Fujifilm X-S20 Review - Tough to Beat [ Fuji XS20 ] 

Thank you!

Very thorough as usual. Well done!!

Agreed. Other people have done terrible jobs

@@TheHybridShooterjust bought it today off you recommendation

Thank you!

Thank you, I appreciate it!

Thank you!

Yep , after release I think about Fuji should have named this not a Xs-20, but XS-30, cause of everything is changed so much in a better way

My pleasure, thank you for watching!

Thank you! It is a big upgrade, but as always, it depends on what and how you shoot, so everybody has to answer that for him/herself.

My pleasure, thank you for watching!

Thank you! Yes, I do, mostly just standard (Provia).

Depends on the length and frequency of the clips that you will be shooting.

Depends on long the videos are in length. But it certainly is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Just a matter of $$$ and space in the bag.

They might add it in firmware updates. It’s very possible if enough people request it, like how the XH2S front dial can be reprogrammed to be ISO now.

@@LePleb It is extremely unlikely. Enough people have been requesting it for about 10 years. Best case scenario is that the next generation will have touch menu.

There is a big difference in the EVF, but is not wroth buying X-T4 over the S-X20 because ofr the EVF, X-S20 is a more modern platform with much better autofocus.

Thank you!

@@TheHybridShooter quick question, how would you compare the evf on the x-t4 to the x-s20? I’m so tempted by the x-s20 but would have to trade my x-t4 but I use the viewfinder almost exclusively as it’s easier (because if you wear reading glasses it’s a pain to wear them walking around to see the screen!) Also was out not long ago and the screen wasn’t visible due to bright sunlight. Thanks

X-T4 EVF is class above X-S20.

@@TheHybridShooter thank you. I’ll stick with what I have and then can at least wait and maybe have a look when it’s actually in store rather than pre order. It just has some great features that attracted me to it, but as I said a couple of potential negatives compared to x-t4 too. Maybe my mission for this summer is learn how to take non shaky video on my x-t4 (total novice) instead

I don't remember to honest, sorry :)

Generally, I would recommend new X-S20 unless you want X-T style analog controls.

I too love the controls for the XS20. Really fast in the field to operate. The ergonomics of the grip are fabulous the best IMO.

@@Festvangelist You mean the XT4 or do you have the XS20 already?

I do not have the XS 20…lost my XS10 on vacation ( trauma ) but the controls on the XS cameras are identical. Ergonomics on the grip is excellent especially when you carry a zoom. For carrying these cameras with a wrist strap pretty awesome ergonomics. I would consider buying the T5 for the 40mp but would like to understand how to manipulate the camera first. I’ll rent one and studying the T5 with John Peltier Photography. Excellent in depth tutorials on Fuji Cameras and film simulations etc. I assume T4 is available used at this point. So in closing I have not decided which way to go.

Thank you!

Thank you!

No, there is no artificial limit.

@@TheHybridShooter thanks for the reply...

@@TheHybridShooter what is the base iso for this camera?

160

Yes to both

@@thomasemory4352 Thanks. So it looks like a capable stills camera though it's been promoted mainly as a video camera. Which do you use the camera more ? - stills or videos?

I’m thinking about going Fuji now too. This camera is awesome

Mine is delayed i thought it was gonna come today 😕 no eta 🤦

My pleasure. That is very complicated question, it mostly depends on what / how you shoot and your preferences, so I would have to make a dedicated video to answer it properly.

@@TheHybridShooter Thank you for your quick answer. I'm mainly interested in taking pictures of the city and people. I think the X-S20 is a bit handier. Which camera would you take for a family holiday, with the focus of taking pictures?

I would probably take the X-T5 because of the 40 MP sensor, but my preferences are not very relevant.

Yes, I am very happy with the photo quality. If you are getting better results with 5D II, something is not right.

