Fujifilm X10 12 Mp Exr Cmos Digital Camera With F2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens And 2.8-inch Lcd Best Deal
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.
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Fujifilm X10 12 Mp Exr Cmos Digital Camera With F2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens And 2.8-inch Lcd Price
| List Price: | $599.95 |
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Fujifilm X10 12 Mp Exr Cmos Digital Camera With F2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens And 2.8-inch Lcd Overview
Fujifilm X10 12 Mp Exr Cmos Digital Camera With F2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens And 2.8-inch Lcd Feature
- Large 2/3-inch, 12-megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor and advanced EXR processor; RAW shooting and in-camera RAW processing
- f2.0 wide-angle and f2.8 telephoto, bright Fujinon 4x optical manual barrel zoom lens
- Diverse manual shooting modes that can be selected according to scene type (Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Speed Priority / Manual); 1080p Full HD movie recording capabilities
- Motion Panorama 360 for seamless 360-degree panoramic shooting; manual pop-up flash with a range of 7 meters
- Capture images and video to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards (not included)
Fujifilm X10 12 Mp Exr Cmos Digital Camera With F2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens And 2.8-inch Lcd Detail
- Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 4.6 x 2.7 inches ; 12.8 ounces
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
- ASIN: B005KBB79C
- Item model number: Fujifilm X10 Digital Camera
- Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
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