Fujifilm X10 - A Compact with Character

Introduction

Updated (27/2/12): We have updated our review of the X10 to mention the 'white orb' artifact, specifically the Image Distortion and Conclusion pages.

Fujifilm scored a huge hit in early 2011 with the retro-inspired X100. Inspired by its success, Fujifilm is back with the X10, a compact camera resembling the X100. With the X10's distinctive looks and impressive specs, will Fujifilm be able to catch lightning in a bottle once again?

While the X10 and the X100 are both bringing the retro back, there are distinct differences between the two. For one, the X100 doesn't sport the large APS-C sensor found in the X100, instead it has a smaller 2/3" sensor, which still ranks as the largest sensor found among compact cameras today. Unlike the X100's lens, which had a fixed focal length, the X10's lens has a focal length of 28 - 112mm (that's in 35mm equivalent, it's a 4x optical zoom). Like the X100, the X10 has fast glass: f/2 at its widest and f/2.8 when racked out, as fast as the X100's f/2 lens and almost as fast as the Olympus XZ-1 which shoots f/1.8-2.5.

Simply put, the X10 promises premium compact camera image quality with premium design. Let's see if it measures up.

Fujifilm X10 Promotional Video

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Design & Handling - Part 1

Since we've shown you how the camera looks and feels like on the earlier page, we'll now focus on the finer design and usability points. Like the X100, the X10 comes with a glass viewfinder, but unlike the older sibling, the X10's viewfinder doesn't come with an electronic display overlay. It's also not tied to the X10's image sensor, so unlike the X100 where you can toggle between an optical and electronic viewfinder, it's just glass on the X10, letting you see straight through with an approximate view of what you will be shooting. The viewfinder zooms in tandem with the lens when you zoom. In use, the viewfinder feels too small for comfortable use as it requires a lot of squinting. As a result, it's mostly useless and you won't know what settings you're shooting at looking through it.

Like the X100, the X10's top and bottom decks are made with magnesium alloy, while the body is covered with synthetic leather and is built with a 1mm aluminum sheet on the front and back panels (which are thicker than those of ordinary compact cameras). This all translates to a solid heft, a premium build and a durable camera which feels like it can take a few knocks.

And like the X100, the X10 looks like a work of art. The body's matte blacks and the lack of ornamentation on the front panel give it an understated air; this camera would rather recede into the background than stand out in the crowd. To complement the camera's quiet air, you can also turn on Silent mode which switches off all sounds on the X10, including the faked shutter sound, so that when you press the shutter release, all you hear is a soft whisper from the shutter.

The X10 isn't just a pale imitation of its older sibling. It brings its own unique identity to the table with an innovative lens design. Whereas most compacts zoom via a zoom toggle, on the X10 you manipulate the lens directly, twisting it to zoom, just like the lenses on a DSLR camera.

You won't find a power switch on the X10 body, because the lens itself serves as a power switch. Twisting it all the way to the right locks the lens and switches the camera off, twisting it to the left powers the camera on and unlocks the lens. In a single swift movement, you can power up your camera and compose your image straight away. There's no need to worry about accidentally switching off the camera while you're twirling the lens, as there's an extra catch you can feel before you get to the Off position, and you have to apply just that extra amount of force to turn the lens all the way in to lock.

It works beautifully, except that the metal lens cap on the X10 has to be taken off first. It cannot be attached to the X10 as the lens cannot be extended (and the camera powered on) if the cap is on. This helps to prevent the camera from accidentally turning on, but it also slows down the power up process, especially when you have to find somewhere to stow that cap.

Design & Handling - Part 2

Just like on the X100, a dedicated RAW button appears once again below the d-pad. Reviews of the X100 (such as ours) have already bemoaned how much of a waste this button is – how many people are likely to switch between shooting JPEG and RAW on the fly? But unfortunately Fujifilm seems to have a thing about this button and RAW modes. While most cameras include RAW as part of the image quality settings in the interface's Shooting menu, on the X10 RAW is an on/off option puzzlingly buried within page four of the Set-Up menu.

