[Toad]

Has anyone bem looking at the Fuji X10? Now this one isn't going to replace your main photo rig anytime soon, but as sa pocket point and shoot.....Growwwllllllllll!!!!!!

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1109/110901...ilmx10.asp

I continue to be super impressed by how Fuji is releasing products that photo *enthusiasts* actually want, and not just the pablum that will *buy*. Bravo!!

[shuttertalk]

Looks interesting!

I'm unsure of a couple of details - some sites *cough* Engaget *cough* seem to have reports of (1) an EVF instead of an optical viewfinder and (2) an electronic controlled zoom lens.

Tried to go through the details in the dpreview press release but would be good if someone could do a hands on p/review to tell us how those items actually work in practice.

[matthew]

Fuji's a strange company; I like it. I don't think I've ever read a camera press release with the word "bespoke" in it before.

My first thought on seeing the photo of it was that it looked a lot like a Canon G12, which is unfair. What it really looks a lot like is a Fujifilm GW690 rangefinder. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nwl_67/4289...123674243/

It looks like the shutter is threaded for a manual cable release. I suspect that Some Sites aren't looking at the same photo that I am – EVFs don't need windows, Fuji uses control toggles around the shutter button for their power zooms – but yes, it would be nice if someone can get their hands on one and report back.

[enviroguy]

I looked at some of the reviews on the net. The X10 certainly has many interesting features for this size p&s camera.

The viewfinder is definitely optical utilizing several prisms The lens is nice and bright at f2.0-2.8. The aperature goes down to f11. The threaded cable release socket would the the selling point for me. I have such a cable release from my old film camera days, so I wouldn't have to buy a new one. Just kidding, but how many p&s cameras have any accomodation for a cable release?

Very tempting. I suppose we'll have to wait until October to see some reviews on IQ and learn the selling price.

.....Dennis

[shuttertalk]

Hey Dennis, thanks for the info - feel free to post links if you have any - would love to read more.

Found another here, but no further info:
http://www.photographyblog.com/news/fujifilm_x10/

Some thoughts:
- As matthew pointed out, it has a optical window so there must be an optical viewfinder (using prisms as Dennis said). The presence of a window though would mean that it's not TTL... I wonder if it zooms in together with the lens?

- I saw a video from Engadget of the "manual zoom" in operation - looks like you twist the zoom barrel to zoom it (like an normal SLR zoom lens) and it is smooth, and doesn't appear to be stepped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWEDdNevp...re=related

Again they mention EVF but hmm...

Much better video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFAo292Xv...re=related

This one mentions the optical viewfinder, with a wide 20 degree view.

Also, there is a AF toggle on the front between autofocus, continuous and manual focus. In MF mode, the focus is controlled by the action ring on the back and you would obviously use the back LCD to determine if the image is in focus.

Starting to look like a really nice and tasty little camera - might be going on my wishlist. I wonder how people feel about it vs the X100?

[shuttertalk]

Very good video here from the Fuji Guys - they go through all the buttons and features of the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj25re-1U...re=related

I think they work for Fuji Canada and they are very sales-pitch oriented but still quite informative... can't stop drooling now.

The viewfinder sounds like it is very well designed - with lots of glass elements and prism. 85% coverage (which is not ideal but not bad for a compact) and they are also calling it an "optical zoom" viewfinder, which I assume means that the view will change as you zoom in / out.

They also talk about the lens, which is optically stabilised, and having metal cams which give an ultra-smooth zooming feel.

[Toad]

Of course, nobody has seen any images yet taken by the camera/lens combo, but I suspect, they will be brilliant. This is a very exciting option for photographers as a backup camera.

Fuji really seems to be getting it right. I will be watching their products with interest.

[Zig]

Just caught up with this. I have to say, looks very exciting indeed.

[shuttertalk]

Hooray! They've announced availability (early Nov) and price ($599 RRP).

http://www.photographyblog.com/news/fuji...announced/

[matthew]

I was able to play with a preproduction X10 yesterday, and I was impressed. It's a very nice little camera, well built, with good controls and a better viewfinder than the Canon G-series. The VF coverage still isn't 100%, but the brightness is good and it seems much 'closer' than the Canon VF. I could be wrong about that, as I couldn't compare them directly, but I was impressed by the Fuji which is something that hasn't happened with any of the recent G-cameras.

