Camera Labs

Don - Hi! Don't be disappointed that they gave you an HS10, not the HS20-EXR.... Fuji's EXR technology complicates the use, and seems not to improve things, from Fuji forums I've followed. Putting a massive 16Mpix - 60% more receptors - on a sensor just 7% larger than the HS10's - introduces more problems than it solves... The idea of pairing receptors in EXR modes so it functions as an 8Mpix camera - to speed functions and improve the low light shots, so on, is a bit odd...

I've had my HS10 just on a year, and have no intentions of trading it for an HS20. The HS10 did have issues early on - but so long as yours has the 1.02 or later firmware, it will be fine. It isn't at its best in Auto or Program modes - get used to using Shutter or Aperture Priority. I set mine to turn on in Shutter Priority - and that's also my carry mode. Manual mode also works very well, particularly for tripod use.

As for downloading your images and videos - I can't install the CD Software anyway, as I use Linux, and Camera Makers don't bother putting Software for the world's second most used home computer operating system on their CDs...

I use a Card Reader - which is much faster than connecting the camera to the computer via USB-cord. From what you're saying you're using quite a large SDHC card and not erasing previous images before going to download later ones.

As I use smaller cards - 4GB Sandisk and Transcends - I'm not having that problem. I usually download images / videos on the day taken. I card comes out of the camera and into the reader, another card goes into the camera and is formatted ready for use.

So whether I deal with the current images card right then, or not until the evening, the camera is ready to go right away if needed. Plug the Reader into a USB port - and in Windows it should appear as another drive in Windows Explorer. You can click it open from there.

When it opens, there's a directory (folder) visible - just Copy that to Desktop, or into a prepared named/dated directory. Do a "safely remove" for the Reader and unplug it from the USB port. Don't do anything with the card in it - until you have backed-up the downloaded directory of images OFF the computer.

I use 2 x XHDs (external hard-drives) and at times, DVD+RWs, for backups. Once you have the current images backed-up - you can then use the ones in the directory on the computer as needed - and be assured that if you inadvertently delete some - you have the backups.

If you have some HS10 things to ask about - the camera does have some "Fuji-isms" and interesting habits - do post back... It's a camera where you can't "let it do as it wants to" - you do have to "tell it what to do". Once you get used to that idea - the HS10 actually works very well, and for a small-sensor P&S - the higher ISO, low-light abilities are pretty good...

Dave.

Hi Dave,

Lots of great points. I also have seen several reviews that said the HS20 is not an upgrade. My HS10 came with the latest firmware so it is probably one of the later ones produced (or a refurb).

I do download my photos to my computer and an external drive whenever I can. But I leave the photos on the card until it fills up and then change cards and do a format. So I then have three copies of my photos - flash, PC and external drive. When I get enough photos to fill a DVD I burn three and store one, take one to work and mail one to my parents. Oh, yes, and many of them are online.

I have several card readers but none could read the SDHC card so I have had to download via the camera. I am getting a new card reader and another flash card today. So things should get a little easier.

I have been a little disappointed with the pictures so far. The color seems a little drab and there definitely have been focus issues. Even the good ones look digital at 100% zoom on the computer. I am shooting at the highest JPEG quality. I have played a little with raw mode but see almost no difference except for file size. Of course raw will give me much more latitude to play later.

With my old Kodak and Canon P&S cameras I rarely did any tweaking of the photos. Looks like with the HS10 I am going to have to spend some more time in Photoshop.

I have been shooting in auto for the most part. I'll try your suggestion to go with Shutter Priority and other manual settings. My first film camera was totally manual except for an LED meter in the viewfinder. That thing chewed watch batteries so there were days I shot using a chart to calculate exposure.

I am sure as time goes on (and with help from this forum) I will figure out what the "Fuji-isms" are. Thanks for your help.

- Don

Don - On Auto the HS10 is controlling the ISO - so t least go to Program. Press the ISO button - back top left of the 5 - and get ISO off the "variable ranges" - manually select 100-200, so on. It's working that 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS sensor at just 10Mpix - so the difference in noise at ISO 100 and 200 is very little - 400 not much more - and still fairly low at 800. At 800 - if you don't crop, or very little - and show the image below 1600 x 1200 - noise is minimal.

