Fujifilm X-S20 Definitive Review | The Perfect Camera for Vloggers?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This video is sponsored by Fantom Wallet. Visit store.fantomwallet.com and use code DUSTIN15 to get 15% off

[@cwills75]

Nice review Dustin. My only disagreement is the statement about the X-T5 being an "even better jack of all trades" over the X-S20. The X-T5 street photographer's stalker screen Fujifilm went with instead of an articulating screen ruins the X-T5 from any sort of hybrid use for a large number of people, which is something the X-T4 still does better. The $1300 X-S20 and discontinued X-T4 still have better 4K video than the $1700 X-T5 and $2000 X-H2 as both of them use line skipping, which creates black crush and you lose about two stops in the shadows. The X-S20 also has 6.2K open gate, whereas the X-T5 does not. The X-S20 and X-T4 are even superior to the $2500 X-H2S in 240p mode. The stacked sensor in the X-H2S creates a really high noise floor in 240P, which is not present in the X-T4, and I'm assuming X-S20, as they use the same sensor. The X-T4 and X-S20 also apply less of a crop in 240p than the X-H2S (1.29x vs 1.38x). I get the appeal of the X-T line, especially for people coming to Fujifilm from another system. The retro dials and knobs look nice, but owning an X-T4, that's where my praise of them ends. The ISO dial not having the full extended range on it, along with even worse limitations with the shutter speed dial makes them completely useless for me. If I need to setup two other dials to fully utilize the ISO/shutter range, and lock-out the giant dedicated dials on the top of the camera, the retro dials are now just a waste of space. I was initially going to buy the X-H2S to go along with my X-T4, but the X-S20 has changed my mind, and I'm getting one of those. With it being so much smaller/lighter with better 240p video and excellent battery life, it will be a great pair to the X-T4 when I need two bodies on a shoot.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Some fair points. I completely agree about the shutter speed dial. I've never utilized that on any X-T body.

[@amitkrupal1234]

Is the 1.29 crop still present while shooting FHD 240fps, I think it's useful in my case shooting dirt bikes using 75 f/1.2. If yes then it's awesome

[@1883entertainment]

borrowed an XH2 and found in video blacks were completely crushed and unrecoverable. A problem I did not have with the X-S10. Is this why then? i was hugely disappointed when I experienced this.

[@cwills75]

@@1883entertainment yes, it's a known problem some of Fuji's models, like the X-H2 and X-T5 in video mode. The X-S20 is the way to go for most people that use video on the Fuji system.

[@1883entertainment]

@@amitkrupal1234 not sure if its mandatory, but fuji gives you the option to set all resolutions/frame rates and fix them to the 1.29 crop

[@yanks939]

Thanks!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You're welcome, and thanks for the tip!

[@MoreData-hz8hm]

Hi Dustin, thank you so much for your incredible reviews. Can I ask if you have also tested the sony a6700? I am trying to decide between that and this camera and have seen by a lot of videos, as well as DPReview's studio photo comparison tool, that the xs20 displays about one stop less of noise per ISO value to the a6700 (in other words, the a6700 is noiser than the xs20) - was wondering if you could add any input to say if you've experienced the same. Thank you so much for being a beacon of light in the photography review world!

[@gregoryedwards8918]

For those doing in video with the Fuji XT3 or XT4, the upgrades on the XS-20 would make it an excellent B cam or second camera. Yes it is more expensive than the XS-10, but for video shooters they have really upped the game.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It definitely thrives as a video oriented camera.

[@isaiahfurrow7414]

Can you take pictures, say in raw, and then later in camera cinvert them to the different film simulation options to compare?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Absolutely.

[@bosskaloi]

Does it have autofocus at 240 fps video?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I don’t recall testing that, but I think it does

[@paololarocca7684]

I like this camera a lot, I wonder if the extra resolution of the 6k video can be used in a 4k project to mimic via software the automatic leveling feature of the canon r7 ....

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I don't see why not. To me the ability to crop and zoom is one of the main advantages of shooting at a higher resolution.

