Fujifilm FinePix X100 In-Depth Review

Review based on a production X100 with Firmware 1.10

In amongst all the cameras announced at Photokina 2010 - including enthusiast SLRs such as the Nikon D7000, Canon EOS 60D, Pentax K-5 and Sigma SD1 - one utterly unexpected model stole the show. Fujifilm unveiled the FinePix X100, a compact camera with an SLR-size APS-C sensor and traditional analogue control dials, that hides ground-breaking technology inside a retro-styled body with looks to die for. It's the company's first camera with a large, APS-C sensor aimed at professionals and advanced amateurs since the S5 Pro DSLR of 2006.

Fujifilm may be a company that’s currently best-known for its prolific production of compact cameras, but in reality it has a long tradition of making somewhat left-field, unique cameras aimed at serious enthusiasts and professionals. The company regularly sought out market niches in the days of film, from its Fujica 6x9 format rangefinders, through the GA645Zi medium format ‘zoom compact’, to the TX-1 35mm panoramic rangefinder (better known in Western markets as the Hasselblad XPan), all of which still command premium prices on the used market today. In the digital era it has concentrated mainly on its innovative SuperCCD sensor technology, employing it to provide class-leading dynamic range on cameras such as the S5 Pro and the EXR series of zoom compacts. Along the way it has made some genuine cult classics, including the F30 and F31Fd compacts which earned a reputation as excellent low-light performers.
The X100, though, is something totally different. It’s a beautifully-designed rangefinder-styled camera that squeezes an SLR-size APS-C sensor into its compact body, and sports a fixed, fast F2 maximum aperture semi-wideangle lens with a classic 35mm-equivalent field of view. It uses traditional analogue control dials for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation, alongside an electronically coupled (‘focus-by-wire’) manual focus ring. But the biggest story is its innovative and unique hybrid viewfinder, which combines a conventional direct-vision optical viewfinder with a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, offering the best of both worlds plus a few unique tricks of its own.
The large-sensor, fixed-lens compact isn’t a new idea, of course, and both Sigma’s DP series and the Leica X1 have already visited this territory. However these haven’t been entirely convincing products, plagued by slow operation, low-resolution LCDs and, in the case of the Sigmas, a somewhat quirky interface. For this reason they’ve struggled to establish a compelling raison d’etre, especially in the face of competition from the new breed of interchangeable lens mirrorless compacts typified by the Olympus Pen series and Sony NEXs. So the big question is whether Fujifilm has managed to refine the concept, and produce a camera that’s as compelling to shoot with as its specifications (and looks) suggest.

There’s no mistaking what Fujifilm’s design team were thinking when they created the X100. Its two-tone body and analogue controls hark back to old rangefinder compacts, and it doesn’t look at all out of place in the company of these 1970s classics. Both Olympus and Leica have recently released retro-styled small cameras in the shape of the E-P1/2 and X1, but the X100 takes the concept to a whole different level. Its flash is even placed in the same position as was once occupied by rangefinder windows.

Key features

• 12 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor
• Fixed 23mm F2 lens (field of view equivalent to a 35mm lens on full frame)
• 2.8" LCD screen, 4:3 aspect ratio, 460,000 dots
• Hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder
• OVF with 0.5x magnification, projected framelines indicate approx 90% of field of view
• EVF with ca 0.5x magnification, 1,440,000 dots
• Traditional-style control dials for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation
• ISO 100 (L), 200-6400, 12800 (H)
• Flash hot shoe and built-in flash
• Built-in neutral density filter (3 stops)
• 1280x720 HD movie recording with stereo sound

Compared to...

The composite image below gives an idea of the X100's size relative to some of its competitors, both fixed- and interchangeable-lensed. It's a bit taller than the Leica X1 with which it most closely competes, but this mainly reflects the X100's built-in hybrid viewfinder (X1 users have to make do with the rear LCD or an add-on optical viewfinder). It's also noticeably larger than interchangeable lens cameras like the Panasonic GF1, and particularly the APS-C Sony NEX-5 (from which it's poles apart in terms of control philosophy); but again, neither of these have an eye-level viewfinder either. Of course the X100 is distinctly smaller and more portable than any DSLR fitted with a similarly-fast lens.

