PLEASE SEE MY MORE RECENT UPDATES AT THE END OF THIS REVIEW. I've downgraded my rating from 5 stars to 4 as well.For the past couple of months I've been looking for a high end "pocket" camera to fill the gap between my Casio throw-away and my Nikon D200. I read all the reviews for the Ricoh GRD iii and iv, and couple of other cameras in that price range and performance, and was just about to pull the trigger on one of those choices.
Then, just a week ago, I stumbled on to a reference for the Fuji X10. I had long lusted after the previously-released X100, but just decided that the buy-in price was a bit too steep just for the cool-factor, for a camera barely less portable than the D200.
After lots of pondering, I decided to place an Amazon order for this camera. Then, as now (late Nov 2011), Amazon showed the camera as currently out of stock. I went ahead and placed the provisional order. Two days later, I received notice that Amazon expected to have the camera by early December. The FOLLOWING day, I got notice the camera had shipped!!, and I should see in on Monday. Instead, the very next day, a Friday, the camera showed up at my door step!
I'll readily admit to being an unabashed impulse buyer. And, let's face it, 600 clams for a "point and shoot" is not a trivial sum, and I fully expected that I might experience a bad case of the post-purchase blues once the new wore off my latest toy.
Thus far such has not been the case! This camera has absolutely exceeded ALL my expectations. When the camera arrived, a professional photographer friend was a house guest, and I could hardly pry the camera from his hands. Both he and I were blown away by the incredible low-light performance of this camera. The image stabilization works well with the fast lens and auto ISO modes. We took some night-time indoor shots at shutter speeds of 1/4 second, hand held without tripod, and the results were sharp and acceptably noiseless.
I won't bore readers with all the capabilities of this camera.. many other reviews cover this thoroughly. However, I've discovered many neat features that aren't even covered in the manual. One of my favorite features is how the MENU button is context-sensitive... therefore, if, say, you press the pop-up flash button, and then want to modify some of the internal flash settings, press the MENU button, and you will automatically be in the flash sub-menu. The same is true for other functions, such as scene mode selection.
I'm also very impressed with the "EXR" mode which allows for a wider dynamic range for scenes containing both extreme dark and light areas. It really works, with phenomenal results. There are many other scene and "film" modes (such as high contrast B&W) that work well, and, mercifully, Fuji has avoided cluttering the menus with those gimmicky modes that no semi-serious photographer would ever use.
Virtually every "scene" setting (such as: Portrait, Soft Portrait, Landscape, etc) and "film" setting (Standard, Soft, Vivid, Monochrome, Sepia, etc) are features that I could see myself actually using on occasion for quick, one-shot pleasing effects.
Finally, a few general comments about ownership:
1) The strap that comes with the camera is a neck strap,and a very cheesy one at that, which I can't envision ever using, unless I decide to go to Disneyland and join all the tourists. (update.. Okay, I did get a realistic faux-leather strap with the after market case I purchased (described below), and I installed it with a pair of those little clip connectors so I can remove it when it's in the way.
On the other hand, you really do need a wrist strap. The camera is just small enough that it is a bit intimidating to use it without a strap. Every time I picked up the camera I always felt I was going to drop it for sure (already been there, done that, with a cheapy camera).
I found the perfect strap right here on Amazon, an Op/Tech for some $8. It fits snugly around the wrist, and has a quick disconnect at the camera to detach when desired: OP/TECH USA 6704062 SLR Wrist Strap, Neoprene Camera Wrist Strap (Royal)
2) As others have described, this is not really a pocket camera, except perhaps to stow in your coat or cargo pants pockets. All other things being equal, I would have preferred a slight smaller size, but decided to give up that minor inconvenience in favor of the performance of this camera. It's light and easy to carry, and fits easily in your glove box, door pocket, underneath the seat, brief case, or ? Try that with your full-on DSLR!
3) You'll certainly want a case to project this baby.. of course, none comes with it. Pay the $150 for the Fuji leather case if you must, but if you are just looking for protection, buy an identically constructed case with snap open front made of "imitation leather" (specifically for the X10) on eBay for $21, as I did.
4) Likewise, you'll certainly eventually want the lens hood and filter adapter (a requirement to use any standard filter.. 52mm). Again, you could pay $99 and up for the official branded Fuji unit, or for $30 get an after market unit complete with a UV filter right here on Amazon EzFoto Adapter Ring + Hood (100% replaces FUFJIFILM LH-X10) + 52mm Pro1-D Super Slim Multi-Coated UV Filter for Fuji Finepix X10
5) Finally, I'd suggest going ahead and springing for a Neutral Density Filter (52mm again). You will definitely need this if you want to take advantage of the narrow depth of field and Bokeh effects when using the maximum F2 aperture in bright sunshine. Otherwise the shutter speed will max out before reaching the correct exposure, even with the lowest ISO setting. You can get a quality Tiffen brand 0.9 ND filter (about 3 f-stops compensation) for about $16 Tiffen 52mm Neutral Density 0.9 Filter
6) Oh, and the tiny NP-50 battery is only good for some 300 shots (according to Fuji). Fortunately, these are ubiquitous and cheap.. I picked up a pair of batteries on eBay for about $12 with free shipping.
