More good news for those of you contemplating the X-S1 as a replacement camera.
Its now available here in New Zealand from Electron World in Napier. Follow this link to Electron World for the info and price.
It is expensive even from these folk and is likely to be even more expensive from local retailers, so you may want to haggle a little with the local folk.
Electron world imports their products from the US supplier and does a straight currency conversion which usually makes their items a little cheaper in NZ.
ReplyDeleteExcept with some manufacturers.
Electron world initially had the Fuji X10 for a more expensive price than other NZ retailers, Fuji sells their products in NZ for a competitive local market and electron world would be better off sourcing them from our region instead.
This price will likely be as expensive as it gets, and in my opinion if the XS1 has a sharp lens at wide angle it is worth every cent, you simply can not get 24mm equivalent wide on a DSLR without spending huge money.
I had noticed that there x10 price was a little high. However I bought my HS20 from them in March this year and the total cost delivered to the (rural) door was $603.00.Everywhere else at the time was $999.00NZ. It still sells between $695 and $800NZ but you can get one for $430NZ which is a considerable saving. I dont expect it will take too long for the price from E.W. to drop for the X-S1 if they can secure a good supply.
ReplyDeleteE.W imports from several sources, in my HS20's case it came from the Hong Kong warehouse. They supply Track and trace and I was able to follow the shipment. I think they are having problems sourcing the X10 because Fuji is limiting supply.
I spoke to Fuji NZ's head of sales at the time of the X10 release and his comment was that they would only be supplying certain Fuji outlets, thereby limiting supply and keeping the price up.
They did this with s100fs when it was released. You can still buy a new one from Amazon but it will set you back $735US which is absolutely stupid for the out of date camera.
I hope you are right and this is as high a price for the X-S1 as it gets. I would like to have one but unless the image quality is very good and the AF is stellar all we are buying is an over-sized HS20.
Given that there is a serious flaw with the sensor in the X-S1, which Fuji is pointedly ignoring, then I certainly wont waste my time or money buying one.
As in all things Fuji we are just going to have to wait and see.
And yes I would still prefer the all in one solution but when a company markets what they claim is a premium product then that's what I expect to get. To date Fuji has failed to do so with any reliability.
Good Day Ralph,
ReplyDeleteI to have been keeping an eye on the X-S1 as an update for my ageing S6500. As you have mentioned two issues shine with this camera. High price and the ever inflating orb issue. If Fuji fail to fix the issue with the orbs then it will probably kill it for me. So are we going to see a HS30 from Fuji? Any rumors?
I do a lot of on the spur of the moment shooting i.e point and shoot. (Groan from Dpreview Fuji forum) Initially I did look at the HS20 and I was soooo close to getting it. A number of HS20 users more or less talked me out of it saying that Auto mode is not very good on the HS20 and manual settings were the way to go. Not what I was really after so I wait with my trusty S6500 cam.
Oh yea, my son works in the north west of Western Australia, so many Kiwis there he comes down with an accent :) The Kiwi invasion :)
Have a good one Ralph.
Sol
Hi Sol
ReplyDeleteFirstly theres nothing wrong with the HS20's auto modes. They work as advertised and just like any point and shoot camera they all miss getting things right to a degree.
Shooting the HS20 in EXR Dynamic Range mode is basically Full Auto , but you get to alter the EV and ISO to suit the conditions, which gives you a best of both worlds type of setup. Same goes with EXR Resolution Priority mode as well, but you can have more input into how the camera reacts as you can change DR% range, ISO, and image size, as well as adjust the EV for shot to shot changes. These are all what I would call semi-Auto modes and are very good to use.
I use manual mode for special occasions, such as night concerts, or in very difficult conditions where even high end DSLR s may falter. So dont write the HS20 off, and at the current prices it makes a very good buy.
When I last spoke to the head of sales at Fuji NZ he said that there was an HS30 in the works, but didn't say if there was any planned release timetable for this.
As for the X-S1, if the price stays over inflated and the orb situations isn't curable then the X-S1 wont be on my list.
My other thought is that if you haven't had an EXR camera before, I would start with the HS20 of the EXR F600, as they really are more involved than people may think. Even when I stepped up to the HS20 from the HS10, it took several weeks of constant use before I was comfortable with its use. These cameras offer a great deal for the photographer, but it takes time to get to grips with all the functionality it offers.
Hope that helps a little.
Thanks Ralph,
ReplyDeleteIf you think about the camera price to IQ ratio the X-S1 would have to be over twice as good as the HS20 to break even. I know that’s putting it very simply but IMO many people will see it this way.
So far the few sample pictures that I've seen off the X-S1 don't appear to be quantum leaps ahead of the HS20. In my case I will wait and see how the price and orb issues pan out, if either is a no go then I'll reconsider the HS20/30 option.
Thanks again Ralph.
Sol
... Ralph. Enjoying my HS20, and appreciating your excellent site.
ReplyDelete... However, enthusiastic about the X S-1. Looking forward to your hands-on comparison- comfort and ease of use... and results!