Fujifilm X-S20 review: mid-range marvel?

5 days ago 26

Early Verdict

The Fujifilm X-S20 simplifies stills photography and video contented instauration with a big of car shooting modes that see a dedicated vlogging mode, automatic country detection, and improved taxable tracking. It besides ups the video ante by offering 6K/30p 4:2:2 10-bit interior recording. Then there's the bigger battery, positive everything that made the X-S10 specified a large all-rounder. It's a shame that these updates person warranted a steep terms hike implicit that camera, which makes the X-S20 a hard merchantability erstwhile the older exemplary is inactive excellent.

Pros

  • +

    Super-impressive video features

  • +

    Excellent handling for beginners

  • +

    Bigger artillery capacity

Cons

  • -

    Pricey

  • -

    Still nary upwind proofing

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The Fujifilm X-S20 takes connected the mantle from the X-S10 arsenic Fujifilm's mid-range mirrorless camera. If you're adjacent remotely acquainted with however to usage a camera, the X-S20 is casual to use, portion besides offering features to support much precocious users happy. 

Like the Fujifilm X-S10, the caller camera is simply a precise susceptible all-rounder, but the Japanese camera shaper has added immoderate caller features that marque the X-S20 consciousness much targeted towards entry-level users. There’s a dedicated Vlogging mode to simplify contented creation, and caller features person been added to the Auto photography mode that marque taking pictures adjacent easier.

But if the people assemblage for the Fujifilm X-S20 is, indeed, beginner photographers and contented creators, past the terms mightiness beryllium a sticking point, peculiarly since the X-S10 is inactive an fantabulous camera, and tin beryllium had for a batch less, adjacent astatine afloat price. The X-S20 has large shoes to capable if it's besides going to fertile arsenic 1 of our best cameras for beginners

Fujifilm X-S20 camera beforehand   with 8mm F3.5 lens attached

(Image credit: Future)

Fujifilm X-S20: merchandise day and price

  • Announced May 24 2023
  • Available to bargain from June 2023
  • Body-only price: $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,349

Fujifilm announced the Fujifilm X-S20 astatine the X Summit held successful Bangkok connected May 24, alongside a caller wide-angle lens, the XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR. Both volition beryllium disposable from June 2023 astir the world.

The camera assemblage volition acceptable you backmost $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,349, portion a single-lens kit with the XC 15-45mm costs $1,399 / £1,349 / AU$2,499. 

That’s a beauteous steep terms hike implicit the Fujifilm X-S10 which launched with a precise tenable body-only terms of $999 / £949 / AU$1,699 successful 2020. Admittedly, determination are a full clump of caller features present that arguably warrant the terms hike, but if you don’t needfully request those features – which see treble the artillery capableness – past the X-S10 looks to beryllium the much economical enactment for those looking for a precise susceptible mirrorless camera.

The Fujifilm X-S20 assemblage  lasting  beside a kit lens

(Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)

Fujifilm X-S20: design

  • Physically identical to the Fujifilm X-S10
  • No upwind sealing
  • Bigger battery

The Fujifilm X-S10 had a chunky grip and a truly well-balanced body, and that's been inherited by the X-S20, which I'm each for. It sits precise comfortably successful the hand, particularly for those with tiny mitts, and the fastener placements are conscionable right.

Unlike the quintessential lots-of-dials Fujifilm design, the X-S bid offers much simplified controls connected the apical plate. This should marque it casual for radical who are conscionable opening their photography oregon videography travel to get to grips with a comparatively precocious camera.

The lone alteration connected the apical sheet is connected the main PASM dial, with the Scene Position (SP) mode connected the X-S10 replaced by a dedicated Vlog mode connected the X-S20. 

The caller camera remains compact, and weighs successful astatine conscionable 491g – that's 26g much than the X-S10, with the added value coming from the physically larger and higher-battery capacity. The X-S20 gets the NP-W235 artillery battalion that's utilized successful Fujifilm's medium-format cameras and which efficaciously doubles the changeable beingness to astir 800 (from 325 connected the X-S10) connected a afloat charge.

Fujifilm X-S20 camera beforehand   with 8mm F3.5 lens attached

(Image credit: Future)

Those insignificant changes aside, the plan of the X-S20 is mostly identical to that of the X-S20 – and, disappointingly, fixed the terms increase, that includes the deficiency of upwind sealing. There's the aforesaid 2.36 million-dot viewfinder with a magnification of 0.62x, and the aforesaid 3-inch 1.84 million-dot afloat articulating touchscreen.

As connected the X-S10, alternatively of the D-pad controls recovered connected Fujifilm's X-T cameras determination are conscionable 3 buttons beside the show and 4 on the top, each intelligibly labeled. The joystick controller offers bully feedback erstwhile you usage it to determination the absorption constituent oregon navigate the paper system.

Bolstering the dedicated Vlog and Movie modes are a 3.5mm audio input jack for attaching outer mics, and a micro HDMI larboard for video seizure to an outer recorder – although, arsenic mentioned, there's nary upwind sealing, truthful you'll request to beryllium cautious erstwhile shooting successful inclement conditions outdoors.

