On May 24th, Fujifilm will announce some new products, and, according to Fujirumors, who is almost always right, the headliner will be the Fujifilm X-S20. What initially seemed like a mild update to an entry-level model is now becoming a little more interesting as details emerge of what exactly the X-S20 will be.
I had actually typed out quite a bit, but decided to delete it (11 paragraphs!) after my second cup of coffee. If you want to know the leaked specs so far, definitely visit Fujirumors. From my perspective, the biggest upgrade from the X-S10 will be the bigger NP-W235 battery. The improvements to autofocus and video specs will be nice, too, I’m sure, but probably not a big deal for a lot of people in practical use. It will have a Vlog mode complete with faux-bokeh and product-tracking-autofocus. Otherwise, there will be a lot more similar than dissimilar between the X-S10 and X-S20, but the price will be significantly divergent, as the X-S20 will be $300 more!
I realize that the X-S20 is not intended for me. It’s probably not intended for you, either. Who, then, is it for? The X-S20 is specifically for YouTubers or TikTokers who are making unboxing videos or how-to tutorials or things like that. I think Fujifilm intends the X-S20 to compete against the Sony ZV-E1, as a similar yet cheaper camera. The biggest difference between the X-S10 and X-S20 is that Fujifilm has defined a little more clearly who exactly the camera is for.
So if you are a YouTube or TikTok content creator looking for something a little more advanced than the cellphone or GoPro that you’ve been using so that you can step up your game, the X-S20 is for you, and quite a bit cheaper than Sony’s offering. Even though this camera is intended for that group, it will still be a capable photographic tool no matter who is using it.
Unfortunately, it won’t have the traditional tactile controls or striking retro design that Fujifilm is known for. Or, used to be known for, as six out of the last nine Fujifilm cameras will have been PASM models—X-S10, GFX100S, GFX50S II, X-H2S, X-H2, and X-S20—while one of the three non-PASM models (X-T30 II) wasn’t much more than a firmware update (so essentially 3/4 of Fujifilm’s latest releases have been PASM). The three most recent traditional Fujfilm cameras are the X-E4, which is nearly two-and-a-half years old, the X-T30 II (the firmware-update model), and the X-T5. The only retro-designed tactile control cameras currently offered by Fujifilm are the X-T5 and the three-year-old-and-impossible-to-find X100V, all the rest have been discontinued, including the X-E4 and X-T30 II. Oh, and apparently Fujifilm is experiencing a shortage of X-T5’s…. In other words, if you want to buy a traditional Fujifilm camera, good luck with that—you’ll probably have to go the used route, and even that can be tough.
Fujifilm had previously stated that they are working on some “wow” products; the X-S20 isn’t one of those—or, if it is, their idea of “wow” and mine are two entirely different things.
If you had been thinking about buying a Fujifilm X-S10, but then thought maybe to wait for the X-S20 and get that instead… unless you just need the new Vlog mode or battery life, or just have-to-have the improved autofocus and video specs (which, on paper, sound wonderful, but aren’t a huge deal in practical use for most people), I’d consider saving a few hundred bucks and buying the X-S10 instead. That’s just my opinion.
The good news, though, is that on May 24, according to Fujirumors, Fujifilm will announce a new app to replace the terrible Cam Remote app. That’s exciting! Much more exciting than the X-S20, in fact.
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I wonder if it will have more film recipe custom settings such as seven (XE-4) instead of four like the current model. And if it would have Nostalgic Negative as a new Film Sim?
Leaked images suggest 4 customs
I’m pretty certain, although we have to wait a few more days to be sure, that it will be C1-C4 (and not 7) and yes to Nostalgic Neg.
Eagerly waiting for the X-T40, if it will be using the new 40MP sensor!
Yes, that would be nice!
The X-T40 is overdue… not sure if it will be this coming fall or spring 2024 or summer 2024. My guess is 26mp X-Trans IV sensor.
As a previous owner of X-E2, X-T20, X-T30, X-E4 I have now a X-S10 and could not be happier. I also first thought I might have problems with the PASM but that’s just hipster thinking. It’s a great camera. I Love it. The big big problem with the X-S20 will be the price. The X-S10 was so famous because it was the best package under 1000$/€. The X-S20 is supposed to be at least at around 1200 or 1300 and that’s just too much and to close on the X-T5 already.
