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Fujifilm X10 hands-on (video)
We really like Fujifilm's X100 -- it's a solidly-built camera, with an APS-C sensor, f/2 lens, and a rather unique hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder. But the X100 carries a $1,400 sticker price, and that 23mm lens -- as sharp as it may be -- is permanently fixed to the mount. That's why we were rather exited when Fuji announced its X10 earlier this week. Would this be a much more capable (and affordable) replacement for the X100? Turns out it's not -- well, not exactly -- though this latest model is certainly a better fit for the consumer market. We had a chance to go hands-on with an early prototype on display at the company's IFA booth, and while some features (notably the pop-up flash) weren't yet functional, we're told it's a rather accurate representation of what we'll see when the X10 hits stores in late October, priced within the €499-599 range (about $715-860). The first thing you'll notice with the X10 is that, well, there's nary a power button in sight. Instead, you'll rotate the 28-112mm f/2-2.8 manual zoom lens to fire it up. There's also no aperture ring, unlike its more powerful sibling, and manual focus is handled electronically, instead of directly on the lens. Upon closer inspection, you'll find that the X100's slick hybrid viewfinder has been replaced with a strictly electronic one. And what about image quality? We weren't able to take away any sample pics, but with a much smaller 2/3-inch sensor, we haven't a doubt that images won't look nearly as good as those shot with Fuji's better-equipped model. To compensate for that, the camera's EXR mode can bump the resolution down from 12 megapixels to six, in turn capturing higher quality images in low light. We're looking forward to checking out a production version sometime this fall, but in the meantime, thumb through the images below, or jump past the break for a video overview.%Gallery-132595%
Fujifilm announces X10 camera with 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, optical viewfinder, f/2 lens
Retro designs seem to be the latest thing when it comes to high-end point-and-shoot cameras, and Fujifilm is helping to lead the pack with its rather limited (and pricey) X100. The company's just-announced X10, however, appears to expand upon its well-received cousin with a mighty fast f/2-2.8, 28-112mm manual zoom lens with a proprietary "Electron Beam Coating" that promises excellent image quality, even at the edge of the frame. The camera features a black magnesium alloy housing -- we have to admit, it's a very elegant look. There's also a 12 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor with sensitivity up to ISO 12,800, 1080p video, an optical viewfinder, 10 fps continuous shooting (7 fps at full res), a pop-up flash, and a full-size hot shoe. Advanced photogs will appreciate the shooting mode, focus mode and exposure compensation dials, along with dedicated buttons to adjust a variety of other settings, including activating RAW capture. Fuji is mum on price, but we're certain to get an update before this hits stores in early November. Jump past the break for the full feature rundown.%Gallery-131973%
Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: a week of underwater testing (video)
One thing's for sure: we're utterly thrilled with the direction that ruggedized cameras are heading. Canon's PowerShot D10, while impressive, was more like a small stone than a bona fide P&S, but it wouldn't take much convincing to make someone believe that Fujifilm's FinePix XP30 was just another run-of-the-mill compact. Our pals over at Photography Blog already ran this thing through the wringer earlier in the year, but we couldn't resist the opportunity to take it to a few other places for testing. Namely, the Big Island of Hawaii. We spent a solid week with the XP30 and Samsung's W200, and while neither ended up impressing us from a visual standpoint, they both shared one common lining of the silver variety: price. At just $184, the XP30 is quite the bargain given its neatly trimmed exterior, but was the performance enough to warrant a recommendation? Head on past the break for out thoughts, as well as a heaping of sample shots and even an underwater video taken... after dark. %Gallery-131553%
Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR packs photo navigation, augmented reality in a 16 MP digicam
GPS, a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, 15x optical zoom -- we've seen it all before. But a feature that displays places of interest on the camera's 3-inch LCD? Well, that sounds a bit like augmented reality (AR)! The Fujifilm FinePix F600 EXR's new Landmark Navigator mode does exactly that, packing one million pre-loaded locations from around the world. Looking to find your way from Rome's Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps? The compact cam will point the way, including other stops along your route. You can also add your own locations, or launch Photo Navigation, which lets you easily return to places you've photographed -- or plot them on Google Maps once you get home. There's also 1080p movie capture, a 12,800 ISO high-sensitivity mode (that you'll probably never want to use), sensor-shift image stabilization, and a 24-360mm lens with an f/3.5 maximum aperture. But as you may have guessed, we're most excited about those AR features, so jump past the break for the full scoop.
