Fab or Funky? Part1
Fab or Funky? Part3
In our examination of the X series of cameras from Fujifilm we have looked at the somewhat troubled but highly innovative X100. So what then of the X-10? Is it to plagued by similar problems? In short yes.
The X10 entered the market in the second half of 2011 with a great deal of expectation and fanfare. This was to be the affordable and more versatile sibling to the X100.
Sporting a new 2/3 EXR sensor and a new lens f/2.0-2.8, 28-112mm equivalent with unique lens twist on/off switch as well as smaller physical size than the X100. The X10 was to be the ultimate retro styled enthusiasts premium compact. As such it also comes at a premium price. This seems to be a trend with the X series regarding pricing in that there seems to be a very clear price-point path and its not in the downward direction.While the X10 got a favorable review from Digital Camera Info even they noted the excessive pricing.
Again very good Image Quality(IQ) was noted from the X-10. Perhaps not a stunning as the images from the X100 but very clearly a step-up in the Image quality seen in previous compacts. It seems that the output matches expectation but the reports of hardware/software issues very quickly arrived after the initial euphoria had settled. By far the most worrying reports were of the specular highlights issue coined as WOS or WDS (white orb or white disc syndrome).
This refers to how the image looked after a shot was taken where bright point source light was seen. Think sparkly water or reflections of the sun off a chrome car bumper.
Now rather than repeat the already vast amount of info regarding this I have chosen two articles from arguably the most respected camera reviewers, Dpreview.com and a review from Digital Camera Info.
Cons:
Pros:
To summarize.
Again we see a truly innovative product beset by problems of design and manufacture. While many users report that the usability and IQ of the camera for day to day use is excellent a significant number of users have reported image problems with this camera, specifically relating to specular highlights. At the time of writing this Fuji has yet to offer a firmware fix and in fact are reluctant to acknowledge this fault. Again we have to ask ourselves if we can live with and work around these flaws, remembering that we are again paying a goodly sum for a "Premium Compact Camera" and should therefore be getting a premium product no?
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