While the RAW button could have been an additional programmable Function button, we are given only one on the X10's top plate, above the exposure dial. We would have loved to map that one Function button to ISO control, but instead we had to map it to switch between AF modes, because like the X100, the X10's AF system is fiddly.

When the programmable function button is set to multi-area, there were many instances when the X10 couldn't find the proper focus point. To take over manual control of AF points, you switch into area mode, and then press the AF button next to the LCD screen, while manipulating the AF point using the d-pad. That's a three-step alternative (assuming you mapped the Fn button like we did) we wouldn't have had to use if the AF system was more accurate.

Also like the X100, manual focusing with the X10 is painfully slow. There is no focus ring on the lens, instead you use the scroll wheel on the camera's back to control manual focus. Use the focus switch on the front of the camera to turn on manual focus, the scroll wheel will then take over manual focus. If you're in Manual mode, shutter speed and aperture control will then both be controlled via the control dial on the back, which switches between both controls when pressed. Turn on Focus Check in the menu and when you twirl the control wheel a magnified view will help you fine tune your focus.

Whereas these quirks were present on the X100, that was a first generation camera with so many overwhelming strengths that they could be, if not forgiven, at least tolerated. To still be present on a second generation camera like the X10, after these problems were highlighted on the X100, is frustrating.

Burst Shooting

Like the X100, the X10 has the habit of locking up if you're shooting RAW in Continuous Shooting or Burst mode.

Even if you're in Burst mode and squeeze off only one shot, you'll still see the 'storing' screen as the X10 locks up for one to three seconds. The benefit of shooting in Burst mode is that you can press and hold the shutter release, the X10 will focus lock based on the first shot and then squeeze off a subsequent series of shots for as long as the buffer can hold.

But if you're not shooting action, you'll be better served using the X10 in single mode, where the screen will momentarily black out for a brief second (as with all digital compact cameras) and you'll be able to shoot again without the camera locking up. If you do shoot action, shooting in JPEG will be faster. When shooting JPEG in Burst mode with the Low option (3 frames per second), we were averaging 10 sequential shots before the frame-rate started stuttering, which then took about one to two seconds to write to the memory card. When shooting RAW at the same settings, we were averaging six to seven shots before stuttering, which then locked up the camera for four to six seconds while saving to the memory card.

Your mileage will differ, based on the speed of your memory card. We were using a pretty fast Class 10 SanDisk Extreme with a read/write speed of up to 30MB/second.

Battery Performance

We have to warn you to prepare extra batteries if you're shooting with the X10, because it uses a lot of juice. It's officially rated for approx. 270 frames by CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association), and we ran the juice down after about 300-odd shots, or one day with lots of shooting. In comparison, the Olympus XZ-1 is rated for 320 shots, the new Canon S100 a low 200, and the older Panasonic LX-5 gets 400 shots.

Almost the Best Handling Compact Camera of 2011

Besides these drawbacks, the X10 handles well, feels comfortable in the hands and the controls are well placed for quick access. A control dial on the upper back gives you control over aperture/shutter speed, a quick press down switches between the two controls when in Manual mode (you can also use the control dial together with the scroll wheel). It's quick and easy to use. Using the lens to power on the camera is so obvious it's almost genius, and twirling the lens to zoom feels more natural than the zoom toggles you get on standard compact cameras.

Even though it's a compact camera, the X10 should appeal greatly to photographers used to manual shooting, if not manual focusing. Were it not for the RAW button mystery and the inefficient AF, the X10 would rank up there as one of the – if not the best – designed compact cameras with manual control and handling.

Image Performance I - One Bright Lens

The Fujifilm X10 currently has the largest sensor among compact cameras, larger than its closest rival the Canon PowerShot S100 (see chart below). Generally speaking, the larger the sensor size, the better the image quality, and in this regard the X10 certainly doesn't disappoint.

