miXed zone: X100S + X20 reviews and more

image courtesy: Roel

Cambodia: A Photographer’s guide

If you plan to go to Cambodia, you should read this post of Roel (click here). He travelled with the X-PRO1 (main camera), X-E1 (backup) and 4 of the 5 native X-mount lenses ([shoplink 8628]XF 14mm[/shoplink], [shoplink 8625]XF 18-55mm[/shoplink], [shoplink 8630]XF 35mm[/shoplink], [shoplink 8632]XF 60mm[/shoplink]). He put all in his [shoplink 9262]Think Tank Photo Sling-O-Matic 10[/shoplink]. A light kit (about 2 kg) and a great image quality. Nice images, many practical advices and interesting to read.

Think Tank Photo Sling-O-Matic 10 [shopcountry 9262]

X100S
[shopcountry 8618]

DPreview added some X100S samples here. And see real life images of the X100S in Vietnam here.

ephotozine samples (from ISO 100 to ISO 25600) here.

In depth: X100S at strobist.blogspot: “it sees in the dark”, “Sync at Any Speed”, “Choose Your Palette”, “Speaking of White Balance”, “Hip to Be Square”, “Shooting in Toy Camera Mode”, “Finally, Pitch-Perfect Focusing”, “Menu Evolution”, ” Is it The Perfect Camera?”, “Fuji Is the New Leica” and “The Dreaded Question, should I upgrade?”. Read all these chapters here.

imaging resource posted first shots of the [shoplink 9525]Nikon D7100[/shoplink] and Fujifilm X100S. Read the article here. “How do they compare with each other? Check them out in our Comparometer, you might be surprised“. In the meantime you can read their first considerations about the X100S here: “If you like your X100, you’ll probably want to run — not walk — to the nearest camera store or friendly internet retailer, to lay hands on the new X100S. We expect the improvements to be pretty dramatic.”

X20
[shopcountry 8620]

The popular German newspaper Spiegel.de posted his X20 review here (translated version).

Adam sent me via Twitter his review. Read it on his website here. He confirms, great AF performance: “The speed of focus is outstanding. Switching focus from close, to a distant object, appears immediate, much faster than my Xpro1! Focusing is absolutely silent too, this is great for street shooting!” He was also very impressed with the ISO capability of the X20. Pros: Very small, lightweight – Excellent focus speed – Optical viewfinder “semi electronic” – Good ISO performance – In-buit flash – Good zoom range. Cons: Poor battery life – Difficult to control in manual mode using optical viewfinder. Verdict: “This is an excellent compact camera. For its size and price, it performs brilliantly. If I was asked to recommend a camera to amateur photographers, wanting to get into street photography, or serious about their travel photographs, then this is a great place to start.” Read the whole review here.

Some nice X20 shots can be seen at Donato Chirulli’s facebook here.

X20 in Venice. Image courtesy: Donato Chirulli

X-E1
[shopcountry 8614]

Soundimpagplus posted his first impressions of the X-E1 (read here) and the XF 18-55mm (read here). X-E1: He loves the “Leicaesque” feeling of this camera in his hands. He prefers the EVF of the X-E1 to the X-PRO1 viewfinder: “It’s more accurate plus it is polarised sunglasses friendly.” “It isn’t a Leica, its a lookaleica, and it isn’t a rangefinder (another plus as far as I’m concerned) but it leans heavily on old school camera design.” The second article takes a closer look to the XF18-55, which he also like, and wide open delivers a better result than the XF18mm prime lens, sharper, with no CA / fringing. From the conclusions: “Is this the best standard kit lens ever? Well probably, […] It’s just a very good zoom lens, and obviously very nicely matched to the X-Trans sensor. It is I think somewhat better than the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8, though obviously it doesn’t hold that fast aperture throughout. Sony have nothing like this for NEX, and while I quite liked the Samsung 18-55mm zoom, this is significantly better.”

Check in stock info and price at:
Fujinon XF 18-55mm [shopcountry 8625] Fujinon XF 18mm: [shopcountry 8859] Panasonic 12-35mm: [shopcountry 8861] Samsung 18-55mm: [shopcountry 8863]

X-PRO1
[shopcountry 8616]

Jonas published his XF 18-55mm first impressions (with X-PRO1). Read it all and see his nice samples here. His conclusions: “The Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4R OIS is a great allround performer. As a kit lens, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. As a stand alone zoom lens it’s up there among the best of the normal range zooms IMHO. It would be perfect if it had a set aperture at about f/2.8. It’s very reasonably priced, and you get a lot of lens for your savings. If you, like me, is considering the prime XF 18mm f/2.0, I would instead recommend that you buy the 18-55mm since it delivers on par image quality, it’s faster at focussing, and you get some added flexibility.This lens is really great for street photography. The good fast AF coupled with one of the best OIS’s I’ve ever used makes it joy to use. The images it produces are sharp throughout the range and delivers great “pop”. This is a great addition to my X-series system.”

XF1
[shopcountry 8634]

“Fujifilm XF1: Stylish, creative controls and image quality amongst the best compacts“. DXOMark published the test results for the XF1 (click here). From the conclusions:

“The 12-megapixel 2/3-inch EXR-CMOS sensor at the heart of the XF1 puts in a solid performance in the DxOMark Scores, ranking 12th overall for compact and high-end compact cameras. That said, despite the slightly larger sensor, it only boasts roughly the same image quality as competitors, such as the Nikon P7700, Olympus XZ-2 iHS, Canon PowerShot S110, and Panasonic LX7. While these competitors achieve their best scores at the lowest ISO, the XF1 is a little stronger through the sensitivity range. The relatively small sensor compared to APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensors however mean compact like this are always going to struggle with noise, and with a Low-light ISO score 199 ISO the XF1 struggles to achieve good image quality at higher sensitivities.”

NEW: Fuji XP200 + FinePix S8400W long zoom bridge camera (specs and price)

Fujifilm has announced a shockproof, waterproof camera (15 meters underwater) with Wi-Fi, the Fuji XP200. Read a hands-on review here at techradar. Fujifilm announced also the FinePix S8400W. Read Fuji’s press release and the Key features of this camera here at ephotozine.