The manual zoom is quite elegant, and the focal length markings on the barrel were surprisingly reassuring. I didn't expect something like that to matter to me, but it did.

[Toad]

Thanks for the field report. Wonder how the IQ is...

[Zig]

Yes: thank you Mathew.

[Pavel]

First impressions: http://www.eoshd.com/content/3886/fuji-x...d-iso-test.

generally favorable. I like the 2 dials for aperture, shutter speed, assignable function for ISO. Seems like a potential competitor to Canon G series - certainly looks sexier and i like the idea of choosing between resolution, signal/noise and dynamic range. The lens is fast enough it seems and the range is practical. On paper a perfect holiday camera

[enviroguy]

I attended the semi-annual photo show in Toronto a few days ago where companies display their latest and greatest equipment. My aim was to look at "travel" cameras for the times when my DSLR and big bag of lenses are difficult to haul around. I was particularly concerned with having a viewfinder, as well as the feel and operation of the camera, compared with the way I shoot with my DSLR.
I first headed to the Panasonic and Olympus booths to check out their micro 4/3 offerings. Of the Olympus group only EP-3 seemed to handle well for me, but with the addition of the nice, but klunky looking (and pricey) add on evf, the price was prohibitive to me. The Panasonic G3 with its excellent built in evf seemed to work well for me. Its controls appeared intuitive and it has a nice swivily touch screen LCD display.
I had the opportunity to try a working Fuji X10. I had been intrigued with its optical viewfinder. The viewfinder is indeed bright, but shows an 85% view. At its wide end of the zoom the lens barrel is seen in the bottom right corner of the viewfinder. Unlike a DSLR or the evf's of the MFT cameras, no information is seen in the viewfinder of the X10. Not a problem if you are using an Auto mode, but if shooting in Manual, you must still hold the camera at arms length and make exposure adjustments via the LCD screen, just like a typical point and shoot camera. The X10 will not be available for a few weeks yet and we will have to learn about its image quality. With a price point just under the Panasonic G3, the Fuji X10 holds little interest for me.
I know that any camera is a compromise to some extent. Anyway I certainly had a good time at the photo show.

.....Dennis

[Pavel]

good 3 cameras to compare Dennis, although X10 with its fixed lens has a bit of a different purpose in my view. Also X10 has an option to use the sensor in the high res, high sensitivity or high dynamic range modes. I do not know how well that works in practice, but it could be a valuable feature. I am glad I do not have to make a decission any time soon - it would be a difficult one to make now.

[Zig]

Really good to hear your views, gentlemen.
Meanwhile, I was most surprised yesterday to see a fall in price in at least one UK outlet for the X-100, seeing one retailer at a wee bit shy of £880 GBP including our rapaciously idiotic VAT(taxes).

[Toad]

Meanwhile, I was most surprised yesterday to see a fall in price in at least one UK outlet for the X-100, seeing one retailer at a wee bit shy of £880 GBP including our rapaciously idiotic VAT(taxes).

Rumor has it that the X100's successor is on the way - interchangeable lenses and possibly an "M" mount. Wouldn't that be sweet?

[Zig]

Ah, that might help explain it perhaps. Heck, I might finally start believing that I could justify a Leica front-end for myself one day.

[shuttertalk]

Dpreview have posted their preview of the X10. Not much there yet, but there's one page dedicated to explaining the EXR technology and how the pixels (ahem, photosites) in the sensor are arranged. Nice to see that they're comparing it directly with the Olympus XZ-1, another camera I was pretty keen on.

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilmx10/

[matthew]

These cameras arrived today, so I was able to play a little more with it. I don't actually have much to add to my earlier impressions, though – still a very nice camera with a clear, big, bright viewfinder. I still haven't been able to compare directly to the Canon G12, but from memory the X10 is a nicer camera, less clunky, with a much better viewfinder. I'm starting to see why there might be a price premium over the Canon, but haven't seen any photos from the Fuji yet.

But considering that some slightly older m4/3 camera kits are selling for $200 less than the new Fuji compact, the market isn't quite as clear-cut as it was just a year or two ago.