Specifications compared

The table below lists some of the key specifications of the X100 and its competitors. What's notable is the combination of an unusually fast lens and a large APS-C sensor, which together bode well for its low-light capability.

Camera	Lens*	LCD	Dimensions & Weight (with lens, battery + card)	Sensor (effective pixels)
Fujifilm FinePix X100	35mm equiv, F2	2.7" 460k pixels	126 x 74 x 54 mm, 445g 5.0 x 3.0 x 2.2 in, 15.8 oz	12.3 Mp CMOS (ca. 23.6 x 15.8 mm)
Leica X1	35mm equiv, F2.8	2.7" 230k pixels	124 x 60 x 50 mm, 330g 4.9 x 2.4 x 2.0 in, 10.9 oz	12.2 Mp CMOS (23.6 x 15.8 mm)
Panasonic DMC-GF1	40mm equiv, F1.7*	3.0" 460k pixels	119 x 71 x 61 mm, 448g 4.6 x 2.8 x 2.4 in, 15.8 oz	12.1 MP LiveMOS (17.3 x 13 mm)
Sony NEX-5	24mm equiv, F2.8*	3.0", tilting 920k pixels	111 x 59 x 54 mm, 361g 4.4 x 2.3 x 2.1 in, 12.7 oz	14.2 Mp HD CMOS (23.4 x 15.6mm)
Sigma DP2	40mm equiv, F2.8	2.5" 230k pixels	115 x 64 x 56mm, 280g 4.5 x 2.5 x 2.2 in, 9.9 oz	4.6 MP x 3 X3F (20.7 x 13.8 mm)

*The Panasonic DMC-GF1 and Sony NEX-5 both accept interchangeable lenses

Body and Design

The X100 is a gorgeous-looking camera, no matter what angle you look at it from. It has much the same kind of 'real camera' appeal as the Leica M9, and will doubtless draw more than its fair share of admirers on appearance alone. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, either; plenty of people, after all, are willing to choose a car as much on its looks as anything else, just as long as there's substance behind the style.
The build quality is superb. The top and base plates are die-cast using lightweight, high-strength magnesium alloy, and all the controls and dials are milled from solid metal. Some plastic makes an appearance on the back, of course, for the buttons and four-way controller/rear dial, and it’s also used for the battery/SD compartment door, but overall the X100 gives a rare impression of solidity. Indeed of all current digital cameras, arguably only the Leica M9 can challenge the X100 for its sheer build quality and beauty as an object.
The X100 uses a distinctly traditional control layout, clearly inspired by fully-mechanical compacts from the 1960s and '70s, with top-plate dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation, plus aperture and manual focus rings around the lens barrel. The shutter button is even threaded for a good old-fashioned mechanical cable release, and the rangefinder-esque layout is completed by the big, bright finder at the top corner of the body. Of course these controls aren't at all the same as those on a Leica M6 (for example), because they're electronic rather than manual, but on the whole the illusion works pretty well.
What's perhaps most impressive about the X100, however, is the way Fujifilm has managed to build a high quality EVF into a relatively compact body. This is by itself is an achievement, that's all-too-easy to overlook in the excitement of the finder being 'hybrid'. But it gives the lie, once and for all, to the idea that cameras with built-in EVFs need to look like miniature SLRs, complete with faux pentaprism 'hump'. It would be nice to see the manufacturers of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras following this direction, 'folding' an EVF's optical path within a slimline body design.

Hybrid Viewfinder

The X100’s trump card is undoubtedly its unique, newly-designed 'hybrid' viewfinder that combines a conventional direct-vision optical viewfinder with an electronic viewfinder (if you prefer, you can also frame your shots using the 2.8" rear LCD, like any other compact camera). The diagram below illustrates how it works.

