Review: Fujifilm X-S20 APS-C Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X-S20 is a midrange mirrorless camera. Its small yet powerful body comes with many upgrades over its predecessor, the Fujifilm X-S10. 

In the video below, Amy Moore puts the Fujifilm X-S20 to the test and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. Should you get the Fujifilm X-S20? Covering everything from specs and features to processor and performance,   this review has all the answers. 

Overview

The Fujifilm X-S20 has a 26-megapixel sensor and an upgraded processor compared to the X-S10. There’s also an upgraded card slot and battery, which has twice the battery life of the previous model. 

The design itself is great. The camera is fun to use, intuitive and completely customizable—depending on the shooter's needs.

Suppose you're a beginner or you're moving from a different brand and you want to get to grips with Fujifilm quickly, this might be the camera for you. Or if you are a professional looking for a second camera or a great option for a ‘daily’ camera, this might be the camera for you. 

Specs

Upsides

• Excellent image quality and color reproduction

• Compact, portable and lightweight body

• Intuitive physical controls & settings dials 

• Satisfying shooting experience

• Hybrid shooting with 4K video & good stabilization

• Large grip, comfortable to operate

Downsides

• Autofocus can struggle in low-light conditions

• Rolling shutter

• Battery life could be better

• No weather sealing

Sensor

In the original Fujifilm X-S10, we had a Fujifilm 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor, which has been used in lots of cameras including the Fujifilm X-T3 and Fujifilm X-T4. It's very popular, so it should be—as it's very good. We now see that same sensor back again in the Fujifilm X-S20.

Processor

The image quality of that sensor is great. However, just because the same sensor from previous models sits inside doesn’t mean the upgrade is superficial. We see a different processor—the X-Processor 5—so the X-S20 has the same sensor, but a different processor. And that processor works at twice the speed of the X-S10’s X-Processor 4. 

Performance

So, with the X-S20, you have better ISO capabilities and a much faster buffer. So, the continuous frame rates are much improved and the camera will perform better.

Fujifilm managed to keep the camera at a good price level—by not putting in a different sensor—but still upgraded the performance using a better processor. 

We see a small upgrade to the in-body image stabilization (IBIS), which has seven stops of IBIS rather than six.

Lens

We tested the X-S20 with the Fujifilm XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR. The widest of the Fujifilm X lenses, the XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR, has twelve elements in nine groups, three of which are aspherical and two that are extra-low dispersion. These help improve the lens's quality, reducing chromatic aberration, ghosting and flaring. 

The lens is ‘weather-resistant’ and includes a fluorine coating on the front element to resist dust, oil and water splashes. 

The lens weighs just 215g, which makes this 8mm an interesting addition to any Fujifilm camera bag. 

Size & weight

The Fujifilm X-S20 is pretty much the same size as the X-S10, weighing just 491g with the battery and SD card. It does, however, have the upgraded battery—the Fujifilm NPW-235, rather than the smaller Fujifilm NP-W126. 

The size of the Fujifilm system is a major part of the appeal, it balances smaller bodies and lenses with fantastic quality.

Ergonomics & design

In terms of design, the X-S20 is very similar to the original X-S10. If you love the standard Fujifilm body, with lots of dials and old-fashioned styling, that isn’t really the feel of this particular camera. It has a PASM dial, so it's easy to switch between program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual modes. If you’ve never used a Fujifilm camera before, it's easy to start using the X-S20. 

Its clean design means you aren’t tied into using the dials. Although separate dials for ISO and shutter speed are very popular on many models, these unlabeled dials mean you can customize the camera in any way you’d like. That means whether you're a beginner or a pro—or if you’re part of a couple and you like sharing a camera—you can set this camera up exactly as you like it.

Additional features

On the back of the X-S20, there is no D-pad. But we do have a little joystick. There is a fully articulated screen, which helps to protect the screen when closed and also allows you to film yourself easily. Speaking of video, the X-S20 has a microphone input, so you can record sound through an external mic.

The X-S20 has a 2.36-million dot viewfinder. However, some people may struggle with the magnification of just 0.62x, as it can feel a little far away. If you’d rather use the screen than the viewfinder, there is a three-inch vari-angle touch screen. 

You have a headphone output, an HDMI port and a USB-C port. It’s worth noting the headphone port is on the right-hand side, so when you’re holding the camera, this could get in the way a little. 

In the video, Amy takes on a 24-hour photo challenge in which she tests many different features, including the low-light capability and vlogging performance. The Fujifilm X-S20 can shoot from ISO 80 up to ISO 51200, and the upgraded processor helps to create a cleaner image than in the original body. 

Discover all Fujifilm mirrorless cameras and Fujifilm X lenses, or read more camera gear guides on the MPB Content Hub.