Fuji Finepix X100. Finally. A camera manufacturer with some cojones.
This just got announced by Fuji. It's the camera a lot of people have been waiting for. It's a super high quality, fixed lens, large (APS-C) sensor camera from a company that builds exquisite (and very low noise) sensors. It's 12 megapixels and the MTF charts that they published on DPReview.com are just incredible.
Note that the lens is an f2. You have a choice of using an optical viewfinder or imitating aunt Myrtle and holding the machine at arm's length to compose on the rear screen. I'd assume that, with no mirror, the shutter sound will be......demure.
Small, light, fast, super high quality imaging, incredible styling (with many nods toward the old Leica M's) and so much more. The only real questions are: How much will it cost? And, When can I get my hands on one?
Looks absolutely gorgeous. Might have to put down by Panasonic LX-3 (my current favorite P&S) and take a look at this...
ReplyDeleteI like the retro look. At first I thought you were pulling a fast one, trying to pass off some thirty-year-old film camera as "the next big thing" (which would be fine with me, actually).
ReplyDeleteI"ll take one as soon as I can get my hands on it...
ReplyDeleteFrom the top the camera looks distinctly like a contax g2..... Hello Kyocera.
ReplyDeleteI just hope it produces RAW-files.
ReplyDeleteHere's some specs, Kirk:
ReplyDeletehttp://photorumors.com/2010/09/19/the-new-fujifilm-finepix-x100-is-very-interesting/
Cheers!
Actually, it has the option of switching between an optical and electronic viewfinder. Very clever. I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteIt looks gorgeous, but 23mm? They talk about great bokeh, but we're not going to see much at 23mm :(
ReplyDeleteIf this was FF and had changeable lenses, I'd buy it first day.
Still, it sets a very nice precedent.
This looks very interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteThey really did their research. It has the highest "buy me" power of any digital camera I've seen. I still have a 3mp s5000, and Fuji is certainly a company that can do color right.
ReplyDeleteIt's sooooo close to the camera I want, but with a fixed lens it's just a no go for me. Why oh why couldn't they have just put a bayonet mount on it? They wouldn't even have to make a lot of lenses initially. I'd be ok with just a 23mm or 35mm for now if I knew a wind angle and portrait prime would come sooner or later. But with a fixed 23mm lens it's just too limiting. This is the most frustration I've had yet in my ongoing wait for the perfect camera simply because this one is so close....yet so far away :(
ReplyDeleteKirk
ReplyDeleteits a winner ... thanks for sharing
I have drawers full of lenses for all my digital and film cameras, and every time I leave the house, it's the same old routine of trying to guess what situations I may encounter, and filling up my camera bag with way too much glass.
ReplyDeleteThis is in stark contrast to my father, who shot my entire childhood using the standard 50mm on his Zeiss Ikon Contaflex. The lack of options didn't seem to bother him in the least, and he always managed to make memorable pictures. At least, to me they were memorable.
I suspect that it would actually feel liberating only having that single focal length to work with. This is what you've got, now go make the best of it.
Well...if it had a FF sensor and interchangeable lenses, like the Leica M9, and was around $1500...THAT would be what I wish for (and would take real cojones).
ReplyDeleteThe Sony NEX has an APS-C sized sensor as well, it just doesn't rip off the Leica look.
Perfect. I hope it isn't outrageously too expensive for me to consider, but from all the specs, etc, it is a perfect piece. Responsiveness is the only thing I question. I hope ... :-)
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Eric about the fixed lens. The only fixed-lens camera I currently own is a 1957 Konica III MXL rangefinder. It's a great camera in many ways, and very quiet since it has neither a mirror nor a focal-plane shutter, but its fixed 48mm f/2 lens is limiting enough that I don't pull it out that often, and when I do it takes a while to get through a roll of film. The Fuji X100's fixed 23mm f/2 (equivalent to 35mm full-frame) might be better for me than 48mm, but still pretty restrictive.
ReplyDeleteIt's also hard to tell at this point whether the X100 even supports manual focus (and if so, is it fly-by-wire or real mechanical focusing?). The specs I've seen don't mention manual focus. The knurled ring on the lens might be for focusing, or might be for adjusting the aperture. There are a pair of odd projections on either side of the lens that might be used to turn the aperture ring or might have some other purpose. I guess we'll just have to wait and see... but in any case, it's definitely an interesting and very pretty camera.
