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X-S1 first impressions (and versus a HS50)

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Andy Hewitt

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I managed to get out for a short walk this afternoon, and got to try out the X-S1 for the first time.

This post is just to give my initial impressions as comments, I'll post some photos later once I get time to sort some comparisons.

Right, the initial impressions were very good indeed. It had a nice feel to it, and has a good feeling of quality - it's not too dissimilar to holding a proper DSLR. The lens is nice and smooth, and very easy to control throughout the zoom. I love the 'rubberised' finish.

Regarding the known issues. I took about a hundred pictures today, with many of them containing points of bright light, but no orbs seem to be evident to my eyes. The lens also feel OK to me, just a slight amount of movement at full zoom, but no more than I'd expect from any long zoom lens, and about the same as I had with my Olympus Zuiko lenses. The creep is a bit of a pain though, and this one does slide quite readily. I'm sure a dubber band of some kind would sort that, should the need arise.

On my short walk I started off in full Auto EXR mode, and then switched to 'P' mode halfway around (still on DR Auto), then switched to DR100 at the end for the last few shots.

I've done some basic processing of the images, and it was immediately noticeable how much these images differ from the HS50 ones. There is much more colour depth, and less noise, and they have 'something' about them (almost like the 'x' factor I used to see with the Olympus E-1) that makes them stand out. For image quality, there is no contest here, the X-S1 is a winner. There is still some sign of the 'painting' effect, but nothing like as bad as the HS50 (although this might be a Lightroom phenomenon when attempting to apply sharpening and noise reduction).

I did notice the slower operation between shots though, but for my needs, it's no deal breaker, and no worse than any other 'compact' digital I've used before. I think it depends on the processing that's going on (whether it selects the 'SN' mode, for example, and is processing multiple images).

I had no issues with AF/AE at all, and only had a couple of fuzzy shots that were my fault for hitting the shutter without getting focus confirmation - nothing different to any other camera I've used. Overall AF/AE speeds seem on a par with the HS50 if anything.

I've yet to discover one thing, I was unable to shoot Raw+JPEG in EXR-Auto mode, despite this being a 'ticked' option in the owners manual.

Anyway, after one trip out, I'm already convinced that this is a far better camera than the HS50, and is what I should have bought last year. I'll post some photos, and more opinions as I use this more.

Cheers.
 
Thanks for that Andy, I have been following all the threads on the XS1 with great interest and have hovered over the buy button during the Amazon UK Lightning deals for a while. I ordered one on Monday at £249.99 and it was delivered the next day.

I have to say that I am rather impressed. Mine is a 33N serial number with the Made in Japan logo at the top right of the body and I echo your initial thoughts: it is built like the proverbial brick outhouse and I like its weight, feel and heft. The rubber finish provides an excellent grip and it looks far more expensive than the price I paid.

I am comparing it to my trusty HS30 for zoom IQ and my X10 at the equivalent focal lengths and it has proven to be much better than the HS30 even allowing for the slightly shorter zoom length and totally comparable to the X10. The HS30 feels rather toy like in comparison and, as it is a much lighter camera, it appears to move much more at full zoom. The EVF is just lovely and really makes using the XS1 a pleasure.

I have a Gariz gunshot sling mounted on the camera and have yet to experience any lens movement. The zoom action is very smooth and precise, but the manual focus ring seems very free running, almost to the point of being disconnected to anything in the body, but it does work very well and the focus magnification function is excellent.

I too cannot see how to use RAW on the EXR mode but as the EXR JPEGs are so good it is not going to bother me too much. The IQ is on a par with the X10 ( same sensor so it should be) but it appears to handle shadow detail better.

One stab at a first impression and at the moment I am warming to this bargain camera.
 
Here's a few of my first images. These are along a regular walk I do, which I did on purpose to get some comparable shots.

Here's some using EXR mode on the X-S1, and are all JPEG from the camera, PP'd in Lightroom:



19eb6a9c4b444b589430c51a71864be9.jpg



bb3848b6fa274d1392eb333cae18eb2c.jpg



a4df596dc33047babe5fe58fe8b4168b.jpg



These are all in P mode, and are from Raw images from the camera, again PP'd in Lightroom:



e443651adaef48dfb02c2cb3113e1132.jpg



b1a63daa39fe46bf96f0f99a5332a452.jpg



b1ec5b387a334ea2abc3bb75da697665.jpg



And these last few are similar shots from the HS50:



ada38bed32194f40ab81095fa358ecff.jpg



dc9e6d47fc0c4d03aa91526ba6257284.jpg



3c8537d97f5a46fca59008669b97c563.jpg



14b0eeddea1f4f37a2d1486e47cc1435.jpg





--
Andy Hewitt
Using FujiFilm HS50EXR and Apple iMac 27" 3.2GHz
 
Re the RAW+jpeg in EXR, on page 129 (of the US English manual) the ticked box has a note 3, which actually states that "OFF is selected automatically". In fact, this is the note for all modes except P, S, A and M. So the "ticked box" is really a notation that RAW+jpeg is NOT an option in EXR and other modes.
 
