HS20 best value?

[romphotog]

I have narrowed down large zoom to these:

Fuji Film FinePix:
HS20EXR 16 MP - $329.88
Specs:
Lens: Fujinon 30x Optical zoom lens
Focal Length: f = 4.2 - 126mm, equivalent to 24-720mm on a 35mm camera
Movie Recording: Up to 1920 x 1080 pixels
Flash: Built-in, Hot Shoe
Power: 4 x AA Alkaline Batteries

or

S3200
Sugg. retail price: $249.99
3.0-inch Large LCD
Specifications
Image sensor: 1/2.3-inch CCD with primary color filter
Number of effective pixels: 14.0 million pixels
Lens: Fujinon 24x optical zoom lens
Focal Length: f = 4.3 - 103.2mm, equivalent to 24 - 576mm on a 35mm camera
Video Movie Capture 1280x720

or

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Total Price: $399.99
Specifications
Type: 12.1 Megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor
Focal Length: 4.3 (W) - 150.5mm (T) (35mm film equivalent: 24 (W) - 840mm (T))
Zoom: 35x Optical Zoom
LCD Monitor: 2.7-inch TFT Vari-angle LCD 230K dots, 100% coverage
Power: Rechargeable Battery NB-10L
Video Movie Capture 1920x1080

[bigger zoom, but 4mp less than HS20, smaller LCD but tilts]

or

Kodak EASYSHARE Z990
Total Price: $243.88
Video Movie Capture 1920x1080
Optical Zoom 30x (35 mm equivalent: 28-840 mm)
Megapixels 12.0
LCD Viewer 3 Inch

[same MPs and zoom at end as SX40, but not as wide; costs much less, no flash hot shoe]

For same price I'd rather buy the Z990 than the S3200 for its much bigger zoom;
The HS20 beats the Canon SX40 by price and more MPs.
Thus, it's between the Z990 and the HS20.

 

[PAUL TILL]

The only two worth considering among those are the HS20 and SX40. The canon feels like a £50 toy but the IQ is OK the HS20 feels better made and in theory should have the best IQ.

It looks like Kodak are going down the tubes so I would steer clear of that one.

Paul.

 

[Labe]

I'm with Paul Till on this one. The canon is better on the long end, but the fuji has a lot going for it . I choose the hs20 myself over the canon as i prefare the manual zoom and the EXR DR mode help make up for the limitations of the small sensor. Cheers Paul UK
--
new to technology,always learning

 

[Lee Altman]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

So you'll have the ability to have power anywhere! Even if you left your gharger at home!

Lee

 

[PAUL TILL]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

So you'll have the ability to have power anywhere! Even if you left your gharger at home!

I've never understood the logic of AA's being better than Li-on battery's. You know how many shots you get from a battery so you buy spares to cover a full days shooting. I've never been left with no power from any of my cameras.

Paul.

 

[edu T]

FWIW, Fuji are quietly phasing out the HS20 -- it's no longer listed in their global site (superzoom page, http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/ ). Looks like a very good deal, though -- Amazon (US) prices as of today, HS20: $308.19; HS25 (pre-order): $399.95; HS30 (pre-order): $499.95.

Curiously, the HS20 was announced exactly one year before their successors ( http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/1/5/fujifilmhs20exr#press ). At a MSRP of $500.

 

[alexisgreat]

That is all.
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[alexisgreat]

It gives you freedom from proprietary batteries. The dirty little secret of the camera industry is when the manufacturer phases out these proprietary batteries then what.....

They also have a decreased lifetime even if you have extra spares you dont use.
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[romphotog]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

So you'll have the ability to have power anywhere! Even if you left your gharger at home!

Nope, the Kodak has AA also.

"The camera takes 4x AA batteries which are included in the box along with a charger."

 

[alexisgreat]

Kodak is probably the only one that ships with rechargeable batteries lol. Same as back when I bought my first digital camera, in 2000, which was a 2 MP 3x zoom Kodak.
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[rattymouse]

It gives you freedom from proprietary batteries. The dirty little secret of the camera industry is when the manufacturer phases out these proprietary batteries then what.....

There are countless 3rd party battery makers that pick up the slack. What camera that people want to use today is without batteries?

They also have a decreased lifetime even if you have extra spares you dont use.

My 7 year old Canon lithium's are just fine.

--

http://fujifilmimages.aminus3.com/

 

[MarTay6]

I first bought/tried/returned a Canon SX-40 before buying my Fujifilm HS-20... I did not like the fit/finish/feel of the Canon at all. I much prefer the Fuji build quality.
Wes

 

[alexisgreat]

The problem is Ratty, some of these third party batteries dont have anywhere near the power of the originals. I therefore get AA battery grips or AC adapters for all my cameras.

Your Canon Lithium must be like my Olympus BLM-01, if the batteries have a very high capacity to begin with, it takes a lot longer for them to fully drain.
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[vbhr]

The Fuji is almost DSLR-like in size, but it is built like an entry DSLR as well, not like an overgrown plastic compact. I chose it over the Canon (I bought both at first) - more versatile and usable IMO despite the shorter reach, and despite the fact that even the addition of EXR still delivers what are definitively 'compact camera' pictures, EXR isn't BS for the most part and I found the Fuji a general pleasure to use. Good shooting time with Eneloops too. EVF could be better but hey, it costs what it costs.

RAW is not an advantage BTW - it is uselessly glacial in writing them.

Ultimately and sadly, because there was a LOT I liked about the HS20, I discovered I'm too much of a pixel-peeper - APS-C or bust for me for anything other than a (near) pocketable - although I hear the call of the XS-1 as well.

I might yet break down when they start getting discounted in a year or so

 

[alexisgreat]

Ive seen reviews where people who had the Canon SX40 and the Fuji HS20 complained that the pictures seemed more watercolor-like with the Fuji..... did you guys find this to be the case, when comparing the Canon with the Fuji? They even said this when they compared the Canon to the Nikon P500 or Sony HX100V. But I saw at least one admission of a reviewer saying he only used the Fuji in AUTO mode because he didnt want to mess with settings. I gather he should have turned NR down and set it to EXR HR? In the images posted, there was loss of detail in foliage (it looked mushy) and blocky patterns in the sky. I'll try to find the site.
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[alexisgreat]

Image quality comparison between Canon SX40 and Nikon P500

http://ps4land.lightshedder.com/2011/10/10/canon-sx40hs-vs-nikon-p500-feature-fight-and-iq/

Click the images to see full resolution

Comparison between Nikon P500 and Fuji HS20

http://ps4land.lightshedder.com/2011/05/23/nikon-coolpix-p500-fuji-hs20-vs-canon-sx20is/

Here is the Cameralabs review that talks about the Canon SX40 tendency to overexposure and blow highlights:

--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

 

[Midwest]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

For me that would rule it out. Thankfully the HS30 will finally use a lith ion battery.

 

[Midwest]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

So you'll have the ability to have power anywhere! Even if you left your gharger at home!

I've never understood the logic of AA's being better than Li-on battery's. You know how many shots you get from a battery so you buy spares to cover a full days shooting. I've never been left with no power from any of my cameras.

The common wisdom that 'you can always get AA's in case of an emergency' escapes me, because when I got rid of my AA powered cameras I stopped having battery emergencies.

 

[Midwest]

It gives you freedom from proprietary batteries. The dirty little secret of the camera industry is when the manufacturer phases out these proprietary batteries then what.....

Will anyone please post about a camera they want to use and can't get a battery for anymore? I question whether this is anything but a red herring.

They also have a decreased lifetime even if you have extra spares you dont use.

I sold my FZ50 a year ago, 3 1/2 years old, and still doing fine with the original supplied battery and charger and one (1) aftermarket backup battery. My total cost for batteries and chargers was $9. I was more than satisfied with the life of the lith ion batteries, especially when compared to AA's.

 

[Midwest]

Of all the listed cameras....
Only the HS20 uses "AA's"

So you'll have the ability to have power anywhere! Even if you left your gharger at home!

Nope, the Kodak has AA also.

"The camera takes 4x AA batteries which are included in the box along with a charger."

And a pair of high-button shoes.