HS10 has what we usually call an Ultrazoom, non-DSLR cameras that can shoot long distances. Comparing those that’s available in the market, where most of the optical quality often takes a dive to reach such extreme lengths, with the control no difference from a point-and-shoot costing half the price, HS10 achieves the impossible with BSI image sensor tricks to improve quality and controls you'd normally expect only on an dSLR. HS10 is also able to shoot in RAW capturing format, whereby mostly dSLR offers, and the HS10 delivers relatively good image where I think most photo enthusiasts would love to have, but without the hassle of switching lenses.
Those who had used a dSLR will feel comfortable with HS10. It has an entire column on the left provides quick shortcuts to ISO, autoexposure, autofocusing mode as well as the white balance. On the other side are similar touches like an AE/AF lock and a dedicated navigation dial next to the mode dial. The only concessions to newcomers are the typical four-way shortcut pad and a dial split equal between the usual program, aperture, shutter & manual mode.
Features wise, HS10 works just like a dSLR, zooming in by rotating the lens, and with this, it allows control over the length which you wants to shoot. As mentioned above, HS10 comes with BSI sensor that offers an unique features called panorama capture mode. All you have to do is to place the camera across the object to take a panoramic shot, and the frames will be recorded continuously without much hassle. Some of the other cameras which I’ve tried that offers panorama mode often ends up images of misalignment even though you handle the camera smoothly, but not the HS10. The result was perfect, and the picture taken was seamless. Besides panoramic, HS10 has another feature called Pro Low-Light mode, which combines a few images simultaneously and form a sharp photo with lower noise levels, this is partly make possible by using CMOS sensor rather than the usual CCD, so it does have the benefits of good sensitivity to light and low noise. The camera shoots at up to ISO 6,400 without having to drop the resolution, though as always the actual usable range is considerably less.
Another additional feature which I really love from HS10 was the 3’ tilting LCD, that allows taking pictures from a difficult angle, especially when you have a big crowd in front of you, and you’re not tall enough to see what was on the screen, taking a shot was like a piece of cake. We had tons of minor tweaks available, like White Balance refinement, Sharpness, Color, and Film modes. Dynamic Range was adjustable, and we had an f/2.8 – f/11 Aperture range and base 30-second Shutter Speed in Manual Mode.
This year, most of the Fujifilm Finepix cameras produce quite impressive images, and of course, HS10 is one of them. The colours turns out quite natural, noise are minimal, and the camera allow us to manipulate the result that suit our vision.
Next, is the overdue upgrade of HD video for Fujifilm products. As far as I can remember, the previous Fujifilm’s product can only shoot in VGA, and not HD, and here, we have the HS10 to shoot up to 1080p. The result is a noticeable difference that you can use even to post up to YouTube and MetaCafe for the web to enjoy.
However, if you are expecting to use HS10 to replace the cam recorder, you will be quite disappointed. Even though it’s great for web video, computer or directly for TV, you can’t help but noticed there’s a visible amount of compression, and the camera is finding hard to keep up with the 30 frames per second without blurring the objects. Also, without the mechanical zoom, you may have problems producing movies either by jerking the scene, or some uneven movement are noticeably visible when you use the lens barrel.
In summary, HS10 is the closest you can get to find somewhere in the middle, between the sopiscation of a dSLR and the convenience of a point-and-shoot camera, and HS10 handles most of the shooting conditions well. This is the ideal bargain for any photographer who requires a very long zoom, easy control but not ready for a dSLR, and it does not really burn a hole in your pocket.
This is one camera I have no complain about, as it's not out to replace dSLR, unlike Sony...sigh.....
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