Review: The Fujifilm X70 packs large performance into one compact body

Introduction

Smaller and slimmer than the cameras currently in the X100 series, the discrete X70 gets the same X-Trans II CMOS sensor and EXR Processor II from the X-T1 and X-T10, and like these two cameras offers an electrical shutter that goes up to 1/32,000s, allowing for a wide array of shooting possibilities. 

The X70 comes with a new 18.5mm wide angle lens (28mm in 35mm equivalent) that has been developed specifically for the camera. It's a bright f/2.8 lens that has a minimum focusing distance of just 10cm; the shortest minimum focusing distance of any lens in Fujifilm's X-series lens line-up, which means you can get closer for those macro shots than ever before.

The X70 is also the first X-series camera to be able to charge via USB, and the first to get a tilting rear LCD with touch; something we personally think has been a long time coming. So you could say the X70 represents the best of Fujifilm’s X-Trans II technologies with some added extras. 

Design and handling

In terms of looks, the X70 certainly won’t surprise any Fuji-X fans. It follows the tried and tested rangefinder design but does so in a slimmer, slightly smaller body. At just 11.25 x 6.44 x 4.44cm it’s certainly just about small enough to fit into your pocket, though it’ll probably be more comfortable in a jacket pocket. 

Where it differs from the other X100 series cameras is that you get a nice handgrip up front and a bit of a thumb-grip behind too. These make it easy to handle the camera with just one hand while you adjust the two rings around the lens. The aperture ring retains the same design as the X100T, with two “wings” you can grip more easily to turn the ring, and the ring itself is clicked so you have a better feel for aperture adjustment even without looking at the ring. 

The second control ring around the lens is more typical, with tiny ridges for better feel. You can assign custom functions to this, but we like the default setting where it activates the teleconverter function, allowing you to switch between 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm focal lengths (35mm format equivalents). Fujifilm says that the quality drops slightly with the digital teleconverter function active (as it is really an in-camera crop), but our observations thus far are that the quality still remains good enough to print.

If you have the camera in manual focus, then this ring will act like your typical focus ring on interchangeable lenses. This is where you again get to choose between Fujifilm’s various focus assist methods like digital split image or red/white/blue focus peaking. You also get the option to zoom in on the Focus Point by pressing in on the center of the command control to display a 100% view, allowing you to confirm what exactly is in focus in real-time.

Everything else is essentially a shrunk down version of what you find on the X-T10, even up to the switch to put the camera in Advanced Auto mode. However, we found that the internal buffer in the X70 seems to be much larger than that on the X-T10. That was one of the few sticking points we had with the X-T10, and it seems to be solved with this camera. The X70 did a full 8 frames per second for about 3 seconds before slowing down to 6 frames per second for another 4 seconds. That’s definitely a better duration for capturing action with, and makes a more meaningful application for the high burst rate.

What’s not so good though; is the movie recording button. As much as we appreciate that small body, it also means there really isn’t much space for a larger video button. It’s so small and so flush with the top of the body that it’s next to impossible to activate if you don’t have nails. A raised button would be more functional, and it reflects that video is really a second priority for Fujifilm compared to stills.

And then there’s the rear LCD. This has the same specifications as the one you find on the X-T1, and Fujifilm has managed to find a way to fit both the delete button and the playback button on the thin sliver of plastic available at the top. It may seem a little forced at first, but actually works well as the buttons are raised enough to be easily activated. This arrangement really maximizes the screen area, which is important as you don’t get a viewfinder with the X70.

The rear LCD does both tilt and touch, a first for an X-series camera, and that’s certainly a welcome sight. But Fujifilm’s implantation of touch leaves us hanging a little. At the moment you can either set the focus area or release the shutter in capture mode with touch, or do things like pinch zoom or swipe navigation in playback mode, which is extremely helpful. 

Unfortunately, you can’t navigate through the menus like you would a smartphone, nor can you use touch with the excellent quick menu like you can on the Samsung NX1, so we wonder why they didn’t just go the full works. Especially when the quick menu is laid out so simply it’s just begging to be a touch interface.

Image gallery

The sample photographs below were shot with the Fujifilm X70. 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.

Imaging performance

Given how much it shares from the X-T1 internally, it certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise that the images taken with the X70 boast both the colors and the sharpness of its larger brother. Images taken ISO 12,800 remain very usable, and being able to go up to 1/8000s certainly helps when taking pictures outdoors, as there is no neutral density filter built in. 

All the images we’ve captured with the fixed f/1.8 28mm (35mm equivalent) seem to exhibit as much sharpness as any of the X-series lenses we’ve tested thus far, and that’s certainly impressive considering that the X70 is easily one of the cheapest X-series cameras available.

Take a quick look at the images above. We expected to find some obvious image loss when using the digital teleconverter function, but we have to say it does an extremely good job of filling in the information. We tried taking an image at all three focal lengths using the digital teleconverter, and found that the images seem to hold good detail throughout.

The loss in detail is only more obvious when you compare images at 28mm (35mm equivalent, without teleconverter) and images at 50mm (with the full teleconverter function applied) at 100%, and you can see a little bit of the Fujifilm ‘waxiness’ happening in the leaves on the 50mm crop. However, that’s really pixel-peeping, and the images look good enough to us at their original sizes. You can also just shoot at the original 28mm and apply cropping for yourself afterwards in post without going through the X70’s image engine. The 100% crops from the images above follow.

Even at the 50mm setting for the teleconverter you can see that there is still a good amount of detail retained as you can easily make out the individual leaves in the center of the frame.

Conclusion

The small size and weight means it’s a camera you can take with you every day. Smart placement of the controls means handling remains good despite the number of buttons and dials laid out across the body. The inclusion of a flip up screen with touch that flips up a full 180 degrees means it certainly will lend itself well to selfies. Add to that the inclusion of Wi-Fi and support for Fujifilm’s excellent Cam Remote app, and you get yet another dimension to this consumer-oriented camera, so there’s really little not to like if you’re looking for a fixed focal length camera.

For a camera that’s nearly the size of a compact, the X70 offers you great performance that’s on par with the top mid-range cameras out there. It’s quite extraordinary that Fujifilm is packing the same image sensor and processor as found on the flagship X-T1 inside this camera. At S$1,199, the X70 is more affordable than the X100T (S$1,899), but the X70 doesn’t have the X100T’s hybrid viewfinder, and its faster f/2 35mm lens.

The X70 and X100T do have something in common besides their sensor sizes — they’re both niche, specialist cameras with fixed-lenses.

Consider that for around the same price, you can get a mirrorless system camera, like the Olympus E-M10 Mark II, which has a smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor, but lets you change lenses, and does better video with five-axis optical image stabilization. Or, you can get the previous generation Sony RX100 III compact camera, which has an even smaller 1” sensor, but is even smaller and has a zoom lens.

While rating the X70, we kept coming back to that large APS-C X-Trans II sensor, in the small X70 body, which makes us really like this camera. Besides the obvious technological accomplishment, the X70 provides an affordable way to get that Fujifilm X-series image quality. And the camera is just plain fun to use.

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