Fujfilm FinePix HS30 EXR Program mode vs Resolution Priority EXR vs High ISO & Low Noise EXR
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To compare the noise performance of the FujiFilm FinePix HS30 EXR in its EXR modes I shot this scene with the camera in Aperture priority exposure mode and two of its EXR modes - Resolution Priority (HR) and High ISO and Low Noise (SN).
For this test the camera was mounted on a tripod and image stabilisation was turned off. The FinePix HS30 EXR was set to its largest 16 Megapixel image size with image quality set to Fine. However, in SN EXR mode the image size is automatically reduced to 8 Megapixels. The sensitivity was selected manually at each available ISO setting. |
The above shot was taken with the Fijifilm FinePix HS30 EXR. The camera was placed on a tripod and image stabilisation was disabled. F4 was selected in Aperture priority exposure mode and the metering chose a shutter speed of 0.6 at 100 ISO.
The purpose of Resolution Priority EXR (HR) mode is to produce the best possible results at the full 16 Megapixel resolution of the EXR sensor in good lighting conditions, so I was interested to see how it compares with Program mode at the lower ISO settings here - the maximum available sensitivity in HR mode is 800 ISO. Exposure in HR mode is automatic and for all of the HR shots the HS30 EXR selected an aperture of f3.2 - slightly wider than the f4 I selected for the Aperture priority shots, but close enough for a valid comparison.
At 100 and 200 ISO there's definitely more detail in the crops which look sharper and a little more contrasty, but they look a little bit grainier too. At 400 and 800 ISO you're probably better off with Program mode but, at the lower sensitivity settings, there's evidence here that HR mode is worth trying if you want to capture the maximum amount of detail possible.
SN EXR mode combines multiple photosites to produce a single image pixel. This improves the light-gathering capacity and, in theory, improves the noise performance, but at the cost of halving the maximum image resolution to 8 Megapixels. So how does it measure up in practice?
Well, there's a huge improvement in the noise quality of the SN crops, clear evidence that Fujifilm's EXR SN mode really works. The upper sensitivity limit of this mode has been extended to 3200 ISO making it more useful for exrtreme low light conditions so the only drawback is the 8 Megapixel maximum resolution. But if you don't plan on making big prints there's every reason to switch to SN EXR mode for cleaner images with more detail and significantly less noise.
Now head over to my Fujifilm HS30 EXR sample images to see some more real-life shots in a variety of conditions.
FinePix HS30 EXR
Aperture Priority mode
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FinePix HS30 EXR
Resolution Priority EXR mode
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FinePix HS30 EXR
High ISO & Low Noise EXR mode
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100 ISO |
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100 ISO |
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100 ISO |
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200 ISO |
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200 ISO |
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200 ISO |
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400 ISO |
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400 ISO |
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400 ISO |
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800 ISO |
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800 ISO |
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800 ISO |
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1600 ISO |
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1600 ISO Not available |
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1600 ISO |
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3200 ISO |
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3200 ISO Not available |
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3200 ISO |
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6400 ISO |
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6400 ISO Not available |
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12800 ISO |
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12800 ISO Not available |
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