7) My only major frustration with this camera is the Raw format it uses (Fuji RAF). I like to take all my images in Raw, and use Photoshop or Lightroom Camera Raw for post-processing. Unfortunately, as near as I can determine, my up-to-date Camera Raw software does not currently support Fuji's proprietary format, so you have to use the included software to convert the Raw images. I haven't actually played with the software yet, other than a quick review of the screens. It does seem to have the basic controls you'd expect, but it just creates an unnecessary and cumbersome intermediate step between my images and my favorite software which I've used for some 15 years. Hopefully Adobe will get cranking and create support for the X10 soon. UPDATE.. Photoshop Camera Raw and Lightroom both do fully support the Camera Raw Fuji format, so you can just toss that Fuji software conversion disk (or maybe as I did, use it as a beer coaster on your desk!)
Now go out and have some great fun with this camera!
Update November 28
* It's true... the smaller sensor size doesn't produce the same limited Depth of Field or Bokeh effect at wide open apertures as would a full-size DSLR. Fortunately, Fuji added a very cool shooting mode called "Pro Focus" (under the ADVANCED shootimg selection). Just focus in on your desired subject and pull the trigger.. The X10 takes just a second or so to process, and then gives you a great blurred background, with sharp subject. Of course, I've done this many times in Photoshop, but how nice to just select this mode, snap, and be done. No idea how they pull this off, but it really works well. You can even select 3 different levels of background "out of focus" when choosing this mode. (Later update... with the new Focus filters in Photoshop CS6, I find I have much more control by avoiding ANY of the photo-altering gimmicks in the camera.. I just shoot in Camera Raw, then fix whatever needs fixing quickly in Lightroom or Photoshop)
* a couple of reviewers opined that a 40.5mm filter might just screw into the Fuji lens. I bought a 40.5mm UV filter to find out. The answer is a definite NO... I guess Fuji wanted to shake another hundred bucks out of its customers and sell the "filter adapter".. boo Fuji!
Update December 14
I just read a blog indicating that Adobe now has Camera Raw processing updates for Photoshop CS5 AND Lightroom 3. Just downloaded both, and YES, you can now throw away that funky SilkyPix Raw converter software that comes with the camera. For Lightroom 3, you'll need version 3.6 And for Photoshop CS5 you'll need Camera Raw version 6.6. Download them both at:
Note that only Photoshop CS5 supports the X10 Camera Raw updates. You DO have version CS5 don't you? If not, trust me... forget about buying another camera and spring for CS5 AND Lightroom 3. You'll thank yourself a thousand times! (Update Aug 2012... Okay, now is CS6 and Lightroom 4.. both MAJOR improvements... grossly expensive, but oh so essential for any other than pure amateur photographer)
Update August 2012
There has been much discussion in these reviews about the "orb" problem with the X10. After some 5,000 pictures, I'll admit I've gotten "orbs" in perhaps 4-5 images, all of which were easily corrected in seconds in Photoshop. Nevertheless, when I learned that Fuji was offering free sensor replacement to correct the "orb" problem, it just made sense to take advantage of that.
I went on the Fuji site, and registered my name. Just a short time later, I received an email notifying me that Fuji was now ready to replace my sensor. This occurred back in June 2012. Unfortunately, I use my camera almost every weekend in conjunction with my Antique Limousine business ( ) and was reluctantly to let go of my camera for an indeterminate period of time.
Finally, in late August, I decided to bite the bullet and send in my camera for repair.
On the same day UPS notified me that my camera had been delivered to Fuji's repair center, I received an email from Fuji acknowledging receipt of my camera, and advising me they would send it back within 10 days. You can imagine my surprise, then, when on the following day, I received another notification from Fuji telling me my camera had been shipped out, and the tracking info advised me I would receive my camera the FOLLOWING DAY!
Sure enough, less than 8 days after I dropped off my camera to UPS, it arrived back in hand.
Best of all, the repair invoice indicated that I had received a NEW replacement camera! This included a new metal lens cover (shipping instructions had explicitly told me to keep all extra parts.. battery, memory, etc), so now I have a spare!
I'm writing this just hours after receiving my NEW, FREE, RETURNED FREE OVERNIGHT FEDEX Fuji X10, and so can't comment yet on improvements to the dreaded "orb" problem.
One thing I have noticed is that the on-off lens rotation now has an intermediate resistance stop, and does require considerably more effort to turn on and off. Personally, I loved the smoother, less resistant original lens, but can only assume that Fuji bowed to the handful of whiners who complained that it was too easy to turn it off when rotating to the Wide Angle position.... really??
Again I want to emphasize that I'm in no way a standard bearer for the X10. There are a few things I take issue with, most notably the almost unusable manual focus mechanism (see below *), and the non-standard filter threads. Nevertheless, I still remain pretty enthralled with my X10, and now I see that Amazon has finally dropped the price a bit to make it even more attractive.
If you're the kind of photographer who just likes to take low-resolution JPEG snapshots to email to friends on upload to your Facebook, then you'd probably be just as well off with a $150 point-and-shoot. But if you enjoy turning ordinary snapshots into works of art, shooting in the RAW mode and using Photoshop/Lightroom to enhance, then this is the perfect camera for you!
* As I discussed in a separate comment response, the cumbersome manual focus situation has been resolved! I learned in the (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Photographer's Guide to the Fujifilm X10, available in Kindle or paperback Photographer's Guide to the Fujifilm X10 that, when in Manual Focus mode, you can aim the camera at the desired subject, and momentarily press the AEL/AFL button, and the focus will change to the correct distance. Then it is a simple matter to fine tune the focus (if needed) with the focus wheel (using the focus wheel automatically shifts the display to magnified, to make manual focusing easier.