The EVF is a state-of-the art 1,440,000 dot unit, similar to that used by Olympus in its VF-2 accessory finder for the Pen series. It's large, bright and detailed, and offers all the usual advantages of an EVF, such as true 100% frame coverage, the ability to accurately preview exposure and depth of field, image magnification for critical manual focus, and the overlay of a wide range of useful information such as a live histogram. It can also 'gain up' in low light to give clearer viewing for more critical composition, although at the expense of slowing the refresh rate.
The optical viewfinder is a large, bright 'reverse galilean' design that has most of the advantages loved by rangefinder users - most importantly the sense of immediacy and connection to the scene engendered by real time-viewing. It also shows a wider angle of view than the lens itself, which allows you to keep an eye on objects that are just outside the frame.
The big difference, however, is that the EVF display is also used to overlay data when using the optical viewfinder (such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc). This gives the photographer much more information about what the camera is doing than conventional optical viewfinders could ever do. For example, you can display a live histogram, or move the active focus area around the frame to line it up with the subject, eliminating any need to focus and recompose. On the downside, though, there's no manual focus aid, aside from a distance scale that includes a depth of field indication.
Fujifilm’s viewfinder magnification and coverage specifications are a little vague and have been the subject of some confusion, so let’s clear this up. The optical viewfinder has a magnification of 0.5x, which given the 35mm-equivalent angle of view means it's about the same size as that on a typical full-frame DSLR, or the latest high-quality EVFs on cameras such as the Panasonic G2 or Sony Alpha 55.
The optical finder's viewable area covers a substantially wider angle than the lens’s field of view, and within it is projected a white frameline that covers approximately 90% of the frame. This conservative approach will be familiar to rangefinder users – it’s designed to ensure that everything within the frameline should be the final image area, regardless of parallax errors between the lens and viewfinder, or any change in the lens’s angle of view with focus distance. In contrast, the EVF offers 100% coverage, at approximately the same magnification.

	The viewfinder window has a diopter adjustment dial on the left of the eyepiece, and an eye sensor on the right. The camera can use the latter to automatically switch between the eye-level finder and rear LCD.
	This lever on the front plate toggles the eye-level finder between optical and electronic mode. It's ideally placed for operation by your right index finger. The yellow dot next to it is an autofocus illuminator lamp (which can be turned off), and the small black dot is one half of the stereo microphone for movie recording.
	In EVF mode, this shutter pops up to mask of the optical finder. (Despite appearances in this picture, it's not right in front of the viewfinder window, but behind the front glass.)

Lens

At the heart of the X100 lies its fixed 23mm F2 lens, which offers the same moderately-wide angle of view as a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera. This is considered by many to be a classic focal length: wide enough to get plenty of context in the frame, but not so wide as to obviously distort objects towards the corners of the image.
The lens is optically complex for a prime - 8 elements in 6 groups, including a dual-sided aspherical element - yet due to the use of a customized sensor with offset microlenses towards the edge of the frame, the camera is still relatively slim, despite the fast F2 maximum aperture. Indeed the X100 is similar in thickness to the smallest interchangeable lens cameras such as the Sony NEX-5 and Panasonic GF2 fitted with their smallest pancake primes.
The focus ring isn't mechanically coupled to the lens's focus group, but is instead 'focus-by-wire'. In principle the system is geared such that fast rotation changes the focus distance rapidly, while slow rotation allows for very fine adjustments. But while this makes for high precision MF, but does mean that multiple complete turns of the focus ring are required to cover the full distance range. It's not the most responsive manual focus system we've ever used, to be honest - it can feel rather laggy and slow - but it is accurate.

	The slim manual focus ring has a ridged metal grip that's 5mm wide. The lens focuses by moving the front optical group forward, such that at minimum focus it extends a couple of millimetres beyond the silver-coloured surround.
	The aperture diaphragm is a rather lovely unit with 9 curved blades, which manages to stay almost completely circular at all settings (in this shot it's stopped down to F4). In principle this should help render out-of-focus backgrounds more attractively.
	With the camera switched off, the X100's in-lens shutter is clearly visible. It makes the camera exceptionally quiet in use, and allows flash sync at high speeds - up to 1/2000 sec.
	Disappointingly, though, the X100 doesn't accept filters directly. You have to unscrew this ring at the front of the lens, then change it for an optional extra that has a 49mm thread. This gets full marks for style - it helps make the camera so very pretty - but precisely zero for substance. For a camera that has 'professional' aspirations we'd at least expect to get the filter ring in the box. What you do get, though, is a finely crafted - if bulky - push-on metal cap.
	This is the accessory adapter / lens hood set. The filter adapter has a 49mm thread on the inside, and a bayonet mount for the hood on the outside. Both adapter and hood are finely sculpted from aluminium, with matte black insides. Note that filters with threads deeper than about 2mm can block the lens from focusing in macro mode; the camera will display an error message.
	Here's the X100 looking handsome with the adapter and hood in place. Note that the hood won't reverse for storage, and the lens cap won't fit comfortably over the filter adapter either.

