Fuji X100 First Impressions

Lots of information about the Fuji X100 on the web. The camera does get a lot of attention and some strong perspectives both pro and con.

I did not pay too much attention to all of the hype surrounding this camera. I needed to get a machine that would be compact. It had to be capable of producing some great images. And it needed to be designed for the photographer.

The first impressions of the camera are all quite positive with the exception of Auto Focus. I love the look and the feel of the camera. It fits well in my hand. I thoroughly enjoy the viewfinder. And I like the ability to use dials and command wheels to gain control over shutter and aperture. It seems to perform about as well as I would expect from a compact camera. I do not notice any significant lag from power-on to shooting. I did turn off the image review and perhaps that helps to minimize the shot-to-shot lag that some have noticed when they use this camera.

The lens is sharp. The ISO performance really quite good up to about 1600. Usable, I suppose, to 3200. I am a bit spoiled with the low-light performance of the D3s. Regardless, the image quality is terrific for this class of camera.

The only thing I will have to watch out for is focusing. There are a few tricks with this camera to ensure that focusing works for you and not against you. Duncan Davidson has some great tips here. His suggestions really help.

I will get a chance to put the camera to the test over the next few weeks and I will put up some images. The one above was a self portait from a mirror.