | 12 MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 30% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Create realistic 3D images | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create 3D photos to view on a 3D TV | |||
| Larger zoom range | 30x | vs | 26x |
| Around 20% larger zoom; Great for sports or nature when your subject is further away | |||
| Faster rapid fire | 11 fps | vs | 7 fps |
| Around 60% faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| More photos per charge | 600 | vs | 460 |
| 140 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| Shoots high speed video | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create slow motion video | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Significantly lighter | 687 g | vs | 920 g |
| Around 30% lighter | |||
| Smaller | 131 x 97 x 126 mm | vs | 135 x 107 x 149 mm |
| Around 30% smaller | |||
| Thinner | 126 mm | vs | 149 mm |
| Around 20% thinner | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Fujifilm X-S1 | Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 
|
| |
 | Rated by 25 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by B.-Eibisch (Jan, 2013) Rated 80% by by D.-Barry (Feb, 2012) | Rated by 75 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by pbp4Katie--pbp4katie (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by Arch-Stanton (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by stitchhappy (May, 2012) | |
iso
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)We wouldn't hesitate to use the X-S1 at ISO 100-800, and even ISO 1600 and 3200 are usable for smaller prints and the web, putting the X-S1 well ahead of all other super-zoom compacts.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 100% by by kandoro (Aug, 2012)The X-S1 also has a huge advantage in dynamic range and at ISO 400.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 100% by by kandoro (Aug, 2012)If the S100fs rated a 10 for IQ at ISO 100-200 the X-S1 would rate a 9.
sensor
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)Both JPEGs and RAW files are quickly committed to memory in single-shot mode with only the briefest pause between each one, which is a big reason for choosing the X-S1 over the HS20EXR (which suffers from slow RAW writing speeds).
Fujifilm X-S1 | by c|net (Jan, 2012)Incorporating the same 2/3-inch EXR CMOS sensor as its smaller sibling, the FinePix X10, the Fujifilm FinePix X-S1 brings a higher-end sensibility to the megazoom market-along with a hefty price and design.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)The X-S1 is built around the same 2/3inch EXR CMOS sensor as the Fuji X10.
slow motion
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)In addition to these "normal" movie modes, the X-S1 also offers several high-speed modes.
Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)In addition to regular movies the HS30 also offers a range of high-speed recording options including 640 x 480 at 80fps and 320 x 240 at 160fps.
Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2012)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.
video
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)Full 1080p movie recording with stereo sound is the icing on the cake, making the X-S1 a viable replacement for your video camera too.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)The Fujifilm X-S1 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 100% by by Raymond (Mar, 2013)S1 has the ability to take pictures with nice Bokeh effect with its Fuji lens, it has nice manual focus mode which helps in many low light situation either in picture mode or movie mode.
type
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)Fitted with a manually operated 26x optical zoom that offers between 24mm and 624mm (in 35mm terms) the X-S1 also benefits from lens-based Image Stabilisation technology and a generous range of exposure modes, including three EXR-specific modes that are able to take advantage of the sensor’s unique pixel arrangement.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)Building on the success of the HS10 and HS20 EXR super-zooms, the X-S1 is an altogether more serious proposition - bigger, heavier, sporting a better electronic viewfinder and image sensor, offering faster RAW processing, start-up, shutter-lag and focusing times - it really does fix the main issues that we had with the HS20 EXR.
Fujifilm X-S1 | Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Feb, 2012)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 X-S1 more beginner friendly, instantly recognising 10 basic scenes and then applying one of the three other EXR modes too.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Most detailed video recording mode |
 | 2 | Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR 6-way tie: Shoots high speed video |
 | 5 | Fujifilm FinePix HS25 EXR 5-way tie: Create realistic 3D images |
 | 8 | Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR Rated the best by consumers |
Popular Questions
Unanswered Questions
- 1 discussions
- View more
June 13, 2012
Which camera?
I'm looking to get a new digital camera for my birthday, and will have around £500 to spend. My previous camera is the HS10, so I was looking to upgrade to the new model. However, the X-S1 has I...
Visitor
0
Answers 