Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Fujifilm xs20 a Compact mid-range mirrorless camera with A 26 megapixel aps-c sensor 6.2 K open Gate video built-in stabilization and a Fully articulated touch screen announced In May 2023 and costing around thirteen Hundred dollars or 1250 pounds for the Body alone is the follow-up to the xs10 Launched roughly two and a half years Previously price wise this makes the 20 More expensive than its sub 1 000 Predecessor at launch now placing it in A roughly similar ballpark to Sony's Aging a6600 and kind of between Canon's More recent EOS r10 and R7 will be a bit Closer to the seven I tried out a final Production xs20 for a few days and in This video I'll show you what's new What's improved and how it Stacks up Among its peer group in the past Fujifilm filtered down sensors and image Processors from Flagship models into Their mid-range and entry-level cameras So you could normally have a pretty good Guess what would be inside a new body But with the xh2 and xh2s introducing Not one but two new sensors in 2022 the Question for subsequent models becomes Which one will it have and the answer For the xs20 is neither rewind a year to My xh2s review and this is what I Thought might happen previously On-camera Labs personally I feel the 26
Megapixel resolution of x-trans 4 is Already sufficient for most of us and What future versions of say that XT and X pro series would actually most benefit From other autofocus improvements maybe We'll see the old x-trans 4 paired with The new X processor 5 and I think that Would be a worthy upgrade fast forward Back to the present day and I can Confirm the xs20 employees the same 26 Megapixel X transfer sensor as the xs10 Indeed first seen in the xt3 back in Late 2018 but crucially now coupled with The latest X processor 5 I've introduced A year ago in the xh2s this means you're Getting the same photo resolution as Before but now coupled with an upgraded Image processor delivering faster Autofocus with better subject detection Reduced noise levels improved video and Lower power consumption to boot going Forward I assume all new Fujifilm bodies Of at least this generation will all Adopt the same X processor 5 but now With three different sensors to choose From making the difference about more Than just the design and form factor Speaking of which the xs20 follows the Xs10's design strategy leaving the Vintage shutter and ISO dials of the XT And X pro series and instead adopting a More common mode dial in fact at first Glance the xs20 appears almost Physically identical to its predecessor
With essentially the same styling and Control layout so you're getting twin Control Wheels neither of which can push To click a tiny joystick and a number of Buttons including dedicated ones for ISO Drive mode exposure lock and AF on some Of these buttons filter fraction more Pronounced to me but the overall control Experience is much the same the Composition is unchanged too with the Xs20 inheriting the same electronic Viewfinder as the xs10 so you're getting A 2.36 million OLED panel with 0.62 Times magnification now it would have Been nice to have a viewfinder upgrade Even if only in terms of magnification But it does work fine and the resolution Is pretty standard at this price you're Also getting the same side hinged fully Articulated three inch touchscreen with 1.84 million dots which can flip and Twist to almost any direction including Facing you or back on itself for Protection to spot the upgrades and Changes you'll need to look a little bit Closer starting with the top surface There's still a pop-up Flash and fully Featured hot shoe but eagle-eyed Fujifans will notice some subtle Differences on the mode dial you still Have the traditional pasm modes along With four custom positions 4 full auto Filter effects and movies but SP mode Has now been switched for Vlog which
Unlocks a couple of filming options in The menus and presents a simplified Shortcut menu tailored for video content Creators the auto mode is also more Capable than before and I'm going to Talk about that and the Vlog mode in a Minute anyone familiar with the xs10 may Also notice the 20s grip is a fraction Thicker than before it's barely visible But crucially has allowed Fujifilm to Accommodate their more substantial Npw235 battery pack of the current Top-end models and this roughly doubles The life of its predecessor from around 400 to around 800 charts thereby Addressing one of its major downsides And indeed overtaking some current Rivals the body weight including battery Though is still fairly light at 491 Grams as before the single SD card slot Shares the same compartment as the Battery but in an overdue update can now Exploit the faster speeds of uh S2 cards Coupled with the faster processor this Allows the xs20 to clear its buffer and Fire much longer burst than before for Example over a thousand jpegs at 8 Frames per second versus around 100 on The xs10 on the left side of the body You'll find the same USBC and micro HDMI Ports as before behind one flap with a Three and a half millimeter microphone Input above them the camera now supports UVC and UAC allowing it to work as a
