Fujifilm X-S20 review – A vlog and blog powerhouse

Unless you’re willing to drop enough cash to buy a hot hatchback, cameras in a more affordable price bracket usually excel at either photography or video, but seldom both. Fujifilm’s new X-S20, on the other hand, is a superb bridge between both worlds of content creation. While its pricing does reach more towards the mid-range of mirrorless cameras (around R22,500 for the body alone), there’s nothing middling at all about this powerhouse of a device that can snap gorgeous photos and capture sharp video, all while retaining the core identity of this camera brand.

It’s the best of both worlds in a single device, as the Fujifilm X-S20 hits a sweet spot for both budding photographers and vloggers looking to invest in their next powerhouse camera.

Like other cameras in Fujifilm’s X Series, the X-S20 has a very familiar shape and body. It leans more towards those of us with more elegantly shaped hands, so if you’ve got mitts big enough to leave an impression on a slab of meat, don’t be too surprised if only three of your digits can grasp the shapely hand mount. But that compact size still retains the signature style of Fujifilm, complete with an EVF (electronic viewfinder) and built-in flash that’s nestled inside a chunk of aluminum shaped like Mount Fuji. The EVF is still on the small side though, and if you wear spectacles, you’re going to want to rely more on the LCD touchscreen to keep track of your subject matter.

Elsewhere on the body, there are dual control dials, the now standard joystick for selecting menu options, the always satisfying shutter selection, and several other pronounced buttons to help create an approachable layout to learn the photography ropes on. The articulated touchscreen now has a higher resolution, a variety of ports to aid vloggers and moviemakers, a 2.5-inch headphone jack, and impressively, a much more durable battery that can handle a substantial amount of work.

Fujifilm isn’t rewriting its design book with the X-S20, but it doesn’t need to either. This is a camera that’s unmistakably a Fujifilm camera even when you don’t see the logo chiseled into its frame, creating a timeless and handsome first impression.

So what’s lurking underneath the X-S20’s exterior? Fujifilm has opted to field the 26MP X-Trans BSI-CMOS sensor in this camera, the same one found in the high-end X-T5 and X-H2 models, and it tag teams with the last-gen X-S10’s sensor. Sure, some of you might scoff at a mere 26 megapixels no matter how good the final image looks, but this setup has vloggers in its sights as the X-S20 is capable of grabbing 6.2K video in a 3:2 format.

Even if you’re not planning to chase that absurd resolution, you’re still able to easily grab a crisp 4K 60fps at up to 30p with 10-bit F-Log and F-Log2 support. The X-S20 has also inherited the X-S10’s seven-stop in-body image stabilization system, but it brings a few new tricks to the table as well. Vloggers get their very own dedicated vlog mode on the mode dial that works in tandem with a new subject-tracking autofocus system.

This is essentially a YouTuber’s dream, as Vlog mode is designed to get you recording the second you switch the camera on. Touch-friendly controls and a one-touch background defocus mode helps sell this idea further.

For the last year, I’ve been using a Sony ZV-E10 for my work. It’s a video-first camera, and I don’t even bother taking photos with it because it’s genuinely easier for me to just take a snapshot from my video. Right now, the X-S20 has me considering a change of allegiance to Fujifilm because it offers the best of both worlds. Sure, the photography isn’t too far removed from the X-S10, but then again, that camera already did a fantastic job of capturing rich, detailed, and warm images at the press of a button.

But video content? That’s where the X-S20 has me sold. Vlogging mode and its various features are already a treat for anyone who uploads regular content to YouTube, but this beast of a machine combines the spirit of Fujifilm’s photographic breakthroughs with high-quality video capture. I like to think that every camera brand has an identity that you can see in the work produced on that hardware, and that feeling is amplified when using the X-S20. The fact that I can dial in that feeling by selecting from several of Fujifilm’s excellent filters instead of having to manually toggle through the setup, makes for a device that can easily flick between elegant product shoots and vibrant outdoor recording sessions.

Casual shooting with the bigger battery means that you can easily go all day snapping photos and quick video clips, although if you are planning to use this in more professional setup, you’ll probably want to invest in Fujifilm’s fan attachment for the X-S20. Sold separately, of course. In my own testing, I went just over 30 minutes while shooting 6K video, which for my specific needs, wasn’t too shabby at all!

There’s still some work to be done in the autofocus department, as I did find the revamped software to be a touch tricky to fully master. When it works, it’s unbelievably quick at maintaining a sharp focus on your subject matter, but there were instances when the autofocus dropped the ball in full Auto mode. Still, that’s an issue that rarely surfaced, and you’re always able to fiddle with the detection settings in the menus. On that note, virtually nothing has changed with this software, and I still think Fujifilm could make navigating through its endless labyrinth of sub-menus more user-friendly if it’s aiming to draw in a crowd of budding content creators.

Conclusion

The X-S20 packs a ton of tech into a small body. There’s no denying that Fujifilm has put its best foot forward with the development of a camera that is designed to appeal to video content creators. It’s also a device that doesn’t focus on a specific field to the detriment of its other features, and you’ll find that this camera is still a powerhouse when it comes to still photography. Maybe you’re a hobbyist, or maybe you’re a professional, but if you’re looking for a workhorse camera or even a spare piece of hardware to keep on hand, then the X-S20 could be just what you’ve been looking for.