FUJIFILM FinePix X100

On November 1st, 2011 I received the long awaited FUJIFILM FinePix X100. I was a bit skeptic due to the AF problems I read about. However, firmware v1.11 was announced to resolve many of these issues. Frankly, I didn't encounter any during my 1 day tests.

The settings I kept the camera on are Aperture priority at f/2.. The X100 can go down to 1/4000 of a second shutter speed.

To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I held the camera.. It's well built with a beautiful retro design. It has a 23mm lens with an APS-C (x1.5) sensor, which made the focal length 35mm. It has an internal flash with a hotshoe for your external flash, but I don't like flashes :)

The X100's menus will need some getting used to, but you'll be able to find things around.. You can store 3 different custom settings, but there is no way to find out which setting you're on now :)

I also bought a 32GB card, which is perhaps too generous for the camera's weak battery. It was exhausted a few hours after playing around with the camera. From what I read, it will last for 300 frames.. That's a bit silly if you plan to spend the day out when traveling. So, I ordered some extra (3rd party) batteries.

The camera is nice and comfortable to carry, and the hybrid viewfinder is cool.. It can show the real scene, or turn to a tiny LCD screen that shows the scene with the effect (+/-EF, B&W, DOF, ...etc).

Now let's talk photos..

I was really blown away with how perfectly Fuji handled the low noise at high ISO. The following are some tests I did without any noise reduction.. Let's start with ISO 12800:

and ISO 1600: 

and ISO 3200:

You can also do motion panorama.. Just hold the camera and pan, it will take care of the rest. In this example, there are reflections from the window, otherwise the panorama would've been perfect:

Let me summarize, things I didn't like about this camera:

• ISO 12800 and ISO 100, are only available for JPEG format, not RAW. If you want to shoot RAW, you can between ISO 200-6400.
• Selecting a focus point is very difficult to do while shooting.
• The lens is a little soft at the edges.
• Weak battery.
• The 3:2 aspect ratio is slightly off.

Sorry if I missed anything, so feel free to post a comment or question, and we can find the answer together :)

Update: Vertical Panorama