Standard USB webcam without the need for Extra drivers while the HDMI can now Output 6.2 K 12-bit raw video in either Prores or Blackmagic formats both are Very nice upgrades over the 10. in Another welcome upgrade the xs20 now Also offers a three and a half mil Headphone jack rather than forcing you To adapt the USB port and while it's Positioned on the grip side may not be Ideal when hand holding the camera it Shouldn't be too much of an issue when It's on a tripod or in a cage oh and Bonus points for also supporting the Optional cooling fan accessory from the Flagship xh models with which screws in Behind the screen and extends the Potential recording times in fact as the Xh20s features and design gradually sync In you'll begin to view it a bit like a Baby xh moving on the x-mount for lenses And the sensor behind it may be the same As before but Fujifilm claims slight Improvements to the built-in censorship Stabilization or Ibis up from six to Seven stops of compensation and even With the price increase the xs20 remains One of the most affordable new aps-c Bodies with Ibis running through the Menus you'll see familiar settings from The xs10 along with some new ones thanks To the newer image processor and modes As before best quality images measure 6240 by 4160 pixels and can be recorded
As jpegs raw files or both together but As a newer camera there's also the Chance to switch from JPEG to 10-bit hif There's no pixel shift modes but that's Not surprising at the price you also get The current complement of 19 film Simulator relations including nostalgic Negative and these remain a highlight of The Fujifilm system you can also apply Different film Sims when using the Camera as a webcam imagine joining a Work call in that cross the shutter and Bursts appear to be the same as before So the mechanical shutter has a maximum Speed of 4 000th of a second with bursts Up to 8 frames per second while the Electronic shutter boasts a top speed of 32 000 of a second and bursts up to 20 Frames per cent without reducing the Coverage or resolution if you're happy With a small crop though you can boost Those electronic bursts to 30 frames per Second although in all electronic modes Do beware of skewing due to the rolling Shutter as before the electronic shutter Also supports a pre-burst option which Can be really handy for ensuring you Don't miss the crucial Moment Like say a Bird taking flight or an object hitting Some water again though while the burst Speeds are unchanged from the xs10 the Combination of a faster image processor And a faster card slot means being able To take more shots before that buffer
Fills oh and at the other end of the Shutter range you can still keep dialing In longer and longer exposures beyond The arbitrary 30 second limit of most Cameras without having to enter a bulb Mode and have a cable release accessory I love this for doing easy long Exposures one of the major upgrades to The xs20 for Stills photography is the Improved auto mode which deploys some Pretty cunning scene and subject Detection to drive the settings by Default the auto mode will adjust the Dynamic range and film simulation for You based on the scene that it Recognizes while also detecting the type Of subject and setting the auto focus Mode to match Auto subject detection is New to the xs20 and in my test did a Great job at recognizing and focusing on Humans animals birds or just plain Buildings and Landscapes without ever Skipping a beat it's important not to Underestimate how useful this can be as You no longer need to manually select The subject type from the auto focus Menu scene detection also worked well And it was fun to point the camera at Various sub objects and compositions to See what it identified it went Way Beyond just portraits and Landscapes to Include motion backlit scenes and even Greenery so far so good but what it Actually did with this information in
Terms of choosing an appropriate film Simulation and dynamic range setting had Variable results in my tests pointed at A human or an animal and the xs20s auto Mode will not only focus on their eyes But also deploy a sensibly flattering Standard film simulation typically with No dynamic range adjustment that's the Good news point it at a landscape or Building though and my xs20 almost Always selected velvia for a highly Saturated image sometimes boosting the Colors very nicely but at other times Looking a little bit overcooked check Out this wall that I've photographed in Aperture priority with the standard Provia film simulation versus aversion In Auto where it went all out in velve Year I know which one I prefer but the Auto mode also has full access to the Dynamic range menus and if the Composition included much sky in my Tests it would typically start adjusting It now this could work well given Strongly backlit compositions like Windows from the inside or the view Beyond a tunnel but at other times I was Presented with what looked at least to Me like overcooked HDR versus a more Natural approach in the standard modes Of course your mileage will vary and you Might love what the full auto mode is Doing but for me personally I wanted to See if I could keep my favorite aspects
