Thread: The X10 has landed

Originally Posted by arentol

The X10 doesn't get half the credit it deserves. I actually think it is the best Compact Camera ever made. It just "works", which is what a compact camera should do, and the final images are better than they have any right to be. The only bad thing about mine is that it is actually my wifes. :( Fortunately I have an RX100 for EDC, and an E-M5 for serious work, but I actually enjoy shooting with the Fuji the most on the rare occasions I get to use it.

I find it interesting that the X10 is in reality a 6MP camera. Fuji has been making great 6MP cameras for years. It seems to be the sweet spot for their sensors and the X10 is no different. I agree it is way better than it has any right to be. I really am looking forward to learning to get the absolute best out of it.

You are the first person I have ever heard say that the X10 is a 6MP camera. What do you mean by that exactly?

Originally Posted by arentol

You are the first person I have ever heard say that the X10 is a 6MP camera. What do you mean by that exactly?

I realize that it is actually a 12MP sensor but Fuji has been doing great 6MP cameras since the F10 and as I understand it the sensor in the X10 is another in line of the evolution of the Fuji Super CCD ( guess in the case of the X10 it's actually a Super CMOS). I remember the way the Fuji 602 worked. It was a true 3MP camera that produced 6MP files via the Super CCD via a sort of interpolation. The files looked good but they weren't a true 6MP. As I understand it the EXR sensor is only accessed as a 6MP image so at least for some types of uses the X10 is in essence a 6MP camera. FWIW I didn't mean it as a negative. I have often thought that a camera with a terrific 6MP sensor would be a good thing (like the Nikon D40).

Egg by dixeyk, on Flickr

UPDATE:
The X10 is most definitely not a camera that you go out and snap away on full auto and everything comes back groovy. When you take the time to exert some control the results can be quite good. I can totally see this camera frustrating folks but I can also see that if you are willing to take time to learn what it can do and how to get it to do it you will be rewarded. The sensor is capable of capturing very good detail. The AF is quick and most of the time accurate. Full auto mode doesn't do much for me but manual control is very nice. I REALLY wish it had a flip up screen but you can't have everything. It's light and easy to carry.

Originally Posted by dixeyk

The X10 is most definitely not a camera that you go out and snap away on full auto and everything comes back groovy. When you take the time to exert some control the results can be quite good. I can totally see this camera frustrating folks but I can also see that if you are willig to take time to learn what it can do and how to get it to do it you will be rewarded.

I tried that "snap away" thing a couple weeks ago with my X10, and wound up with a substantial number of mis-focused images. I guess I didn't give the camera time to search and land on a focus point. Was outside in broad daylight; shouldn't have happened. In the meantime, I've been learning about zone focusing, which I'll definitely use if I in a similar situation again.

Originally Posted by Crsnydertx

I tried that "snap away" thing a couple weeks ago with my X10, and wound up with a substantial number of mis-focused images. I guess I didn't give the camera time to search and land on a focus point. Was outside in broad daylight; shouldn't have happened. In the meantime, I've been learning about zone focusing, which I'll definitely use if I in a similar situation again.

I can't go out and think of it like I would my NEX (small aperture = shallow DOF). Being a small sensor that's not something you're gonna get so I have had to rethink how I approach images. Today I took out both my NEX and X10 side by side to see what that was like. Having more experience with the NEX I was able to predict what images would look like. The X10 was more of a mystery. I have a lot to learn about the X10. I like it quite a bit and I can see where it will be a really nice addition to the tools I have, but IU can see that the first steps are going to be filled with a lot of trial and error. Gives me something to do until New years I suppose.

I had an "Aha!" moment this morning when reading some online training materials for the X10: my firmware was badly out of date. Version 2.0 adds a very nice Quick Menu triggered by the RAW button, along with several new so-called advanced filters.

I may be the only one in the world who hadn't updated, but I have now!

Mine is finally "out for delivery" as of a few minutes ago! Hurrah! I'll have it in my hands this afternoon. Better get crackin' making those holiday pies or my hands will be too caked with flour to do any photographing.

Okay...baaaaaaby steps for me thus far.


The Alchemist by dixeyk, on Flickr

Here's my take after a few days. The output is nosier than I expected but I'm a NEX user so just about anything is noisier than I expect (it's winter so I find myself shooting in low light a lot). That said, the noise seems very uniform and not unlike film. LR deal with noise very well so it's not the end of the world. The zoom, the speed of the lens, the way it operates are all a real delight. I have been thinking really seriously about picking up a used m43 body to fill my AF needs (probably a Panasonic G3 as they seem to be crazy cheap these days) but the X10 is making me reconsider that idea. The Fuji five me reasonably quick AF, lots of versatility, files that I can work with in LR and despite having more noise than an m43 body the images have terrific sharpness and detail. I would even say they seem to have DR that is comparable to m43.

I still have a lot to learn in order to get the best out of this camera but I am liking what I see so far. What I am finding very enjoyable is having a lot of options as far as grabbing an image. I can shoot full manual, I have as much or as little control as I want, I can shoot nice macros, the lens is reasonably fast and stays that way throughout the zoom range. It may be small a small sensor camera and therefore some folks say it's just not good enough for them (and that's fine, everyone needs to make that determination for themselves) but for me it's a near perfect photo companion. I love my NEX and Rokkor lenses and have no intention of giving them up but this little Fuji is a really nice addition to my tool set and I feel like it's going to find its way into my bag a lot more than I would have imagined.