[@Whale_Tale]

Greetings Dustin and thanks for another comprehensive review. Have you encountered any firmware bugs in custom modes on your X-S20? I have a strange experience with them. The C1 and C2 are set for photo presets in my case while C3 and C4 custom modes are set for video presets with different resolutions and frame rates. The control is all manual of course -- no aperture/SS/ISO priorities. The front dial is set to changing SS. Here's the thing -- when i set the mode dial to C3 or C4 and then switch the camera on, everything works fine. But if the camera is set to C1 and is switched on, when I turn the dial from C1 to C3 or C4, then the SS number is automatically set to the same number as the mode fps (twice lower then it should be) and the front dial that should change the SS stops working -- no matter how I turn it, the SS remains the same. If I mingle in the menu and then return in shooting mode, the front SS dial starts working again, but if I switch between C-presets, the problem returns. I thought it was a bug and updated to the latest 1.11 firmware, but the problem remains. So it got me thinking -- maybe it's not a bug, but I am missing some crucial settings that is buried somewhere in the menu. Min SS in movie mode perhaps. Have you encountered something like that?

[@mex5341]

have you found the answer?

[@Whale_Tale]

@@mex5341 Yep. Purely coincidental.

[@mex5341]

@@Whale_Tale so what was the issue ?

[@Whale_Tale]

@@mex5341 I guess the problem is in the logic of Fujifilm programmers. They have linked particularly the SS settings in the custom modes that you adept for video with the Video mode on the dial. Since I shoot only manual, I didn’t even bother checking out the Video mode and it was factory set to auto. Turns out that if it is set to auto, the SS function in custom video modes gets locked. Go figure. ))) So you need to turn your mode dial to Video icon, disengage the auto settings there. Then you will regain control of your SS in custom modes. Peculiar is that this issue concerns only SS - not ISO, not aperture or whatnot. First I thought that this is some kind of Japanese gruesome genius logic. But then it crossed my mind, that this is generally I minor quirk that haven’t yet occurred to anyone at Fujifilm. I guess they picked the tradition of other brands to release half backed cameras and patch them with updates further on.

[@mex5341]

@@Whale_Tale спасибо, попробую! 🙃

[@garageworker]

Does the XS20 do wireless tethering? I’m looking to transfer pictures to my computer as I’m taking them over Wi-Fi.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I do think you can do that, though I didn’t specifically test that. You can definitely do it via the app

[@harshitpatni968]

Which tablet you use it’s not iPad though

[@dccoletrain]

I think this might be an actual better video camera than the XT5. Seems I read something about line skipping with that sensor. I wish the X-S20 was weather sealed but I didn’t expect it.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Interesting thought. I don't know the answer to that.

[@MarcioK]

Yep - AFAIK, the 4k "normal" video from the X-T5 is not oversampled - instead, it is line skipped (or some other method). The 4k oversampled from the 6.2k (which is the regular 4k on the X-S20) is the 4k HQ mode, which have a 1.23x crop. In fact, maybe even the X-T4 is a better video camera than the X-T5. Was one of the reasons that I'll go to the X-S20 (in fact, already pre-ordered it). But if you are a stills-centric, with video just as a sidenote, the X-T5 is probably a better camera.

[@j16m02]

Great review as usual Dustin. I'm curious about your take in this camera vs the A6600. I don't do video, but I want a full featured travel setup. I'm currently shooting with the A6600 for travel. Considering the huge lens selection for the Sony (B&H lists 123 primes! Can you believe it?), particularly the walk around zooms (new 16-80mm F4 G due next month) is there any reason for me to even consider this body other than G.A.S.?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

If you don't do video, then I'd be hard pressed to say yes. Fuji's film simulations are nice, but yes, Sony's catalog of lenses is unbeaten.

[@jcurtistx]

Same boat as you... I have the a6600 and the a6700 is a questionable upgrade since I don’t really do video. Sounds like even when comparing the a6600 to the XS20, there is no compelling reason to switch with photos being my primary use case. Great video Dustin.

[@j16m02]

@@jcurtistx I didn't mention it in my comments too Dustin, but I am an enthusiastic birder too, so having Sony's best AF in a small body very compelling as well.

[@Princeton_James]

I had 2 a6600 bodies and I can say that the Fuji destroys it for picture and video. It's a much more comfortable camera, longer battery, pop up flash, better flippy screen instead of flip up, better screen resolution, better IBIS. The a6600 feels like an old camera compared to this.