As a Sony and Fuji owner I’d say depends of your usage and preferences. A7iii beats any Fuji in image quality, AF and lens options. So, if you plan to go pro, Sony has a solid pathway. If you’re going for travel, enjoyment and portability, then go with this Fuji. The screen and overall operation will be more responsive.

I will make a video about that next week.

@@TheHybridShooter Incredible thank you my friend

I say go with the Fuji over the a73. You have 6k with the Fuji, as he demonstrated here I think the Fujis autofocus works just fine. Not only do you have Fuji lenses but you also have option from sigma, Tamron and Viltrox. Smaller body and smaller ,cheaper lenses for the apc body but still with great quality. I don't recall the a73 happing a flip screen if that's important to you, Fuji colors are better than the a73 and you also have Fujis film simulations. I have a Sony a6400, a7r3, Nikon z7ii and now a Nikon Z8....

@jfranco3281 It is a lot more complicated than that, which is why my comparisons are 15+ minutes long. Not everything from your comment is for correct.

If you know what you are doing, you can get very serious video out of the X-S20. Autofocus depends on the situation. X-T5 autofocus is the same.

I would assume the H2 with 40mp is sharper when enlarged or pixel peeping. Most post process or in body settings will satisfy most photographers…not all. I love results with the CMOS with the latest processor in the XS 20 to be much more than the “ beginner “ camera.

@@Festvangelist He is asking about X-H2s which has 26 MP sensor. That question is too complicated for a YT comment, but the X-H2s is a high-speed camera indented for completely different tpye of use, so if you need it, it is worth the extra money. If you don't, then not...

Thank you! 4K is downsampled, not oversampled. I have never compared it side-by-side, but I don't think that the difference will be huge.

@@TheHybridShooter I guess we're talking about the same thing with different terms - the 4k in the X-S20 get the full sensor readout and converts it to 4k. This potentially results in better resolution and lower noise. My doubt is because some cameras (notably some Pansonics in the past) have a mode that made a central 4k crop from the sensor, and that image have notably worse quality than the 4k image from the full sensor readout. From what I saw from Fuji's open gate, the quality is really good, just wanted to know there is drawbacks. I will upgrade from them X-S10, specially because of the bigger battery - yesterday made some videos from a party and had to change batteries after almost 30 mins of 4k video - and maybe I will test the differences; if it is not huge, probably will start to use open gate a lot, to have some room to vertical reframing. Again, thanks for the review.

@@MarcioK Yes, the term "oversampled" is often used instead of downsampled, even by some manufacturers, but it is incorrect. It is a 4K video downsampled from oversampled 6.2K data. If you only crop 6.2K video vertically to get 16:9 and export in 4K you will get the same quality as with 4K downsampled in camera. The video will be downsampled during the exporting process.

Tamron 18-300 and Viltrox 13mm f1.4

Stills are mostly RAW, video is mostly standard Provia. The extra quality is probably caused by high export bit-rate.

Thank you! If you are exporting in 4K, the difference in image quality will be negligible. The main difference will be the 3:2 aspect ratio.

@@TheHybridShooter did you do some overheating test with 6k and 4k60 ?

I also have the X-S10, but just got it recently. I haven't yet looked at the comparison, but suspect much greater improvement in video / codecs.

@@Clickumentary it is as he stated in the video. The new processor also has subject detect such as birds. Hoping it’s a big step forward.

@@DigiDriftZone I think it’s really nice. I wish it was faster for the price. Bokeh still looks good. I got a great like new price on it. Worth renting

My pleasure, thank you!

Thank you!

I don't know.

I have talked about that in the video.

@@TheHybridShooter yes I saw, but when 30-40 min using ) not 5-6min , but I will try change settings from standard to high 🤝

Pergear 50mm

Yes

@@TheHybridShooter That is brilliant

basically the same

Thank you! I don't really have a preference. X-T4 is more experience oriented due to dedicated dials, X-S20 is a more pragmatic package.