UPDATE June 2013
Well, I've had this X10 for some 18 months now, and used it a lot. I own and operate a classic car limousine service, catering mostly to weddings, and do a lot of night photography in conjunction with this. Looking back, my rational for purchasing this camera in the first place was:
1) Have a pocketable camera as an alternative to my bulky Nikon D7000
2) A fast lens for low light photography
3) A Wide angle aperture for those beautiful limited depth-of-field bokeh shots.
Over the past few months, I find that I am picking up the D7000 for my nighttime engagements, and that the X10 is gathering dust in the closet, and, honestly, I have to say that I'm a bit disillusioned by the camera at this point. Here are the reasons, corresponding to my original purchase checklist above:
1) This is by no means a pocket camera. It just ain't gonna happen. This is a hang-round-your-neck camera, just like a full sized DSLR
2) Fast lens.. well, yes, f2.0 does sound impressive, but, let's face it... it just isn't good enough for any sort of night photography without flash (and that little pop-up flash is only useful if you're shooting right in someone's face). Sure, you can get an image at night, but it is going to be grainy and you'll never be able to call it a professional image. The difference in quality between a f2.8 lens on my D7000 and this f2.0 is really glaring. I know, it's NOT a DSLR, but still, what's the point of paying near-entry-DSLR prices if you can't get better images?
3) Limited depth of field.. this has been one of my biggest disappointments in this lens. An f2.0 lens on a small-sensor camera is NOT equivalent to the same focal length on a DX or FX format camera. Only when shooting extremes (like focusing on a subject no more than 2 feet away) will you get any semblance of focus fade in the background. Sure, you can dial up the in-camera D-O-F software, but why would you want to permanently gork up your photo when you can accomplish the same yet better soft-focus effects in Photoshop or Lightroom and have complete control.
Other issues that I have increasingly become annoyed with after extensive usage:
* The manual focus mechanism is absolutely useless.. to get from one end of the distance scale to the other requires some 8-10 full revolutions of that hard-to-manipulate focus wheel. Why couldn't they have at least added an acceleration mode to the wheel (turn it faster, move the dial faster). To make matters worse, the focus selector lever (AF or Manual) on the front in right in the position where virtually EVERY TIME you remove the camera from its case (which you HAVE to do to see the viewfinder or back screen) the lever gets moved from AF to Manual. Can't tell you how many ruined images I've deleted because the $!%@@& focusing got switch to manual without my noticing... grrr
* Lack of standard filter threads... This is one of the most idiotic and non-customer-friendly features of this camera. The threads on the lens won't match any standard filter, so if you want any sort of filter, even a UV to protect the non-replaceable lens, you have to shell out a hunk to Fuji for their adapter ring... Then.. the filter housing obstructs the view in the viewfinder; you can't use that nice aluminum lens cap; AND, now the camera won't fit in that expensive leather Fuji case you bought. Really?? Was this camera designed by photographers, or just a bunch of engineer/marketing geeks?
* Auto White Balance... The auto white balance on this for night time shots is just unusable. On virtually every shot I have to make major adjustments to the white balance. I shoot almost exclusively in RAW mode, so pictures are salvageable, but it is an annoying additional step, when I almost never have to adjust the white balance on similar shots with my D7000
* Battery life is pretty short... I don't understand why they couldn't have found room for a larger battery in such a large body
In summary, 1.5 years down the road, the X10 (and now its successor the X20) is starting to look a bit long in the tooth. For your money you're getting:
1) A cool retro-look camera that feels and is solidly built
2) Camera RAW ability
3) A reasonably fast lens
For my money, if I were buying a camera to fit this niche today, I'd opt for the new Fuji XF-1... it's a true pocket camera but appears to have roughly the same guts as the X10, probably improved, with a slightly faster lens, and it looks great!
in the end i decided to try the fuji x10 above all others mentioned for several reasons:
the 28-112 focal length is extremely useful, and wonderfully quick at f/2-2.8
no interchangeable lenses means i don't have to start collecting more equipment (my wallet and wife are thankful)
the fuji x10 was priced quite a bit lower than the other aforementioned options, especially considering you don't have to buy additional lenses
i understood that i was going to make some image quality trade offs by going with a smaller sensor, but was willing to roll the dice on fuji, as they seem to be on to something as of late
i liked the ergonomics of the camera, and the fact that it gave me easy access to all major functions (iso, shutter speed, aperture, AF point selection, AF drive, etc)
it had a viewfinder that didn't require me to spend a lot more money as an add-on
after using this camera for a bit, here are some initial observations on its functionality:
the viewfinder, which i thought was going to be terrible, isn't as bad as expected. that said, it's not great if you're coming from a DSLR or good EVF. it's nice and bright, and clear. on the downside there is zero information in the viewfinder, and you have to contend with (expected) parallax, so i find that i'm using it only when the screen isn't the best way to compose. this is hard for me, as i'm a huge fan of composing in the viewfinder, and i find myself frequently putting the camera up to my face only to realize i need to be focusing with the screen instead. i suspect this will take some getting used to. know that if you expect to use this camera primarily with the optical viewfinder you may be disappointed. you should try it out and see what you think.
fuji should have put some type of anti-finger print coating on the front of the viewfinder. (the type of coating that some filter manufacturers are now using) the front element of the viewfinder seems to always get covered with finger prints, no matter how hard you try to keep it clean, and this clouds up the view.
the mode dial, shutter, exposure compensation and zoom ring are all of excellent quality, feel good to use and are easy to operate.