My goodness, that is exciting! I would love to see something more like a digital Nikon FM myself, but I hope robust, film-inspired digital bodies become more common. I love having an aperture ring and shutter speed dial...
ReplyDeleteaccording to dpreview.com, when you account for the sensor size, the 23mm lens has an effective FOV of 35mm....sweet!
ReplyDeleteWould be nice with a (close to) 50mm "standard" or thereabouts equivalent, or even 40mm like the Trips, but it looks great otherwise! Will get one as soon as I can.
ReplyDeleteYep. It seems like we've all been waiting for this! Here is my take on it:
ReplyDeletehttp://borrowedmoment.com/2010/09/fujifilm-eating-leicas-lunch.html
A Leica M attach would be nice to change lenses. With a fixed lens it's a "no buy" for me.
ReplyDelete23mm is 35mm equivalent. I imagine part of the lens elements are inside the body to save space, and the OVF wouldn't work with other lenses in any case.
ReplyDeleteI hope they're not just teasing with this. 23mm on APS-C is roughly equal to the angle of view of a 35mm lens on film or full-frame digital; at f/2, the lens should be a dandy. The fixed lens should reduce or eliminate some of the cost, complexity and compromises that go with bayonet mounts. Instead of interchangeable lenses, how about a second body with a fixed, fast 60mm (90mm equivalent)?
ReplyDeleteAaaarrrrrgh! I just looked; nikkei.com says it should go for ~$1,700. Whimper...
Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIf it had an interchangeable lens, it'd be larger, more complex, more expensive, etc.
If it were FF with an interchangeable lens, it'd be even larger still, even more complex and much more expensive.
I fear for some, the perfect camera is an impossibility.
It looks like it has a proper set of shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation dials.
ReplyDeleteIt mimics the way I used to work on film and I think this would be perfect for that.
My favorite (90% of my pics these days) focal length too.
As long as this thing is reasonably priced (~1500$ or so) I am getting one.
Actually the 23mm is like a 35mm in 35mm format, so it could possibly give some decent bokeh. It does have a 9 bladed aperture and F2. Their video touts the nice bokeh you can get.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful. If they put another model with a short/medium tele to acompany this, (and the price is not out of reach) could be the ultimate outfit. I think Fuji had this approach with medium format rangefinders.
ReplyDeleteVery refreshing, and it makes me recover from the depression I had fallen in, when all Olympus had to show were a couple of über slow zooms for MFT and a warmed up E3.
I occasionally put away the zooms, and just stick my ME Super or ZX-5n in my pocket and go. And while I was weaned on the normal lens as the "one lens" lens, I find myself going for the 28mm more often these days. It's a tad wide, but I can crop, so that means I can work faster. 35mm equivalent can work as a single focal length.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the good people at DOF Master, the DOF @ f/2 on this should be:
- 0.41 ft focused at 3 feet
- 1.15 feet focused at 5 feet
- 4.83 feet focused at 10 feet
That's decent enough separation for me. The only thing it's missing is a focusing scale on the lens for hip shooting without even bringing it to eye level. My fear is the price will be very dear.
I knew you were going to like it Kirk. I think this is the fastest reaction you have had for a new product announcement. I'll be eagerly wating for your review once you have one. More power!
ReplyDeleteKirk,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up,let us know the moment
amazon starts taking orders.This is what happens when a company listens.
Junyo is right... it's missing a focusing scale!
ReplyDeleteAnd, perhaps a f/1.4 lens :P.
If this sensor is as good as the one that was in the s5 I'll be happy. Especially if it's a "real" 12 megs.
ReplyDeleteSeems obvious to me that they couldn't have done that viewfinder AND had interchangeable lenses, or even a zoom for that matter. For those of us (myself included) who have been waiting for and thinking about a real optical viewfinder with some kind of viewfinder information display, it just makes sense to choose a good focal length and "weld" it on!
ReplyDeleteIt's like the X100 was custom-made to my specs.
ReplyDeleteLike my old M4-P and 35mm Summicron. I can't wait.
When I saw this camera, I knew there would be many enthusiastic takers. "It's the camera we've been waiting for! It's the camera that doesn't pander to the masses!"
