Fuji lm FinePix X100: the camera that launched the line
⬤ Price new: £999 ⬤ Used guide price: £579
At a glance
⬤ 12.3MP APS-C format CMOS sensor
⬤ EXR Processor
⬤ ISO 200-6400, expandable to ISO 100 and 12,800 for JPEGs
⬤ Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens
⬤ 2.8in LCD with 460,000 dots
⬤ Hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder with 1,440,000 dots
⬤ 126.5x74.4x53.9mm
⬤ 445g with battery
⬤ Announced September 2010
Although the Fuji lm FinePix X100’s 12.3-million-pixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor was impressive in 2010, higher-resolution sensors are now more common. Nevertheless, the 12MP sensor produces images with 4288x2848 pixels, which means at 300ppi, it creates prints that measure around 9x14in – slightly larger than A4.
Meanwhile, the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens is constructed from 8 elements arranged in 6 groups with one double-sided glass molded aspherical element to help maintain image quality across the frame. With the macro mode engaged, the lens can focus at just 10cm, but without it the closest focusing distance is 80cm.
As was the order of the day, the autofocus system in the X100 relies on contrast detection, which generally performs well but struggles more than a comparable DSLR set-up in low light conditions.
There’s a maximum continuous shooting rate of 5fps for up to 10 JPEGs or 8 raw les, which could prove useful for street photography when there’s some developing action. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the camera is locked down during the 2-5sec writing time.
In 2010, electronic view nders were still in their infancy and were viewed with suspicion by many enthusiast and professional photographers. Consequently, the X100’s hybrid view nder was widely seen as a safe choice because it only takes a ick of the lever on the front of the camera to swap between an electronic view nder (EVF) and the direct-view optical view nder (OVF) with digital framing marks. In the EVF’s favour, it provides a good guide to the composition, exposure, focus and colour, but it comes at the expense of a slight lag which is noticeable with moving subjects. Meanwhile, the OVF provides a nice bright view, but the framing isn’t 100% accurate and you’re reliant on a scale when setting the exposure.
At 126.5x74.4x53.9mm, the X100 is large for a compact camera, but that’s a result of it having an APS-C format sensor. It means that you’re not going to be carrying the camera in your jeans pocket, but it may slip into a jacket or coat pocket.
There’s only a small ridge on the front of the X100 but the textured surface of its main body gives a reasonable degree of grip. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll want to hold the camera one-handed, and a strap is recommended.
The large dials on the top of the camera are made from metal and have a nice action, but they are prone to being knocked out of position as the camera is pulled from a bag or pocket. The exposure compensation dial is the most vulnerable as that’s on the top-rear corner of the camera.
Generally, the controls on the rear of the camera work well although some may nd the rotating D-pad rather ddly to use and the small central Menu/OK button is so tiny and almost ush with the body that you have to use a ngernail to press it. Another bugbear is that the AF button has to be depressed while the D-pad is used to select the AF point.