[Zig]

Righty: stop press here in the UK:
I was attending a guitar-trade evening tonight and happened to bump into a local photographer and a really nice chap from Clifton Cameras(my local shop but also a national player). This outlet is pushing the X-10 out for less than £550 GBP.
Speaking at length of the X-10 and without his sales head on, the Clifton gentleman spoke volubly on how Fuji have excelled themselves with this camera's sensor, chip and lens, matching this with a ready supply of units that underscores what a major achievement it has been for Fuji to overcome the tsunami challenges. His opinion is that Fuji have not only brought out an exemplary camera in the X-10 but that the price-point here in the UK is attractive, refreshing and reflects a level of confidence not much seen over here for a few years.
His opinion of the Leica X-1, having attended the trade Leica bash in London, though inappropriate to convey in this thread, is diametrically opposite to his and his colleagues' findings on the X-100, with the trade view being effusively effervescent on the X-10.
Subjective, yes, but in a wee country here that reacts quickly to negative trends in cautionary economics, it appears that the X-10 has really hit the target niche of the "pro" who needs something light and deployable. Many units have been briskly traded but with a confidence in both the product and in the fact that supply will continue to be healthy. An oft-heard reaction by such punters in Clifton Cameras has been, by all accounts, along the lines of, "is that all?", when apprised of its cost: both its build, images and functionality attest to a camera of perhaps at least £100 more. It is also moving into the ex-Panasonic G1/GF sector, displacing the Panasonic niche and filling it with Fuji and supplanting Canon's G12, so is the word.
I'm quite delighted with this.
In fact, I'm doubly delighted: the tsunami hit the X-100 and Fuji darn hard; Fuji just got their head down, went for it, delivered the goods and have managed to retain, so it seems, a really sensitive grasp of the UK market.
And I gather there are gentlemanly "squabbles" among the staff as to who can manage to get the X-10 offsite for the weekend. It's rare for UK-ers(around here anyway) to be so buoyant about a camera in such an unreserved way, and I found it a real encouragement to see photographers again visibly excited about a product that even now has seemed to deliver the goods rather than a promise.
The final twist?
Well, of course I heard this and was charged up to finally open the coffers of Castle Zig...
sadly, only minutes earlier, I fell in love with the new Engl 15-watt tube amp with a variable power-soak...so having promised myself that I was only browsing, I left the guitar-bash with an(other) Engl amp....looks like a long wait for the X-10(when will I learn!)

[shuttertalk]

Thanks for the update Zig, and more importantly condolences on your poorly timed purchase! Now the X10 will have to suffer unrequited love, to put up with an awkward love triangle until Zig returns to his senses...

Haha, now seriously, I can't wait for it to hit the stores down under so I can have a play...

[Zig]

Yes, I'm being limited by the number of limbs that grow from my body at present(a mere inconvenience)

[shuttertalk]

Review from Photographyblog has been published:
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/f...10_review/

Their conclusion - at the moment, it's the best compact out there, bar none. With such a high price tag though, it encroaches firmly in CSC and entry-DSLR land, and will certainly make a tough sell for a compact.

[Zig]

I realise price-point is largely a subjective thing, along with "need" and "value". As a UK-er, I again must reflect back that its price is generally seen as anything but high, either in comparison with other sectors or by dint of its build, quality and output. It's seen over here, at any rate, as certainly a "pro/pro-sumer" tool.
Indeed, seeing also the pricing now upon judicious shopping-around, one can bag this beauty for around £525, down £25 at differing outlets from the one I mentioned last time. I mean, we saw the X-100 at over £1000...and that was certainly perceived as "over-priced", tsunami-driven supply issues or not.
We may have been shafted over VAT and exchange-rates, so it's quite remarkable to see a unit like this for the price. I'm taking it as given that the G1 was around £600 a couple of years ago, and considerably more with its 20mm.

The matter of advertising, though, puzzles me: there isn't any. This strikes me as either remarkably daft or inscrutably and cleverly Japanese: "ah...that's just what they'd expect us to do...".
Nikon, on the other hand, are swamping us yet again in the pre-Crimbo squeeze, with incessant pushing of their, er, products. It's my guess that these things are as much an indicator of Nikon's worth as the pope is of catholicism at an Orange-Day parade.
I almost get the feeling that Fuji have somehow decided, "right lads, pointless actually convincing the Great British Unwashed to buy quality, as they're already sucking up the belief that Nikon P+S somehow have the substance underneath the logo. Let's drop the adverts, resting on complete assurance that the folks we want to buy the X-10 already know they want it."
And I for one, wouldn't put it past the quirky brilliance of Fuji to have done just that.