While disabling or at least raining in Some of the others well I have some good News and bad news the auto film Simulation can be manually overridden if Preferred but the entire page of dynamic Range options is skipped with the image Quality menus in the auto mode jumping From page one directly to page three so The only way you're going to override That particular part is to shoot in raw And adjust it in playback or in post Later for me the most successful part by Far is the new auto subject detection so I wasn't bothered to find the manual Subject section options gone when you're In the auto mode subject detection is Either set to Auto or set to off but Here's the kicker set the xs20 to the Non-auto modes like aperture priority And the auto subject detection option is Gone leaving you to manually select it As with the previous models I feel this Is a real missed opportunity as I'd love To deploy the auto subject detection in Any mode without conceding control over Dynamic range for example I often find Myself photographing Landscapes or Portraits when suddenly an animal or Bird just appears for a brief moment This is where Auto subject detection can Work a treat allowing you to grab a Spontaneous shot before then continuing With your previous subjects as it stands Though if I'm not in the full auto mode
On the xs20 I'll either need to manually Select the desired subject type in the AF menus and hope it doesn't run off or Hope that my current settings are Coincidentally suitable for that guest Star one workaround I've found was to Shoot as normal using the standard pasm Modes but quickly to turn to the auto Mode when you spot a different Opportunity sure you'll also have to Accept Auto dynamic range as well but I've found I mostly use this technique When saying animal or bird pass by where The xs20 is auto processing is generally More sympathetic ultimately auto mode on The xs20 is fujifilm's best today but Please do add the brilliant Auto subject Detection to the other modes and the Earlier bodies sooner rather than later Thank you before moving on a quick nod To Fujifilm for finally updating or Rather creating a new mobile app now I Haven't had a chance to try it yet but Fujifilm says it should support all Cameras with the X processor 4 onwards So update your firmware on your body if You've got the right one and let me know If it's any better than before Switch the xs20 to video and you can Film 1080 from 24 to 60p and 4K from 24 To 30p all uncropped and in 16×9 or Wider 17×9 shapes if you're willing to Accommodate a mild crop you can boost The 4K from 50 to 60p and all of these
Modes can be encoded in h.264 or 265 and In Long GARP or all I formats are a Choice of bitrates it's a huge range of Options often lacking on Rivals at this Price or even higher if you're into slow Motion you can film 1080 with a crop From 100 to 240p conform to a choice of Frame rates for playback at reduced Speed for example you can capture at 200p and encode it at 25p for an 8 Time Slow down as seen here so far so similar To its predecessor but in a major Upgrade for videographers the xs20 now Offers 6.2 K recording in an open gate Format essentially recording the entire Sensor at the full 3×2 height this now Only captures more detail than 4K but The extra height provides greater Opportunities for reframing in post for Example making both landscape and Portrait crops from the same clip unlike The half hour clips of the xs10 the 20 Now seems happy to record for longer at Least until the battery runs out or the Camera overheats you should be able to Get about 75 minutes of 4K 30p or about Half an hour 6.2 K 30p I hope to do some Formal testing with recording times and Overheating but in the meantime the Optional cooling fan accessory can Extend those recording times especially In hotter environments meanwhile graders Will appreciate having both f-log and The latest f-log 2 for recording flat
Footage with increased dynamic range and As mentioned earlier there's also the Chance to Output 6.2 K raw video in Prores or Blackmagic formats to an External recorder or making the xs20 one Of the best featured video cameras at This price point here's some example Footage filmed with the xs20 in the Reasonably flat Eterna film simulation First in 1080 at 25p and now in 1080 at 50p and I'm using the XF 18 to 55 kit Zoom here roughly mid-ray through its Range and close to f8 for optimal Sharpness for comparison here's the same View in 1080 100p slowed by four times On my 25p timeline note the crop of Around 1.29 times but the result of Detail is similar to the lower frame Rates here and now in 1080 200p slowed By eight times on my timeline showing The same 1.29 times crop but this time With the reduction in resolve detail now Let's return to 1080 at 25p using the Full sensor width before switching to 4K 25p where the view remains uncropped and You'll see a boost in detail and now for 4K at 50p where you'll incur a small Crop to the field of view this time Around 1.18 times but at least the Resolved details look similar here now Back to 4K 25p which is uncropped before Switching to 6.2 K open gate footage Which right now in this 4K project will Look much the same as native 4K footage
But watch what happens when I reduce the Magnification revealing the same Horizontal width but greater vertical Height now here's standard 4k on the Left and 6.2 K open gate on the right Again confirming the same width but the Taller height on the latter to show how This can be useful when reframing for Different devices here's a 6.2 K open Gate clip showing the full coverage of The sensor now for two different crops I've made from the same clip with Traditional horizontal 16×9 on the left And vertical 9×16 on the right ideal for Mobiles and exploiting the extra high to The frame it's a genuinely useful Feature for Content creators and pretty Unique to have at this price point Unless we forget Sony doesn't even offer Open gay or 17×9 video shapes on any of Its Alpha bodies yet next for Stabilization and here I've switched to Using the new xf8 mil 3.5 Des testing to Become a favorite lens with vloggers You're looking at footage stabilized Using the xs20s built-in Ibis censorship Stabilization alone but if you're Willing to accommodate a crop you can Apply additional digital stabilization And reduce the wobbles a bit further This is definitely given an improvement But it's still not quite up to the best Digital stabilization modes from Sony And Canon which may take bigger crops
