Nobody excited about the Fuji X10?

[jeremy1302]

Didnt think so.

Looks like Fuji has misunderstood what made the X100 sell so well, and what we have here is your average compact camera, and will no doubt be very overpriced.

[popo]

I haven't had time to digest the details yet, but it seems a promising value item but it does depend on the price and other details.

My only question is if there is consideration for parallax errors in the OVF or is it not significant in practice?

[Bob Andersson]

.
Nope, not excited at all. Maybe the reviews will prove me wrong.

Bob.

[snick]

I am excited. Finally a compact with

- a top quality build
- a larger than most compact cam's sensor
- a fast wide-to-light tele zoom
- a usable OVF
- a full set of manual controls for direct access to main settings


Of course, to some those are all the marks of " your average compact camera." Did I mention it will be overpriced?


popo asked:

My only question is if there is consideration for parallax errors in the OVF or is it not significant in practice?

With a finder showing only 85% of the recorded field of view, and presuming a shooting distance of at least 3 feet, parallax error should be negligible. No optical zoom finder will be perfect, but this seems to be one that's a lot better than what NiCa offer in their respective premium compacts.

[Thomas]

Hello snick, and welcome to the friendly Camera Labs forum!
To enjoy your stay here please have a look at the house-rules!
---
The X10 having a crop factor of 4x means the sensor is only 1/4 the size of a four-third sensor and 1/7 the size of a APS-C sensor.
This coupled with 12 MP will lead to some limitation of dynamic and signal-to-noise ratio at full resolution. There may be some clever tricks with pixel-binning, but at full resolution the disadvantage may well be 2 stops.

Btw. Street-price seems to be half of the X100.

[EvanK]

Agreed, it looks like your average high-end compact with a somewhat interesting design. I suppose if you just can't afford the $1200 pricetag of the X100, the $600 X10 could be a decent option, but what really has me disappointed is,

a) The sensor size, it still seems a bit small

b) The optical viewfinder (doesn't overlay any shooting info, but hopefully it's still a bit better than the one of your average compact)

Also, they replaced some of the controls that made the X100 unique, such as the shutter speed dial. It now just has a mode dial, which gives it a somewhat "consumer-ish" look. Also, why could they put a zoom lens into it? I'm pretty sure that the target audience of this camera was hoping for a high-quality 35mm prime.

Anyways, I'd still take this camera over something like a P7100 or G12, but it still lacks lots of features that made the X100 so unique. Oh well, I guess compromises have to be made to keep the price down, but I still don't see why Fuji put in a zoom lens.

[snick]

Moderator Thomas,

Thank you for welcoming me and kindly pointing me towards the house-rules.

There is no quoting and direct replies are possible on this forum? That's a first. I guess conversations have to remain as impersonal as possible? That's fine. Let's stick to facts.

The X10 is a compact camera and is in direct competition with the G12, P7000/7100, and the LX-5. Therefore it should be evaluated by comparing it with other compact cameras instead of faulting it with not measuring up to the performance level of 4/3 and APS-C products.


EvanK,

I presume I am among the target group for the X10. I will spend around $500 to $600 for a high-end compact and not more. The X10 sensor is about as big as compact camera sensors get (Not counting Ricoh and Sigma's more exotic birds). The viewfinder is probably as good as doable in a zoom-equipped consumer camera. I do not want a 35 mm prime equivalent, because I either shoot wider or shorter. In fact, I would have preferred a dual focal length lens (See late '80s Leica/Minolta 35 mm compact with 40/80 mm lens), which is of course not what most consumers want. A 24/80 mm equivalent lens would be perfect for me, but I can easily live with the zoom Fuji put in the X10.

[Thomas]

Well it depends how you look at it, snick:
Is the Sony NEX (APS-C) a competitor to the X10? If you take the size of the lenses for the Sony into consideration perhaps not.
Are the Oly and the Pana (four-thirds) competition? Perhaps more likely. And they have 4x the sensor area than the X10, but need lenses with double the focal length which still means a considerable disadvantage in size and weight.
So Fuji seems to aim somewhere in between. They have the non-exchangeable lens with the larger sensor so the IQ should be better than with a standard-compact. But they lack the benefit of an even larger sensor + interchangeable lens of the EVIL pack.
And for us customers more choices is always better!

[Dutch]

Been reading up on the X10, and it really is surprisingly good! It even seems to put some of the m4/3 cameras to shame, producing very decent images at ISO 1,600. I think it might be a bit of a 'sleeper' camera nobody takes serious, and yet is very capable.

I'm currently looking into a more compact travel camera to take along with me to Canada instead of my 7D, and didn't want to consider anything below m4/3, but this has me thinking differently. It has a beautiful design, very good build quality, great controls, a good focal range, and with the performance I have seen it might be a great option as a 'go anywhere' travel camera.

[RexGig]

I am certainly interested the X100, and am interested in seeing what its successor will be, but the X10 is a big step in another direction, into a class of cameras that I totally disregard. The Leica X1 and Fuji X100 have both held my interest, but have been relegated to lesser priority by DSLR lens purchases, plus by my desire to see a second generation of APS-C X cameras.

[Dutch]

There is no doubt about what the X10 is, a compact camera, but it is the very best compact on the market today. From what I have seen, I actually agree with some of the reviewers that it performs somewhat like an old generation DSLR. For a compact that is surprisingly good.

The only gripe I have is that the viewfinder has only 85% coverage and does not show the focus point. Fuji should have gone the extra step and put in a ~100% viewfinder with at least the focus point displayed. Now the viewfinder is more like a gimmick because you can't use it for composition all that well.

[Dave A]

HI all,

No dout that on a cost raito the X10 is a bit overpriced and the 4/3 camears are better quality and value. The appeal to me and what has inspired me to order the X10, with full 2 week return privlage mind you!

Is I have a dslr and not inclind to get another system with interchangable lens and I'm hooked on Slr viewing through the lens, so the other systems don't appeal to me as good as they are and I fully appreciate how good the Sony LX-7 is, outstanding.

Having a smaller camera to used when the Dslr is to much or not wanted is in my view the reasons for a good compact camera.

Yes IQ is not as good, but it's the old best camera is the one you have with you and use! Many a shot, some I'm very happy/proud of taken with either my Canon G10 or Canon S90. The X10 offers appeal on different levels need to see how it works for me and keep an eye on top level reviews. Hint, hint!

Dave

[NurseDiesel1]

I have the X10 and I like it a lot. It's got some pros and cons of course. I'm really liking the manual zoom, but video people will miss the smoothness of a motor since it shoots 1080p movies. The film simulation modes are great, and jpegs right out of the camera look fantastic although I like to shoot RAW most of the time. For having a larger sensor, though, I find the noise bothersome above iso 800 or so and Lightroom doesn't seem to fully remove it. The IS is good, but Canon's Powershot line is better. Won't bore you with a book, but if the final reproduction size is under 8x10 I'd say it's perfect, but not sure if its good enough to warrant its price point. Still using my 5D2 for more critical applications of course.

[pierovera]

I got to test out this camera today and it is pretty nice. Feels good in my hands even though all small cameras feel way too small in my hands, and it's focusing system is pretty nice. The viewfinder is acceptable, better than other cameras that I tested and it might be an option someday. I might not be like the X100, but I still liked it.