the main command dial on the back (which you will frequently use to adjust aperture or shutter speed values) feels good to operate, however i find that i frequently knock it out of position, changing accidentally changing whatever value it's controlling. i'm not sure how to fix this. there's not much space to put it elsewhere. perhaps if it were a bit harder to turn it would help.
the sub-command dial is oddly cheap feelings on a camera where everything else feels very solid. it has no detent and therefore spins too easily and feels kind of loose. this is by no means a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance. the camera, on the whole, is very well put together and feels solid.
there is an annoying camera shake alert that pops up onto the screen when shooting at slow shutter speeds that gets in the way of composing. as far as i can tell, you can't turn this off. i know when i'm shooting at a low shutter speed, and what the effects of this are, so i'd really prefer to be able to turn off this annoying "WARNING!" that pops up all the time. (it looks like a little shaky camera on the display)
despite what i read, i found the menu layout to be very intuitive and easy to navigate. i read the manual and basically had the functionality of this camera down in about 24 hours after receiving it. if you've wrapped your head around the technicalities of a DSLR this really shouldn't pose a challenge.
the lack of shallow depth of field isn't really that big of an issue. you CAN get shallow depth of field using wide apertures and longer focal lengths. but one of the nice benefits of a large depth of field is that you can shoot at 28mm f/2 and NOT have extremely shallow depth of field. this is very useful if you're shooting indoors in low light, because your DoF isn't razor thin, meaning your AF doesn't miss nearly as frequently as it might on a full frame DSLR.
the macro and super-macro modes are great! i had zero expectation for macro ability, but i find myself using this often. it's easy to turn on and allows you to get very close to your subject. an unexpected plus.
the panorama function actually works. i might be late to the party on this one. i never expected it to be any good, but it really does work. another unexpected plus.
the "pro photo" function that blow out backgrounds yields fairly cheesy results. doesn't look like proper shallow DoF. skip this one.
the expanded dynamic range and low light modes are nice to have. and if you hand the camera to someone who knows nothing about photography and set it to EXR Auto, chances are they'll get usable results even in high contrast or low light situations. these modes do reduce the resolution of the files, so use them sparingly if this is a concern.
why on earth do i have to change the ISO in every different camera mode instead of changing it once and having it carry over to other modes? ISO is easily changed, but this is still kind of annoying.
the dedicated RAW button is ridiculous. at least make it programmable so i can make it something else. an easy firmware fix, no?
i found i was having faster AF times in low light without the AF assist beam. try turning this off if you experience the same issue. overall AF performance is pretty good. not spectacular, not instant, but not slow enough that it's frustrating to use. (i wouldn't buy this camera to shoot sports, obviously.)
the face of the camera is clean and doesn't draw a lot of attention to itself when shooting on the street. the strap that comes with the camera is fine. it does have some white branding on it, but it's easily covered up with a little tape or black sharpie, if, like me, you can't stand to have logos all over you.
speaking of shooting on the street, if you turn off the sounds on the X10 the camera is essentially silent. this is fantastic. if you use the viewfinder with your left eye you can see the AF confirmation light come on with your right eye, so you know you've locked focus even with the sound off and no confirmation in the viewfinder.
now that i've gone on about using the camera, how about image quality? first, the following impressions are only based on out of camera JPG files. i plan to update this part of the review when the RAW files can be opened in Lightroom/Photoshop. the included RAW conversion software, Silkypix, is absolutely horrible and i quit bothering trying to use it after a couple of days. here's hoping lightroom 3.6 supports x10 RAW.
if you are coming from something like an 18 or 24 megapixel DSLR, allow me to re-calibrate your expectations right off the bat. this is NOT going to deliver DSLR image quality. even inexpensive DSLR image quality. if you are used to working on your RAW files in Lightroom/Aperture/Photoshop, and frequently view them at 100%, you might have a minor heart attack when you open up in-camera JPG files from the X10. (we'll see how this changes when we can really dig into the RAW files.)
out of camera JPG's are very nice up to about ISO 800. ISO 1600 aren't bad a lot of the time, but sometimes the noise is a bit much. low light images at ISO 3200 aren't good for anything but viewing at snapshot size. i even fiddled with the NR settings (turn it down a bit, IMO, unless you want the image to look like plastic) but it didn't help the ISO 3200 files much. applying some NR to the JPG files in lightroom helped a bit, but couldn't save the worst of the bunch. this is where RAW processing may help a lot. i'm hoping RAW processing in lightroom will make using ISO 3200 regularly usable. we will have to wait and see.
so, what do i think of the fuji x10 so far? i like it quite a bit, actually. it feels great in the hand, is fairly intuitive to use and has a very nice feature set. fuji has made a nice little camera here. a good substitute when you don't want to walk around with your DSLR and a camera bag. a good alternative when you don't feel like going down the road of another camera system like micro 4/3 or Nex (not that these systems are bad at all). i'm happy with the image quality, although i would like to see high ISO cleaned up a bit, as i really do shoot in low light regularly. i'll plan to update this part of my review when RAW support is enabled in lightroom. all told, considering the sensor size it's really not bad. but i want a lot of bang for my buck!
december 13th update: adobe has just released new versions of Lightroom and ACR with support for X10 RAW files.