X-S20 mostly for better autofocus

@@Constant_Creators Heres a bigger question. I already have the xt4. Is it worth selling it to buy s20 for the auto focus

​@rudydoyle I'd say it depends on type of photography. If you photograph fast moving subjects or people/animals, this current generation of cameras is much better and probably worth the upgrade.

No.

@@TheHybridShooter thank you. You're the first reviewer who has answered that question. Now I know this camera does what I need.

Sony A6600

That you, I am not sure what do you mean, tests are shown in the video.

The laws of physics are against you at the moment. Sorry!

Thank you! It is not silly but way too complicated for a YT comment. It would require a dedicated video to answer.

X-S20 is a great portable video camera and is, as many have said, an baby X-H2S. The X-T5, on the other hand, is their flagship photography camera. It has the manual dials that many Fuji photography shooters prefer and love and is an interchangeable lens camera meaning you have a lot of versatility. The X100V, while also a premium stills camera from Fuji's lineup, differs from the X-T5 in that it has a fixed focal length meaning you can't swap lenses. It's a very experience oriented camera that many enthusiasts have grown to love, however, it is not a camera for beginners. Hope this helps!

@@patrickxtran X-T5 is not a flagship camera, now it is an upper-midrange camera positioned below X-H2 and X-H2S. X-S20 is X-H2 lite, not X-H2S lite, that is a dedicated high-speed camera with a stacked sensor. The situation is much more complicated than that, which is why I prefer not to give incomplete answers.

@@TheHybridShooter eh there might some inaccuracies with my comment, but I think overall I’m on the money in terms of use case for those cameras 🤷‍♂️

If you say so :) you can just look at those cameras and learn as much, except the parts that you got wrong, so it is not that difficult to be "on money" to that extent.

I’m not sure what you mean.

Oh i mean its good for beginners fujifilmx s-20

Thank you!

Me too

thehybridshooter stated he will make a comparison between these two soon. Waiting on it myself as well

There is a sample with all film simulations in the video. Yes, it is a much better camera than Z50.

@@TheHybridShooter Thank you.

I don't know, I have tested it for 1 hour.

@@TheHybridShooterwhat was the approximate temperature outside during your overheating testing?

I wouldn't necessarily say that the X-S20 is a pure X-S10 successor, there is pretty significant philosophical departure and price increase. It more or less bridges the gap between X-S10 and X-H2.

You're welcome! Yes, you would be wrong.

@@TheHybridShooter Thanks, could you be more specific? I would appreciate that very much. I might upgrade to the X-S20 cause of the better video autofocus, but the IBIS is very important to me.

I’m not sure what do you mean by more specific, it was a simple yes / no question. IBIS performance is explained and demonstrated in this video, you can also take a look at IBIS performance in my X-H2 and X-T5 videos, those use the same IBIS system.

You have to decide if you really need full-frame. A had an A7C and switched to the x-h2s. Never looked back. Reason no1 for me: colour. Fuji Pictures out of camera are Just great. Don't like and want to Invest time in editing.

@@erik6678 Thanks for your reply, Eric. These are the comments I am looking for. I am amateur and using camera for fun, mostly family events for stills and videos. I am little bit concern about low light performance, but with f1.4 Tokina lens, for example, it shouldn't be that bad with X-S20, I guess. I have Sony rx100 v now.

@@stanleygabrel1045 Fuji colors are very overhyped though, they are very good, but so are Sony colors. Fuji prefers colder tones that's about it.

@@TheHybridShooter Thanks very much for your reply and great review. Waiting for Sony A7c ii.

@@stanleygabrel1045 That won't be an X-S20 competitor though, it will be much more expensive.

I'm not interested in R8.

@@TheHybridShooter Why ? This is also a good camera. So many people like me, they are little bit confuse to chose of those camera which one is perfect.

I don't think that it is and I won’t be reviewing any Canon products due to the 3rd party RF lens ban. Lack of IBIS is also an instant dealbreaker for me.

