Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Digital Camera (OLD MODEL)

My primary interest is wildlife, and especially birds. So the long zoom is essential.The EXR 1/2" sensor is what sets this camera apart from other mega zoom cameras in this price range. Because of the way the pixels are arranged, it can take higher quality photos at 8 MP, rather than lower quality photos at 12 or 16 MP. Trust me, 8 MP is still plenty of resolution. It's the noise (especially false colors) that destroys a photo, not the resolution.The1/2" sensor is a little bigger than many other mega zoom cameras, but not as big as DSLR sensors. This means that the image quality is a little better than other cameras in this class. But since the size of the lens is directly proportional to the size of the sensor, the lens isn't a foot long. Also, image quality, especially at high ISO (sensitivity) is not as good as a DSLR. It's a good compromise of size and quality.EXR Hi ISO low noise (S/N) mode combines pixels to form "super pixels" to reduce noise . This adds a fuzzyness to the images when looked at up close. But this is less objectionable than noise.This mode does not allow digital zoom. But it does allow you to take "snapshot" photos in low light where others would fail.EXR Resolution Priority mode lets me set the ISO, and maintains a 16 MP picture and allows for digital zooming. This is my favorite EXR mode for long zooms in good light, especially where I might have to crop later.EXR Dynamic Range Priority splits the pixels in two, such that half of them fire at higher sensitivity and half at lower sensitivity, simultaneously . It then combined the two images to produce an 8 MP picture that brings out details in shadows while not washing out bright area of the picture. This mode disables flash, and overrides the ISO I set. But it does allow for digital zoom.EXR Auto not only selects one of the above EXR modes, but may also select a "scene" mode, such as beach, portrait, or landscape. It may also select a macro mode, or even the "Pro Low-Light" mode. It senses whether there is a face in the scene, or a moving subject, and adjusts accordingly.Pro Low Light is one of the "advanced" modes. It will take 4 frames in rapid succession and layer them to bring out detail and reduce noise. This is very impressive, but requires a still subject and a still hand (or tripod). Since it fires the shots at 11 frames/second, the overall exposure time is still only about 1/2 second, but that is still too much time for a moving subject. For example, it will take four shots at 1/8 second, f/5.6, and ISO 3200 to produce an OK image, where at ISO 400, and f/5.6, the shutter would be 2 seconds. 1/8 second is hand-holdable. 2 seconds is not.It is still a challenge to get a good crisp, image in very low light, but it is significantly better than hand held ISO 3200. It sometimes also produces a darker image, which makes sense since the camera knows that it is a dark scene.One of the characteristics of small sensor cameras like this is that they have an exceptionally deep depth of field. This means that the subject matter and the background are often both in focus. This can be a good thing, if that's what you're looking for, but some times, you want the background to be out of focus so that the subject "pops". Another advanced mode of the HS30 is called "Pro Focus Mode". This actually takes two photos. One with the subject (and often the background) in focus, and one with the background out of focus. It then merges the 2 photos to leave the background out of focus. I'm not sure how the camera chooses what is to remain in focus, and what is not, but so far, it has done a pretty good job.One of my favorite modes is called "Natural & Flash". This takes two photos in rapid succession. The first without the flash, and the second with the flash.ISO 200 has pretty good S/N and allows better speed than ISO 100. That's probably the best default, except for very bright conditions. ISO 400 starts introducing noise, but it really isn't that bad.The flash is surprisingly powerful, but depletes the battery. Buy extra batteries. It is also extremely fast. I have used the built in flash strobe to stop the the wings of a humming bird in flight.The battery charger that comes with the unit comes with a 3' cord, which is a bit cumbersome when traveling. I recommend buying batteries and a charger that plugs directly into the wallGenerally speaking, it selects a high ISO too often. I suspect because the most common complaint is picture blur caused by camera shake. But maybe I'm being too critical here. Noise in ISO 400 isn't that bad. I may be looking closer than I should. I haven't printed any hard copies yet for a side-by-side comparison.Another feature that sets this camera apart is the manual zoom ring on the lens barrel. This functions much like the zoom on a traditional SLR. It is much faster and precise than the typical lever and motorized zoom.The camera