This Craver turned 30 at the weekend. Waking up with the sort of brain-melting hangover that 20-year-old tykes can't even conceive of, we discovered all our trainers had been replaced by sensible shoes and our T-shirts had metamorphosed into a selection of V-neck pullovers with lovely patterns. This put us in the perfect state of mind to take a first look at the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 camera, which is a superzoom -- the camera world's equivalent of a mid-life crisis. It's not a compact and it's not a dSLR, but it does boast a giant, 30x optical zoom.
The HS10 specialises in multi-tasking: taking multiple images and combining them in different ways. It shoots raw stills, and will capture raw and JPEG images simultaneously. You can fire off a blistering 10 frames per second at full resolution, or constantly record for as long as you hold down the shutter button, saving the last seven images before release, so you don't miss a piece of the action.
The camera stitches together multiple panorama shots -- captured in one sweeping movement of the camera -- multiple shots of a moving subject, or multiple bracketed shots at different ISO speeds for low-light situations.
We weren't able to get a good look at the results -- Fujifilm might have noticed had we whipped the HS10 off its stand at the Focus on Imaging show -- but we were impressed by the different multiple-image features. Each one took a few seconds to process, so you have to cross your fingers that you won't miss another shot while you're waiting.
High-definition video is recorded at a 1080i resolution, benefiting from stereo sound. The twist zoom barrel means you can zoom in and out while filming. A 1,000-frames-per-second super-fast mode is available at a lower resolution for slow-motion video.
The HS10 runs on AA batteries, which cuts down on charging but increases the amount of time you'll spend rifling through drawers looking for those spares that you just know are there somewhere.
Click 'Continue' for more photos of the HS10 in action, including that giant zoom at full stretch, and the price.
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Anonymous 27 October, 2010 08:55
This is a great camera to learn on. It may not have stunning image quality and may not carry the brand name (and thus the Glam quotient) of a Panasonic / Nikon / Canon, but trust me, once you get to understand the quirks of this camera it is well worth it. It is a great alternative for those who are learning in order to upgrade to a DSLR later. In any case, even when I upgrade to a DSLR, this camera will still be by my side as I cannot get the equivalent of a 30X zoom on a DSLR unless I splurge heavily on lenses.