No, open gate means using full sensor resolution.

The temperature thing is pretty damn sucky though.

X-E4 was discontinued, so the remaining units are being sold at a premium.

@@TheHybridShooter Yeah, wish I bought a used one for £600 while I still could.. Great review as always btw!

By space saving I mean size saving (making the camera smaller). That area is nowhere near big enough for a D-pad. The camera would have to be larger to fit both joystick and D-pad.

There is no recording limit on this camera, so I'm not sure what do you mean by "recording limits". The camera doesn't need to downsample 6.2K footage to 4K, so it working less hard when shooting 6.2K, if that is what you are asking.

@@TheHybridShooter As I said, when recording 6.2K I get continuous recording up to 45 minutes. Anything else below that I get about 43 minutes before recording stops (no overheating sign) So it has a recording limit after all.

It definitely doesn't have artificial recording limit, I have recorded for more than hour continuously with X-S20. If it had a limit it would always stop at the same time.

@@TheHybridShooter It seems my camera is faulty. Thank you for your input.

No.

@@TheHybridShooter yes they did, the buttons are bigger, the dials are higher and the grip is bigger. You dont know what you are talking about and have not compared them properly

​@@david111davies No. Both cameras are 65.4mm deep, grip is identical. The handling IS pretty much identical, some tiny details don't change that. Next time listen more careful and do proper research before writing nonsense.

Everybody has a different preference in this regard, I guess that there is no way to make everyone happy.

It will most likely compete with X-H2 not X-S20.

R8 has no IBIS, which is a deal breaker for majority of users nowadays. ZV-E1 has no EVF and it is a specific low-res vlogging camera. X-S20 is a tiny camera, it is heavier because it uses magnesium frame instead of cheap, mostly plastic construction of R8. I recommend you to take a look at it in person.

@@TheHybridShooter I don't use IBIS personally. I find it to be too much of a battery drain just to shoot handheld from 1/8 - 1/30, just to still have motion blur from moving subjects anyway. For video I'd choose a gimbal if I was serious about stabilisation and the ZV-E1 over the R8. I also only shoot via LCD, because it lets me be more dynamic with framing. Since I'm pretty tall, I find shooting from eye level to be the least dynamic option very often. I wouldn't use an EVF for video either, which is why I'd choose the ZV-E1. So EVF and IBIS aren't super necessary for me, and I'd happily lose them for a more compact form factor, which is what I invested in Fujifilm for originally. So both the R8 and ZV-E1 look not only like better options in general if I'm going for a PSAM camera anyway, but also offer full frame sensors for better dynamic range and low light performance. At that point a magnesium frame doesn't mean much compared. If they're going to make a small camera I think they should just commit. Making a slightly smaller X-H that's still bigger than 2 very viable fullframe options when they have no other cameras in production to fill the compact niche is a weird choice. I like what Fujifilm used to do, it felt like they were offering options that other brands didn't already do better, so the benefits of aps-c were more significant. I guess that's why the X100V and X-E4 are so expensive second hand and in high demand, whereas the X-H and X-S line never have any stock issues at all. On the positive side: their whole line right now is great for wildlife photographers and sports, but don't really compete with the big boys there either. I'll probably wait a few more months with my XF lenses to see if they announce anything, because I like Fujifilm - I've been with them since the X-E2S launch and owned 4 of their cameras, but with an Iceland trip coming up I can't wait long. 🤷‍♂️

@@-grey I understand, but your requirements are contradicting what the market wants. Removing IBIS would be unacceptable. Not having one probably killed the X-E line, and the next X100 camera won’t be released until they figure out how to make one with IBIS. Gimbal can’t replace IBIS, you need both to get smooth footage. I actually agree with removing EVF, but I am in the minority. Despite that, X-S20 is already a tiny camera, so the size is the not a concern at all. Your requests (hopefully) won’t be fulfilled, so you are better off with buying something else.

