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Wow, oh wow, oh wow, oh Wow!

OK, there's probably at least one too many wows in there but if that write up is driven by engineering and not by marketing then we may be in for a real treat. Still shan't buy until the reviews are in, though!

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi folks,

Fujifilm have now published the next two chapters of the X100 story. For completeness here are links to all three chapters:

Chapter One: Comments from the Lens Design Team

Chapter Two: The Birth of the Hybrid Viewfinder

Chapter Three: Designers tell their X100 Story

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Been thinking about getting one of these cameras recently, however if the price is £1000 then I think that is quite a lot actually for what it is.

A few of the smaller retailers actually seem to be taking deposits for these cameras at the moment in the UK.

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Nikon D5000 and D300 with 12-24mm, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 18-200mm, 17-55mm f2.8 (all Nikon)

I'd expect Fuji to be talking about list prices, so you can expect street prices to drop below that once the initial rush has cleared.

It is a bit unique in what it offers so hard to compare to other systems. What price premium would you give to the viewfinder system and other design features?

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I suppose you are right in saying that it is unique, but still IMHO it can still be compared to any small EVIL with one of the pancake lenses attached, which are all considerably less money.

Out of interest do any EVILs have viewfinders? Whether optical or electronical

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Nikon D5000 and D300 with 12-24mm, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 18-200mm, 17-55mm f2.8 (all Nikon)

The Olympus add on EVF is rated highly, but it is an external add on and you don't get OVF with it. There is also an OVF for their pancake, but it's only useful for framing as there's no info display in it. Not so sure on the Panasonic or Sony fronts. I think the biggest selling point of the X100 will be its viewfinder, assuming it is competent in other areas.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I really like the Fuji as well, especially now that I’ve decided that my second camera will be pocketable.
But since I still desire “versatility”, I will probably wait for the future Nex with a viewfinder and that SLR option when needed.

Reminds me of my old Minolta...

Hi folks,

Well, we knew the numbers already but it's quite a shock to see this comparison of the Fujifilm X100 with the Leica X1 presented on the Leica Rumors site.

• Both have a 12MP APS-C CMOS sensor.
• The X100 has a 2.8" 460,000 dots LCD screen, the X1 has a 2.7" screen with 230,000 dots.
• The X100 ISO ranges from 200 to 6400 (expandable to 100 to 12800) while the X1 ranges from 100 to 3200.
• The Fuji has a 23mm f/2 lens, the Leica has a 24mm f/2.8 lens
• Both take SD cards.
• The Fuji X100 can do 5fps, the X1 can do 3 fps in continuous shooting.
• The Fuji X100 has a minimum shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second, the Leica X1 has a minimum of 1/2000th.
• Minimum focus distance for the X100 is 10cm, for the X1 it's 30cm.
• The X100 can record video in HD (1280×720) with stereo sound
• The Fujifilm X100 has hybrid viewfinder with 1,440,000 dots.
• The Fujifilm X100 costs $800 less than the X1.

Game, set and match to Fujifilm in every department except cachet? Well perhaps not quite and we've yet to see a single review of the X100 but from what we know at the moment you've got to seriously want a Leica to opt for an X1 instead of an X100. Might we see a Leica X2 announcement in the near future?

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi folks,

At the risk of appearing to talk amongst myself here's another update, this one for our UK members. The BJP is reporting that "Fujifilm now says that the camera [X100] will be on show at Focus On Imaging for four days from 06 March, allowing UK photographers to get, for the first time, their hands on the new model, ahead of its expected launch."

I'm not one for such shows normally and, annoyingly, I'll be at the NEC a few days later in another capacity but I'll put the 6th to the 9th of March in my diary and see if an opportunity to visit presents itself. No promises, though...

Mind you, if the BJP is correct in it's prediction of a thoroughly disgraceful £1200 list price (c.f. $1200 in the States) then I might just present Fujifiilm with a suitable hand gesture from the comfort of my armchair.

Edit: Thanks to Bjorn who, in a subsequent post, pointed out that Park Cameras show an RRP of £1,020.99 and, by implication, the BJP predicted price was a load of bull droppings: no hand gestures needed.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

I heard elsewhere* it was supposed to be €1200, so would be a bit lower numerically in £. Still, unless you absolutely need to be the 1st to get your hands on it, you know the street price will drop below that in due course, depending on how popular it is...

*forgot where though...

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Hi popo,

You're right, of course, and maybe I'm guilty of forgetting the same advice which I often offer to other people. So long as street prices end up much the same on both sides of the Atlantic I guess it doesn't matter too much. But Fuji might be wise to remember that, however well the X100 compares against the X1, they are not Leica...

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Well, we knew the numbers already but it's quite a shock to see this comparison of the Fujifilm X100 with the Leica X1 presented on the Leica Rumors site.

If one was to just look at the specs + price than the Fuji is a hands down winner
A Timex tells time just as well as a Rolex.

If one was to just look at the specs + price than the Fuji is a hands down winner
A Timex tells time just as well as a Rolex.

That may be so, but there's value in a name, as Toyota was forced to concede when selling against Mercedes, BMW and Audi. They even renamed their luxury brand Lexus, but it still isn't considered as desirable despite being technically equivalent or better.

Hi SLRist,

May I wish you a warm welcome to the CameraLabs forum.

I agree. As I mentioned a couple of posts up "Fuji ... are not Leica" even though Fujinon lenses have an honourable past association with Hasselblad.

I guess the big unknown with the X100 is sales volume. It contains an innovative mix of technology but each individual element of that technology is already out there in various cameras so I'd argue that the domnant element in the R&D equation has to be "Development" rather than "Research". But the X100 can't be anything other than a niche product so it's unreasonable to expect it at compact system camera prices. I just hope that Fuji doesn't get greedy after the very positive response they've had from the enthusiast segment of the market.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

The X100 can already be pre-ordered at Adorama(via Steve Huff). More expensive than I'd expected at $1199,-.

Bob, you could keep an eye onPark Cameras where the X100 is listed for £1,019.95 at the moment. That price in GBP would indeed equate to roughly €1200,- euros (1,216.65 at the moment of writing this post). I'd rather save that kind of money for an M9...

- Bjorn -

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