Roadtrip: 12 days with the Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR

[BBW]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, flysurfer. Elivis's place reminds me of a mausoleum. Not meaning to be unkind, but these sorts of things tend to give me the creeps...but that's just me. Very nice collection of cars...maybe they should be sold and the money raised donated to a good cause? Or is Elvis's former home the cause?

I've enjoyed seeing your Natchez photos...the river, the "guest houses"...did you have any Mark Twain moments?

 

[flysurfer]

I guess most of the cars were actually bought back or donated (by Priscilla) to the museum. Same with the plane(s). I guess it took several years for everybody to realize how important Elvis still was/is for the public. Personally, I've never been a fan, but the place is pretty well-maintained and certainly not creepy, I have seen worse in this regard. It was only in this decade that Graceland became a national historic landmark, so these things really take their time.

 

[flysurfer]

Day 9. We are on the road again, via Baton Rouge to New Orleans, with a quick sidetrip to Oak Alley plantation. Looking out of the car window, agriculture and the oil industry appear to be coexist in a quite photogenic way...

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In the afternoon, we arrive at Oak Alley plantation.

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Since not all of us want to spend $18 for the privilege of having a look inside this lovely house for half an hour, the beer addict and I remain outside to find some photographic spots. Meanwhile, our Harry Potter fan is going inside with an F200EXR, taking these shots:

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In the meantime, I was taking pictures with the HS20 from outside the main gate:

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Driving up the Mississippi levee, we found an even better spot:

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Here's a different rendering with Topaz BW Effects:

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Inevitable Facebook shot, nicely revealing our higher POV:

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[flysurfer]

Late afternoon, we finally arrive in New Orleans and take our rooms in a nice Bourbon Street hotel, right in the middle of the French Quarter:

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Once again pushing the dynamic range of the tiny sensor to its limits, and beyond:

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Our stroll soon leads us to the harbor, to the steamboat Natchez, which we will revisit on day 10.

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More French Quarter stuff, right before dusk...

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Finally the sun is down, so let's have a look at a few tourist traps:

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ISO 640:
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ISO 800:
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Beer fashion – what else?

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"Alien vs. Penis Guy" – typical New Orleans street scene...

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On day 10, we take a river cruise on a real steamer.

 

[flysurfer]

Day 10! Yay!

So after a few too many of these...

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...we are back in action with a Mississippi river cruise.

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Nope, not on this tanker, on the steamer Natchez.

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It's a real steamship, and exclusively propelled by this nicely-colored device:

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Better be quick with the Facebook shots...

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...because the scenic background will quite soon be gone.

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Instead, we get plenty of this...

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...and this:

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Here's the belly of the beast:

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The prices for food and drinks are surprisingly civil.

Returning to New Orleans, theres the aquarium...

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...with the IMAX theater:

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And here's the competition...

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...the Creole Queen.

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However, it's a fake, because the Creole Queen just looks like a steamer, but is actually equipped with a regular engine.

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Another EXR SN shot in the French Quarter:

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A street band, merely illuminated by street lamps (with manual color balance adjustment on the JPEG to get rid of the yellow tint):

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[flysurfer]

Day 11.
We are getting there.
Literally.
Because day 11 is a driving day, from New Orleans to Tampa, FL in 12 hours.

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That's right, no stops in Mobile or Pensacola.

Eventually, we arrive at Crystal River for a brief dinner stop, right on time to see the sun vanish...

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A few hours later, we are in our hotel room in Tampa, enjoying a nice river view...

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[flysurfer]

Day 12.
Good morning, Tampa!

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More driving.

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Even the birds are making fun of us...

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In the afternoon, we are at the Tamiami Trail, heading towards Miami.

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But first, let's have some fun with these cute pets:

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Yep, we are at a airboat rental facility, and the little critters have been borrowed from a local gator farm.

Then again, this adult specimen guarding the restroom is as real as it is wild:

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And off we go...

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When the engine stops, it's usually only a matter of seconds until one or two gators appear...

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They obviously do like airboats...

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...as they swim towards them...

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...literally trying to get in touch with the boats and their passengers.

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While we didn't, it's pretty obvious that some airboat tour drivers are feeding the animals, often with junk food such as marshmallows.

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Continuing to Miami, we check-in at the Airport Sheraton, with a nice view of the golf course from our hotel room:

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Did you count? Yep, it's day 13, so officially, our HS20 trip is already over. Time to say good-bye and fly back home to Germany...

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Even on the plane, our usual suspect is doing the usual stuff...

