Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD

by Fuji

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.5 x 3.9 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0035WTVZA
• Item model number: B0035WTVZA
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,707 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Serious photographers seeking the versatility and performance of a DSLR system without the bulk or expense now have the perfect solution in the shape of the new Fujifilm FinePix HS10. The latest addition to Fujifilm's award-winning range of big zoom 'bridge' cameras offers an unprecedented feature set that combines a powerful Fujinon 30x (24-720mm equivalent) manual optical zoom lens with sophisticated photographic controls, advanced functionality and DSLR-like handling in a single compact, affordable unit.

FinePix HS10 Highlights

Powerful Lens
With a range that would require at least two or three bulky lenses on an SLR to capture the same zoom capabilities, the FinePix HS10's built-in Fujinon 30x Wide-Telephoto zoom lens encompasses nearly every photographic requirement in a single compact unit. Furthermore, because the lens and body on the FinePix HS10 are built as a closed unit, it eliminates the possibility of dust on the image sensor.

30x optical zoom in action.

The twist-barrel manual zoom control enables the photographer to make precision adjustments, and zooming is faster and more accurate than comparable powered zoom lenses in the same class of camera.

The class-leading Fujinon 30x optical zoom covers a uniquely versatile 24-720mm (equivalent on a 35mm camera) range from true wide-angle to ultra telephoto. From sweeping landscapes, interiors and large group shots to distant sports or wildlife action, the FinePix HS10 can handle nearly any photographic challenge. In addition to the impressive zoom capabilities, the Fujinon lens ensures optical quality across the entire range. Fujinon lenses are acclaimed by photographers, broadcasters (as the world's leading manufacturer of television camera lenses) and industrial users across the globe. Fujinon lenses are also used in orbital satellites to capture high-resolution photos of the surface of the moon.

Triple Image Stabilization
Triple Image Stabilization combines a mechanically stabilized CMOS sensor with high ISO sensitivities and advanced multi-frame digital stabilization for total anti-blur protection. Together these technologies reduce the blurring effect of both handshake and subject movement to provide sharp, clean and clear results even at the longest zoom settings or in the most challenging lighting conditions.

High Speed, High Definition
Capturing action with the FinePix HS10 is so easy it feels like cheating. Whether you're shooting stills or movie clips, the FinePix HS10's cutting-edge sensor and processing technologies open up a range of high speed capture modes and unique shooting possibilities.

While shooting sports action or wildlife, or simply trying to keep up with fast-moving children, the FinePix HS10 will give users an edge with up to 10 frames-per-second of high speed continuous shooting* at the maximum 10-MegaPixel setting. The FinePix HS10's unique Best Frame Capture Mode means users don't need the reactions of a pro sports photographer to get professional results either; in this mode the camera continuously records images from the moment the focus is activated, then saves up to eight shots captured before the shutter button is released.

Capture up to 10 frames per second.

The FinePix HS10 also features a full HD movie mode (1080i) with stereo sound, and the camera's mini HDMI output allows users to easily display ultra clear high definition photographs and movies on high definition televisions. A new Super High Speed Movie function can freeze action and capture breathtaking movies at up to 1000 frames per second for amazing slow-motion movies that reveal the hidden world of events that normally occur in the blink of an eye.
_{*10 fps up to 8 shots}

Advanced Modes, Limitless Expression
The FinePix HS10 boasts several unique features and modes designed to expand shooting possibilities and to take the work out of creating genuinely eye-catching images.

• Motion Panorama Mode Captures an ultra-wide panoramic view in a single sweeping shot. As the camera pans across the scene (left/right or up/down), the FinePix HS10 captures a series of shots in rapid succession. The shots are then stitched in-camera to produce a seamless panorama.
• Motion Remover Mode Remove moving subjects from your shots. This mode captures 5 images of a scene in quick succession; the five images are then analyzed and combined in-camera to produce a single image** where anything moving in the scene is removed.
• Multi-Motion Capture Mode Previously only possible with highly specialized equipment, this mode captures 5 images of a moving subject in rapid succession and combines them into a single composite image** containing multiple sharply-captured views of the subject motion.
• Multi-Frame Image Stabilization Combines high and low ISO exposures of the scene being photographed to reduce blur caused by camera shake without significantly increasing image noise. The FinePix HS10 also sports the remarkable 'Pro Low Light' mode, first seen on the FinePix S200EXR, which combines several exposures into a single image for ultra-low noise output in low light.

_{** 2-megapixel output image}

Remove moving subjects from your shots.

