Fuji Finepix X100 by Antony Blevins
Featuring a retro design that bears greater than a passing resemblance to the Leica M-series, the X100 is a blend of old and new, bringing together a very traditional control system with some distinctly leading edge features. At the heart of the X100 is really a 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, a 23mm fixed focal length F/2 lens, and a newly developed Hybrid Viewfinder. This cleverly combines an optical viewfinder as well as an electronic viewfinder together, using the former similar to those found in rangefinder-type film cameras but overlaid with vital shooting information. The X100 includes a number of other features that are indebted to the film past, in the quiet leaf shutter, the ring round the lens for setting the aperture, dials for the shutter speed and exposure compensation, to the range of film simulation effects and the leather-like finish. Costing £999 / $1299, such focus on detail doesn't come cheap, so carry on reading our Fujifilm X100 review to discover if it can justify its price tag.
Ease of Use
The Fujifilm Finepix X100 is really a classically styled camera that recalls film rangefinders in the past, especially the Leica M3, having a breathtakingly beautiful retro design that elicits "oohs" and "aahs" from everyone that sees it. Importantly the X100 isn't simply mimicking what's gone before it, though, instead combining some of the stand-out features from the past with a few of the most recent innovations nowadays. Fujifilm have built on their film heritage to create a unique camera that offers the best of both worlds.
That isn't to say that everybody should immediately place a pre-order with this heavily-in-demand camera. Despite its popularity amongst seasoned photographers, the X100 continues to be very much a distinct segment product, with its non-interchangeable fixed focal length lens, comparatively large body, and also the emphasis on a manual method of shooting that needs some experience on the part of the user. The X100 will most attract the street photographer, using its 23mm lens being equivalent to the classic focal length of 35mm, the oversized optical viewfinder crucially showing the topic before it moves into the frame, and the various dials which makes it quick and easy to control the camera while it's organized to your eye.
The Fujifilm Finepix X100 is definitely an amazingly well-built camera, with simply no flex or movement inside it chassis thanks to the die-cast magnesium alloy top and base plates and machined control dials. At the same time, it's actually a little lighter than a first glance might suggest, weighing in at 445g with the battery and memory card fitted. Measuring 126.5mm (W) x 74.4mm (H) x 53.9mm (D), it's taller than its closest rival, the Leica X1, although that camera doesn't have a built-in viewfinder, so that as slim as compact system cameras such as the Panasonic GF2 or Sony NEX-5 having a comparable pancake lens fitted. There are several plastic buttons and controls about the X100, most notably the memory card / battery compartment door and the rear circular control wheel, each of which wouldn't look or feel out of place on a cheap compact, but other that the X100 offers the best quality of any camera that we've ever tested.
About the Author
Antony Blevins can be described as leading camera reviewer intended for T3 Magazine. He's got also a major photographer for Fashion magazine. You can discover more about Antony here fuji finepix x100, <a href="http://www.askdirect.co.uk/Digital-Cameras/Compact-Digital-Cameras/Advance
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