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We made it, and so did the HS20. Back home – well, now quite, but in the Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt, after a refreshing rainforest shower.

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[flysurfer]

Conclusion:

The HS20EXR is a very affordable camera. Here in Germany, it's now selling at EUR 275 (inkl. tax & shipping), which is a bargain for pretty much any camera sporting a spec sheet like this.

However, mere features are one thing, real-world usability is another. I have to admit that I had my doubts before this trip. That's why I also brought my X100 along. I pretty much expected that I'd be able to use the HS20 under good lighting conditions, but that in order to get usable results, I'd have to switch to the X100 when lighting becomes difficult.

I soon realized that I was wrong and that the HS20 would be able to do the job under all lighting conditions, in all situations. Not a perfect job for sure, but a decent one. After all, this isn't a camera made for professional users and uses. It's a versatile snapshop tool, and it is small and lightweight enough that you can bring it along anywhere and anytime. Of course, it has the word "compromise" written all over it, but I guess the results speak for themselves, clearly demonstrating both the strengths and the weaknesses of this camera. Personally, I'm quite surprised how nice and easy I got along with it most of the time.

With this in mind, I'm actually already looking forward to a HS30EXR, which I'm sure Fujifilm has in the pipeline.

 

[kyteflyer]

Thanks, flysurfer, for the vicarious travel opportunity, and the wonderful shots from your trip which have convinced me to buy the camera (or the HS30EXR when it comes). I can't yet, but I can see that it will be a camera which will suit me well for much of what I am doing these days. Well done!!

 

[BBW]

Yes, thank you very much for all of these pictures and for your entertaining travelogue commentary! I've really enjoyed myself from afar and think you achieved some memorable pictures, some worthy of blackmail perhaps, and others are really quite beautiful - all in all a memorable trip even for us vicarious travel companions!

I've missed out on commenting on some real gems in the last couple of days and hope to catch up more when I can. I've been impressed with your output and the quality.. I do wonder if a casual shooter would be able to get the same results? I mean if we're discussing the camera as an artistic weapon of choice? Weapon is said with a wink towards your blackmail photos.

There's a great deal to be said for having a small, ever ready camera that has the fixed lens zoom capabilities, that's for sure and these pictures have shown how worthy the Fuji HS20EXR worked out to be in your capable hands and with your eye for the highlights of your Southern Tour. I can say that I have gotten a kick out of your trip and it certainly seems as though you and your pals did, as well.

 

[flysurfer]

Thank you everybody who read and commented on this little trip report.
Actually, these shots are as casual as it ever gets.

Looking at the picture counter, I made about 1400 shots during the entire trip (I initially thought it was more, but I stand corrected). Now let's deduct at least 400 high-speed-series shots (at 11 fps) from 3 different coasters (one can't see a thing through the EVF, so I had to shoot every single train/boat in order to make sure to get the one with our folks in it) this makes 1000 actual shots. I'm showing about 250 of them in this thread. Given that I usually take 2 or 3 frames of every single motive just to be sure, I'm pretty much showing most of the motives I actually photographed. There's not that much left out (like the penguins in the aquarium I mentioned before, they didn't work out).

This, I guess, is pretty much in line with typical casual vacation photography. Hobbyists without ambition tend to keep almost everything. It's at the same time sad and a good thing that I almost never had the time to plan a shot, or wait for the right light, the right mood or whatever. If someone has photographic ambitions, he certainly shouldn't choose an HS20, and he should go on this trip alone or with a fellow photographer, extending it to 4 or 6 weeks, taking their time to really get it right. If you do that, everything revolves around the photographs you want to take home.

In our case, the pics were just an enjoyable side-note. That's why I didn't leave out the daily Facebook shots and the blackmail stuff, I think they simply belong to this kind of trip and photography. I really had fun with the camera, enjoyed being a casual snapshooter, totally went from photographer into tourist mode, left any ambition at home and almost forgot about the X100 I also had in my bag (btw, did anybody find my single X100 shot in this thread?). Hence no RAW, no Aperture (almost) and no NIK, just iPhoto and my newly acquired set of Topaz tools to post process the 8 MP JPEGs.

I'm really looking forward to the X-S1, basically a HS20 on steroids, as I'm sure it will make a great casual travel camera. I like to keep it simple, and the S1 looks like a simple and straightforward tool to me.

 

[BBW]

(btw, did anybody find my single X100 shot in this thread?)

I will go back and peruse when I can...perhaps tomorrow evening, I'll make my pick.