Low Light Performance
Thanks to Fujifilm's award-winning sensor and processing technologies FinePix cameras have become market leaders in low-light performance, setting the standard for high sensitivity, low noise results in the most challenging shooting conditions. The FinePix HS10's BSI-CMOS sensor continues this tradition with an innovative new design that significantly increases the light gathering ability of every pixel, resulting in a 200 percent increase in sensitivity over a conventional CMOS sensor. Combined with Fujifilm's image processing expertise the new sensor produces stunning richly detailed low noise images, even when shooting in very low light.

The HS10's CMOS sensor delivers amazing low-light performance.

The improved sensitivity isn't just for taking noise-free photographs at night: it also allows the use of high shutter speeds in daylight required when shooting at telephoto end of the FinePix HS10's 30x optical zoom, or when attempting to capture fast-moving subjects. Photographers no longer need to worry about blurred pictures with such a long telephoto as they can rely on the FinePix HS10 to produce clear, sharp output even at higher ISO settings.

A True Photographer's Camera
As well as a range of advanced automatic functions--including Fujifilm's acclaimed SR Auto mode--and scene modes designed to produce perfect 'point and shoot' results, the FinePix HS10 sports a full complement of sophisticated manual and semi-automatic shooting modes and photographic controls. The extensive external controls give the more advanced photographer direct access to virtually every control they will need for uninterrupted shooting, and the body includes dedicated command buttons for quick and easy key functions such as ISO, white balance, focus and metering.

The large command dial, manual focus ring, twist and zoom lens barrel, bright, clear electronic viewfinder, high quality tilting LCD screen and deep hand grip ensure the FinePix HS10 handles at least as well as a digital SLR, despite its compact dimensions. AA batteries (ships with alkaline) provide excellent performance (up to 300 shots with Alkaline batteries) combined with the convenience of a universally available format when shooting for extended periods away from main power.

Additional Features

• 'Super Intelligent' Flash: The FinePix HS10 offers a flash control system which efficiently controls the level of flash for a given exposure to produce beautifully balanced flash illumination across the foreground and background. Gone are the ugly washout shots where the subject is blasted with light and the background dark and unexposed. Super Intelligent Flash is most useful in macro photography where the contrast between subject and background can be especially challenging, but is also effective for night and backlit photography.
• 3.0-inch High-Contrast Tilting LCD and Electronic View Finder: The FinePix HS10 is fitted with a high contrast 230K-pixel 3.0-inch LCD and Electronic View Finder. To improve user interaction with the camera, Fujifilm for the first time has included a clever sensor to the side of the EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) that automatically switches the picture between the EVF and the LCD screen when the eye is withdrawn.
• Face Detection and Automatic Red-eye Removal: To provide perfectly exposed and focused portrait shots, the FinePix HS10 is fitted with Fujifilm's latest Face Detection technology which is able to track up to 10 faces simultaneously, at almost any angle to the camera. The system instantly corrects red-eye and then saves both the original and the corrected image file automatically.
• Combined RAW/JPEG shooting: The FinePix HS10 has the ability to shoot both a RAW and JPEG shot simultaneously. RAW is for ultimate quality shots via post processing, JPEG is for great quality with no need for further post-production work.

Product Description

Fujifilm FinePix HS10 - 10MP BSI CMOS, Fujinon 30x Wide Optical Zoom (24 - 720mm), 3.0" High Contrast Tilting LCD. Other features include: Face Detection w/ Red Eye Removal, Face Recognition, Tracking Auto Focus, Triple Image Stabilization, Full Resolution Continuous Shooting at 10fps, High Sensitivity 6400 ISO, 6 Scene - SR Auto Automatic Scene Recognition, HD Movie 1080i w/Stereo Sound, Super High Speed Movie Mode Captures 1000fps, Motion Panorama Mode, Motion Removal Mode, Multi-Motion Capture, 4-AA Batteries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

261 of 271 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm really impressed with the new HS-10., April 8, 2010

By 

Adrian - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Electronics)

I've been waiting for this camera ever since I found out about it a month ago and flew down to the camera shop as soon as they told me it had arrived. I had read all the specs and seen the pics of the camera, and wanted to find out if it was all style and no substance, or if there really was a heart inside the beast. The shop owners opened the box for me to inspect, attached the screen protector, strap and lens cap string, and I took it for a spin before I even left the shop.