But return less wobbly footage in my Tests especially if you're walking with The camera certainly with lenses as wide As the new eight millimeter there's Plenty of latitude for cropping so I do Hope that Fujifilm is going to work on Improving their digital stabilization For walking and filming as it's clearly A target market for them in terms of Video autofocus the 20 can work really Well but in some situations still Occasionally lacks the confidence of the Best systems out there as for the new Vlog mode on the dial this adjusts some Of the settings unlocks a couple of Options in the menus and presents a more User-friendly shortcut to the most Common stuff for video creators most Notably eye detection becomes the Default auto focus mode and you'll now Found background defocus and product Priority become available in the menus Both of which were grayed out in the Standard movie mode the shortcut menu Also presents the most common options Providing an easy access for video Content creators background defocus Simply overrides your exposure settings And chooses the maximum aperture for Your lens increasing the shutter speed Or reducing the iso to balance the Exposure know that you may need to Change the exposure mode to allow this To happen next here is product priority
In action which turns off eye detection To instead simply focus on whatever's The closest subject to the camera if That's an object that you're showing the Xs20 should keep it in Focus even if Your face is still visible on the frame Then when you move the object out of the Frame it should refocus on whatever is Now closest now this should hopefully be Your face but if your arm hand or indeed Any other object is sneakily still in The frame and closer to the camera it Will probably Focus on that instead and Again I did notice some wobbles in my Test footage too as the camera pulled Between subjects ultimately I don't Think that product priority is doing Anything particularly intelligent rather It's only focusing whatever's closest But once you understand the rules and The mechanism behind it it can work Reasonably well that said you can equip Pretty much any camera with a similar Mode by simply turning off face Detection and just using the basic full Area autofocus system to just focus on Whatever's closest Okay now for my verdict so far based on My few days with the camera and as Always I'm going to show you some Example photos and you can access some Of the original files via my review of The camera at cameralabs.com The Fujifilm xs20 becomes one of the
Most compelling mid-range cameras around Inheriting the best parts of the xs10 Addressing some of its shortcomings and Adding a bunch of key upgrades for both Photo and video Shooters the 26 Megapixel sensor may be unchanged but it Already delivered enough detail for most Of us and by coupling it with the latest Image processor it's giving it a new Lease of Life photographers get faster Autofocus broader subject detection Longer bursts and one of the most Capable Auto modes that I've ever tested Videographers get a headphone jack a new Vlog mode with easier access to key Settings 4K up to 60p and the Flexibility of 6.2 K open gate in Compressed or external raw formats as Well as the chance to use the cooling Fan accessory for longer Clips meanwhile Absolutely everybody benefits from a More powerful battery doubling the life Of the xs10 not mention many rival Models plus it's part of a system Renowned for its excellent out of camera Quality T and an extensive lens lineup That is only designed for cropped aps-c Sensors without the distraction of full Frame no camera is perfect though and While the auto mode is one of the most Cunning to date I often found the Processing could be a bit heavy-handed And I was frustrated that the amazing Auto subject detection wasn't available
In the other modes hopefully a firmware Update will fix that in my own test I Also found the video autofocus and Stabilization remain a little behind the Best systems out there particularly when It comes to walking and talking if Fujifilm really wants to be the first Choice for vloggers both need to become As good as Sony and Canon and while I'm Delighted that the battery is bigger I'd Have also liked the viewfinder Magnification to be larger too and if I'm being really greedy how about twin Card slots and where the ceiling that'd Be nice but all of these are addressed By the xh series which also give you the Choice of two new sensors in fact I Think in terms of what was left out to Me to lower price point Fujifilm has Made pretty much the right decisions Here ultimately the xs20 is a very Strong proposition enhancing what was Already a great Stills camera and Upgrading the video capabilities to Become one of the best at this price Point it could even be seen as a baby x Age and becomes a welcome addition to The X Series and that's it for this Review as always I'd love to hear what You think in the comments particularly How the xs20 compares to earlier and Rival models and in the absence of a Sponsor interrupting this video please Do consider giving me a like and a
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