I wanted to give five stars ...

I wanted to give five stars. But after reading the manual, there were only four stars. Earlier we beat the teacher our exercise books around the ears if we had written crap. That's what I have to think, if I take the manual for Fuji X20 into their own hands. The booklet but were far too small (toilet paper format and quality).
And after an intense use of the menu there were only three stars.

The Hardware: I can connect to other positive reviews me in most respects.
The x20 is not super compact. Who buys them, knows this and wants the same way. Because it sits comfortably in the hand. Nothing creaks or wobbles. The quality feel enjoy. I like the connection of the on-off switch to the mechanical zoom ring. Anyone who thinks that 12 megapixels on the 2nd / 3-inch sensor were not enough, the camera will not buy. All others will be impressed by the image quality. Even in low light, the camera works very well. The speed of the autofocus is impressive.
The viewfinder is the best optical viewfinder on this camera class. The fact that he is only 85% of the recorded image is not a reason to complain, because it is physically due to the parallax. Who wants 100%, must choose an SLR or an electronic viewfinder. And who ever doubts the sense of a separate viewfinder, may have hardly photographed with the blazing sun on your back. Even the recessed flash like that. Because the can only losfeuern if I allow it explicitly.
On the x20 is Made in Japan. I like that much better than the origin of a low-wage country with inhumane working conditions.
Some things that can be criticized, can be improved through experimentation.
Some complain that when the small sensor size a blurred background is hardly possible. This is wrong. There is an electronic setting that allows very well.
You can adjust the parameters of noise reduction, sharpening, etc. all and thus affect the image quality. Shooting in low light, the camera can automatically composed of a series, thereby improving the quality. The possibility of producing 360-degree panoramas, is still characterized topped that one can hold the camera with portrait format, so that even church steeples have a chance to come up with the picture.

Now for the negative points.
The battery is too puny, what is incomprehensible, because the camera is not super compact.
And what the camera subliminally promises, namely that it is made for people who prefer to turn to solid dials as forage in deep down menu, keep it not, unfortunately.
The manual range setting is possible but impractical since the scale of the display is coarse and the dial unwieldy. The autofocus brings curiosities. Evaluative metering here means that the measurement field for no apparent reason hither, sometimes jumps there. In SR + mode, there is no measurement field, but only a cross in the center. Explains it is nowhere. When the main subject is not in the center, you should use the AF lock function to instructions. But if you have programs for people installs, who just want losknipsen, then the AF lock function is too cumbersome. Other manufacturers can do better.
Unfortunately, Fuji has otherwise not resisted the omnipresent temptation in the electronics field, everything is possible reinzupacken in the camera, even superfluous stuff. There is the option to change the background color of the display - the menu designers were still tight? Some of the effects are just grandstanding, z. B. pinhole camera effect. What I can do on the computer with a single click at home, I do not make the recording by I herumwühle menu.
And the Scene Mode? I thought Fuji aimed with the x20 to people who understand a little bit of aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings and do not need a sports program, because they simply select a fast shutter speed for sports photography, which is much faster than the way the menu. The setting, which causes a blurred background is great for portraits, but the portrait program it is not working. Why not know probably only the Fuji-people. And why do we need a snow program, if only everyone who so buys a camera knows that you do not need herumwursteln menu for snow scenes, but simply represents the exposure compensation to +2?
The tastes are of course different, but the people that I know, do not use Scene Modes. Some choose the parameters conscious self, the other using the automatic program and nothing else.
Overall, I think that the X20 menu and its submenus confusing and illogical. Some testers praised it, but other manufacturers also make it no worse. It seems as if the electronics freaks had the job in the design of the camera, not to do what is practical, but all the cram what is possible, even if it makes little sense. Some good settings are hidden deep in the menu, and they can unfortunately not be accommodated in the pre-programmed settings on the mode dial. For the white balance there is a separate push button, although the automatic white balance works fine, but turning off the display you have to dive deep into the menu. The function would be very useful for the poor battery the x20 and the good viewfinder, to conserve power.
This is not just my problem. If you read the many x20-tests on the internet, one can quickly realize that some testers were overwhelmed with the menu and not found the settings that would have helped them to better results.

The instruction is miserable, unloving, little motivating, stylistically abysmal. Every second sentence is written in the imperative. For example, you raise the flash. Move the 'flash aufklappen' switch to raise the flash. (He is not, incidentally, worked.) Or: Aim the camera at the subject. Position the image using the zoom ring on the display. The Zoom screen appears. The acts harmless, but if you find such rubbish on each side, one can already go by the desire on more. A special rubbish is the phrase: This option can be used to generate a 360 panoramic addition to store to an immaculate 360 ​​Panorama. What reasons could there be, in addition to a flawless panoramic save an encumbered by a call waiting, knows probably only the poet. The manual does not even contains an alphabetical index. Some topics are distributed among various chapters. A general error is that the instructions are instructions which setting you should use for what, but does not reveal, in most cases, what the camera then takes. But that would be times interesting to know.
When I spend almost 500 euros for a device, it should be possible to get a real book, in which not only thumbnailed, but Sample photos are printed that make you want to try out the appropriate technology.
It is the second-worst instructions for a digital camera that I've ever read. The very worst is that for the Fuji 3D 1W, which acts as satire. It amazes me that Fuji did not finish brings. There are still people who can, for example, Ralf Spoerer with his book for x20.

The Fuji X20 is a very good camera that is capable of high performance: Five stars for the quality of hardware with good viewfinder and manual zoom ring, and for the results achieved, even if the meager battery feel detracts somewhat.
But for the manual there is a very fat minus. As punishment for Fuji because who still have not learned it. The second negative point I give for the confusing, illogical and overloaded menu. The operating software simply does not contain what the hardware promises.
Nevertheless, a good buy.

Addendum: I had doubts about the accuracy of the autofocus' and eventually controlled this with the imposable bar on the display. Lo and behold, with wide-angle adjustable up to approx 10mm ("35") focal length of the bar showed more "infinite" even with short distances to. It was not until an intermediate focal length he showed correctly. I sent the camera for repairs. The promised 10 days repair time were respected, we exchanged the lens and the main board of - a lot of effort, the people must have herumprobiert long because of previously freshly charged battery was empty when returning. Now the camera is working properly.
Since I was with my vote anyway quite strict, I prefer this from any point. Thus an error can happen. After all, good repair service.
After I used between a viewfinder-less camera, I appreciate the unique selling point of the Fuji much more: such a good optical viewfinder in conjunction with the zoom lens I have otherwise (except for DSLRs) found nowhere.

SUPPLEMENT NO. 2:
Not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok
The error resurfaces, especially in low light. I control the auto-focus activities like the imposable bar in the display, and since the display is often deviated. Repair (lens and motherboard renewed) so was purely material and waste of time. I called at Fuji, and the consultant told me, the autofocus berücksichtgie also the environment. Of course, is utter nonsense, if the AF area is displayed clearly on the display. Neither a good testimony for the repair service even for the consulting services. After all, I was advised to check the autofocus on the finished image. Surprise: The AF works pretty well, only the bar graph on the display is sometimes completely wrong! Why, apparently even the Fuji-people do not know. I have now given up and the bar graph disappears, but so little control before recording, because the screen is too weak. I think it would be good if the manufacturers would einbauern less frills and would rather ensure that the things that are in it, also work.