You'll certainly enjoy the images you get out of the X10, especially with its bright f/2 (W)-f/2.8(T) lens, which will give you the beautiful background blur you usually won't get with compact cameras. Most compact cameras today will offer at least 5x optical zoom though, so you might find the X10's 4x optical zoom wanting. But to put that into perspective, most entry-level DSLR cameras come with an 18-55mm kit lens, which is roughly 27-80mm in 35mm equivalent. The X10's focal length is the 35mm equivalent of 28-112mm, so it actually gets you a further zoom than the kit lens.

Shooting with the X10's Bright Lens

The Fujifilm X10 comes with a 'bright' or 'fast' lens, which refers to its wide aperture. A wide aperture simply means that the camera lens can be opened wide. It's often called a bright or fast lens because the wider a lens can open, the more light it can capture. Thus it can shoot at a faster shutter speed, needing less time to capture the same scene, as compared to a camera with a smaller aperture opening, which needs to leave the shutter open for longer because it lets less light in.

It means that you'll get a better chance of getting a steady shot in low light as compared to cameras with slower lenses, as you'll reduce the chance of camera shake from holding the camera for too long. It also means that you'll get a pleasing background blur effect when you shoot at the widest aperture settings (the lower the number, the wider the aperture, i.e. f/2 is wider than f/8).

The X10's background blur won't compare to the background blur you'll get from a full-frame DSLR camera, but it's pleasing nonetheless, and a great option to have with a compact camera. See for yourself.

Image Performance II - Clarity & ISO

Where the X10's image sensor really shines is how wide its dynamic range is. The X10 manages to squeeze in image detail in areas where a lesser camera would have either washed or blacked out. Another area where the X10 excels is its color reproduction; especially in the blues. We can't emphasize enough how much pop the X10's dynamic range and color gives its images. Fujifilm credits this to its Super EXR sensor, which uses a different way to arrange photosites as compared to the commonly found Bayer color filter array.

Clarity & ISO Performance

The benefits of a larger sensor shows, as the X10 manages to keep image noise to an impressive minimum while capturing fine detail, at a level that outshines most compact cameras currently on the market.

If we're being strict pixel-peepers, some image noise is visible in dark areas at ISO400, and we'd judge the upper limit for balance between noise and detail to be ISO800, but we'd be willing to shoot up to ISO1600. In comparison to other compact cameras though, the clarity you still find at ISO800 and ISO1600 is superb. Casual users who aren't zooming into their images at 100% will probably find shooting at even higher ISO settings quite acceptable.

The X10's noise is more luminance than color noise, and so colors aren't affected as much at high ISO settings; you'll just see more muddiness in the image. The camera shoots up to ISO12800 at 3MP, but the quality is so bad we can't imagine why the option is even available. The X10 scores a high 2000 x 2000LPH on our resolution chart, which is higher than most compact cameras can manage. In the real world this translates to images which are more detailed than you'll normally get with standard compacts. Combine that together with the wide dynamic range and punchy colors, and you'll get some beautiful photographs coming from the X10.

Image Performance III - Image Distortion

Updated (27/2/12): We have updated this page to include the mention of the 'white orbs' artifact.

While the Fujifilm X10's image clarity and ISO performance is excellent, we need to point out that the lens suffers from obvious vignetting and distortion at its widest focal length. Vignetting can be a matter of taste and left in, while distortion will require a bit of post-production work to fix.

Looking at images of brick and white walls is boring, so here's a real-world example of the X10's image distortion and vignetting. Shot at the widest focal length and aperture settings of 28mm and f/2 respectively, you can see vignetting around the edges as well as a slight warping of the plate in the center of the image.