Or you can change the JPEGs to PSD, TIFF, or another lossless format - and de-noise gently. Several very small applications with de-noise is better than one large one - if you don't want to use RAW - which at ISO 800 and 1600 handles the noise better.

If you're using a Multi-Card Reader - its SD function might be just that - SD only - that is, 2GB and under. 4GB and up needs an SDHC capable Reader.

The HS10 does have Fuji's pretty good colour in images. But - using Auto and letting the camera "decide for itself" - gets lousy results, sadly. In Auto other than very bright light - it bumps the ISO up-and-up - result, grainy-noisy and "drab-colour" images.

Get into the Menus - Shooting Menu Page 2 - and adjust Colour to Mid or High, then Tone to Hard, and Sharpness to Mid or Hard. Do some sample shots - then you'll see how "toggling" those 3 adjustments against each other can change the colour results a lot.

Just above those 3 - is White Balance Fine-Tune - where you can "bias" image colours on the Red-Cyan and Blue-Yellow levels.

One more up in that Menu - is FinePix Colour - and offers Standard, Chrome, B&W and Sepia. As with any camera - you can do better Sepia and B&W in Photoshop or Gimp, etc. In Photy - use the Channels dialog - click the "Mono" box at the bottom - and then you still have the RGB Channels to adjust for better depth, shadow, etc, in your B&W conversion.

That "Chrome" setting is meant to mimic Fuji's Fulvia film... If you like very "bright" colours it might suit - but I find it "too-much" garish.

You can also use Enhanced Dynamic Range - just above FinePix Colour in that Menu - you can have 200% or 400%. However - the camera must be set at ISO 200 for 200% to be settable - and at 400 for 400%. I find the 200% very usable - the 400% a "bit much".

What you "can" do - is enable the 200% DR. Then when shooting - as there's almost no noise difference betweem ISO 100 and 200 - you can rapidly click-between - no DR in ISO 100 - and 200% in ISO 200 - to get a shot or more in both. The DR% is shown in a yellow box on EVF/LCD. In that setting just mentioned - when at ISO 100 with DR Off - the box shows with an arrow that going to ISO 200 will get DR200%.

As noted - I use Shutter Priority as Camera-Off and carry mode. I use ISO 200 in Camera-Off. So when turned-on - I have Shutter and ISO 200 - and that allows keeping the shutter-speed up for moving targets. Getting to ISO 100 is just a press of the ISO button - and one press on the Left-Arrow on the 4-way pad. When working with those 5 buttons on the left - using the Left-Right on the pad to adjust, is faster-easier than using the Command-Dial.

Amongst the HS10's Fuji-isms is the badly "hunting" AF - particularly past half-zoom on other than very bright days. Fortunately - the MF is very good for a P&S. (As the "Manual" doesn't say how it works - many users think it doesn't work at all!)

MF works in all Modes, including Auto and Program. But hand-held in any of the other 3 Modes - get used to it, and it's very good. Not as good as a real FSLR / DSLR lens - but best I've used on P&S.

To use MF easily - zoom to framing you want. Then press the AE/AF-Lock button - below the Red Video button. The camera uses the AF-function to get an "approximate" focus. You can then see to compose your image accurately. Then, "rock" the focus-ring on the barrel back-forward. That ring is very close to the camera body.

So hold the camera like a DSLR - left hand under the body. Then your index finger is neatly in position to "rock" the ring - you don't "rotate" it. You go "past" exact focus - and "come-back" to it - as you rock... After a few goes at that - the movement and "centring" the focus is fast and feels natural. If you've used MF lenses on a Film SLR - it's very similar.

You can turn the "magnifying" centre rectangle On-Off in the Menu. I usually have it Off for handheld shooting, other than low-light. And On, for Tripod use when using the LCD. For EVF - make sure you have the diopter setting (little dial on left of the EVF) - adjusted exactly to your vision. Even one click "off" makes quite a difference.

As you'll know by now - Fuji's HS10 "Manual" isn't very helpful on many things HS10... That MF usage is only one of them....

Dave.