Note: The settings were M size and the ISO was high because the test was indoors. So I suspect that these were all half sized RAW files as well. In other words, this is the fastest that the cameras can perform in JPG+RAW mode.The methodology is simplistic. Format each card in each camera, count manually while watching for the next shot indication, and average out several attempts at each. The few that have brackets had one significant outlier. But I always got a minimum of 3 at the time I quote.
The F770 is clearly faster than the F550 most of the time. But the fact that the F550 is faster in some situations is peculiar. I chock it up to smaller files that work well on some cards but not on others.
The HS25 is clearly buffered. But it is slow to get the image buffered, so I would probably prefer that it shot more like the F770, which takes advantage of extra card speed. The HS series is running what feels like ancient hardware. I don’t like the LCD (although the articulation is nice) and I don’t like the generally clunky feel of the physical interface. The buttons are very welcome, but the 4-way controller feels like a toy when compared with the F550 or F770. And where TF is the wheel? Once you have it, giving it up is no fun.
Update: The more I think about it, the more I realize that the B team is working on the bridge cam lineup, probably because the bridge cam is almost dead in real terms. The A teams have gone upmarket to the X series, and some of those improvements are finding their way into the long zoom compact lineup. The X-S1 has been a profound disappointment, but the great 1/2” sensor continues to impress in the F770 and the HS series. Anyway … I think Fuji need to decide if they want to compete with bridges, or maybe do what Nikon is doing with the P510. An amazing camera that is compact like a long zoom, but has more lens.Anyway, the F770 is a real pleasure in the field. But the HS25 still has that reach. I just don’t know if the reach can really count, since it does not shoot RAW. Still, I am somewhat impressed by the quality of the bright sunlight bird images I shot yesterday. Watch for them in coming posts.