Image Distortion & Edge Sharpness

The X10's images are generally clear and sharp. Oddly, diffraction seems to set in early, as the X10's edge to edge clarity appears sharpest from f/2-f/5. Still, we believe most won't notice as long as they're not viewing the images at 100%. Image distortion at the widest focal lengths is more apparent, and will need to be fixed in post-production.

Vignetting

The X10 produces noticeable vignetting (dark edges) from f/2 to f/2.8. Vignetting clears up around f/5.6. We don't mind a little vignetting ourselves, but it's a matter of personal taste, as it will alter the aesthetics of your image.

White Orbs

The X10 has an imaging issue you should be aware of. Under certain lighting conditions, artifacts which look like white orbs can sometimes be seen. They seem to appear when shooting into light sources or into strong highlights in low light. We haven't seen them appear under natural light or indoor lighting while not shooting into any light sources. Fujifilm has released a firmware update 1.03 to resolve the problem, but it appears that the firmware does not change much. The problem also seems to vary from set to set.

Image Performance IV - Super Macro

Another interesting aspect of the X10 is its ability to shoot what it calls Super Macro, a mode which lets you shoot even closer than the normal Macro mode, at just a distance 1cm away from your subject. It can be difficult to focus that close though, and you have to be precise, as almost everything else away from that focal point will be blurred. It adds an additional option to your photography and we're confident macro enthusiasts will have fun with the X10.

Sample Photographs

These are sample photographs shot with Fujifilm X10. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images.

Conclusion

Updated (27/2/12): We have updated this page to include the mention of the 'white orbs' artifact.

The Fujifilm X10 shares one defining trait with its elder sibling, the X100. Like the X100, there's so much about the X10 that is excellent; its design, build quality and image quality. And like the X100, the X10 is flawed, with its spotty auto-focus, image distortion, low battery life and that one RAW button. It's frustrating that there are so many ways in which the X10 excels above and beyond the average compact camera, but falls just short of being the superior compact camera of 2011.

It's also frustrating that the 'white orb' artifact mars what would otherwise be above average image quality. We'd like to emphasize that the artifact doesn't appear in every shooting situation, only when shooting into light sources or strong highlights. Not everyone will mind the effect, but it is distracting enough for discerning users. Fujifilm is aware of the problem and has issued a firmware update (1.03) to fix the problem, but unfortunately the update doesn't seem to have much effect. We hope future updates will resolve this issue and it's something prospective owners will need to keep a watch out for.

Despite its flaws, we found ourselves bringing the X10 with us nearly everywhere we went. The bright f/2-2.8 lens let us blur backgrounds, the great ISO performance let us shoot at higher ISO settings than we'd normally get away with when using a compact camera, the manual controls let us change settings easily and the Super Macro mode was fun to play around with.

Because of its undependable AF, the X10 is a camera you need to wrestle with to bend to your will (just like the X100 - what a coincidence). There will be times you'll find yourself superbly happy with the X10, and times you want to chuck it against the wall. For the same reason, the X10 makes a good personal camera for the enthusiast who knows how to use the camera, but a bad camera for the family. You simply can't hand it off to a casual user, even in Auto mode, because more often than not the AF will not focus on the right subject or will take too long to do so.

If anything, the X100 and the X10 have proved that Fujifilm can do design, sensor and lens right. But Fujifilm seriously needs to improve their auto-focus system, and refine the user experience (see RAW button and menu system). Fujifilm is nearly at perfect with the X10. All it needs to do is take a cue from Apple and just iterate; make a X10S (and X100S) next year with improved auto-focus, faster processors, longer battery life and replace the RAW with a Function button. And it will blow everyone out of the water. 

No Camera in the World Quite Like It

There is no compact camera in the world today like the Fujifilm X10, with its combination of beauty and performance. It has character, but like any great character, the X10's superior qualities are offset by its flaws - which is why even though we love this camera dearly, we hesitate to recommend it fully. The X10 really is a compact camera for the enthusiast, because it takes an enthusiast to work with the X10.

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