I’m not a hipster by anyone’s definition. For me, it’s about the user experience, the enjoyment. For example, I have a Ricoh GR III that’s very excellent, and very convenient, but I don’t use it often because it’s not as much fun. Can I get good results from it? Absolutely! But do I choose to use it when I have options that aren’t necessarily better and aren’t as convenient but are more enjoyable? I will go with the more fun camera almost every time. Over the years I have noticed that the user experience directly affects my images, and the more I enjoy shooting with a camera, the better my pictures are (and the more I photograph in general). For me personally, I would not enjoy the X-S10 (or X-S20). That’s just me, though, as everyone is different. I agree that the $1,300 price tag is too high, but I think Fujifilm will argue that $1,300 is $900 cheaper than the Sony ZV-E1, and the camera is nearly as good for vlogging purposes.
here in Australia it is $200 less then a XT-5. A ridicules price.
Did fujifilm loose the plot or did I? Anyone I know who owns a fuji owns an XT, 100v, or XE camera.
Now they only seem to make cameras chasing Sony but forgetting why people chose Fuji.
It was Fujifilm.
I think two things greatly affected management’s direction: the X-H1 and X-T4.
The X-H1 was a big flop, a big disappointment, and Fujifilm took a loss on it. The camera was excellent, but their timing of its release (just before announcing X-Trans IV) and their overestimation of its worth (it was priced too high at initial release) doomed it, but I think the (incorrect) lesson Fujifilm took away is that the X-H1 was too similar to the X-T line, and that’s why it failed.
The X-T4 wasn’t a flop, but it didn’t do as well as Fujifilm thought that it would. Fujifilm really believed that the X-T4 was going to be a smashing sales success, and take a lot of market share from competitors. But that didn’t happen because it was a compromise camera… Fujifilm made the X-T4 into something the X-T line wasn’t supposed to be (but fixed much of it on the X-T5). The (incorrect) lesson that Fujifilm learned from this is in order to take market share from Canikony brands, they have to become more like Canikony. I think, in particular, Fujifilm is trying to attract Sony users. What they fail to understand that if someone is dissatisfied with Sony, they’re going to be dissatisfied with a Sony knockoff. And we see that with all of the complaints… for example, Fujifilm’s autofocus isn’t nearly as good as Sony’s. That’s former Sony shooters (who were dissatisfied with Sony) making that complaint, because, you know, complainers are going to complain….
Instead, Fujifilm should focus on what makes their products unique, and better communicate why that should be desirable to photographers. The X100V is a great example of this, but it wasn’t Fujifilm who communicated, it was TikTokers and YouTubers, so that’s why it took a couple of years to really catch fire, something Fujifilm wasn’t prepared for. I hope they learned the correct lesson from this, but from what I’ve read from Fujifilm managers (the X100V is popular because it’s neck jewelry, for example), I don’t have much confidence.
I don’t necessarily find the X-S20 strange. It seems like a very capable hybrid camera, lots of strong features although a baffling 4 rather than 7 custom presets. Having a PASM “entry” and “pro” camera with this and the X-H2 pair makes enough sense, and they all have some merits.
But the utter lack of a basic-level shutter dial camera like an X-E5 or X-T40 is inane and baffling. I guess the X-T5 is “only” $1700, so the gap in price isn’t that far between it and the X-S20, but still.
I don’t know if I think it’s strange. I do think it’s strange that Fujifilm is calling it their “travel” camera, I suppose—certainly the X-E line is more ideal for travel. The focus on vlogging (complete with fake bokeh and product-tracking AF) is unique for Fujifilm, I think, but I suppose it makes sense from a marketing perspective (maybe). It is baffling and insane that there is no X-T40 or X-E5 (and the X-T30 II or X-E4 have been discontinued). Thanks for the input!
Here in Australia, it is only $200 cheaper then a XT-5, not sure I would use the features of the X-S20.
I think it’s overpriced. …but I guess these days it is the norm.
Definitely a bit overpriced imho, but I have no interest myself pretty much no matter the price.