Before I say anything more, I'd better let you know my digital camera background. I've been using them ever since they first came out about 10 years ago. Sony DSC-30, Kyocera SL300 (world's first 3.3 fps limited only by size of memory card), Nikon S4, Canon 350D, Nikon s10, Nikon P90, Pentax k-x. In addition, I have always used mobile phones with cameras- xcute (world's first 3 mpxl mobile phone camera), SE k810, k850, Motorola ZN5, Samsung Innov8, SE Satio. So i've used a wide range of digital cameras.

Initial feeling:

1. Camera felt lighter than I expected, even with the 4 AA batteries in place.

2. Solid plastic, yet at the same time a little hollow.

3. Great grip- right side hand grip is deep and rubberised for gripping.

4. Thankfully the lens cap has a string attaching it to the shoulder strap- no chance of losing it or wondering where to put the cap when you take it off.

5. Lots of buttons at the back. Going to have to refer to the manual quite a bit.

6. The "chrome" ring on the bottom right feels a bit cheap. Though I guess use of plastic helps reduce the weight.

7. It's amazing how friendly store people can be once you buy something from them. I was dripping sweat- hot day, so they gave me a cup of water :)

8. The screen is beautiful. I can't say it enough. It's very clear and bright, even with screen protector on.

9. The lens has an INCREDIBLE zoom range- 24mm to 720mm (35mm format) and feels very smooth when you manually zoom.

10. Zooming ring has good grip, but the pattern isn't attractive.

11. Shop owner told me the lens is 58mm diameter- that's good because I can use my IR and UV filters.

12. Electronic view finder is ok, but I find for "bridge" cameras they tend to be small in size. Only the dslr's have eyepieces which are a good size which is comfortable for your eye. Ignoring the size, the EVF quality is good, and you may have read about the sensor next to it, which activates the EVF when you bring your eye to it. So the 3 inch LCD screen turns off and the EVF turns on when you bring your eye to the EVF.


What about the photos?

13. Really good. I've taken about 100 photos so far, mostly at night. You have to be quite steady, even with the shake reduction function on (there are 4 options for shake reduction!!!), especially at the maximum zoom. But if you are, then the photo is very very good and sharp. Not quite as sharp as the Pentax k-x, which is known for it's low light performance, but it's pretty damn good. It's certainly good enough for me. Colours seem accurate and bright. Focusing in good light was pretty fast. Focusing in low level light was slower. In poor light it might even hunt for 2-4 seconds and flash a focusing light. It takes about 1 to 3 seconds to save a photo, so it's not high speed unless you use that function.

14. The focusing is active. That is on auto, it will focus on faces, and even if those people are moving around, you can see the focus square remain glued to their face. My friends had to move side to side pretty fast for the HS-10 to lose the lock.




There are so many fancy functions on this camera that I have really only just scratched the surface of what this baby can do. But I'm very glad to say there is substance in the HS-10. If you are in the market for a bridge camera, the HS-10 should definitely be on your shopping list.


Added 15th April 2010.
----------------------


Despite the overcast and rainy conditions which plague me whereever I go, I've taken another 120 odd photos during the periods of "only" cloudiness and intermittant sunshine.


15. The photos are 24mm and at 720mm have differing sharpness. Colour is good for both though.

At 24mm, you can see the whole photo, but you quickly see grainy outlines when you try to zoom in.

At 720mm, the photo remains surprisingly sharp when you enlarge or zoom in on the photo. Not quite the same sharpness as my Pentax k-x, but much better than I expected.

16. I've always had high zoom cameras and each time I buy up, I get surprised by how much closer I can get to a subject. This time though, I noticed something new. Usually, if I take a photo at the widest angle and then one at max zoom, you can see how much closer you can zoom in because you can usually see the surroundings around the object to compare with.

This time however, you can zoom in on something that looks like a little dot in the 24mm photo and it's so close that you literally can't tell it's a zoomed up photo because it looks like a totally different photo.

eg: I was on an overhead walkway and took a 24mm photo of the road. A traffic light was about 400 metres ahead. I zoomed in and I got a clear photo of the back of 2 cars and the licence plates. You'd think I had been standing just 5 metres away with a normal camera it was so good.

In another example, I took a 24mm pic of an outside wall of a very colourful shopping centre. It's about 6 storeys high, so ground floor shop windows look like dots. When I zoomed to 720mm through the window, I got a very clear photo of the inside of the shop, with no reference to the outside of the building wall at all.

This zoom is POWERFUL.

I have no idea what the next generation of zoom lenses will allow us to do when they go to, say 850mm, 1000mm plus!