december 14th update: a few impressions after working with the RAW files in Lightroom: my main desire was to try to tame high iso noise in lightroom. i think it's safe to say that if you expose the image properly, you can get a useable result at ISO 3200. certainly useable for online use, or prints MAYBE up to 8x10 or so upon first impression. and that's pushing it that's if the stars align. i feel comfortable using the X10 at ISO 1600, and if i calibrate my expectations accordingly, 3200. as i mentioned before, this is NOT a DSLR, and you have to adjust your expectations accordingly. there's a lot of fine noise at 3200, so you have to watch your sharpening and make sure you're not applying too much detail sharpening, and are using appropriate amounts of masking. don't go overboard on the luminance noise reduction, either. if you accept that an ISO 3200 image is going to be a small image in its final stage, you don't have to obliterate all the noise. cranking up the NR can turn these really high ISO images to mush pretty quickly. go easy. expose to the right. i'm really talking about high ISO files here. everything from ISO 100 to 800 is great, in my opinion, and 1600 is good. this is a pretty decent working range for such a small camera/sensor.
i am now shooting RAW + JPEG, whereas with my DSLR i only shoot RAW. the reason for this is that the X10 does a really nice job handling the JPEG files at moderate ISO's. they need a bit more contrast and clarity for my taste, which is an easy preset to setup in Lightroom. i find that i can skip dealing with the RAW conversion if i'm happy with the JPEG output, which is often the case. the "fuji colors" that everyone mentions are real they're fantastic. there's another reason not to write off JPEG: the extras. you can't shoot RAW in EXR modes, nor can you shoot RAW in the panorama mode or advanced modes like "pro low light", and it's hard to know if you're better off with an out of camera JPEG from one of these modes than a RAW file. one of the quirks of this camera is there are multiple ways to get from point A to point B, and it's not always clear which way is best. so when you want that perfect low light shot maybe you take a single RAW exposure at high iso, wide aperture. or maybe you use the pro low light mode, which combines four images taken back to back, and that gives you a JPEG only result. the answer isn't always cut and dry, and it seems practice is going to be the only way to hash it out. it seems the X10 can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be, for better or for worse. (personally, i doesn't bother me. but fuji could have done a better job with the manual, which is definitely lacking.)
update 12/22/11: if you're looking into this camera you may have read about the "white disc" problem. this has not been a problem in most of the images i've taken, however i have seen it and it does exist. it seems to show up most in low ISO/low light/longer shutter speed situations where there are specular highlights. i've corrected the issue in these situations by choosing a higher ISO and not leaving the camera on auto ISO, where it will occasionally pick a much lower ISO than i would personally choose in lower light situations. overall this isn't a huge issue for me, as i've seen it infrequently and can usually get rid of it when it does occur, but your mileage may vary. i do consider this to be a fault, and it should be fixed. fuji apparently has a firmware update in the works to address the issue. whether or not this will be an issue for you will depend on your subject matter, how you use the camera, and how prone you are to ruminating on imperfections. if you're looking to shoot lower ISO, long exposure images with spectral highlights, i would avoid this camera until fuji resolves the issue.
update 1/11/12: it would be extremely helpful if fuji issued a firmware update that made it so the light on the back didn't blink during low shutter speed situations. the reason for this is as follows: if you're shooting in low light, and using the optical viewfinder, your only focus confirmation (if you have the sounds off) is when the confirmation light illuminates, which you can see with your right eye while you use your left eye to compose. when focus doesn't lock the light flashes. the problem is that the light flashes when focus DOES lock but the shutter speed is low, supposedly to alert you that there may be camera shake. the problem here is that when it flashes you can't tell if you haven't locked focus, or if the shutter speed is simply low. assuming you already know that your shutter speed is low, the alert is useless and makes it so you have no way of knowing if you've missed focus or not. i know this sounds like i'm being picky, but if you want to frequently use the OVF in low light you'll see why this is an issue.
one final note about functionality, and i think i'll put an end to this ongoing review of the X10: the X10 is a very different experience from the X100 (or DSLR for that matter), for one simple reason: the viewfinder. with no information in the viewfinder at all, shooting this camera in manual, aperture or shutter priority modes causes you to do one very big thing differently look at the LCD. with the X100, you can keep your attention in the viewfinder, adjusting the aperture/shutter speed/iso without ever taking the camera away from your face. with the X10 you have to look at the LCD any time you want to make a change. if you're the type of person who doesn't mind composing with and frequently using the LCD, this isn't really an issue for you. but if you're the type who can't stand composing with the LCD (that's me), or your other camera is a DSLR where you almost never use the LCD to change settings because you can do it all by heart with the camera to your eye, you'll find this to be a pretty big deal. in my opinion it takes your head out of the game it requires too much effort to make very small changes. the end result is that a camera like the X10 provides more of a point & shoot experience, and the presence of the (very good) EXR mode on the dial seems to confirm this. so if you're looking for a stripped down, manual photography experience, i think the X10 is going to disappoint. but if you're approaching the X10 from a more modest point & shoot angle, it'll likely satisfy you and then some. it's a very capable little camera.