has two "intelligent digital zoom" levels 1.6X, and 2.0X. I find that the quality of the 1.6X digital zoom is excellent, and indistinguishable from the optical zoom alone. The 2.0X digital zoom does start to degrade image quality, but still very usable.It seems that none of the other flash manufacturers provide TTL flash units for Fuji. So if you want TTL you'll have to go with a Fuji Unit. They seem like good reasonably priced flashes, but they don't produce a ring flash.Manual Focus:The manual focus ring is my greatest disappointment with this camera, because it is not physically coupled to the focus mechanism, but rather a controller for the focus motor. This means there is a slight lag as you are focusing, resulting in over-shooting your intended focus point and having to back track. Also, at full zoom, it's hard to hold the camera still enough to see if the subject is in focus.Also, the focus "meter" shown on screen tells you if what it thinks should be in focus is in focus, not the focus distance. This is pretty much useless because I'm usually using manual focus because the camera doesn't know what to focus on in the first place (the branches in front of the bird, or the bird). It also doesn't tell you if you need to bring the focus in or out, so there is a lot of fidgeting.Since the focus ring is just free-spinning, there is no stop when you are focused on infinity or nearest focus. When looking through the viewfinder at a blurred image, you don't know whether you are focused in too far, or out too far, so you have to try spinning the ring in both directions until your subject is in focus, and once again the focus lag hinders this. While this system is superior to the typical point and shoot manual focus system (with a toggle lever), it could certainly be much better.Using the AE/AF lock button (below the movie button) to force an auto-focus even when in manual focus mode is very helpful, and makes up for the above shortcoming.This is a solid (ie relatively heavy) camera. Still lighter than a DSLR, but still a substantial weight. As such, the large grip with a protrusion for your thumb is very ergonomic, as are all the controls.

I haven't really had time to wear this one in, but here are my initial thoughts. Thus far this camera is amazing for what I paid. The price seems to have gone up since then but it's still an extraordinary deal. This approaches SLR quality yet is $2-300 cheaper than even a basic SLR. It should be noted though that this is basically the same camera as the Fujifilm FinePix HS25EXR except that that one takes AA batteries while this one has its own brand. Also, the SDHC Card on this one isn't located in the same compartment as the battery so every time you change the card the camera doesn't turn itself off. I really hate that space-saving feature on a lot of cameras these days.I'm coming onto this from a Fujifilm FinePix JZ300, which was nice except that I wore out the rubber on the zoom lens through overuse. I can tell I won't have that problem on this one since the lens doesn't move in and out every time I turn on the camera. In fact the zoom lens is adjusted mechanically by twisting it, a must for me since it allows for greater control and accuracy. This camera has a 30x lens which allows for incredible closeups. It's basically like having binoculars hooked up to the front of your camera. I was able to zoom in and make out a hawk in the distance that I just plain couldn't see with my own eyes. This incredible zoom just makes it all the more unforgivable that the camera has a plastic tripod screw. How on earth can you make a camera with a 30x zoom and not expect people to use it with a tripod?This isn't an SLR but it's close. The lens is built in and unchangeable, but it's good enough that only real pros would need a different one. It even has decent macro settings. The settings do take a little fiddling with to get them to work right. The manual isn't particularly helpful in this regard. But the automatic mode (EXR) is pretty basic to use and does a good job of determining the proper settings to take the best picture. Once you figure out how to use it manual mode works very well. Changing the aperture and the shutter speed is pretty simple and there is a manual focus dial that makes it quite easy to use. The ISO and aperture are adjusted though a dial next to the mode dial while the focus is on the lens itself. Only complaint here is that the viewscreen doesn't show you the picture you'll actually take but just the view out of the lens. That means it'll take a lot of practice to get good shots out of this. Fortunately it takes pictures really quick so you can try quite a lot of things in a short period of time.There are nine other modes to chose from but those are the only two I really bother with. Panorama mode is really cool when it works, which it usually doesn't. Having the gyroscope on is essential for this. It is rather more successful when recording a less