[@ChristopherMichaelR]

Im coming from a GH5. I've had an XT3 and got an XH1 that i'm going to return. Personally, I like the PASM feel more. I move back from photo/video a lot and the manual dials up top add a lot more time when switching modes vs PASM. Coming from the GH5, the 26mp crop sensor is more than enough for me. I wish there were more customizable buttons and weather sealing. I did consider the XH2 but I didn't want to compromise on size and I didn't need 8k. I dont even need 6k from the XS20 but its nice to have. I agree that at this price point the viewfinder should be better but for the way that I shoot I almost never use the viewfinder. The XS20 was exactly what I was looking for. Bigger sensor but still a compact form factor. I did also consider the 6700 that just came out but what pushed me over to the fuji was the fuji film sims/custom film sims. I dont like going into lightroom to edit. I like to have my images SOOC. In the end this is all personal to me. Im sure someone out there will have their own preferences.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm glad the X-S20 hits the sweet spot for you.

[@matthewqin3672]

Hi Dustin, I am wondering if you are interested in conducting a review on the differences between the X-Trans and Bayer sensors of Sony a6700 and Fuji XS20/XH2s? They all feature the latest sensors with the same pixel count. If the same third-party lenses can be used, the results should be compelling.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

If I happened to have everything together at the same time, perhaps, but that's easier said than done.

[@mike.k]

Does it have input for remote control? 🤔

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I believe the headphone monitoring jack doubles as a port for a remote release.

[@TechWandererYT]

For the title mentioning vloggers, I'd liked more focus on the one issue everybody keeps mentioning, which is continuous autofocus. Otherwise really nice review, particularly with the ISO test. Thanks Dustin!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

In my vlogging example, I didn't see any issue with continuous AF keeping tracking on my face.

[@dlim5687]

How does this camera's dynamic range compare to the X-S10 and the X-H2S? Thank you!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's the same sensor as the X-S10, so don't expect any real improvement.

[@itsaaronmiller]

With F-Log2 I would assume it gains some dynamic range. From what I’ve seen, it’s 1 stop more than the X-S10/XT3/4 and one stop less than the XH2S

[@TeachUBusiness]

Lack of weathering sealing makes this camera a no go for me. So much work is done outdoors so it makes sense to weather seal a $1300 camera.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Agreed.

[@miquelgl5199]

Thank you for this deep review, I read in some comments that this camera has a crop in 30k video mode, is that true?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Not beyond the natural APS-C crop.

[@zakiradi450]

Why does Fuji not bring in Gyroscope stabilisation like Sony? Also no weather sealing is a bummer - and seems to me this is because of the fan at the back

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I don't think the fan port is the problem - both the X-H2 (andX-H2S) along with the X-T5 are compatible with the fan, and they are weather sealed.

[@zakiradi450]

@@DustinAbbottTWI oh! That's bad then. So they didn't do overall weather sealing. Not great at all then. When you buy a small cam u want it to he with u all the time and just throw it in the bag. Not keep in the dehumidifier and pull it out on occasions or professional shoot

[@ramonarias1234]

Good review, I bought this camera the other day and I have to say that compared to my Nikon d7200 the sensor is much worse, I especially notice it in landscapes, the treatment of the lights on the Fuji sensor is terrible. On the other hand, I have gained in automation such as eye and subject autofocus, which I think is wonderful... and other things that mirrorless have and are spectacular. But unfortunately I have lost in image quality... a lot. Regards

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I haven't tested the d7200, but I am somewhat surprised to hear that the sensor in the X-S20 is that much poorer.

[@ramonarias1234]

@@DustinAbbottTWI well, if you check in dxomark ranking the first apsc sensor in the ranking is the D7200... You are too far, otherwise I will send it to you to test it ;-)

[@bergfi]

I currently also have a Nikon D7200 and want to migrate to mirrorless. My Nikon is too big and heavy to always carry with me and I was considering the XS-20 as a possible replacement. But I am also looking at the Panasonic Lumix cameras and OM/Olympus cameras. Did you ever consider them or not?

