My first ever camera was a Fuji X10. It was a tiny almost-pocketable point and shoot that took some absolutely beautiful images, some of my favorites in fact, like this one from St. Gilgen, Austria!
That Fuji had a 12MP sensor and was perfect while I was cutting my teeth as a new photographer and/or HDRing everything. Now, most of you know I proudly shoot Sony cameras but Fuji announced a camera yesterday that has me intrigued: the Fuji XF10 (in typical black but also in the super cool Champagne Gold color!)
The XF10 has a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor with a fixed 28mm equivalent f2.8 lens. While it doesn’t have some of the other analog controls that Fuji cameras are known for, it’s designed to be a really portable camera with a huge sensor. Oh, and the price point is fantastic: only $500!
Most of the control dials that can be intimidating for some consumers are gone in lieu of a 3.0 inch LCD display on the back. The screen doesn’t tilt or anything, which will annoy some folks but that’s a large enough screen that it should be ok.
Preorders are available now for August delivery!
Why am I interested in this camera?
I love my Sony cameras but there are two things: 1) they’re expensive AF and 2) even though they’re smaller than a DSLR (in most cases) they’re still not exactly small. Sometimes I like walking around with something smaller and less obvious but I’d still like better image quality than my phone. The comparable Sony camera would be the RX100 line of cameras but those are incredibly expensive and although they have an absurd amount of features I just don’t see myself ever using most of them.
The Fuji XF10 will have lots of JPG modes (although I shoot RAW most of the time) taking advantage of the legendary Fuji color processor and easy transfer capabilities to mobile devices for sharing pictures on social media as soon as they’re taken.
Basically I think this could be the perfect camera for people who are interested in a camera with a similar focal length to their smartphone but don’t want to deal with carrying around lenses or anything like that.
For $500 I think it’s worth a look, what do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
Love my Fuji X-T1 and the 27mm lens attached as a walk-around. I had a little Fuji Point-and-shoot back in the day. Great little camera. This one would be a nice little camera to have.
I’m really surprised that there hasn’t been many reviews on this camera. Anything announced and reviewers are all over it, case in point, the new Panasonic LX100 ii which has about a dozen videos on it already, and literally anything Sony.
On the face of it this camera seems to be right up my street. Small prime 28 equivalent lens, large sensor, easy controls, carry everywhere.
I would of liked a swivel screen which at one point would of been a deal breaker for me, then again so would a EVF, both not that important to me now.
It’s also a decent price, nothing top heavy like the expensive Sony cameras at launch.
Having said that the Sony RX100 is now at an all time low now, and the RX100 iii is not that much more expensive than the Fuji.
I’m just waiting for an “objective” review….
Dave, the agree. I’m looking to get the xf10 but there are no real world reviews yet, grrr!
It seems the xf10 is a Ricoh grII wannabe, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it just turned up late to the party!
For me, the Fuji fits my needs – small (therefore always have with you) and discreet with great image quality, anything else is a bonus!
I guess I’ll know when I hold one if it’s ‘right’ for me!
I have the XF10 and in my opinion its not as good as the previous X70 model. Not having a flip up screen is not very user friendly if you like to take candid street shots and the output from the Bayer sensor is definitely different to the Xtrans. Where the camera shines however is for reasonable close ups with the in built flash set on slow synchro and you can see some of my shots on my Flickr page. Naturally, it takes us all time to get used to a new camera and its quirks and maybe in time i will change my opinion.
Thanks for chiming in Kevin! I was hoping to get one before my trip to Iceland (which I’m on right now) to test but it didn’t happen, thanks for your thoughts!
The XF10 is missing the mark for me unfortunately. Not because it’s a bad camera, but because there is something better on the market: The Ricoh GRII. The Ricoh’s lens is quite a bit sharper, especially wide open (the XF10’s lens is the same as the X70 had) and it has a much needed features the XF10 lacks:
1. There is no way to mount a filter on the XF10. This means no polarizer or ND filter, both of which are essential for travel photography in my book. The Ricoh has a ND filter already built in and other filters can be added with a simple adapter. To not include a filter thread or the possibility to ad an adapter on the XF10 is a horrible oversight by Fuji.
2. There is no hot/cold shoe on the XF10. In bright conditions a small optical viewfinder can be a godsend.
3. The screen on the Ricoh can be completely turned off. This was already missing in the Fuji X70. This can save battery in conjunction with an optical viewfinder and is helpful in dark places if you don’t want to disturb others (e.g. Churches)
Currently the price of the Ricoh is about the same as the XF10. I would choose the XF10 only if I know I take a lot of low light photos. The ISO performance on the XF10 is quite a bit better.
There is also a Ricoh GRIII around the corner, so I would definitely wait what it will offer.