Why the FUJIFILM X-S20 is the Best Camera for Vlogging Beginners

The FUJIFILM X-S20 has a small footprint, but it makes a big impact. Ready to share your story with the world? Here’s why the X-S20 is made for vlogging.

In the last decade, vlogging has taken the world by storm. It’s almost impossible to go on any form of social media without scrolling past a vlog or two — and many love the comfort and familiarity that content creators and their videos bring. Undeniably, vlogging has become an esteemed profession, with the average vlogger in the UK earning £34,947. 

With this in mind, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of our FUJIFILM X-S20. Introduced in June of 2023, this mirrorless camera is made with vlogging at its core.

What makes the X-S20 the best vlogging camera?

Whether you’re just starting out or you vlog full-time, you may find a helping hand in the compact yet powerful body of the X-S20. Don’t miss out on the following benefits:

It has a compact, lightweight body

At just 491g, the X-S20 is the kind of lightweight camera that’s there when you need it, and it disappears into your backpack when you don’t. It barely takes up any room if you’re vlogging on the go, giving you more freedom and space to do what you love.

Despite its compact size, the X-S20 offers high-resolution video options including 6K30p and 4K60p, providing stunning detail and the flexibility to slow down footage for creative edits, ideal for montages and travel vlogs.

It features the new and improved X-Processor 5

The X-S20 boasts the X-Processor 5, which offers twice the processing speed of its predecessor, including AI processing technology, reduced power consumption, and next-generation HEIF image file format.

It ensures lightning-fast processing speeds, which means the camera can handle high-resolution video without lag, providing a smooth filming experience essential for capturing dynamic and engaging vlogs. 

Secondly, the X-Processor 5 enhances the camera's autofocus capabilities, ensuring quick and accurate focus and detection capabilities on subjects — even when in motion. This is essential for action or sports vloggers who often move while filming or switch between subjects rapidly. This is also beneficial for vloggers that shoot their videos in frequently changing scenes.

Even in challenging lighting conditions, beginner vloggers can expect clear, vibrant footage, making their content more visually appealing — reducing the need for extensive post-production. Last but not least, the X-Processor 5 enables efficient energy use, resulting in longer battery life. A great advantage for vloggers who spend long hours shooting content, reducing the need for frequent battery changes, battery packs, or charges.

10-bit colour video quality

The X-S20 records in 10-bit colour internally, offering superior colour depth by enhancing the visual quality of your vlogs. Unmatched by other cameras of similar size and price.

Introducing a NEW Vlog Mode

The star feature of the show has to be the X-S20’s showstopping vlog mode — specifically designed to cater to the needs of beginner vloggers. This mode simplifies the video recording process by optimising the video settings, ensuring that even those with minimal experience can produce high-quality content. 

With vlog mode activated, the camera automatically adjusts exposure, colour, and audio settings to suit typical content-creating scenarios, whether you’re shooting indoors or outdoors. This means beginners don't need to worry about manual adjustments or understanding complex camera settings (even though this may be good to know later on) making the filmmaking process more accessible and enjoyable.

Additionally, vlog mode will ensure that skin tones within the frame are rendered naturally and backgrounds are appropriately exposed. Ultimately, these optimisations help in creating engaging and aesthetically pleasing videos without the need for extensive post-processing. 

For beginners, this direct-to-edit footage capability is invaluable, allowing you to focus on the joy of content creation rather than technicalities. Let’s take a closer look at two of these fabulous optimisations.

Product Priority Mode

This is a true game-changer for beginners in vlogging, especially if your vlogs revolve around product reviews or showcases. The Product Priority mode automatically adjusts the camera settings to highlight the products in-frame, ensuring they are perfectly focused and well-lit, making it easier than ever for beginners to produce professional-looking content without needing extensive knowledge of camera settings. 

With this mode, your X-S20 will be able to emphasise the product's intricate details and vibrant colours, offering a more in-depth viewing experience to your followers.

Background Defocus Mode

The background defocus mode will allow you to easily achieve a bokeh-like blurred background effect, emphasising the subject by using either wide aperture or telephoto lenses, which is particularly beneficial for vlogging beginners. Easily create a professional look that would typically require complex lens adjustments or post-production editing.

What else can the compact body of the X-S20 help with?

• Ease of use: The learning curve of handling and operating a camera can be steep. With its compact design, the X-S20 offers a straightforward, user-friendly interface that’s less intimidating and more accessible.
  
  
• Stability and handling: A compact camera like the X-S20 can be easier to hold steady for extended periods if you’re out and about. Its smaller body reduces camera shake, producing smoother, high-quality footage. What’s more, you can even attempt more creative shooting angles due to its handleability — essential if you’re creating engaging vlog content.
  
  
• Quality without the bulk: Don’t be fooled by its small size — there’s no compromising on video quality around here!

Extra features and abilities

Don’t worry — there are a few more tricks up the X-S20’s sleeve for you to learn. Here are just a couple that we’ll let you in on first.

Compatible with the FUJIFILM XApp

The X-S20’s compatibility with the FUJIFILM XApp significantly enhances its utility. It allows for easy photo and video transfer from the camera to smartphones, enabling quick editing and sharing on social media platforms. For beginners, this seamless integration simplifies the content creation workflow, making it more accessible and efficient to produce and distribute content as a vlogger. 

The XApp also provides remote camera control features, offering beginners creative flexibility and convenience in capturing their vlogs, thereby making the X-S20 a highly versatile tool if you’d like to try your hand at vlogging.

Make long shooting sessions a breeze with the cooling fan accessory

To further aid in maintaining optimal performance, especially in hotter climates or during extended use, an optional cooling fan accessory can be attached to your X-S20. This ensures that your camera remains cool while recording higher resolutions like 6k or during long filming sessions.

Unparalleled stability and handling

A compact camera like the X-S20 is much easier to hold steady for extended periods if you’re out and about. Its smaller body reduces camera shake, producing smoother, high-quality footage with up to 7 stops of in-body image stabilisation and additional digital stabilisation for static shots.

Get more out of the X-S20 with a tripod grip

The tripod grip TG-BT1 serves both as a grip for handheld shooting and a tripod for stationary setups, enabling versatile vlog creation. With its own Bluetooth functionality, you can reap the benefits of wireless camera control, making it easier to start and stop recordings or snap video thumbnails without touching the camera. 

Integrated 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks

Don’t neglect your audio — the X-S20 has dual 3.5mm jacks, so you can record audio with an external microphone and monitor with headphones. 

‘Long Play’ mode for extended recording times

Reap the benefits of ‘Long Play' mode for both 4K and HD recording, allowing for extended recording times without interruption. Perfect for vloggers aiming to capture longer segments or full-length videos in one take.

Try a new perspective with vertical filming

The vari-angle tilt screen of the X-S20 not only facilitates easy horizontal shooting but also vertical — ideal for social media content. For those preferring high-resolution options, you can film in 16:9 4K and crop to vertical 9:16 while still retaining a Full HD image.

Learn more about the FUJIFILM X-S20

Now you know the features of the X-S20, why not take a look at what it can do? Browse our gallery for inspiration on what you can produce with this state-of-the-art piece of equipment, as well as its compatible camera accessories.

Ready to take your vlogs to the next level? Shop the FUJIFILM X-S20 today and see the difference for yourself.