Sunday, September 11, 2011

Reviewing the HS20EXR.....Update Pt2.

Shooting modes and settings.


Having now put over five and a half thousand shots through the HS20 I am getting comfortable with the settings and modes of shooting with this camera. Its taken a while to sort out all the different permeation's that the user is given with this camera.


There are a good many scene modes and auto shooting modes. As this is an enthusiasts camera the user will no doubt have spent some time sorting through the settings. For those wanting to get better than average shots from this camera, in almost all cases I suggest you stay away from the inbuilt scene modes and full auto modes. The output from these settings may not be what you were expecting and I have found that they can be woefully inaccurate at times.


So what does that leave us with?  The best part of the HS20 actually. For now we will focus on the more straightforward EXR & P shooting modes, these being P mode, SN mode (low noise high ISO) mode, DR (dynamic range priority) mode, HR (resolution priority) mode. You will notice that I have left out the EXR Auto mode as I find this mode to be too unreliable for good results.
First up settings for my number one preferred mode. Almost all images I take these days are done using these settings.
HR mode = Resolution Priority Settings.
Shooting Menu
Image size = Large 4:3 @ 16 mega pixels, or 16:9  @ 12mega Pixels 

(this is a 16mp image cropped in camera)
Image quality = Fine
Film Simulation = Astia (soft)
WB Shift = Default
Color = Mid
Tone = Std
Sharpness = Hard
Noise Reduction = Low
ISO = 100 (change as required, depending upon light  conditions.)
Setup Menu
Focus Check = Off (When not using manual focus.)
Face recognition & red removal, (unless doing night shots) = Off
All other no essential settings set to off unless specifically required for a particular shot.
External menus & Buttons
White Balance Auto ( change if under lights)
AE ( Photometry) average (changed as required)
AF mode= Center
AF Focusing = Continuous (for most shots)
EV = variable depending on light and location. (Adjust to suit conditions using histogram for exposure reference.) Generally start with Ev set at 0.00



This is my primary shooting setup. Why? For me I want the very best resolution in my images the camera can provide, so why only use half a sensor when the whole one is available? A little extra noise is not really a problem as this can be dealt with in the Post Processing. Its far more important to record as much detail as possible. The thinking here is simple, more detail & correct exposure equals better overall image quality (IQ).
The Jpeg file the Fuji HS20  produces at this setting can easily be scaled back to the 8mp size that the EXR DR settings give you, and to date the images I have taken using this format have not needed this treatment.
While noise is evident from ISO400 and upward, it really isn't too bad as this ISO 1600 image shows of my favorite magazine.
Shot in natural light from a nearby window with no flash.



Sep 13, 2012 4:04:51 AM
Width 4608
Height 2592
File Size 4884195
Camera FUJIFILM
Model FinePix HS20EXR
ISO 1600
Exposure 1/210 sec
Aperture 3.6
Focal Length 11mm
Flash Used false
Orientation 1
White Balance 0
Metering Mode 3
Exposure Program 2
CCD Width 6.4303656
Exposure Bias 0.0
Software Digital Camera FinePix HS20EXR Ver1.03
Focal Length (in 35mm film) 61

While certainly not as crisp as the ISO100 image below, it is nevertheless a usable image and with a bit of scaling and PP treatment would yield a useful 8 x 6 inch print.


At ISO 100 this image would easily print at A4 and at A3 with only minor PP work.



Date Sep 13, 2012 4:10:23 AM

Width 4608

Height 2592

File Size 4336529

Camera FUJIFILM

Model FinePix HS20EXR
ISO 100
Exposure 1/18 sec
Aperture 3.6
Focal Length 11mm
Flash Used false
Orientation 1
White Balance 0
Metering Mode 3
Exposure Program 2
CCD Width 6.4303656
Exposure Bias 0.0
Software Digital Camera FinePix HS20EXR Ver1.03
Exposure Mode 0
Focal Length (in 35mm film) 59
So that then pretty much covers most of the images I take. 
However that doesn't mean that I dont use other settings but rather that I tend to use them for those special occasions.

Next up DR & SN modes...

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for this excellent tutorial, it has certainly given me something to work with on my introduction to photography and my new HS20.

    Not sure about the date on your photo's though.. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Ha-ha
      I've been waiting for ages for someone to comment on that.
      The images are stored in a online album at Picasa and for whatever reason occasionally it gets dates wrong in the Exif data. I've seen it happen at Flickr too.

      Glad I was able to though. Have fun
      Cheers
      ralph

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