Fujifilm FinePix XP30 reviewed: average ruggedized cam, with GPS
With this ruggedized, GPS-equipped FinePix XP30 from Fujifilm, you won't have any trouble proving to your friends that that penguin photo your grandmother uses as her "screen saver" really was taken in Antarctica. Unless it happens to be snowing in Antarctica. Or even cloudy. This otherwise average 14.2 megapixel camera is the first to include GPS, but the gurus at Photography Blog had trouble getting a fix while testing in England. They also had issues with the battery door flipping open when the camera was dropped, and sand getting trapped in the zoom rocker -- not problems you want to see on a ruggedized cam. Like most rugged cameras, the XP30's image quality also doesn't compare to its land-limited cousins, according to the review, so this $240 Fuji might be a better bet as a second shooter than your be-all and end-all camera. Head on over to Photography Blog for the full review.
Fujifilm resumes production on X100 cameras, new-age vintage is rolling again
Fujifilm has a hit on its hands with the retrotastic X100 camera, selling for a whopping $1,200 but still flying off shelves. That popularity resulted in some shortages, and a stoppage of production due to the disaster in Japan made that situation worse. Now the company is announcing a resumption of production, so the 12.3 megapixel compact with a 23mm fixed lens should be hitting store shelves again in the next week or so. Place your orders now, if you haven't already, and get that sepia filter warmed up so that your pictures can look as vintage as what you're shooting them with.
Fujifilm FinePix X100 reviewed: a stunning shooter through and through
All we really knew about Fujifilm's FinePix X100 was that its looks (and pricetag) could kill, but Photography Blog has discovered that the gorgeous magnesium machine takes fantastic photographs too. You won't actually be able to see any of them at this very moment -- as it seems the website's images are down -- but the publication liberally praised the sharpness and lack of noise afforded by that F2 Fujinon lens, calling the X100 "right up there with the best APS-C sensor cameras on the market" in terms of image quality, and with "the best build quality of any camera that we've ever tested," too. Strong words, to be sure, but the camera's not without its quirks, including an obvious one -- that 23mm lens is fixed to the camera's front. Without a zoom, you'll need to get up close and personal with your subjects to get that perfect shot, and yet it also lacks a mechanical focus ring (it's a focus-by-wire affair here), which can make it difficult to quickly get your bokeh on. The publication remarks that both autofocus and manual focus are fairly slow, there's no manual option at all when recording videos, and focusing macro shots requires switching to a separate mode that switches off the optical viewfinder. Still, if you weren't sold at first sight, you probably are now. Kiss your tax refund goodbye, folks -- it's been spoken for. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Fujifilm announces shortage of X100 camera, targets late March / early April US release
Planning on dropping $1200 for one of those gorgeous Fujifilm FinePix X100 cameras? Unfortunately, you won't be able to get your hands on the 12.3 megapixel fixed-lens beauty as early as anticipated. Turns out Fujifilm sold more on pre-order than expected and despite ramping up production, the retro shooters won't be available to US customers until the end of March or early April -- just a few more weeks, guys. Feel free to watch our hands-on video to occupy yourself whilst you wait.
Got a new 3D camera? Here's how to view the images on your Mac or iOS device
It's Sunday, and I'm going a bit esoteric for the weekend. A reader wrote to me and said that he had a new 3D still camera, the Fuji Real 3D W3. He has a 3D TV and can plug the camera in and see his images using the camera HDMI out, but he'd like to send his pix to people not so well equipped, and even view the images on his iPad or iPhone. I have just the right solution, and it's free. First, a little background. Fuji seems to be selling more 3D cameras that anyone else, and Fuji cameras save files as standard jpegs as well as in MPO format files. MPO is a Fuji only format, and it's basically two jpegs with some metadata. Those MPO files are designed to be viewed on compatible devices like 3D TVs or some computers, and you need shutter glasses to see them. However, you can turn those MPO files into anaglyphic images, the kind that you can view with those old red/green glasses that came with comic books in the old days. A great Mac solution is an app called StereoSplicer. It's still in beta, but it's free and it works perfectly. You grab an MPO file from your camera and open it up in StereoSplicer. You can choose what format you want to save the files in. What's relevant to this discussion is to save the image as an anaglyph. You'll get a jpeg that's viewable with red/green glasses, keeping the red lens to the left eye. There are lot of other fancy options, and you can even adjust the parallax of the two images if your original needs adjustment. %Gallery-118472%
Fujifilm FinePix X100 pre-orders begin, retro beauty is yours for $1,200
We've yet to snap a single photograph with Fujifilm's FinePix X100, but we don't let little things like substantive testing get in the way of love -- it's destiny that we and this gorgeous camera be together, no matter the cost. Of course, considering that cost is presently $1,200 at Adorama, where the 12.3 megapixel APS-C shooter just appeared for pre-sales, you may not feel the same way. That's just fine. You'll probably have until March to longingly gaze upon that F2 Fujinon lens, hybrid viewfinder and gorgeous magnesium curves before you make up your troubled mind.