Andy Hewitt said:
There is much more colour depth, and less noise, and they have 'something' about them (almost like the 'x' factor I used to see with the Olympus E-1) that makes them stand out. For image quality, there is no contest here, the X-S1 is a winner. There is still some sign of the 'painting' effect, but nothing like as bad as the HS50 (although this might be a Lightroom phenomenon when attempting to apply sharpening and noise reduction).
Click to expand...
Hi Andy,

Really enjoyed your review, your photos--so pretty--and I like the place where you live! :) My home town is a photographers dream in some ways (sunshine 350 days a year) but not the most picturesque place in the world. I'm so glad to read your positive feelings about the X-S1 as I love mine. And I know what you mean about the "x" factor--pixel peepers won't be satisfied (It's a great bridge camera, but still not a dslr, folks!) but there's just something about the photos right out of the camera that is very satisfying. I didn't want to write anything bad about the HS50 (because, honestly, the problem could have been with my settings and impatience), but SOOC, the colors weren't bad, but they just seemed kind of dull.

The X-S1 is satisfying somehow and I love the build. It is just so much fun to use.

One question, if it's not too much trouble. Can you explain a little about your thinking re: Dynamic Range settings? I've also pretty much had mine in Auto, but see you had some in DR100 and I've seen some here use DR400, even DR800--not really sure of the situations in which you would take it off Auto, as I've never had that setting option before.

Congrats on your new camera--and thanks for sharing your experiences with it--

Lisetta
 
bill2reg said:
Re the RAW+jpeg in EXR, on page 129 (of the US English manual) the ticked box has a note 3, which actually states that "OFF is selected automatically". In fact, this is the note for all modes except P, S, A and M. So the "ticked box" is really a notation that RAW+jpeg is NOT an option in EXR and other modes.
Click to expand...
Aye, I think I'm working that out, although it's not a very clear instruction in the manual, it does imply that it should be possible with the tick in the box. The footnote only states that it's turned off by default, and you need to turn it on manually if you want to use it. Probably it's just a poorly translated sentence from Japanese into English.
 
Lisetta said:
Andy Hewitt said:
There is much more colour depth, and less noise, and they have 'something' about them (almost like the 'x' factor I used to see with the Olympus E-1) that makes them stand out. For image quality, there is no contest here, the X-S1 is a winner. There is still some sign of the 'painting' effect, but nothing like as bad as the HS50 (although this might be a Lightroom phenomenon when attempting to apply sharpening and noise reduction).
Click to expand...
Hi Andy,

Really enjoyed your review, your photos--so pretty--and I like the place where you live! :) My home town is a photographers dream in some ways (sunshine 350 days a year) but not the most picturesque place in the world. I'm so glad to read your positive feelings about the X-S1 as I love mine. And I know what you mean about the "x" factor--pixel peepers won't be satisfied (It's a great bridge camera, but still not a dslr, folks!) but there's just something about the photos right out of the camera that is very satisfying. I didn't want to write anything bad about the HS50 (because, honestly, the problem could have been with my settings and impatience), but SOOC, the colors weren't bad, but they just seemed kind of dull.
Click to expand...
Yes, I got that a bit too with the HS50, which is why I usually shoot Raw+JPEG, and use the Raws if needed to boost things up a bit.

Pixel peepers will always something wrong with any image, I ignore that, and worry about what the image looks like in its normal viewing environment.
Lisetta said:
The X-S1 is satisfying somehow and I love the build. It is just so much fun to use.
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly. The depth of colour and fine detail hit me straight away.
Lisetta said:
One question, if it's not too much trouble. Can you explain a little about your thinking re: Dynamic Range settings? I've also pretty much had mine in Auto, but see you had some in DR100 and I've seen some here use DR400, even DR800--not really sure of the situations in which you would take it off Auto, as I've never had that setting option before.
Click to expand...
My experience with the HS50 revealed that using Auto DR with a non-AutoEXR mode ends up with poor results under some circumstances. In particular if the ISO is boosted to, say, 400, I got very soft and fuzzy images, which were very difficult to sharpen or clean up. I found that fixing the ISO to 100, DR to 100, and using Raw L size in P mode gave very consistent results, albeit without the benefit of DR expansion to protect highlights.

My test here was to see if the various settings were better than with the HS50 or not. I think they are, possibly as the images are mostly much cleaner, they can withstand the extra noise better.
Lisetta said:
Congrats on your new camera--and thanks for sharing your experiences with it--
Click to expand...
Thanks, and you're welcome :-)
 
Hi all

I've been lurking around for a while now since I feel intimidated by all the experienced photographers around.

The X-S1 photos, for me, POP. The colours are a well known Fuji thing, but none of the other bridge cameras, say under $500, have this kind of dimensionality to their photos apart from the X-S1. I don't have the experience to understand why, but it's my point of view. I would much rather prefer the more modern focus and other functions of the HS50, but the 'depth' of the photos from the HS50 didn't steal my heart...

I don't even have the X-S1 yet... I'm 60% saved up for it, and I keep second guessing myself and my choice. It's quite a bit more expensive in South Africa than dollar or pound equivalent prices on Amazon, so it's a bit of a stretch for me. At least it's not $800 any longer even though many retailers here still charge that... I'll pay around $450 US.

Thank you thank thank you for this latest thread. I feel more comfortable with my choice now, since the discussion here seems more level headed and up MY alley than most of the other resources available on the Interwebs ;-)

The weight of the camera has also got me hooked. Funny how I initially had my heart set on a Sony for the longer reach. It seems I might find some use for the "Intelligent digital zoom" of the X-S1. Sometimes. Rest will probably be used under 500mm...

Oh boy... can't wait.
 
Andy Hewitt said:
Here's a few of my first images. These are along a regular walk I do, which I did on purpose to get some comparable shots.

Here's some using EXR mode on the X-S1, and are all JPEG from the camera, PP'd in Lightroom:







These are all in P mode, and are from Raw images from the camera, again PP'd in Lightroom:







And these last few are similar shots from the HS50:
Click to expand...
 
Lisetta said:
Lisetta said:
...
Click to expand...
The X-S1 is satisfying somehow and I love the build. It is just so much fun to use.

One question, if it's not too much trouble. Can you explain a little about your thinking re: Dynamic Range settings? I've also pretty much had mine in Auto, but see you had some in DR100 and I've seen some here use DR400, even DR800--not really sure of the situations in which you would take it off Auto, as I've never had that setting option before.
Click to expand...
You'd take it off Auto if it's not selected the right DR option. With sunshine 350 days/year you may not need or want to take it off Auto, as long as the X-S1 isn't fooled into using the wrong setting, or it may be using the right setting (for most people) but it's not the right setting for how you want the images to come out.

You'd primarily want to use DR 100% when the sun isn't bright and skies are overcast, or in the flatter light around dusk or dawn. That's when the scene's DR is narrower than usual, and if you check the photo's histogram you'll see that it might be compressed. Using a higher DR compresses the histogram even more, resulting in a duller image that has less "pop". You could expand the DR to get more contrast in the photos with post processing, but since the camera showed a compressed histogram, there are fewer tones to expand and that could result in banding which is very noticeable in skies, and often called "posterization", resembling a contour map. This is what it looks like.





279b313df84944cba6b4c36591e30dbf.jpg

http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/posterization/posterization.htm
 
PAUL TILL said:
Andy Hewitt said:
Anyway, after one trip out, I'm already convinced that this is a far better camera than the HS50.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
I've been saying this since the HS50 came out, if only people would listen and have a little trust.

--
The 10% Rule:
You Must Be 10% Smarter Than The Equipment You're Operating
Click to expand...
Far better in what way? It is slower than HS50 in AF and operation, has drooping lens and shorter FL. HS50 has much usable manual focus with focus peaking. You can change the setting in Qmenu even if the camera is busy but with X-S1 you have to wait a little more time. I would give a nod to.X-S1 for its larger but laggy EVF and better high ISO performance and nothing else more.

-=[ Joms ]=-
 
Last edited:
jcmarfilph said:
jcmarfilph said:
Far better in what way? It is slower than HS50 in AF and operation, has drooping lens and shorter FL. HS50 has much usable manual focus with focus peaking. You can change the setting in Qmenu even if the camera is busy but with X-S1 you have to wait a little more time. I would give a nod to.X-S1 for its larger but laggy EVF and better high ISO performance and nothing else more.
Click to expand...
-=[ Joms ]=-
Click to expand...
Not wanting to add to any argument and I have no doubt the HS50 is a very fine bridge camera with excellent range. But from your posts about the X-s1, I just have to ask, from pure curiosity, have you ever used it, and if so, for how long? As I say, just wondering, because you post so often about it.

As for the HS50, I think it's great that you're a strong advocate for the that one, including putting up sample images. The X-S1 got beaten up in many quarters when it first came out and now that I've spent time with it, I appreciate its advocates since they helped me give it a second look.

Lisetta
 
photoreddi said:
photoreddi said:
You'd take it off Auto if it's not selected the right DR option. With sunshine 350 days/year you may not need or want to take it off Auto, as long as the X-S1 isn't fooled into using the wrong setting, or it may be using the right setting (for most people) but it's not the right setting for how you want the images to come out.
Click to expand...
You'd primarily want to use DR 100% when the sun isn't bright and skies are overcast, or in the flatter light around dusk or dawn. That's when the scene's DR is narrower than usual, and if you check the photo's histogram you'll see that it might be compressed. Using a higher DR compresses the histogram even more, resulting in a duller image that has less "pop". You could expand the DR to get more contrast in the photos with post processing, but since the camera showed a compressed histogram, there are fewer tones to expand and that could result in banding which is very noticeable in skies, and often called "posterization", resembling a contour map. This is what it looks like.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that explanation. It helps, and also makes me realize I need to do more reading about DR. The setting seems to mean the opposite of what I thought it was (used to reduce contrast in scenes with very bright highlights that are easy to overexpose for). Thanks for the info.

Lisetta
 
Lisetta said:
jcmarfilph said:
Lisetta said:
Far better in what way? It is slower than HS50 in AF and operation, has drooping lens and shorter FL. HS50 has much usable manual focus with focus peaking. You can change the setting in Qmenu even if the camera is busy but with X-S1 you have to wait a little more time. I would give a nod to.X-S1 for its larger but laggy EVF and better high ISO performance and nothing else more.
Click to expand...
-=[ Joms ]=-
Click to expand...
Not wanting to add to any argument and I have no doubt the HS50 is a very fine bridge camera with excellent range. But from your posts about the X-s1, I just have to ask, from pure curiosity, have you ever used it, and if so, for how long? As I say, just wondering, because you post so often about it.

As for the HS50, I think it's great that you're a strong advocate for the that one, including putting up sample images. The X-S1 got beaten up in many quarters when it first came out and now that I've spent time with it, I appreciate its advocates since they helped me give it a second look.

Lisetta
Click to expand...
Yes I've tried it side by side with HS50 and FZ200 and those points I have mentioned above are the only advantages of X-S1 over HS50. Yes the barrel is smoother but it doesn't add up to the advantage. And it will creep out eventually. The HS50 barrel is a little stiff but will improve over time and will not creep out. Add an eyecup on the EVF and it will be nicer on the eye. Articulating screen maybe subjective but it is better than titl up/down screen.

-=[ Joms ]=-
 
jcmarfilph said:
PAUL TILL said:
Andy Hewitt said:
Anyway, after one trip out, I'm already convinced that this is a far better camera than the HS50.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
I've been saying this since the HS50 came out, if only people would listen and have a little trust.

--
The 10% Rule:
You Must Be 10% Smarter Than The Equipment You're Operating
Click to expand...
Far better in what way?
Click to expand...
In image quality, which is the most meaningful way for most photographers.

.
jcmarfilph said:
It is slower than HS50 in AF and operation, has drooping lens and shorter FL.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's slower, but not so slow that it becomes a problem for most users. Before you got the HS50 you were the same kind of over-the-top extreme supporter of the HS30, and I don't recall that you complained about it's slow AF and writing performance. That some X-S1 lenses have noticeable drooping means little. Nobody has ever been able to show that it reduces image quality. If the HS50's lens had similar droop, you'd find a way to show it as an advantage.

.
jcmarfilph said:
HS50 has much usable manual focus with focus peaking. You can change the setting in Qmenu even if the camera is busy but with X-S1 you have to wait a little more time. I would give a nod to.X-S1 for its larger but laggy EVF and better high ISO performance and nothing else more.
Click to expand...
It also has better IQ at moderate ISOs which is nothing to sneer at. Compared with some other Fuji cameras (one such being the new X-T1) the HS50's EVF is probably unacceptably laggy, and it will probably never be improved, unless it's in a model with a tiny sensor like the S1. I think that even you would find something like that hard to take even if it had a mechanical zoom, but I'm not 100% sure.
 
XS-1 is sure nice. Since it is brand new to you, I will give you just a helpful hint. One of these days you will be trying to focus on something far away and it just will not focus. You will be thinking maybe you broke it. No, you just accidentally set it to Macro - left most button on "dial" arrangement on back. (happens to me about every four or five months)
 
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