Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD

I've wanted a new camera for a long time. The last camera I purchased for myself was a Sony DSC-V1, a 5MP, 4X that was pretty impressive when it was new; but that was years ago. Of course, I lusted after DSLR's, but knew they were unaffordable for me. So recently, I decided to check out the "bridge" camera segment. My first object of interest was a Panasonic FZ35. It was well-enough reviewed, but I decided to keep looking. I really wanted a flash hot-shoe and manual zoom ring. These features led me to the Fujifilm S200EXR. It seemed to be "the one". Again, it was well-reviewed, but the challenge was to find one from a reputable dealer.While I was looking for one, I came across a mention of the HS10. But everybody knows that 30X lenses are full of compromises, right? Then, I saw a review on The Register's website ([...]), and decided to have a look. When I finished reading, my camera situation had changed. At least on paper, the HS10 appeared to be everything I was looking for, with a whopper lens, at an affordable price.With some reluctance I ordered the HS10, knowing that I could return it and order the S200EXR if I wanted to. I received it about a week and a half after ordering (free shipping), and happily dug into the camera. Two things impressed me immediately: the camera body and controls felt very well done, and of course the lens. Holy cow, what a lens! F5.6 at full zoom, with no barrel distortion that I could tell. And, the manual zoom ring is nice to use. Now, there have been some complaints in reviews about the zoom ring's placement, in relation to the onboard flash. It is true, the flash housing extends about halfway over the zoom ring. However, with a proper camera grip, your non-shooting hand will be supporting the camera body and lens from underneath. Therefore, you can zoom in and out unimpeded. And about the camera's "feel", it is much nicer than most entry level DSLR's. The body is glass-reinforced nylon, which feels very solid. And the controls all have a wonderful tactile feel. Trust me, I'm OCD about this. Even the Nikon D90 I played with doesn't have as nice a tactile feel.So far, I've used the camera just about every day since I've received it. So, here are more impressions, both good and bad:* You can't run out of zoom. I haven't encountered a single situation where I thought, "If I just had a little more..." However, auto-focus performance isn't great at the long end of the lens. YMMV.* A flash hot-shoe is good, but the HS10 communicates with it at a fairly primitive level. Then again, my flash is quite old, so a modern flash may integrate better than mine does.* The controls are about as logical as they can be. Nothing has stood out to me as being poorly-placed. The level of control over the camera is exceptional; people used to DSLR's will not be underwhelmed, but novices can put it in auto and they won't be overwhelmed.* Connectivity is good, but I hate proprietary USB plugs. What's wrong with Mini USB? And, the supplied cord is staggeringly short. Come on, Fuji, give us a better cord.* AA batteries are good. They're far more useful to me than proprietary batteries, even if they last longer. I don't worry about having to replace an unobtanium battery, and Sanyo Eneloop AA cells work extremely well.* The 3" display is nice. I understand the Nikon P100 has far higher resolution on its screen, but the HS10's is adequate. Not great, but adequate. The tilt feature is really nice to have, and the screen is useable in bright sunlight, as long as you position it correctly. The viewfinder is reminiscent of one on an old video camera I have, which isn't saying much. An eyecup would be really nice, but every additional doodad would push the cost of the camera up.* The camera's speed is more P&S than DSLR. I haven't tried all the permutations of auto-focus functionality, but Single AF doesn't seem to be as fast as the competition. And, shot-to-shot times are not great. (Putting the camera into Continuous AF should speed things up, but also drains the batteries faster.) And, manual focus has been pretty much useless so far. Maybe I'm missing something.* The high-speed shooting modes are pretty neat, but somewhat difficult to master. I've gotten amazing results, but far more duds, at least so far. As I get more familiar with everything, the consistency of good shots should increase.* Now, about image quality: So far, I've just shot in JPEG, and have not tried RAW. There is natural artifacting in JPEG, because of the compression. Also understand, a camera can not *improve* a subject, just detract from it. So the goal is to give as exact a representation of the subject as possible. That being said, this camera does well at "getting out of the way" of the image. It's focus and exposure have been dead on, for the most part. And the lens has not detracted from image quality, at least that I can tell. I can't discern any distortion or color deviation at any focal length. That's a remarkable achievement for such an ambitious lens. At full image resolution there is a little mottling of detail, but that may be a result of JPEG compression. But, I have taken shots that still show good detail at full size. Again, YMMV.In conclusion, this camera should not be confused with a DSLR in terms of overall image quality. The sensor is very nice, but very small. This, to me, is probably my biggest gripe with the camera. However, to use a larger sensor would dramatically raise the cost of manufacturing, and the end user price. To achieve the same level of zoom (range and quality) with a DSLR body and sensor you would have to purchase a thousand-dollar lens, give or take. So, compromises are inevitable. But I think Fuji has wrung a LOT of performance out of a small sensor, and has succeeded in producing a very capable camera for all but the most demanding users. I am very satisfied, and am looking forward to many years of enjoyment from this camera.