p.s. fuji has fixed the sensor issue.I am a proud owner of a Fujifilm X100. The X100, as much as I love it, is a bit large and heavy and the fixed lens limits its' use in certain situations. As such, I could not wait for the X10. Overall the camera lives up to the "little brother of the X100" tag line. Quality is simple top notch! It is also, obviously, much more portable than the X100. The "on" mode with the lens is a far superior idea to the "on/off" switch on the x100. While there is no comparison to the awesome viewfinder of X100, this viewfinder works well and is welcomed while shooting in bright sun. It reacts immediately while you are zooming the lens. I would, however, love to see the next version have the eye sensor like the X100 that switches off the screen display when you put your up to the viewfinder. Regarding general picture IQ (without pixel peeping) you can barely tell the difference between pictures taken with the X100. When pictures are shown to "normal" people, of the same subject taken with both cameras, most could not tell the difference with shots taken outdoors in daylight and/ or shots printed up to 5x7. On the computer, while looking at pictures taken with higher ISO's, there does appears to be some smearing I think due to some noise reduction kicking in. Regarding the zoom, it is great feature to have after constantly using your feet as the zoom while using the X100. Quickly, while shooting with a flash, you are reminded you have to remember to use a rangefinder hold while using the zoom (hand under the lens not to the side) otherwise you will find yourself blocking the flash during shooting. Also the thumb does not seem to have a natural resting point but after a while I didn't notice the initial weirdness. I did note that the battery does seem to get rather warm while rapidly shooting (actually warming the memory card). While the battery does appear to deplete rather quickly that may be because I am currently not using the viewfinder, relying on the display screen (which is quite nice) and I was shooting with the "power save" mode off. One last note, I did find that the white balance is not as accurate indoors as the X100 nor what I would like. The camera has some trouble in "Auto" shooting with the flash while in a room lit by an incandescent light. (There isn't a "flash" WB setting, perhaps that would help.) ...Hopefully Fuji can work on this in a future firmware upgrade. Regarding shooting speed, the X10 captures pictures faster than the X100. The X10 seems almost instantaneous. I am still playing with the camera but overall I find it it to be a very unique camera that is perfect for the person who appreciates the manual manipulations to get the shot the way you envision it. Because of the manual manipulations generally necessary the X10 would not be the camera I would recommend to a casual snapshooter or someone new to digital cameras. I would, however, recommend it if you enjoy Fuji cameras and are looking for a nice portable camera that can take pictures with a shallow Depth of Field and immediately shift to take a sharp landscape photo while doing it all with style...
Update: Nov 26, 2011
The more experience I have with the camera the more I reach for it when going on excursions. The EXR feature is something that the X100 doesn't have so I decided to test it out more thoroughly. My experience has been that it is remarkable in the way it analyzes the scene and sets itself up for the shot...it is akin to a super intelligent "Auto" mode. Handing off the camera to my son or wife while placing the camera in EXR mode and we are guaranteed very good shots. Also, since the camera is very quick from shot to shot, the bracketing function allows you to make good use of Dynamic range and film simulation bracketing that has allowed me to capture a range of shots without fumbling through menus to change parameters individually. BTW, I found the standard film setting (Provia) is a good for people shots, while I favor the "S" (Astia) setting gives a bit more color punch. Bracketing the film simulation lets you spend less time trying to tweak saturation via software. Also, I found that the high speed picture taking provides for less blurry shots as the fast autofocus is very accurate. Also, I had a chance to closely compare the X10 with my wife's new Canon S100. I realize that this was an unfair comparison because they are different types of cameras and there is a rather big difference in price but since I own them both I couldn't resist! Bottom line is the X10 is better built, resolves detail better, is cleaner at higher ISO settings, manual zoom, focuses much faster, great skin tones and has a very good viewfinder. The S100 colors accuracy appears equal but with a bit more saturation, is pocketable, has the same amount of battery life as X10, has a retractable lens cap, and some cool special effects (miniature & toy camera). ALso, as the Canon does "in-camera" HDR, I did a comparison with the X10 Dynamic range set at 400%. The Canon camera requires a tripod during HDR capture as the slightest movement results in a blurry picture. As expected, the Canon picture does result in noticeable expanded dynamic range in the end picture (it should as it is combining three separate photos). The X10 picture appears to almost match the range but looks much more natural like a normal photograph. Also, since no tripod is required for the X10, I end up using the DR expansion often. Oddly, while comparing all my X10 DR pictures, the best DR pictures seem to come when the camera is set to a "Medium" file size, DR at 400%, ISO at 100. Anyway, my wife still likes the Canon better since she can pocket it, the X10 is my go to travel camera.
To see an image of my X10 with the optional Fuji Lens Hood/ Adapter see my review at Fujifilm Lens Hood X10 for Digital Camera
January 2012 : While looking for a spare lens cap to keep with me while traveling, I came across an interesting lens cap. While it has some limitations, it is reasonably priced and has been useful in certain photographic situations. A mini review can be found here EzFoto Auto Lens Cap / Lens Hood for Fuji Finepix X10I was always a Nikon for "still image" and a bit of a Canon for "camcorder" never thought of buying a Fujifilm digital camera.
When they announced the X10, I was immediately hooked; the bright f2.0-2.8 lens is a key factor and the fact that it is not an interchangeable lens camera with classic styling (dials, and retro looks)-makes me want to just have one!
I pre-ordered it from Amazon but then they ran out of stock for some reason and it was in stock here (in a local camera store nearby) and so I went to that store and tested a bunch of other cameras like the E-P3, Nikon 1, and the X10. Yes, E-P3 is very nice, and it is micro 4/3rds; feels good and fast AF. Tried the Nikon 1 V1 and J1, the J1 feels solid and good when held; cool 10 to 60 fps shooting (awesome stuff) and blazing AF! the V1 feels and looks very bulky though (it's like holding a small brick); but inside is pretty much powerful.
