Fuji X-S20 initial review

I've had my new Fuji X-S20 for about a month now, having switched from Nikon after a series of 'enty level' bodies over the years (D40, D5100 and D5500). I'm still using the 15-45 power zoom that came with the camera, and managed to get £100 off due to the Black Friday sales (woohoo!).

Image quality

I didn't expect much difference from the IQ of my old Nikon setup, and I haven't seen it. Image quality is not a reason to upgade. Having said this, the Fuji with the 15-45 holds its own against my old gear and my planned upgrades (35mm XC f2, 18-55mm Sigma f2.8) should add to the overall image quality.

Handling

The only advantage of my old Nikon was the grip - still ergonomically the best camera I have ever owned. However I have soon got used to the grip on the X-S20, and I'm very grateful for it having more of a grip than the X-T series of cameras. I particularly appreciate the placement of the three custom buttons near the shutter, which I use for AUTO-ISO, Subject Detect and quick switching to the C1 custom setting, plus the front and rear command dials, having only have a rear dial previously on my D5500. This allows super quick changes to my shooting settings. I'm toying with switching the left hand dial from film simulation to ISO, and then the ISO button to Metering, but will see how things go.

Customisation

Customisation really is a massive benefit of the Fuji. I love how customisable the camera is. In terms of setting up the C1 to C4 custom settings I feel there are two philosophies you could follow - 1) different shooting scenarios e.g. street, birds, BIF or 2) different Jpeg film simulations/recipes. As I still shoot RAW and edit after, I'm leaning towards the first at the moment, although I have experimented with a few Jpeg recipes from Fuji X Weekly, Roman Fox and others.

Autofocus

I'm not expert on this but the Fuji comfortably beats my old Nikon!

Lenses - next steps

I'm keen to expand my lens lineup, so far I'm planning to buy: 1) the XC 35mm f2, 2) the Sigma 18-55 f2.8 and then maybe in a year or two 3) the Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 and 4) the Fuji 50-230mm. This should cover all the key focal lengths and shooting scenarios I need. I'm also keen on the 28mm f2.8 pancake, although not sure I can really justify this!

Accessories

The best accessory I've bought is the Peak Design Cuff, closely followed by the leash. I've also got an extra battery and a cheap battery charger. I carry my camera in a Bellroy Venture Sling 9l, which is perfect for my needs.

Sample Images

Here is a gallery of some images taken over the last couple of weekends to test out the camera . I'm looking forward to a trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest after Christmas to properly put it through it's paces, although I'll only have the 15-45mm and maybe the 35mm f2 at that stage.

Overall verdict

After perhaps six years of toying with switching to Fuji (just search my past posts - I'm pretty sure I asked a question on this forum about switching to the X-T1!) I'm very happy I did. No my images won't be revolutionised, but I'm enjoying shooting more with my new camera than I did with my old. I'm also keen to branch out into my street photography. The X-S20 is a lovely camera and I can highly recommend it!

thanks for the review!

i think the XS20 is the best entry/mid level camera in the market right now.

Glad you like the X-S20. I had the X-S10 and recently upgraded to the X-S20 for the improved AF, subject detection, larger buffer and bigger battery. I love that the X-S20 is smaller than some micro 4/3 cameras. I had the SmallRig L-bracket for my X-S10 and got one for the X-S20. I used to shoot Nikon DSLRs and still use my F-mount lenses on my Fuji cameras using the Fringer adapter.