Fuji FinePix X100 camera
Saturday, July 2nd, 2011
A few years ago I had a revelation: carrying a big DSLR kit on a hike doesn’t work for me. It’s a lot of extra weight, dealing with setting up shots is rude to other hikers with me who just want to hike and not stop every few minutes, and the kinds of images I take on hikes are more snapshot documentation of the experience than fine art photography.
Once I made this distinction I was free to do two things:
1. Not worry so much about weight and bulk in my DSLR because it’s not a camera rig I’m going to be walking long distances with.
2. Buy and carry a point and shoot camera on hikes and be happy with it. I’ve since been using a Canon PowerShot S90 and have been very happy with it. My hiking partner Dave uses a Canon PowerShot G11 and he too is happy with it. The images we get aren’t spectacular but they’re quite good for cameras like these.
My friend Dale has been looking for a camera to take on hikes that’s smaller and lighter than a DSLR but has a bigger sensor than than the G11/G12 or S90/S95. For a while he was interested in the Panasonic GF2, a micro four thirds camera that has interchangeable lenses and a bigger sensor than a typical point and shoot but no viewfinder. For the last few months he’s been interested in a relatively new camera that’s become quite popular: the Fuji FinePix X100.
This camera is a bit larger than a Canon G11, has a fixed single focal length lens (very sharp and fast at f/2) and is built to mimic a Leica rangefinder camera. It has an excellent viewfinder but the most important thing about it for Dale and many others is that it has an outstanding image sensor which allows it to shoot at higher ISO than point and shoot cameras and the sensor’s pixels are larger than a point and shoot camera’s so image quality is superior.
This camera isn’t for everyone and even those who bought early and love it have lists of things they wish Fuji would improve on it but the images it takes are outstanding and for many, the way the camera’s exposure controls work is a huge hit. Read the reviews at Amazon and B&H (below) for a few of the issues people are finding with it (even though they love it).
This camera isn’t inexpensive at about $1200 and because its popular it’s tough to buy even if you want to spend the money. For those curious about it I’ve put together some resources below that might help.
If Dale bites on it he’ll no doubt post about it as well as post images. Stay tuned on that. I’m in no rush for a camera like this although it does make me think about what I might take on a sightseeing trip to Europe where I don’t want the bulk of a DSLR but do want better images than my S90 can produce. This just might be the ideal travel camera and taking the X100 and the S90 as a backup is still less bulk than even a small DSLR. Interesting…
Fujifilm FinePix X100 at Fuji
FinePix X100 at Fuji
Fuji FinePix X100 manual (PDF)
Fuji FinePix X100 Brochure (PDF)
Buy or Rent an X100
Fujifilm Finepix X100 Digital Camera at B&H Photo (read reviews)
Fujifilm X100 at Amazon (read reviews)
Fuji X100 at Lensrentals
X100 Reviews
Fujifilm FinePix X100 In-Depth Review at DPReview
Camera Test: Fujifilm FinePix X100 at Popular Photography
Fujifilm FinePix X100 Review at Photography Blog
Fujifilm FinePix X100 Review at Luminous Landscape
Mike Mander’s review of the Fujifilm FinePix X100
X100 on flickr and 500px
I take discussions of gear on flickr with a grain of salt so be aware going in that all kinds of people are using this camera on flickr. If you dig you can find some interesting images made with this camera taken by outstanding photographers.
Finepix X100 flickr group
Fuji X100 flickr group
Fuji X100 Enthusiasts flickr group
flickr photographer Nokton, X100 set
flickr photographer Ryo, X100 tags
flickr photographer Staca, X100 tags
All flickr images taged “fujifilmfinepixx100″
Search for “X100″ on 500px (some outstanding images in there)
There are a ton of options in this category. Do your research on the X100 first – there are a lot of complaints (and a lot of praise). Also consider the Ricoh GXR (with A12s), micro four thirds (the new Olympus cameras looks great) and Olympus XZ-1 for a true compact.
Seriouscompacts.com has a lot of info on these cameras, including the X100.
All would be great for hiking.
Andrew: Your link led me to this comparison of the Leica M9 and the X100. The X100 does quite well.
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/06/16/crazy-comparison-leica-m9-and-35-summicron-asph-vs-the-fuji-x100/
He’s also got a nice review of the X100:
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/05/03/the-fuji-x100-digital-camera-real-world-review-by-steve-huff/
Watch the videos, they’re useful.
I was going to recommend looking at the reviews posted by Steve Huff as well. Glad you found them.