17. f stops seems pretty good.I can take close ups of flowers and have both foreground and background nicely out of focus.

18. Do keep a steady hand. Brace yourself against a pole or solid object if you can. It really helps in taking a sharp photo. It has good image stabilisation, but it's not a miracle worker.

Thanks again all for reading :)


Update 1st May 2010
-------------------


19. I've taken a few more photos and can say the following. The daytime photos are good. Not quite as good as my Pentax kx, but good. Sharpness, colour, detail are all more than acceptable. The lens is great for portraits, and the zoom speaks for itself. The tiltable screen makes the camera much more versatile than a fixed screen camera too.

20. There are two areas that I find the camera disappointing.

The first is the time needed to save each photo- 2 to 3 seconds. It's pretty slow. In comparison, my Pentax kx is just take the photo and instant save. Granted, most non dslr cameras are also non instant picture saving, but it seems even slower than my Nikon s10 and Kyocera sl300r, or even my Motorola ZN5 mobile phone.

The second is photo viewing software. Firstly, it's not so easy to view multiple photos because it enlarges the picture you have the cursor on, so it covers the photos next to it. Secondly, as has already be noted by some disappointed reviewers, deleting a photo takes you right back to the end. If you've got hundreds or thousands of photos, that's a real irritant. It's true that holding down a direction on the chrome ring will very very quickly flick through the photos to get you back to where you were, but it's a real hassle.

At least on the other hand, when you connect to the computer, there is only 1 folder for the photos, unlike my nikons, which have numerous folders "100dscn", 200dscn" etc.

21. Finally, I've taken a few videos and I've found the HD vids all look smooth on the camera LCD, but very jerky, kind of frame by frame, when i play on my computer. I don't have this problem if I record in 640 x 480 (320?) format though. It's probably my computer being old, but I wonder if anyone else has this problem?

Thanks again for reading :)


Edit 19th April 2011
--------------------

I ended up selling my HS10 last year for two main reasons. Writing times were too slow, and the software for reviewing photos was poor. I mean- deleting a photo and taking you to the very end again is pretty bad when you've got hundreds or thousands of photos on your card.

But the reason I'm adding a bit here is that I've been following the reviews of the Fujifilm HS20, which was released recently. It seems to have taken care of most of the problems I mentioned- quicker writing speed, and viewing and deletion of photos, and added a new problem instead- overheating of some part of the camera, which causes the camera to cease working. I can say that for all the hundreds of photos I took with the HS10, I never had overheating for a problem.

Such a pity that Fujifilm can't get such a fantastic camera right.

91 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finepix HS10 Exposed, April 15, 2010

By 

Kmrakid "Kmrakid" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Electronics)

Well...I did it! I made up my mind and purchased the Fujifilm Finepix HS10. After months of reviews, trials and testing, mainly between the HS10 the Sony HX1 and the Canon SX20 I spent the $500.00. First let me say the HX1 and the SX20 are great cameras and both offer things that should be incorporated into the HS10 and then again the HS10 has items that those cameras could use as well.

I am a professional photographer and have been for over 30 years, I have owned everything from a Yashica TL-Electro to a Fujifilm AX-3 to a Nikon F3...and those were my early years. Since then I have had Fuji's lone of S Pro cameras as well as Nikon's and Canon's pro equipment so I know a few things about cameras and their capabilities. Ok, for my HS10 review.

First let me say I was not sure about the manual zoom lens on a digital camera but then again I was used to them since I have plenty of SLR's. However, I must say I really like the manual zoom for still photographs but when it comes to the videos I really do not care for it. In the video mode it is just too jumpy for my taste and does not make for a smooth video. Also, believe it or not you can hear the manual zoom sounds on the video sound track but I have heard of other cameras, including the HX1, that has the same issues with their auto zoom so this is something the camera manufactures need to work on.

The next issue I have is that the camera does have problems focusing when the lens is zoomed out all the way. If you back off the lens just a little bit it seems to focus fine just not at the full zoom. Other then that I have no other complaints about the camera...yet!

The camera takes great photos, even low light without a flash or tripod and even fully zoomed. I used 4 "AA" Alkaline batteries and have taken over 400 photos and the camera is still going strong, no low battery indication as of yet. Out of all my "full zoom" photos, both inside and out, there are only about 2% that are out of focus. I have no problems with the EVF even though the size of the EVF is a bit small but it still works for me. The menus are clear and easy to understand but I find one aspect of it puzzling...If you place the camera into the silent mode, so there are no sounds audible, the flash shuts off and will not work not even manually. If you want the flash to work and not hear all the beeps and bells you have to turn the volume down on each, just a little strange for me.