@@TheHybridShooter the X-E and X100 weren't killed though. They were discontinued to put resources into new lines, despite having overwhelming back orders in demand. There are plenty of articles about it. The ZV-E1 has stabilisation and is smaller. The R8 has an EVF and is smaller. So this as an aps-c is HUGE by comparison. It could have both and be smaller, is my point. It should be no bigger than the X-T100. Yet it's bigger than the full frame Canon R8. 🤦‍♂️ Buy what else though? Fujifilm was the only alternative option if you want usable AF and reasonable lenses. I have invested in Fujifilm because they make cheap, small, high quality aps-c cameras for amateur travel, documentary, and street photographers. They have nothing in production that fills the ethos we all invested in years ago, so used prices are naturally inflated because of market demand. To say the market doesn't want it, contradicts the stock issues we've seen for the X-E and X100 lines for the past two years, stock issues that the X-H and X-S don't have. They are always on shelves and never sold out. Check back articles on fuji rumours if you don't believe it. Fujifilm had a niche, and that niche was small mirrorless cameras benefitting from the form factor of crop sensors, but made high quality, with tactile dials. Now they're making full frame size PSAM cameras with an aps-c sensor, and abandoned their stand-out feature and their very loyal user base to buy second-hand, or lose money switching systems. All because they don't have an in-production camera that fulfills their brand ethos. Fujifilm making this switch is like if every restaurant in the city switched over to only pizza because it's more popular. So the only thing you could eat in a restaurant was pizza, no sushi, no burgers, no Thai food, just pizza. And all those other restaurants that made great different food options, now make pretty mediocre pizza. So you just either have to eat it, or don't go to a restaurant for over a year. I don't honestly expect a camera reviewer to get it since you probably switch systems all the time and having the newest thing for two weeks is basically just part of the job, but some of us invest in a feature set or ethos from a brand for years, and to have that pulled out from under us is an annoying, costly thing. They should have at least one in-production camera that fulfills their niche, so we can have a choice that's not pizza.

@-grey X100 wasn't killed. X-E was killed because not enough people will buy a new camera without IBIS these days. They would have to add a grip and rotate the battery to fit in the IBIS, which is basically how the X-S line came to be. As you wrote, Fujifilm prefers to put resources into their more popular line, such as X-S20. Stock issues are mostly caused by supply issues. Read some articles about that. Fujifilm is doing very well at the moment, so they probably know what they are doing. R8 is actually significantly larger than the X-S20, don't be fooled by "couple of mm" difference, as I wrote, take a look at them in person. ZV-E1 is very impressively packaged, but as I wrote, it is a specific camera designed for vlogging, I don't recommend it for stills at all. There is no need to worry about my understating. Again, Fujifilm still makes some tiny cameras, X-S20 is definitely one of them. Fujifilm's main niche have always been X-T and X-Pro lines. Those have always been larger than some full-frame DSLMs, and people still liked them a lot. This is rather pointless discussion. As I wrote, your demands most likely won't be met, so feel free to buy R8 or ZV-E1...

There is no point in having unreasonable expectations. There are two valid excuses - size and price. Get an X-T5 or X-H2 if you want better EVF.

@@TheHybridShooter Keep expecting what camera manufactures want you to expect.

Keep having unreasonable expectations.

@@TheHybridShooter You don't really get it, do you. It's people like you that keep manufactures laughing all the way to the bank. Wake up.

No, X-S20 is technically much more advanced.

@@TheHybridShooter ohhh, does it also beat the lumix S52? I have a g9 but want something solely for landscape. Cheers and thank you for setting me straight!

@@mathish1477 No, it doesn´t beat S5 II, those are all very different cameras.

No and no.

@@TheHybridShooter what do you mean no. It has a vlog button on it. 😂

@@adventuresofjandk That doesn't mean that it is marked as a vlog camera, it is a an all-round usable camera that can also be used for vlogging.