Full, unenhanced photo from Fuji FinePix HS10.

The image file straight from the camera. Double click to view whole file.

I've read a lot of criticisms on the Web about the quality of the images delivered by the Fuji HS10. The criticisms are valid but one must keep in mind the size and cost of the HS10. I have a poor heart. I'm not going to carry a top-of-the-line DSLR and a couple of high quality lenses everywhere I go. It is just not going to happen.

The Fuji is not a bulky, heavy monster. It is a joy to carry; It is not always a joy to use. It can be slow to react when the shutter is depressed. But, if you've got the patience in most cases you will get the picture.

A program for enhancing your pictures also helps. For publication on the Web, I usually enhance my pictures, resize them to a width of 7-inches with 72 pixels per inch and sharpen before placing them on one of my blogs.

File size reduced, image enhanced and sharpen, and finally posted on Web.

I gave up a couple of fine Canon EOS DSLRs when I left The London Free Press where I was a staff photographer for more than three decades. I confess, I miss those superb cameras and my bag of lenses. That kit was valued at more than $30,000 Canadian.

I can afford to miss that kit; I cannot afford to miss the $30,000 I'd need to spend in order to replace it. If you shoot for fun and are more concerned with your overall images than pixels, you might find the new Fuji FinePix HS20 to your liking.

If you are into ultimate quality and have the bucks to afford to play in the big-boys' sandbox, go to the blog Nothing Special and click on Fuji HS10 near the bottom of the Index to Articles. I don't believe the author of this blog has tested the HS20 at this time.

Shooting RAW may have advantages.

I was surprised that the Nothing Special blogger has been amazed at times by the HS10. He seems a tough critic to impress. That said, I can't see him being too happy using either an HS10 or HS20.

Reading Nothing Special's posts made me look at my pictures with a more critical eye. I've started experimenting with shooting RAW. This, I hope, will keep the in-camera algorithms in check and prevent the blurring and smudging that occasionally mars photos.

The shot of Fiona was shot RAW and reduced in Photoshop for inclusion in this post. The quality of the large image indicated there may be advantages to shooting RAW. For instance, no smudging anywhere of grass blades into a smeary patch of green as happens with jpegs.