Fujifilm's X100 hybrid viewfinder demoed on video, gets us all sorts of excited
Imagine a retro-styled, Micro Four Thirds-sized compact camera with an optical viewfinder. Now, imagine that same camera having a switch that throws all sorts of useful data into your line of sight. That camera is Fujifilm's Finepix X100, and that viewfinder is real. Back at Photokina, the mockup we ran into didn't have a functioning viewfinder, but with just two months until the $1,000 beaut is released into the wilds of America, it's not too shocking that our brethren over at Engadget Spanish managed to come across a (mostly) functional one at CES last week. Eager to show the world exactly what a hybrid viewfinder looks like when being flipped on and off, they shoved a camera up against the OVF and toggled the new mechanism -- it's downright luscious, and it's waiting for you in the video just past the break.
Fujifilm's 16 megapixel CES debutants leaked early: 30x superzoom and 1080p-recording compact
Nobody is immune from a CES leak, it seems, as even the relatively tame waters of high-end compact and superzoom cameras have been ruffled up today with the emergence of two 16 megapixel Fujifilm models. Both sport an EXR-CMOS sensor, with the bigger brother HS20EXR boasting a 30x zoom (equivalent to covering the 24mm to 720mm range in old school photography parlance) zoom lens along with a 3-inch LCD on the back and an electronic viewfinder. Joining it at the CES unveiling this week will be a FinePix F500EXR number that offers a highly respectable 15x zoom of its own, along with a 3-inch LCD, geotagging, and 1080p video recording. If this leak turns out to be the real deal, we should have confirmation and more details very soon indeed.
Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 reviewed, deemed a worthy W1 successor for slightly less early adopters
Early reviews of Fuji's FinePix Real 3D W1? Not so hot. However, a year later the $450 refreshed W3 seems to be doing better, scoring a "Recommended" review over at Photography Blog. The camera's dual 1/2.3-inch, 10 megapixel CCDs and 3X zoom lenses are carried over from before, but a new design and more user-friendly interface is said to make a huge improvement -- even if it's still too easy to stick a finger over either of the two light portals up front. Build quality is solid and the new 3.5-inch, glasses-free 3D LCD on the back is called "impressive," far brighter than last year's parallax barrier. The machine will capture 720p 3D movies and can save both 3D MPO images and 2D JPEGs simultaneously, meaning your holiday snaps are future-proofed even if you haven't jumped on the 3D bandwagon just yet.
Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage
So we tracked down one of those crazy new touchscreen- and camera-enabled vending machines being deployed across Japan's mass transit stations at CEATEC today; one of their claims to fame is that they're WiMAX-enabled in order to receive ads and other high-bandwidth content, so local WiMAX provider UQ installed one of the units in its booth as a showcase of the kinds of wild and crazy things you can do with ludicrous speed. As much as we hate to admit it, we're pretty sure we'd be consuming more overpriced juice, soda, tea, coffee, and water if we had one of these near our homes -- seriously, how can you resist those cute rectangular eyes staring at you, slowly stealing your soul while asking you to "come by?" Of course, the scary part about that is that the machine really can see you -- it's got a camera right above the display that detects your presence, makes some snap judgments about you based on largely accurate stereotypes, and recommends certain beverages (though you're still free to choose whatever you like). The machine supports Suica payments -- a popular NFC system in these parts -- using either a Suica card or your appropriately-enabled phone, which makes blowing hundreds of yen on cans of Georgia Vintage coffee frighteningly simple. Follow the break for some video of the machine in action... or if you're planning a trip to Japan in the next couple years, expect to see these around town in some of the high-traffic train stations. %Gallery-104494%
Fujifilm's FinePix X100 ships March 2011 for $1,000, we go hands-on (update: video!)
