NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS

You’ve made it through 2020 so why not treat yourself to a new piece of hardware? Leica is ready to tempt you with the Q2 Monochrom or the SL2-S. From Fujifilm comes the X-S10, which introduces a completely new class of X mount mirrorless camera. Or there are the Mark II versions of Nikon’s

Z 6 and Z 7, made even more desirable by the many updates that have been requested by users. And there are new lenses from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sigma.

Fujifilm has added an interesting new model to its X mount line-up of APS-C mirrorless cameras. The X-S10 essentially represents a new category of bodies designed to appeal to users who still want a higher-end feature set, but prefer a more compact camera with a less classical user interface. Fujifilm describes it as a cross between the X-T30 and the X-H1, giving you some idea of the different combination of capabilities, form factor and pricing. There’s no doubt that Fujifilm is targeting DSLR users here, hence the adoption – for the first time on an X mount body – of a conventional PASM main mode dial. Like the X-H1 and the X-T4, the X-S10 has five-axis in-body image stabilisation via sensor shifting, albeit a much more compact module than used in either older camera. Depending on the lens, it offers up to six stops of correction for camera shake.

The body’s construction includes magnesium alloy front and top plates, plus a magnesium alloy handgrip that's a lot bigger than has been seen on any of the X-T series models. However, there’s no weather sealing and the X-S10 has a built-in pop-up flash. The 3-inch LCD monitor screen is fully articulated and has extensive touchscreen controls.

The EVF is an OLED panel with a resolution of 2.36 million dots and a magnification of 0.62x (35mm equivalent). There’s a single memory card slot for UHS-I SD format devices. Continuous shooting at up to 8fps is possible with the camera’s mechanical shutter and up to 20fps with the electronic shutter, or 30fps with a 1.25x crop. The X-S10 has the same 26.1MP (effective) X-Trans CMOS 4 BSI image sensor as the current X-T series cameras, giving a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 160 to 12,800 (with extensions to ISO 80 and 51,200). RAWs can be captured as compressed, lossless compressed or uncompressed files with 14-bit colours. There’s a choice of three JPEG image sizes, two compression levels and three aspect ratios. The X-S10 has the same 425-point hybrid contrast/phase detection autofocusing as the current X-T models, with the PDAF points giving full frame coverage. Sensitivity now extends down to -7.0 EV should you be fortunate enough to have the XF 50mm f/1.0 super-fast prime. Otherwise, it’s down to -4.0 EV. There’s a new Auto option for the Film Simulation presets, and RAW capture is now possible with the camera’s pointand-shoot modes which includes the auto subject/ scene analysis. There’s a total of 18 Film Simulation profiles with auto bracketing, and the latter is also available for focusing, dynamic range, ISO, white balance and exposure. All the other JPEG processing options, such as Grain Effect, Colour Chrome Effect and the Advanced

Filter settings are available, plus there’s HDR capture, a multiple exposure mode and an intervalometer.

On the video side, the X-S10 is also surprisingly well-equipped, and shoots both 4K DCI and 4K UHD using the full width of sensor at 24 or 25fps (PAL). The magnesium alloy front plate is designed to act as a heat sink, so 4K clips can be up to 30 minutes in length. The X-S10 even gets F-Log recording with 8-bit 4:2:0 colour internally, but 10-bit 4:2:2 colour external vide HDMI. Full HD video can be recorded at up to 240fps for super slow-mo effects. There’s the standard 3.5mm audio input, while an audio-out connection is available via a supplied dongle for the camera’s USB Type-C port. This also allows for in-camera battery charging for the same NP-126S that’s used across the current X-T cameras (with the exception of the X-T4) and the X-Pro3.

The X-S10 is priced at $1,749 body only, which makes it cheaper than the X-T30 despite it being very close in terms of key features and specs. Good news if you’ve been eyeing off the Fujifilm X system, but were looking for a more conventionally designed mirrorless camera.

For more information visit www.fujifilm.com.au