Fujifilm X-S20 camera closeup of shooting mode   dial

(Image credit: Future)

A USB-C cablegram connects the camera to a PC for record transfer, and tin beryllium utilized to complaint the artillery in-camera.

The X-S20 handles remarkably well, adjacent with a agelong lens attached. As a comparatively petite idiosyncratic with tiny hands, I recovered it comfy adjacent to usage the camera single-handed for immoderate inactive shots, though I didn't rather spot myself oregon the camera's IBIS for dependable video seizure with 1 hand.

Fujifilm X-S20: features and performance

  • New Vlog mode
  • Easy Auto shooting features with amended taxable tracking
  • Proven sensor and amended IBIS

While things stay much oregon little the aforesaid connected the outside, a batch has changed connected the wrong to marque the X-S20 a worthy upgrade for immoderate – if you tin spare the cash.

The caller camera inherits the aforesaid 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor that's utilized successful the X-S10 and the Fujifilm X-T4, truthful we already cognize however good it tin perform, and velocity and show are improved courtesy of Fujifilm's latest-generation imaging engine, the X-Processor 5, which besides makes the X-S20 a small little power-hungry.

To marque the X-S20 adjacent much beginner-friendly, Fujifilm has improved the Auto shooting mode, which tin present automatically prime an due country mounting depending connected what you're shooting – I photographed a riverside scene, and the camera made the colors successful the images much vivid. The Auto mode tin besides present automatically observe a taxable and way it, which is peculiarly useful for animals and video capture.

Subject-tracking autofocus tin admit people, animals (including birds and insects), cars, motorbikes, airplanes, trains, and adjacent drones.

Fujifilm X-S20 camera with surface  flipped retired  successful  vlog mode

(Image credit: Future)

The dedicated Vlog mode is different ease-of-use improvement. Content creators utilizing this mode person features similar Product Priority and Background Defocus options disposable astatine a pat of a button, truthful they tin get their videos looking the mode they privation without having to deliberation astir however to bash this.

Fujifilm has besides improved the in-body stabilization, upping the compensation from 6.5 stops successful the X-S10 to 7 stops, for amended results erstwhile shooting video and low-light stills.

Fujifilm X-S20: representation and video quality

  • 6K 'open gate' video and Full HD 240p dilatory motion
  • Same 26MP APS-C sensor arsenic X-S10
  • 19 colour profiles, positive filter effects

Further similarities betwixt the X-S20 and the X-S10 see Fujifilm's plethora of colour profiles – Fujifilm calls these Film Simulation modes – and filter effects. With Film Simulations specified arsenic the divine Fujifilm Acros and Nostalgic Neg conscionable a scroll of the top-left dial away, the process of applying effects is beginner-friendly, and I recovered myself playing astir with antithetic looks much regularly than usual.

Black and achromatic  photograph  of cactus and sunny sky

(Image credit: Future)

You tin easy find a illustration to follow for assorted scenarios – I emotion Fujifilm Acros for agleam sunny weather, for example. The filters person a dedicated spot connected the mode dial, portion the Film Simulation modes – which are disposable for each shooting mode, including video – tin beryllium recovered successful the Quick Menu (Q button) connected the apical plate. You tin spot what immoderate of those filters and Film Simulations look similar successful the representation galleries.

Auto mode taxable tracking was a small deed and miss for maine portion trying to seizure a brace of dogs playing, but the car detection of scenes works similar a charm.

A tiny  riverside boathouse

Shot successful Classic Chrome Film Simulation (Image credit: Future)

Portrait successful  the prima   with water  backdrop

(Image credit: Future)

Video seizure has gone up a mates of notches connected the Fujifilm X-S20, and what's connected connection present is adjacent to overkill for a camera astatine this level, with 6K open-gate 10-bit 4:2:2 video, positive options to sprout successful ProRes RAW. 

Conversely, the Vlog mode makes it casual for little experienced users to get to grips with video capture. Image stabilization for movies is good, but connected windy days and erstwhile shooting with a agelong lens a tripod is inactive a must.

Fujifilm X-S20 aboriginal verdict

The Fujifilm X-S20 simplifies some stills photography and video contented creation. To bash this, the institution has added a dedicated Vlogging mode to the apical dial, improved Auto shooting by adding automatic country detection and amended taxable tracking, and upped the video ante by offering 6K/30p 4:2:2 10-bit interior recording. It besides gets a bigger battery, positive everything that made the X-S10 a large all-rounder. However, these updates person warranted a steep terms hike implicit its predecessor, which makes it a hard merchantability erstwhile the older exemplary is inactive excellent.

Tim is the Cameras exertion astatine TechRadar. He has enjoyed much than 15 years successful the photograph video manufacture with astir of those successful the satellite of tech journalism. During his clip arsenic Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, arsenic a freelancer and consequently exertion astatine Tech Radar, Tim has developed a profoundly method cognition and applicable acquisition with cameras, educating others done news, reviews and features. He’s besides worked successful video accumulation for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare clip to consult a non-profit, divers stories squad based successful Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and mean level achromatic drinker who has lived successful Kenya and believes we person overmuch to bask and larn from each other. 

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