ReplyDeleteI was sure I was going to get one. How much could they charge? Maybe $1200 considering how it would have to fit among the m4/3 cameras and the Leica X1 I thought. (A Panasonic G2 kit + 20mm pancake is $1000. A Leica X1 is $2000.)
Now I see a price like $1700 being floated.
Hmm. That's a difficult purchase for me. I've already got a full-frame interchangeable lens all-manual camera. It happens to have a 50mm f/1.8 on it always. Oh yeah, it's film.
So I figure, I can do everything at home with a film camera for the price of a changing bag, tank, and reel. I'm going to have a scanner anyway for another project. With the money I'll have left over by not buying the X100, I'll get a nice medium format film camera.
To honor the new camera announcement, I'll figure the film cost with Neopan 400: about 8 cents per frame.
I was really interested in the new camera, but it would be a novelty to me. I'll get more novelty for less outlay this other way.
FWIW,
ReplyDeleteI think the camera everybody's been wishing for is the Leica M9. It has the ability to change to a longer focal length lens and has a great sensor. All it lacks is affordability.
M
Engadget saying should be $1000, sounds good to me but not entirely sure I should be believing Engadget.
ReplyDeleteGood news, DPR confirms the $1000 price, March 2011 release date (well, that could be better!).
ReplyDeleteAdrian Clarke of Fujifilm also said "around $1000" in a press conference at photokina.
ReplyDeleteThat price puts it smack-dab in the middle of the Olympus Pen cameras similarly outfitted. I think that's a delightful choice to have!
http://dpreview.com/articles/photokina2010/Fujifilm/
ReplyDeleteConfirmed at about $1000
I'm pretty stoked about this camera. It is definitely a fetishist object though.
So it's AF only? That is a bit of a bummer.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea behind this camera :) like the Canonet QL17 III! a small fun camera!!!, no need to invest in another set of lenses with a different lens mount than my working camera, 100% built for fun (no need to pack lenses, converters, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI am really looking forward to get one!!
I'm surprised that nobody picked up on Fuji's shameless aping of the Leica X1 - it's EXACTLY the same concept: APS-C sensor, fast fixed 35mm equiv lens, in a small retrostyle body. They copied the Leica motif. Heck, they even copied the model number: Leica X1, Fuji X100?
ReplyDeleteEngadget is reporting it will be $1000
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/21/fujifilms-finepix-x100-ships-march-2011-for-1-000-we-go-hands/
Pretty hard to justify the extra dough for the Leica, even though I know I'm getting a (very nice) knockoff :)
The first thought that popped into my head was, finally the digital Hexar AF I've dreamed of. If it turns out to be fast, quiet, accurate and quick AF, good in low light with excellent IQ, one of these will find it's way to my camera bag. I have and love the E-PL1 so interchangeable lenses aren't a concern. I am starting a cash stash asap.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted a Leica but i dont think my eyes are good enough to manual focus one. This just might fit the bill, small, auto focus, fixed 35 f2
ReplyDeleteJust what I wanted
I can't believe it took so long for a manufacturer to make this, photographers have been screaming for this for ages! Kudos to Fuji, let's see how long it takes the others to catch up. This will be a seller.
ReplyDeleteBUT... It's no rangefinder. That means two things:
1) No quick and reliable way to manual focus. If the autofocus is snappy and accurate enough I'll be able to live with this, but it's a downer.
2) No instantaneous shutter. Of course this is speculation and Fuji claim 'extremely low shutter lag' but until I see some tests or hold one in my hands, I'm going to assume the shutter lag is in PEN/point & shoot teritory. That would be a deal breaker for me. I'd buy a camera like this to capture moments, and any discernable shutter lag would make that difficult.
This would be a shame, because otherwise the camera looks absolutely perfect on paper. I love the fixed 35mm (equiv) focal length. It's all I ever use on my M6. I also love the APS-C sensor, because I realize that's the best you can hope for without putting the camera in the M9 price bracket.
Everybody seems to think there's no manual focus but I see a focus ring and aperture rings there. Of course DP Review night be to blame for that. Anyway, time will tell and I'll tell you as soon as mine is in my grubby little hands.
ReplyDelete