Conclusion - Pros

• Excellent sensor offering superb image quality even at high ISO settings
• High quality lens with excellent cross-frame sharpness, and minimal distortion and chromatic aberration (although see Cons below)
• Exceptional build quality - extremely solid, yet not too heavy
• Intuitive and straightforward traditional control layout (aperture ring, shutter speed and EC dials)
• Ground-breaking hybrid viewfinder works extremely well - large, bright and clear, with detailed exposure information in optical finder
• High quality EVF for critical composition
• Essentially silent operation
• Highly flexible and configurable Auto ISO (but deeply buried in menu)
• Reliable and accurate metering and white balance systems
  

Conclusion - Cons

• Camera locks-up certain key functions for several seconds while writing to card (including ISO)
• Requires fastest possible SD cards to give tolerable write speeds when shooting raw
• Several key features buried deep in the menus (Auto ISO, ND filter, flash exposure compensation)
• Autofocus not quite as fast and accurate as the best mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras
• 'Focus by wire' manual focus slow and unresponsive (but accurate)
• No face detection AF system
• Very little customization of controls available
• Inconsistent button operation for secondary controls
• Eccentric and buggy firmware, poorly organized menus
• Relatively poorly-implemented video mode
• 4-way controller can feel laggy and imprecise
• Menu/OK button too small and not very positive
• Lens gets very soft at large apertures and close focus distances

Overall conclusion

The X100 is without doubt one of the most highly-anticipated cameras of recent years, due to its combination of traditional, 'rangefinder-esque' design and the innovative technology of its hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder. The good news about the X100 is that in certain key respects - its basic operation, viewfinder, and image quality - it's excellent, and more than lives up to the pre-release hype. The bad news is that in some other regards - notably shot-to-shot speed and firmware design - it's decidedly flawed.

So let's look at the good points first. Perhaps most importantly, the X100's image quality is excellent; the sensor may not be the latest generation, but it still produces highly-detailed images at low ISOs, coupled with impressive colour rendition and low noise at high ISOs. This is complemented by a lens that is extremely sharp in most situations, with minimal distortion or chromatic aberration; it's only real weakness is when used wide open at short focus distances. Operation is completely silent, and the analogue controls are a joy to use and encourage the user to take creative control.

This all sounds great, but unfortunately the X100 also suffers from a number of operational oddities, quirks and firmware bugs that can rather get in the way of the user experience (although Firmware 1.1 is a real improvement over the original release). These are described in more detail throughout this review; suffice to say that while many are quite minor, and can be worked-around once you know about them, others are potentially more problematic. This means that each would-be buyer will have to make a personal decision about whether the X100 will suit their needs.

What is very clear, though, is that the X100 isn't a camera to be bought for its peripheral features. Movie mode feels half-hearted at best, with a number of inexplicable operational flaws and limitations, most notably to do with exposure compensation and focusing (it's bizarrely difficult to focus and lock on a specific subject prior to recording). Motion Panorama mode sounds interesting but simply doesn't work very well, and none of the various unconventional bracketing modes (ISO, dynamic range or film simulation) give better results than simply making a single exposure in raw then processing it in-camera after the event.

Image Quality

One aspect of the X100 that's almost impossible to criticize is its image quality. It may not have the most modern sensor available, but it really does get the most out of its 12MP CMOS, providing highly detailed images at low ISOs and remarkably noise-free and colorful output at high ISOs. The dynamic range is already good at default settings, and judicious use of the cameras 'DR' modes can extend highlight range considerably when needed (although at the cost of working at higher ISOs). Overall the image quality is difficult to fault, either in JPEG or raw.