PROSFull manual controlSensible and usable scene modesSweep panoramasTilting LCDRAW captureVery good dynamic rangeManual zoomTremendous focal rangeMinimal lens distortionNear-nonexistent chromatic aberrationsEVF/LCD auto switchHi-def, stereo moviesGood low-light performanceCONSAutofocus not always accurateLens flare and haloing sometimes a problemFrustrating macrosSlow shot-to-shot times, especially RAWJerky video zoomLCD hard to see in bright lightPathetic electronic viewfinderDynamic Range setting limited to higher ISOsLarge movie filesNo printed advanced manualI'm a semi-professional photographer who shoots most often in manual mode, and I purchased the HS10 primarily for outdoor stills. There are a couple of grandkids that preempt scenic beauty, though, so I have some experience shooting people, as well.I've had the HS10 for five months now, and it's been a love-hate relationship every step of the way. The HS10 is not as fun to use as some others I've owned, but for its convenience factor and image quality alone, the compromises are worth it. I simply cannot always use my D-SLR in the desert. This camera takes the best pictures of any ultrazoom I've used, and that's what it's all about, isn't it? Getting great pictures.Admittedly, if I were to put the camera down when I hit a snag and headed for my laptop to read the advanced manual, I'd probably be much more at ease with the HS10. But there's the rub--when I'm outdoors shooting, the laptop's not within reach. So, despite having shot several thousand photos with it, I know I'm still not using this camera to its fullest potential. Even when I do have my laptop handy, to my tastes the PDF format is an unsatisfactory way to study camera settings.When the HS10 delivers, it knocks it all the way out of the park. I'm very, very pleased with the landscapes I've taken--in bright light, low light, contrasty light or muted light. Colors are pretty faithful, contrast is excellent, and images are clear, both corner-to-corner and edge-to-edge. At the shortest focal length, photos are razor sharp, and at the long end of the zoom, they're nice and clear to just shy of the 30X limit. And the colored fringing that plagued my Canon PowerShot S and SX series models is practically nonexistent. So are lens distortions (that is, unless you shoot RAW only--then you see pretty quickly how well the camera processes JPEGs, eliminating those nasty little niggles).Portraits are less great, and macro photography is something I've almost given up on. It's not that the camera can't handle people--it just can't figure out what to do about their skin! And in macro mode, unless the background is practically a featureless plane, that's where the camera tends to focus. No matter how obvious the subject might seem to the eye.I've not used the various Scene modes very frequently and some of the more gimmicky features not at all. But the times I've ventured outside PASM, I've been quite pleased with the results. Given its own head, this camera knows what to do.White balance is sort of a squirrelly proposition. For the first time in years I find that the auto WB setting is often the best selection. Not always...it's a good idea to run through the options every time the light changes, because what worked before just might not be the best from another angle. Indoors is the trickiest--there really isn't a setting that faithfully reproduces colors under artificial lighting. However, it's not that far off the mark, and, overall, indoor shots are quite pleasing.If you're a pixel peeper, you'll discover that at about 50% magnification noise and artifacts show up in the images, even at the lowest ISOs. At 100% magnification it's pretty much a mine field. However, viewed at lower magnifications, images are crisp and natural looking. It's a rare incident that I need a photo printed at 100% magnification or even 33%.The LCD is very difficult to see outdoors, and the EVF is at best mediocre--distorted and full of rainbows and haloing. And that's why the HS10 is less fun to use than previous cameras I've owned. Because most of my shooting is done outside, I too frequently find viewing the subject a struggle. However, that tilting LCD is mighty handy for overhead and low-level shots, and I really have enjoyed the feature that automatically switches the LCD off and the EVF on as I raise the camera to my eye.As others have mentioned in their reviews, the resolution of the LCD is too low for the manual focus feature to be of much benefit. But it's better than nothing at all when you're on your knees trying to get the dandelion in focus and not the grass behind it.I've grabbed some nice video clips with the HS10; there's some jerking as the lens zooms, and there's sometimes a jello effect, but the camera autofocuses quickly on its subject(s) and tracks well. There ARE better hybrid camera options for videos. My husband has a Nikon P100 that videos circles around my HS10--but my camera takes much better stills, and that's exactly what I bought it for.Not a single shooting session goes by that at some point I don't hiss, "I'm selling this and getting something I can use!" And not a single session goes by that I don't exult, "What is a GREAT camera!" Go figure.Hey, I've still got it. It's the one that I grab the most. And I reckon that pretty much tells the tale.