I decided not to get the E-P3 because it is $899 with the kit lens, and that means if I want a faster lens like the f2.0 I have to get it separately and spend hundreds of dollars; if not I'm stuck with the kit lens, which I think it's alright, but still (limiting) for low light situation. The J1 and V1 is great, I've loved Nikon and their image quality performance, always been satisfied. I have no idea why people are making 'their decision to put a smaller sensor' a big deal, the images coming out of J1 and V1 are pretty much comparable to Olympus E-P3 and in fact, the J1/V1 produce cleaner image with high ISO.
The reason I'm not getting the Nikon 1 is because lack of direct dials (aperture/shutter speed/ISO controls) I have to go to the menu for that stuff, but still, not bad; although I prefer having them around especially it's priced at >$640ish. Their lens selection are still quite limited, I want an option for a faster zoom lens (don't like the pancake with only f2.8).
SO, I came to a decision to get the X10. This camera has the retro looks, classic dials (fast access) and fun to shoot with; size is just right and feels good b/c that magnesium alloy body material; I like the Fujinon lens to be honest, Nikkor, Fujinon and Leica are my favorites; I like X10's bright and fast lens f2.0-f2.8(telephoto) makes it real good for low light shooting.
I like that it has a standard hotshoe and a pop up flash (a good one at least). and an optical viewfinder (I don't use it a lot but it's nice to have one). I also like the RAW shooting features on this camera. The LCD screen is a bit of a let down since I was using a Nikon P300 before and the P300 has a very nice and bright 960k resolution as for the X10 only 460k dot. but it's fine!
X10 does a good job on the super macro, the AF is pretty fast but not faster than the J1 or the V1 or even with the E-P3 but not slow either (it failed to focus rarely).
The one thing I don't like with this camera is the software, I wish it can be like Nikon, less animation and lag; for example when I'm erasing an image, it does the "dissolve" animation and that takes time really..even just a millisecond.
Other than the software, this camera is the BOMB! for the price $600, it's a FINE pocket camera, looks very professional, and produces great images (which by the way comparable to the J1 and V1, even some micro 4/3rds cameras out there).
The sensor is 2/3" so it's larger than those Nikon's P7100 or the Canon G12 and that's just great.
Video? yes, it does 1080p video, I haven't play much with this feature but so far it shoots a great video, a little bit better than my P300, but for stabilization, I prefer the P300 (less shaky when recording). The Panorama feature looks neat, haven't play with it a lot, but so far I like Nikon P300's panorama feature better, I might be wrong, I'll post an update after playing with it for a couple of weeks.
I bought this camera for a professional image quality look (in a compact size) and it does the job wonderfully.
Go get this camera when it's in stock, worth the money and yep, I'm a happy Fuji customer now!
I'm hoping for a firmware/software update though ;)
Cheers.I've been eyeing this camera since it was first announced. But then some of the negative reviews and tests started coming out and i almost forgot about and dismissed it.
For background, i work as a photojournalist (over 25 years) using DSLR's on a daily basis. The only "point-and-shoot" i've owned was a now very dated Nikon Coolpix 5000. I used it for a few years for some snapshooting but was never happy with it, and hadn't thought much about getting another snapshooter camera until recently. Mostly wanted something small and light to shoot while on hikes, vacation, family snapshots. But wanted something that could be used with manual control and easy to do so. In contrast, although the newer 4/3's cameras with interchangeable lenses are nice, and getting on the level of higher image quality, i could care less. I own multiple higher-end DSLR bodies (starting with a D1) with dozens of lenses from 8mm fisheye to 300/2.8. I personally did not want to pay for another entire system. Plus that defeats the purpose of having a small carry-anywhere camera with one integral lens. If you are not in my situation, i can understand if you want a system to begin with, but the way i look at it, no matter how good the smaller cameras get, the bigger ones with bigger sensors are always going to have better image quality. Plus many of the small system's lenses are still pricey and don't have a good range yet, and they are not that fast. They are not going to compete with a full-frame 85 f/1.4 for sharpness, resolution, bokeh.
So, after much careful study of various models and the assurance that Fuji would either fix the sensor issue (highlight orbs) or i could possibly be lucky enough to get a newer one with the new sensor, i made the plunge. Luckily so far i've found no highlight orbs in my photos! For reference, my copy is #22AD---(purchased from Amazon Sept2012), which i've read may possibly be a second quarter 2012 manufacture. Can't substantiate that, but i think Fuji should just go ahead and make a note which copies have a newer sensor (for their own good even)at point of sale, with the box. If you do have an older version, from what i've heard Fuji is being very good about fixing it and returning it to customers in a timely manner. It's a shame they didn't R&D the problem before initial manufacture/release, because i think this has really tarnished the reputation of a great little camera. And i think the problem may have been exaggerated a bit, beyond all the good qualities of the camera:
It seems well-made. Mostly metal. Solid with good button control and tactile feel, zoom ring has very smooth action. Personally i LOVE the on/off on the zoom ring and think it's a great idea. Not sure why some reveiwers dont like it. Amazing nice exposure compensation dial right at your thumb with good resistance--shouldn't ever move accidently. Great main control dial with options that can be accessed fast and smooth without going into those horrid menu systems! In fact, most functions that you want to use regularly do not need to be menu-accessed (Yaaaah!) Even the video mode can just be set on the main dial and you just use the shutter button to shoot. I've read complaints of people wanting separate buttons for video functions, and i just think that is not user-friendly. This is a well thought-out camera.