than 360° view. I may get more use from this mode when I actually go somewhere worth getting a panoramic view of, but for now it's just a waste. I have a panoramic app on my iPhone that's a lot less finicky. Another mode takes 3d pics which seems cool but is just sort of gimmicky. Also there are two modes which are basically half of manual mode: one of which has auto aperture but manual shutter speed and the other mode has the inverse. Apart from these you're better off just sticking to automatic. Surprisingly the video mode isn't located on the dial but has its own dedicated button. This allows you to take photos while you're using the video camera. Pretty cool. It records in 1080p which is bluray quality video. It all looks pretty good. Only thing is that it only records video for 29 minutes at a time, so if you're thinking this can replace a dedicated video camera then you're gonna be disappointed. No I don't know why it won't record an even 30, it just doesn't.So, gidgets that I like about this camera: it has a gyroscope that helps you keep the camera level which is very useful for horizon shots. It flips vertically when you turn the camera on its side. There's an anti-blur feature which is useful but rarely seems to do much. It's a bit hard to tell whether it's working. Like all fujifilm cameras nowadays it features facial recognition software which works quite well unless there are multiple (or occasionally no) faces in shot. There are USB and HDMI outputs hidden under a panel in the side which are useful for displaying your photos over a TV or computer. The other side holds the memory card and the battery in two separate compartments. I've heard people have problem with the flash, but that hasn't happened to mine yet. It does need to be manually opened and one of the more annoying features of silent mode is that it turns the flash off too. It does feature a slot on the top for an external flash which may be useful as the built in one isn't very impressive. I like having a viewfinder that I can look down but I wish it stuck out since my nose keeps rubbing against the main viewscreen. There is a light sensor next to the viewfinder that determines whether you're looking through that or using the main screen. It tends to switch back and forth whenever you move your hand so I just set it to stick on one or the other. The viewscreen has a pretty awesome feature that lets you pop it out so that you can see it while holding the camera at an angle. This hasn't come in useful yet but I'm sure it'll come in handy later. If you ever need to shoot over something this feature will be a lifesaver. The camera comes with a reasonably good strap but not with a case (at least mine didn't). You're gonna want to get one as when you have the strap around your neck the camera knocks back and forth against its viewscreen.Most of the minor problems are pretty minor. There is no way to charge the battery without removing it or to plug the camera in and use it though a wall outlet. Some of the controls are hard to figure out. The zoom is so powerful that you can easily zoom too far and get blurry photos if you don't watch out. And as previously mentioned the tripod screw is made of plastic and will not last. But aside from that it's a really excellent device. I'll be updating this over time as I get a better feel for it's capabilities, but thus far I've had no problems. A good buy.

Camera was listed in condition as being "very good," but arrived with a fused-on Kenko filter ring, not disclosed at time of sale. The glass from the UV filter is missing, but the metal ring remains stuck on the lens. Previous attempts to remove it left visible wrench marks on the filter ring, which were not disclosed in the item description. This affects the ability to use lens caps or additional filters. Photos attached. Disappointed this was not mentioned before purchase.

After four years of use, I'm finally getting around to reviewing this. I really like this camera. I wanted a manual zoom so it wouldn't eat batteries moving the lens in and out like happened on motored zoom cameras I've had. I also wanted a viewfinder to deal with bright days that make it difficult to see the screen, and this viewfinder works well. It's not an optical viewfinder, but rather a projection of the screen into an eyepiece. The battery pack hangs in there for a long time and there are other brands of packs available so you don't have to pay Fujifilm prices for one with less amphours than the third party brands. It's a pain in the butt to carry it around especially as cellphone cameras get better, but its versatility makes it worth it.I've had one problem: it reported a "lens control error" after I dropped it. Turns out maybe the drop didn't necessarily cause it since other people have reported that message without having done anything like dropping it. An internet search finds a method to reset the camera that can often clear the message. It worked for me!