[@ramonarias1234]

@@bergfi mmm.. no, my wife has the Lumix Lx100V 2, and quality is quite good, but AF jus meh. OM no, but I have friends who are very happy and even proud of the Olympus. Also I want to say, this weekend went to France and just now check the raws and I am very happy with the XS20, AF is super great (comparing with d7200 of course) I mean is another world. And just underexpose to not blow the highlights and all go perfect. Ah, the DR200 is also great, I set to auto and limit to 320. I bought the Viltrox 13mm and the Signa 18-50 2.8. The Viltrox is just like alien technology, really is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Sigma for portraits perfect too, the only bad thing is chromatic aberration between 18-28, but portraits or pics at 2.8 are beautiful. Totally recommended!👍🏻

[@bergfi]

thanks@@ramonarias1234

[@jonmnelson]

It’s a nice camera, but autofocus in video is sorely lacking. If I’m in a crowded area, walking while filming, it seems to do well. If it’s a static shot of a landscape or even something relatively close, I find the focus hunts for some reason. Maybe I’m missing a setting, but it’s incredibly frustrating and ruins the clip. Manual is always an option, but it’s disappointing the AF can’t handle a simple static shot without hunting. Still not sure if I’ll keep mine.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This continues to be a weak point for Fuji.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

You actually don't have room for more buttons, because there is a certain amount of space needed for your hand to lean on in order to grip the camera with one hand. If you put buttons there, you will constantly be pressing them.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm not sure I agree (as I've seen it done elsewhere), but if you're happy, I'm happy.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

@@DustinAbbottTWI I have a hard time picturing it as usable, but I guess we won't really know until it's done.

[@GremHopkins]

good review, thanks

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Glad it was helpful!

[@komedybitspresents...600]

I have the same camera, with the fan. Disappointed to discover that at 10 bit 4.2.2 in All-Intra, you can only record video up to 45 minutes continuously, in whatever mode (with a very fast SD card). And nothing to do with overheating. Not good enough.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Hmmm, that's interesting.

[@komedybitspresents...600]

@@DustinAbbottTWI I've since purchased a very fast Sony G-Series 256GB Tough SD card. Well, that made a huge difference. I now get double the recording time. So, it depends on the card.

[@komedybitspresents...600]

It was about how fast and big your card was. All sorted now. @@DustinAbbottTWI

[@pinkplease2374]

Excellent review Dustin. Thank you. Just want your opinion on this one, I got a7c and wondering if switching would be justifiable? I hated editing photos on the a7c and I’m loving the jpeg coming out from my x100v.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

If you love Fuji colors and aren't enjoying Sony colors, then that's a pretty compelling reason to potentially switch.

[@catherinegrimes2308]

Very good and fair review.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

perfect for my gimbal.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Enjoy!

[@OnlyTruthLove]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Very good video by the way. Thank you)

[@dougmacmillan1712]

Very nice review. Your model is super cute! Scratch her ears for me.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you! Will do!

[@stanleygabrel1045]

Awesome review, thanks for posting. I narrowed down to Fuji x-s20 and future Sony A7c ii. Cell phone cameras are so good and Fuji may not be enough to beat them. In good light Fuji is fine, but in low light not so much.

[@andersistbesser]

Lol a apsc camera kills any smart phone in low light. You really have no clue what you are talking about

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I’ve yet to use a cell phone camera that compares to any actual mirrorless camera…and either the Sony or Fuji will be much better in low light situations than any cell phone.

[@TravelingLensMan]

You cant compare canon n sony camera as this is a smaller camera and cheaper. Sony a6600 besides autofocus theres nothing much better than XS20

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

The Canon EOS R7 costs $100 more and is definitely the superior sports camera.

[@motebike]

The $400 difference went into 10bit 4.2.2, Open gate, slightly better IBIS, and a bit better autofocus. Is the price justified? Maybe not, but Fuji can charge whatever it likes in order to make a bit more profit. Case closed.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Whether the price increase is justified will really come down to what people want to use the camera for. It's more justified for those looking for video performance.

[@robertcudlipp3426]

Another, relatively late, comment. I have owned ,and still do, a number of compact Fujifilm bodies, the XT20 ,XT2 and the S10 The S10 was purchased after my, basically having given up on Fuji releasing a body with AF/IAF that could compete with the hardly newly released a6400, purchased to make use of its stellar IAF. I basically do zero video and no blogging. From your, typically thorough review, it seemed you were reluctant to be as openly critical of the S20 AF as is probably warranted. As the AF, for reasons which continue to escape me, remains way behind the competition, including the a6400, why would I purchase the S20 and get peanuts for my barely used S1😂. Very, very disappointing😢.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

AF (and poor touchscreens) continue to be Fuji's weak points. If they could fix that, they would be top notch in the APS-C space.