Fujifilm X10 Compact Camera Keeps the Retro Style, Adds a Zoom Lens
Not ready to pull the trigger on an X100? The X10 might be more your speed
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By now, you’re probably plenty familiar with Fujifilm’s wonderfully retro X100 digital rangefinder. While many had plenty of positive things to say about its compact body and DSLR-worthy sensor, its steep price tag and fixed focal length lens made it something of a niche product. Now the X10 is on the scene and it’s a little more versatile and almost as sexy.
One of the biggest changes is the sensor, which is a 12-megapixel 2/3″ EXR CMOS sensor. It is more inline with what you’d find in an advanced compact camera than a DSLR. But, while the sensor may be a bit of a downgrade, the lens is arguably an upgrade. The X10 has a Fujinon 4x optical zoom lens (28-112mm equivalent) with a tactical zoom ring on the barrel. At the wide end, it opens all the way to F/2, while it still manages a very respectable F/2.8 at the tele end.
While the X10 is smaller than the X100, it’s made from die-cast magnesium alloy to make it durable and give it a nice feel in the hand. It has an optical viewfinder with a 20-degree viewing angle and uses 3 aspherical lenses to give it the feel you’d expect out of a traditional rangefinder.
The barrel sticking out of the front of the camera handles the zoom and also acts as a power switch to get you up and shooting as quickly as possible. Inside the barrel is Fujifilm’s new Optical Image Stabilization system. It focuses down to a minimum distance of 1 CM, so you’ll appreciate the extra steadiness.
From an imaging standpoint, the X10 is an impressive little beast. It can get up to 7 FPS at full resolution or 10 FPS using the medium image quality setting. a 49-point matrix contrast AF system handles the focusing and (thankfully) supports RAW capture. It also offers a full suite of manual shooting modes and a 2.8-inch 460K dot LCD screen. It even has 1080p movie mode.
One new addition that should be obvious upon looking at it is a flash that pops up when in use and collapses when it’s not. It has a range of approximately 23-feet and actually fits the retro aesthetic very well.
The X10 will officially hit shelves in November at which point we’ll start to get a better feel for whether or not this retro digital camera trend is here to stay. We’re looking forward to putting it through our lab.