As we’ve discussed, most cameras (or any type of gear) present lists of features which do not perfectly align with our “ideal” solution. We must compromise, choosing what ticks more of the boxes in our lists. I’m a viewfinder guy, so the list of possible options is short, but I’ll bet that we see other makers add a product similar to the X100 if it remains (or becomes) popular. Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh could all capture my attention if they presented a model with an integral viewfinder (not an add-on), though I’m not interested in an “mini-dslr” as the form-factor. And, the APS-C sensor has some advantages of the M4/3 sensor, so that should be borne in mind as well.
Dale: The thing that gives me pause about this camera is that it seems to have all the right stuff but some of it poorly designed. How to balance poor design and a hit on ease of use with excellent images and a tool that is aimed in the right direction but doesn’t quite hit the target is interesting to me.
In many ways this is the camera you and to a certain extent Gary and I have been looking for.
I don’t mind the fixed prime lens: I shoot my S90 at its widest (default) zoom range most of the time (28mm).
I love that the lens is fast which will give us nice depth of field control, something tough (although) possible to do with the S90.
The sensor looks great. Being able to shoot in low light without worry is a great thing.
The hybrid viewfinder also seems great. No doubt you’ll use the optical more than the electronic as will I, but there are times when the electronic viewfinder will come in handy I’m sure. A well designed feature will stay out of the way until needed.
Maybe in the end we’ll be going the route Gary has gone: have a series of compact cameras and use them all interchangeably. I know both of us have given up on attempting to find the one camera that does it all so maybe we then need to splinter the hiking/travel camera into point and shoot and X100 (something a bit more capable).
I might actually rent one from Roger just to see what it’s like. I prefer that to trying to get a feel for it at the B&H counter. Taking it on a hike is the best way to see how it might integrate into my life.
Let me know what you do Dale.
I’m one of the few who hasn’t been reading camera reviews in many months, and didn’t even know about the existence of the X100. The news about this camera is very welcome. I’d love to try it out, given the outstanding quality of the lens and its sensor, and would love its low-light performance. No doubt I’d find it impressive, but I’ll wait for the X200. It’s on the expensive side, and I’m getting by fine using a combination of cameras: 5D, and an array of compacts, including the surprisingly good camera in the iPhone4. Every compact, generally speaking, has its role to play. I continue to get decent images out of Canon’s “ancient” S50.
Gary, I agree, we have plenty of cameras (well, you do anyway) and they’re all good. However, a walk around camera that has low noise at higher ISOs would be welcome for me. I might have to rent one of these X100s to see what it’s like. Given that my 5D is still making nice images I don’t feel a lot of pressure to replace it. I do want the new features on the newer bodies although not enough to bite quite yet. Sigh.
I went to New York and got my hands on a few copies of this camera at B&H photo.
The physical camera is a dream come true: amazing ergonomics, the dials and the lens are amazing. If they’d just get the firmware and menu system right this would be a camera I’d be interested in.
I don’t know which firmware version was on each of the copies (I tried three) but I can tell you that two of the copies I tried were very tough to use in that they did not seem to remember settings changes between shots.
Even the copy that worked well was tough for me to use. I thought I set it to record RAW images but when I got home there were just jpegs on the card.
The viewfinder is excellent and you can easily switch back and forth from optical to electronic and then switch the electronic to the LCD easily. But, on two of the three copies I used this didn’t work consistently.
Photography is technical enough so that one would hope that a tool like this would work with you and not get in the way. It may be that when the bugs are worked out of this camera it will be fantastic and will be that tool but right now it seems to me like a tool in beta rather than something you ought to be able to buy.
My advice: keep an eye on it but don’t buy yet.
Richard, I just discovered a new release at B&H: X100 BLACK Limited Edition Digital Camera
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/839134-REG/Fujifilm_16207404_FinePix_X100_BLACK_Limited.html
It’s not a X200 and is still pricey but should be an update over the X100 (complaints corrected?), and it includes a leather case, lens hood, adapter ring, and protective filter.
It has my interest.
Diane: I think it’s the same camera as the “regular” X100 in black. Probably takes the same firmware updates, etc.
My recommendation is for you to get your hands on one of these (either one, regular or limited edition) and see how it feels for you. It’s a pretty advanced camera and you may or may not be comfortable with it. I do think, however, that it’s a great camera and makes outstanding images. The process of using and adjusting it is what might give me pause.
Richard’s hands-on observations confirm show-stopper X100 issues for me. Still, X100′s revival of legacy manual features (Leica style), a reversal of decades of trends to obfuscate basic camera controls, strikes a compellingly strong resonance in me. I can’t afford one at the moment in any event, an excellent excuse to sit back and watch future developments!
Alex and Diane. No doubt things have improved significantly since I formed my opinion. The camera has had many firmware upgrades since.
However, I know the type of photographer Diane is (not wanting to fiddle with the gadget much) and this camera may not be the right fit for her. Only hands on experience will tell for sure.