It's fitting that Fujifilm's thoroughly gorgeous FinePix X100 kicked off this week's flood of Photokina releases, and now we've learned a few more precious details from the outfit's press conference. For starters, it'll be a non-zoom apparatus, much like Olympus' Zuiko-equipped concept that was also launched here in Köln. Fujifilm's Adrian Clarke noted that the decision to include only a 23mm f/2 fixed lens was made in order to not make image quality compromises that are necessary when allowing for a zoom. We're sure that'll strike some as displeasing, but those who aren't afraid of moving forward and back could probably care less. Furthermore, he affirmed that the company was aiming for a March 2011 ship date, with a retail price to hit near the $1,000 mark. That's hardly affordable, but Fuji's making no bones about this being a decidedly high-end piece. After the presser, we were able to score some hands-on time with a pre-production model, and we have to say, this thing just feels like a thousand bucks. It's as solid as a stone, though light packers won't appreciate just how heavy it is. Regardless, the body exudes quality, and the grip was as comfortable as ever. Sadly, no fully functional units are present here at Photokina, but we're cautiously optimistic that we'll see one at CES. It's doubtful that Fuji will sell oodles of these given the limitations and price, but to the niche that's interested, things are looking up. Update: We just stopped by the Fujifilm booth in order to grab some video time with this guy, and sadly, the model that they had on display lacked a sensor of any kind. However, the dedicated toggle switch to flip between the OVF and EVF is a lovely touch, as were the dedicated control dials up top. Have a look yourself just beyond the break. %Gallery-102872% %Gallery-102874%
Fujifilm intros FinePix X100: 12.3MP APS-C-based camera with Hybrid Viewfinder, loads of gorgeous
Hello, beautiful! The clock just struck midnight here in the wilds of Cologne, Germany, and it's safe to say that Photokina 2010 is underway. Fujifilm's press event isn't scheduled until Tuesday, but it looks as if it'll be teasing us all by releasing information on its drop-dead gorgeous new FinePix X100 tonight. This rangefinder-esque cam packs a 12.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, and it's obviously designed to go mano-a-mano with Micro Four Thirds and the slew of other mirrorless / interchangeable lens compacts that are hitting the market. Aside from supporting 720p movies, boasting an EXR processor and shipping with a 23mm F2 Fujinon lens, this new handheld includes a Hybrid Viewfinder that enables users to toggle between optical and electronic viewfinders and display intricate shooting information right into the OVF. There's also a 2.8-inch rear LCD, a hot shoe on top and a magnesium alloy top / base plate that might be the sexiest we've ever seen on a camera in this sector. Low-light shooters will appreciate the ISO range of 200 to 6400, and there's also 5fps continuous shooting, a full-on manual mode, SD / SDHC / SDXC card support and dimensions of 127- x 75- x 54mm. Something tells us a lot of to-be DSLR buyers will be shifting to this far more portable alternative when it drops in early 2011... provided it doesn't cost a small fortune, of course. Needless to say, we'll be first in line come Tuesday to (prayerfully) get some hands-on time with this beaut. Video after the break. %Gallery-102708% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Fujifilm ships second-gen Real 3D camera, calls it W3
W2? We don't need no stinkin' W2. Fujifilm skipped right over that for W3 when deciding what to call its second-gen Real 3D camera. The W1 model didn't exactly fare well in the hands of reviewers, but hopefully the rather more sleek looking W3 can do the deed, offering a larger, 3.5-inch glasses-free 3D LCD display along with HDMI 1.4 output and dual 10 megapixel sensors. Yes, the same number of pixels as before, but this version can make better use of them, stepping up to 720p video recording from the former's VGA. You'll get all that for the same price as the old one: $499. Find out what it's like in our detailed hands-on.
Fujifilm introduces Finepix Real 3D W3 camera, we go hands-on
When reviewers call your product "the worst ____ ever made," do you give up and move on? Or do you build a second model and try to prove them wrong? After introducing the world's first consumer stereoscopic 3D shooter to dismal reviews, FujiFilm chose door number two, replacing the camera with a thinner, lighter, and easier-to-use version that addresses a host of complaints and costs $100 less to boot. The FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D W3 adds a larger 3.5-inch, 16:9 LCD screen, a 720p video recording mode, and HDMI 1.4 out for dropping images and videos right into your 3D-ready TV. Oh, and it actually feels like a real camera this time, our favorite feature by far. We got some hands-on time with the new cross-eyed shooter, read on for more! %Gallery-99488%
Japan takes vending machines to their logical, 47-inch touchscreen extreme
Time for us to admit another entrant into the hall of unnecessary, but cool inventions. Installed at Tokyo's Shinagawa Station yesterday, this latest spin on the vending machine dispenses with those silly windows unto what you're buying and furnishes its user with a 47-inch touch panel from which to make his (or her) selection. An embedded camera will recognize your gender and age, allowing the machine to recommend a beverage suitable to whatever stereotype is attached to your particular circumstances. And don't worry, it'll store your purchasing history too, so you can be freaked out by tailored ads every time you use it. 500 more of these WiMAX-equipped units are planned to be installed in and around Tokyo over the next two years, with operating company JR East expecting them to tally up 30 percent more sales than their analog brethren. More bling equals higher revenue? Sounds about right. [Thanks, Kyle]%Gallery-99194%
Fujifilm's durable, dunkable FinePix XP10 compact camera gets a review
It's always hard to justify spending extra for a waterproof camera that will do you good at the beach but deliver mediocre image quality everywhere else. Photography Blog has taken a look at Fujifilm's new 12 megapixel FinePix XP10 waterproof shooter and, while it predictably falls short of DSLR-level quality (or even high-end compacts), it overall scores a very positive review thanks to its 5x zoom lens, 720p video recording, solid construction, and a "pleasingly compact" design that we think looks very funky (in a good way). The camera's cause is also helped dramatically by an MSRP of £169.99, or $199.95, and we're finding this thing available online for way less than that. For that kind of money this thing wouldn't make a bad side-kick for your go-to camera, a sort of stunty stand-in for when the going gets tough... or perhaps just damp.