Another reason i chose this camera is for the optical viewfinder. Most P/S's are ditching them. I'm over 40 and my eyesight isn't as good close-up now ;)
Also, i don't want to always hold the camera out in front of me. First of all, after shooting pictures professionally for many years, it just aint intuitive, you dont have as good a hold on the camera, it does not steady the camera with a three-point system for slower shutter speeds. Also, it bright sunlight you cannot see that screen so good. Granted, the viewfinder suffers from parallax, isnt quite 100% coverage, and doesnt have info inside. But it still HAS IT when i want to use it.
Love that is has a flash shoe. Havent used it much as of yet, but i can pop a manual radio slave on top of it and fire multiple strobes and studio lights if i want to. AND the camera's flash sync is an amazing 1/4000 sec.--much better than the newest Nikon DSLR (D600) at 1/200th! The tiny pop-up flash actually works quite well with decent coverage and color balance, more importantly it seems to provide very accurate exposure without blowing out the scene. You can even set the exposure compensation for the flash.
Really like that it includes a full 1080p video mode with built-in stereo mics, the panorama mode works quite well (as long as you dont have moving subjects in frames) and the Pro-Focus mode does do something (creates multiple images at various focus points to achieve a better bokeh supposedly) but not terribly well. Coming from someone that uses very fast prime lenses on a daily basis, it doesnt compare, but at least its a good idea and i like that Fuji was thinking about it, and it does help some with a stationary subjects.
MACRO. The good and the bad: It has amazing macro-focus capability, 1cm in front of the lens in fact. And you can achieve a nice soft out-of-focus look in the background. But unfortunately, the MFD (minimum focus distance) is only possible at the wide-angle setting of the lens, not at the long (112mm)end. You can still get relatively close with the longer focal length, but if you could at 85mm or so, this camera would be utterly awesome (Too bad). I still think it does a good job, but macro works better with a longer focal lens. You will be touching a bug, flower, or whatever. Your light source then gets blocked by the lens, casting shadow on the subject. And has distortion (wide angle warp) of the lens. So love that it can focus so close with good bokeh, but could be sooo much better if you could use the longer end of the zoom lens.
AF is usually pretty responsive and accurate. Better than i thought it would be in fact. The camera starts up immediately and the shutter is instantaneous.
The lens focal range is around 28mm to 112mm (compared to 35mm). Wish it was a little wider especially (24 at least) and it could be longer too, but it still has a decent range. The good thing is that it is FAST f/2 to f/2.8--thats much better than most small P/S's and probably the MAIN REASON i bought this camera. You can shoot with lower light at lower ISO's, keep the background soft, etc. This is a very good quality of this lens, and it is SHARP even wide-open at ANY focal length!
The images are pretty sharp, detail/resolution is quite decent for this small sensor size. Color and white balance is generally good. I like the film simulation modes, esp. the B/W with sepia and "filters"(green, yellow, red). Yes this is a twist on old-school and if you dont know what it does, look it up. I understand you can just convert the images to grayscale in Photoshop, but i still like it, and it makes the camera fun to use like film days. I'm not so sure the color film simulations are that accurate (i've shot my own bulk-loaded 100' rolls of Fujichrome too), but its still a good idea. It makes you feel like you are shooting film again, and THINK differently.
The camera can shoot infrared images. Another selling point as i had an old (expensive) B+W infrared filter that i wanted to use on this camera. (You can determine with a P/S if you point your TV's remote into the lens and push a button--you can see the light in the LCD monitor).
Which brings us to one of the things i DO NOT like about the camera, the stupid filter diameter size. I bought the knock-off step-up (52mm) ring/hood. It works good, looks even better, but the holes in the back let in dust (and light--that wouldnt work for infrared) and block even more of the image when looking thru viewfinder. So i finally found what i wanted-a 40-46mm step-up ring. I then put a standard 46mm UV filter on that. It is almost perfectly flush with the rest of the zoom ring/lens, is solid and doesn't let dust in. I can screw my infrared filter into it too, and it works great. The lens cap doesn't fit well, but i don't care cause i never use one since i have a protector filter on the front of every lens. THe included cap is metal and nice, but i put it back in the box.
I do have a cheap protective film for the back LCD, and i have a "soft" screw-in shutter release button attached. Other than that it's a very nice self-contained camera for great street-shooting, hiking, etc. It is quite small--smaller than thought from the photos even--will fit in a larger coat pocket though.
I'm very happy with this little point and shoot camera. It's capable of getting good images, and most importantly, i ENJOY shooting with it!!
The look is retro too, and its very sharp-looking, but it also makes you FEEL like you are using a "real" vintage camera, and you WANT to be CREATIVE using it. Well done, FujiFilm.
UPDATES- (I'll try to add to this section as i use the camera more)
Battery life. It's OK, not great but i haven't found it to be terribly bad either as some have alluded to. It has a pretty small battery rated at 1000mAh. That said, you can find third-party batteries that fit, easily and cheaply. I've bought 4 here on Amazon, two are rated at 1100mAh, 2 are rated at 1400mAh--i don't really believe the manufacturer/seller's rated amperages, but they all work fine in the camera though, as well as the Fuji-branded one (and they only cost a couple of bucks a piece!)
The BAD thing is that the battery level meter in the camera is not too informative and/or accurate...seems to die almost immediately after it first shows a lower level. But it does seem to work strong until that point at least. Just make sure you buy extra (cheap) batteries and keep them with you and the camera. I'd think this was something that could easily be corrected with a firmware update.
Save 38% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment