HS30 snaps

Well, I succumbed and took advantage of QVC's offer - £90 quid a month for four months for the HS30 with case, lead and SD card.

Here are a few photos from the weekend. Didn't have much time, so just took a few quick photos (a couple with the raynox 150) to see how the HS30 performed.

I'm no empirical analyst, so if you're looking for rigorous data analysis, then this isn't the place! However, if you want to see how the HS30 does with a few snaps down the local woods, then I offer these photos for your perusal.

I'm afraid I don't do requests (just don't have the time), but I'm happy to answer questions whenever I pop in.

Yes, the EVF's a big improvement on the HS20 (which I no longer have, so no comparisons, sorry!), and the startup time and focusing is appreciably quicker. I've taken about 400 photos so far, and the battery indicator's still at 3 bars.

SOOC, M size, NR low, sharpening mid, A priority:

Lookin' pretty darn good, my friend. Glad you gave it a whirl. Start-up time never really bothered me on the '20, but focus speed drove me batty. Any feelings about the comparative IQ?
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Tim

Thanks! My subjective view is that there appears to be a smidge more detail than the 20, but not a drastic amount. Colur is good as always, although I still think the HS10's colour is hard to beat.

I loved the AA batteries on the 20, but I'm so far quite reassured about the proprietary battery supplied. We'll see how that goes.

Andrew

Lovely colours Andrew, the lighting on the tree & Squiz shots too ...... you may want to set the NR to low as per HS20, the detail flooded out of that when set Low compared to the meltdown of standard ..

Is the IS any better on the 30, that's what drove me to sell the 20.

--
A Problem is only the pessimistic way of looking at a challenge

Thanks Adam, yes NR was set to low, it was the first setting I changed!

Re IS - Seems just about the same as the HS20, which I found OK.

Andrew

aig said:

Re IS - Seems just about the same as the HS20, which I found OK.

Click to expand...

I found like others that it needed 400th sec or more at full zoom, I'm more a "swayer" than a "twitcher" so sensor IS doesn't work well for me and the HS20's sensor IS wasn't even up to Olympus SP590 standards , I can hold an S100FS (Tamron VC) at 40th-60th sec at full zoom , same for the Canon SX30 at 840mm (60th to 90th sec) ..... I guess we're all different.

--
A Problem is only the pessimistic way of looking at a challenge

Just hearing you say that summons uncomfortable memories...

The HS30's EVF is an undebatable advantage and early judgments of focus speed indicates the key element may be superior, as well.

Yet I'm still undecided as to whether to spend an extra $200 (USD) for the 30 or give the 20 (with generous return privilege) another go. Money aside, though, it's tough to make an argument against the 30.

AdamT said:

I found like others that it needed 400th sec or more at full zoom,

Click to expand...

--
Tim

Hey bro..From what I am seeing the HS30 is just a tad short of the HS20 re outright IQ even if it has better AF speed and a better EVF. For me that's a big issue (but I will have to see a HS30 shot I took myself to see if the IQ truly has lost a step). The thing that killed me with the HS20 was that the generally good IQ was mucked up by some sort of grainy look to the images on close cropping.

Sooooooo...IF ..the HS30's IQ truly is a slight step shy of the HS20's would not that put you off buying it ?

Thanks aig for posting these shots as they give us more to add to the pool of HS30 shots to see how the cameras is doing ..
All the best
g

--
http://skylightvistas.weebly.com/index.html

Hey, G

Right. I could live with the perception of equal/equivalent IQ plus EVF and focus pluses in the '30, but not a noticeable step back.

A recent event brought back an ugly memory. Fading light and I desperately wanted a quick shot of the dog. The only cam available in that split moment was, of all things, the Panny FZ18. But that was OK, because in the mere seconds I had to get the shot, I knew it required nothing more than compose and click. And, indeed, that's all it took for a perfectly acceptable capture. And, sorry to say, that's exactly what could never have happened with my HS20. The camera (almost) always got in the way. And that, ultimately, was its fatal flaw.

painterdude said:

Sooooooo...IF ..the HS30's IQ truly is a slight step shy of the HS20's would not that put you off buying it ?

Thanks aig for posting these shots as they give us more to add to the pool of HS30 shots to see how the cameras is doing ..
All the best
g

--
http://skylightvistas.weebly.com/index.html

Click to expand...

--
Tim

humm..maybe for you I am seeing ( said yoda) a DSLR . Sitting on the fence you are.
Warm is the water . In you should leap... Tim.

Meanwhile back in the my whirl pool of crazy thinking ...

as for me and my house..I am reeeeeeeeeeeealy looking away from bridges altogether. My time in Los Vegas with just my D90 and the 18-105 ..was a deadly experience. I never realized how insanely good/ fast and convenient that lens/ cam combo was. The IQ blew away my S200EXR ..completely.

The only niggler is the D90 really needs to be shot carefully or in RAW, as it loves to blow highlights. That said your dog shot would have been 2X as good with that combo Note toTim ..you need to get a DSLR.

Personally I am now thinking lighter ..even more convient ..and I

can't help myself..That tre cool NEX7 with a Sony 18-200 combo....humm that has a lot going fer it as a one stop all rounder...Now there is just one small hurdle ..how to break it to the universe organizer..lol
g

--
http://skylightvistas.weebly.com/index.html

Gorgeous series and good details on the feather and fur considering they are under shade.

Do you have pets around? I know you said you cannot take request but a snap of your kitty or doggy in low-light will do like this.



That's ISO-3200 from HS30. Some focus problem here but you can see the detail of the fur (middle-right).

Here is the EXIF:

Camera Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR
Exposure 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture f/3.6
Focal Length 9.3 mm
ISO Speed 3200
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemccaffrey/6999781777/in/photostream/

-=[ Joms ]=-

jcmarfilph said:

Gorgeous series and good details on the feather and fur considering they are under shade.

Do you have pets around? I know you said you cannot take request but a snap of your kitty or doggy in low-light will do like this.



That's ISO-3200 from HS30. Some focus problem here but you can see the detail of the fur (middle-right).

Here is the EXIF:

Camera Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR
Exposure 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture f/3.6
Focal Length 9.3 mm
ISO Speed 3200
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemccaffrey/6999781777/in/photostream/

-=[ Joms ]=-

Click to expand...

Hey jcmarfilph,

That's a very good pic given the high ISO situation(3200)! Congrats mate!
--
Marco
SONY SLT A55
NIKON P 6000
CANON A80
Photography it's all about...Art & Science
http://marcoimages.blogspot.com/

PORTRAIT said:

jcmarfilph said:

Gorgeous series and good details on the feather and fur considering they are under shade.

Do you have pets around? I know you said you cannot take request but a snap of your kitty or doggy in low-light will do like this.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6233/6999781777_26d888d14e_o.jpg

That's ISO-3200 from HS30. Some focus problem here but you can see the detail of the fur (middle-right).

Here is the EXIF:

Camera Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR
Exposure 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture f/3.6
Focal Length 9.3 mm
ISO Speed 3200
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemccaffrey/6999781777/in/photostream/

-=[ Joms ]=-

Click to expand...

Hey jcmarfilph,

That's a very good pic given the high ISO situation(3200)! Congrats mate!
--

Click to expand...

Thanks but that wasn't mine. I provided the source link but here it is again

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemccaffrey/6999781777/in/photostream/

PORTRAIT said:

Marco
SONY SLT A55
NIKON P 6000
CANON A80
Photography it's all about...Art & Science
http://marcoimages.blogspot.com/

Click to expand...

--
-=[ Joms ]=-

Any idea on NR, Sharpening and Intelligent Sharpening settings?
--
http://Alex_the_GREAT.photoshop.com

andrew, thanks for the originals! Some really nice pics here.

Thanks all.

Having read another thread, I think the next time I venture out (when work allows!), I'll bump up the sharpening to Hard (NOT the new-fangled Intelligent Sharpness, just the bog-standard setting). It would appear that, combined with low NR, the HS30 could produce better results.

Andrew

Yoda is divining just where I...went.

First came a D50, sold because it couldn't keep up with the Fuji S5200 indoors and was just kinda blah outside. Couple years later, a D60 two-lens(VR) combo. Uninspiring, a lens-changing chore, it sat in the closet while an FZ18 got all the use. Sold to the local newspaper.

Next up, a DPR low-light darling: the K-X (a 2-lens combo). Possibly defective, it lasted half a day before being sent back. Canon weighed in next with the 30D (an anvil with an aperture) and an XSi combo -- the most promising of the whole litter, the best low-light shooter, but not versatile enough and too much dough to avoid what would have been its ultimate fate -- taking up space in a closet.

Sometimes the past is prologue, sometimes it's just "been there..." Meanwhile, the FZ18 endures. The antidote to progress?

The one DSLR I haven't tried -- and won't try unfortunately -- is maybe any decent one with a lens of such speed and range that I'd need a second mortgage. And even then, if it couldn't switch from extreme tele to macro, it would likely end up being a visitor, like its predecessors.

Obviously, this is all fertile ground for any number of un-flattering analyses. But leaving the tempting turf of abnormal psych aside, I think my "sweet spot" lies somewhere in the HS20-30 range. Whichever won't forever get between me and the picture I want to take.

Sometimes, doing anything is better than stewing while doing nothing. Which leads me to think I'll probably give the HS30 a whirl in the next couple days. Hopefully, opinion about it with become more definitive, and unified, during that time.

Thanks for listening, G! I'm trying...some would say I'm really trying.

painterdude said:

humm..maybe for you I am seeing ( said yoda) a DSLR . Sitting on the fence you are.
Warm is the water . In you should leap... Tim.

Meanwhile back in the my whirl pool of crazy thinking ...

as for me and my house..I am reeeeeeeeeeeealy looking away from bridges altogether. My time in Los Vegas with just my D90 and the 18-105 ..was a deadly experience. I never realized how insanely good/ fast and convenient that lens/ cam combo was. The IQ blew away my S200EXR ..completely.

The only niggler is the D90 really needs to be shot carefully or in RAW, as it loves to blow highlights. That said your dog shot would have been 2X as good with that combo Note toTim ..you need to get a DSLR.

Personally I am now thinking lighter ..even more convient ..and I

can't help myself..That tre cool NEX7 with a Sony 18-200 combo....humm that has a lot going fer it as a one stop all rounder...Now there is just one small hurdle ..how to break it to the universe organizer..lol
g

--
http://skylightvistas.weebly.com/index.html

Click to expand...

--
Tim

jcmarfilph said:

Gorgeous series and good details on the feather and fur considering they are under shade.

Click to expand...

Thanks

jcmarfilph said:

Do you have pets around? I know you said you cannot take request but a snap of your kitty or doggy in low-light will do like this.

Click to expand...

Joms, I seldom shoot at anything over ISO400,and rarely indoors, so excuse my lack of technique here (maybe these aren't the settings you'd use). But I've finally had a few minutes to spare, so here's a couple of pictures of Chicoh, our rescue cat. They ain't no oil paintings (the photos I mean, not Chicoh!), but I hope they're of use.

Andrew









ISO1600
Sharpness mid
NR low (of course!)
A priority
-0.33 EV

Okay ..woo..you have tried a bunch of stuff..Personally I went from the Canon D20 and $3000.00 in L lenses to a series of Oly bridges ..which were good to great.

I tried out a huge number of other bridges before landing on the S200EXR which if shot right can pop good shots ..but it aint wide enough its really only a 6 mp cam and like its father the S100fs ..purple fringes.

I then went back to DSLR land with the D90 and a 18-105. That lens is surprisingly sharp sharp and cheap like borscht (sp?). I have a sense that it was sharper than my my L series 17-40mm.

I may also give the HS30 a whirl ..but I haven't got much hope for it as my interests have widened.
Hope you jump for something and start shooting!!
all the best
g

http://skylightvistas.weebly.com/index.html