I really like the fact that you can use filters on the lens, it takes a 58mm filter but if you use the 24mm setting a lot you may want to get the slim frame filter to help stop the vignette that sometimes occurs in the full wide angle setting. I do find it strange that the camera does not come with a lens hood although it does come with a lens cap but that is usually standard with most cameras. The image stabilization works great, I have tried it many times, even grossly moving the camera while taking the picture and 9 times out of 10 the photo comes out on focus. There is some noise when you get to the 800 ISO and over range but that's to be expected, no camera is perfect.

Anyway, that's my opinion for now, I am going on vacation next month so I will put the camera through it's paces then so I will post again later. All in all it's a great camera and I am very happy with the purchase, my only true regret is that the HS10 does not have an auto zoom feature.

251 of 282 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A questionable purchase, April 12, 2010

By 

Oldanalyst (Claypool, IN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fujifilm FinePix HS10 10 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Electronics)

. .I had preordered the HS10 and was really anxious to try it out when I received it. I wasn't too anxious to use the video part of the camera as I intend mainly to use still shots. So I spent much of the weekend trying out various function of the camera. I set up a series of shots where I varied the ISO from 100 to 3600 and evaluated the results. As expected, the lower ISO settings produced little noise. In fact, noise levels were quite low even at ISO 800. I think one could be comfortable with all results at ISO 400 or less but still be reasonably satisfied with ISO 800. As expected, the higher the ISO, the more the noise but even ISO 6400 produced usable results. For most situations, this camera should produce very low noise shots.
. .Unlike some of the reviewers, I like the modest weight of this camera. It helps me minimize shaking when I take pictures. I also like the tightness of the zoom. I had an expensive Nikon lens which was loose but moved in or out if the camera was held facing up or down (called lens creep). I have been using a Nikon D80 with a long zoom lens and this is a much heavier camera. This HS10 was to be used to compliment the D80 and be used in places where I did not want to take the D80. I picked the Fuji since I expected the lens system to be nearly as good as that of some DSLRs.
. .I was right in that the quality of the lens is great and the stabilization is outstanding. I was able to get sharp images of printed material on license plates on cars about 400 feet away using full zoom and hand held. This really impressed me. On top of this, I found little distortion at full zoom with little to no purple fringing. This is better than the expensive Nikon lens I had been using. Again, impressive. I am not sure this will hold under all circumstances. I will let the expert reviewers determine this.
. .I was able to figure out the menus fairly easily but did have to run back to my computer to read some information from the PDF manual. I know cost is a factor but a printed manual sure would help. The small printed material that comes with the camera is fairly trivial.
. .Now for the negatives and they are significant. In taking about 220 pictures, I used 4 sets of batteries - 2 alkaline sets and 2 rechargeable sets. This is truly not acceptable and I am going to try to find out how to either return this camera or perhaps get a software fix (if there is one). This failing alone is enough to justify returning the camera. I have read others say that they had good battery life so mine may be a fluke.
. .The second problem was with the time needed to save shots. I have been using a DSLR and was able to take RAW shots and save them with little lag time between shots. I expected the HR10 to have some lag but was not prepared for the 6-9 second delay between single shots for RAW. If you shoot burst mode, you can shoot multiple shots with no delay between shots. I did this of flying birds with great results. However, after the burst, if shooting RAW, there is over a 10 second delay as the shots are recorded. Even using JPEG produces a delay of ~5 seconds. I did not time the saving of RAW+JPEG mainly because I was frustrated by the time lag of RAW and JPEG alone.
. .I have numerous SDHC level 6 cards and all give the same results when saving either JPEG (~3 sec) or RAW (~6 sec) shots. My wife has an underwater camera that requires SDHC/6 cards and at 10 megapixels, it takes less than a second to record JPEG. To eliminate variation from cards, I used the internal memory to record some shots. Guess what? The same results. I can accept slower for RAW but JPEG should be fast. I read comments from another owner (on another site) who had the same problem with slow saving so perhaps there may have been some poor quality control with the making of this camera. I have had experience with 6 other digital cameras and this camera has a slow save.
. .I will be contacting FUJI and probably Amazon since I feel I have a truly flawed camera. For those of you considering the HS10, you might want to wait until full reviews are out and see if my camera was simply a dud or if the FUJI HS10 does indeed have some major flaws.