Here is Ralf’s X100S unboxing & review in English (German review). Amazing and outstanding image quality, very good also at high ISO and details. The image quality is also a little better than the X-E1, because “the pictures have a little bit more contrast and just a little bit less noise than the X-E1, but the difference is very very low.”… Take a look also at his Flickr X100S set here.
– In the next video (German version) Ralf reviews the X20. The X10 was already a very good camera. But Fuji improved it. It’s not that huge improvement [as for the X100S], but there are a lot of nice and new functions in the X20 (focus peaking, OFV with Trans Panel, X-TRANS, EXR II, a bit faster AF…), so it’s worth to buy this camera, although the X10 is still really good, and you could save a lot of money if you go for the X10. Here is his X20 Flickr set.
Finally in stock also in the States. Adorama has the X20 black version here.
FR reader Stefan wrote me this email: “I just called Adorama to check the status of my X100S pre-order and she told me that it is actually packing to be shipped today. Thought you will appreciate this update. Thanks!” Yep Stefan, I appreciate ;), thanks to you. At the bottom you can see his shipping notification.
Fuji X100S is also set to ship this week at BH (March 22)… The long wait for the X100S is almost over!
GERMANY:
X100S: At ebay: ongoing auction. Right now you have to pay €1340 ( €140 extra). Make your offer here. Or wait a few days and buy it for normal price.
X20: There is one black in stock here at AmazonDE for €549. Also at ebay here for €549. UK:
X20: At ebay, a black X20 it for £499 here. AmazonUK (thirdy party reseller) for 538 here. ITALY:
X100S: At ebay here,here or here (delivers in 16-18 days).
X20: At ebay here (€529) or here (€495 – delivers in 16-18 days).
Some stores like for example Camerastore Australia marked the X PRO 1 as “discontinued“. Just to make it clear, that’s no proof at all that an X PRO 2 is on the horizon. Stores sometimes discontinue products for different specific reasons. But n X PRO 2 is due for a 2013 release and it’s time to talk about how the X PRO 2 should be to make it a nice camera!
MIKE KOBAL: Very solid, increased refresh rate and resolution when in EVF mode, better feel of the focusing, aperture, shutter speed and +- control rings, “in good as well as mediocre lighting conditions auto focus can be blazingly fast. Nikon V1/V2 fast. [shoplink 8520]Olympus OM-D[/shoplink] fast. Yes, my friends, it is that good!“
And here is the video where Mike compares the [shoplink 8518]RX1[/shoplink] and X100S. He will, among the others, show you the AF-performance in low light. The X100S is a bit faster. In his RX1 review here he says that”Auto focus performance is the Achilles heel of the RX1 with non static subjects […] Battery life sucks on the X100S, not a big deal, I have two spares on me when I am out.” A detailed comparison will follow in the next days. I’ll keep you updated.
BRIAN KRAFT: You know, Brian updates continuosly his website, with his findings about the X100S. Look at the updated PROS and CONS section here. This time he photographed a wedding. Just click here to see read his considerations and the images. Here an extract:
“I’ve never been much of a manual-focus-photographer, but I was really surprised how often I found myself going to the manual focus with focus peaking yesterday.[…] Since it was so dark and using the OVF is not helpful in that situation, I was using the EVF. However, for flash photography, your camera settings are not set bright enough to very effectively use the EVF either. Except… with focus peaking engaged, you could see those white contrast lines show up in the dark and could know whether you had focus or not. Loved it! Also, please note for those wondering about the low light ISO capabilities (FYI- I did shoot RAW). I happen to love the grain structure of the X100S and so I did very little noise reduction on these– most have no noise reduction at all, even many of the ISO 4,000, 5,000, and 6,400 photos. If you’re looking for the cleanest shots possible– the camera can do it very well– […] The camera is capable of producing an amazing dynamic range.”
And here you can make your guess. There is the same picture shot with the [shoplink 7748]Canon 5D Mark III[/shoplink], Fuji [shoplink 8618]X100S[/shoplink] and [shoplink 9135 ebay]Fuji X100[/shoplink].
GERMANY: X100S: At ebay, but you have to pay €140 extra. If you can’t wait for it, then click here for the ebay store. X20: There is one black in stock here at AmazonDE for €555 (third party reseller). Also ebay has it here for €549.
ITALY: X100S: At ebay here or here or here (delivers in 16-18 days). X20: At ebay here (€529) or here (€495 – delivers in 16-18 days).
Pocket-lint posted his X20 review. They assigned to the X20 five out of five stars (the RX100 gained 4½ stars here). Read why in this review. Here just the verdict:
“The Fujifilm X20 is not only the camera that irons out its predecessor’s orb-related imaging issues, it’s also the camera that pushes image quality up a notch to class-leading levels. The chunky, retro-styled build doesn’t make the X20 the tiniest of models and the design, even just aesthetically, won’t suit all tastes – but we’re big fans and think its looks are just as stand-out as its images. The advancement of the camera’s optical viewfinder with its digital overlay is also welcome, even if the limited field of view and inconsistent – yet unavoidable – presentation of focus areas can frustrate a little. Yet, and in context, we can’t think of a better OVF in a camera at this price point. There may be no touchscreen and no vari-angle bracket mount, but we have no care. The one thing that the X20 has missed out on – in order to make the very most from its 28-112mm f/2.0-2.8 equivalent lens – is a built-in neutral density filter. Sounds small, but we’re surprised at its omission. That small blip aside and this is high-end compact camera perfection. We’ve got a lot of love for the X20, and it’s given us a lot of love back. The high-end compact camera hierarchy has a new champion: all hail the Fujifilm X20.”