The Fujinon lens is superb too, just as we'd expect, giving excellent cross-frame sharpness when stopped-down a little, almost imperceptible distortion, and minimal chromatic aberration. Naturally it's not perfect: at F2 the corners are somewhat soft wide open at all focus distances, and while the center is sharp when set to infinity, it gets progressively softer as you focus closer due to spherical aberration. At macro distances, it's very soft indeed across the frame at F2, but improves considerably on stopping down.

The default Provia color mode isn't our favorite, due mainly to its rather low-contrast tone curve and somewhat open shadows, which means the images lack a little 'punch'. But this is easily addressed by switching to the Velvia film mode (which is very contrasty and saturated indeed), or Astia which offers an attractive middle ground, especially when shooting portraits. The camera also offers an unusually wide range of image adjustments for its JPEGs, including the option to tweak highlight and shadow tone curves independently. All this means that it's easy to tune the camera to provide pretty well exactly the output you like. These tweaks can also be applied using the in-camera Raw conversion, making it easy to optimize your shot without resorting to Photoshop.

Handling

The X100's traditional control layout, with its aperture ring and shutter speed and exposure compensation dials, makes it a fast and highly intuitive camera to operate for anyone versed in the basics of photography. The lens-shutter design means it's almost completely silent in operation, with none of the shutter or mirror noise of interchangeable-lens cameras, which is advantageous in many situations - it's not necessarily obvious to your subjects that you're taking pictures, which can bring more natural results. Autofocus, while not blisteringly fast, is acceptable and rarely causes you to miss a shot.

The hybrid viewfinder is excellent too - the optical viewfinder can show a wide range of useful information, including a live histogram and electronic level, and it's easy to switch across the electronic finder which allows critical composition and exposure preview. All this means that if you shoot in aperture priority mode and primarily use autofocus, perhaps with Auto ISO, the X100 provides a fluid shooting experience that makes it a joy to work with - at least until you run into one of its numerous quirks or flaws.

The problem with the X100 is what happens the moment you look beyond the analogue controls and hybrid finder. It has a couple of fundamental operational flaws that make it a far more frustrating camera to use that it should be, plus a range of minor bugs, quirks and idiosyncrasies (which are documented on the final page of this revew). Most problematically, it locks up certain key functions while writing to card, including changing the ISO, EVF/OVF switchover, and AF point selection. This wouldn't be too bad if write times were snappy, but they're not - a RAW file can take 7 seconds to write even with a decently fast Class 10 SDHC card, meaning you really need to invest in the latest UHS-I cards to make the X100 least-painful to use.
While many of the X100's more annoying quirks have been addressed in Firmware 1.1 (for which Fujifilm deserves due credit), a number of problems and irritations remain. We've compiled a short list of the major remaining issues below:

• Manual focus ring is unresponsive, and accurate focusing using the magnified view in the EVF/LCD is often impossible as the lens stops down uncontrollably.
• Certain key options, including Auto ISO and flash exposure compensation, are deeply buried in the menus.
• Switching to continuous drive causes the camera to switch to a different filenaming convention, which wreaks havoc when sorting through your shots on the computer.
• The X100 offers very little in the way of customization - just a single Fn button, which turns out to be the only sensible way of controlling the ISO (making its other options more-or-less academic).

The Final Word

The X100 is without doubt one of the most idiosyncratic cameras we've ever come across. It veers wildly between being delightful to use and deeply frustrating, depending on which functions you're trying to access. It has flaws that we never expected to see on a camera in 2011, including the inability to manually focus or change the ISO or AF point while it's writing to card - a process that can take an inordinate amount of time. And the quirkiness of its firmware means that you have to keep a close eye on what it's doing, lest the camera change key settings on you without warning (such as turning off raw file capture in certain bracketing modes).

Yet despite all of its manifest flaws, the X100 is a camera that's become a firm favorite in the dpreview offices. Its drop-dead gorgeous looks and excellent build make it a camera that begs you to pick it up and take it out with you, and the image quality it returns at the end of the day is nothing short of superb. And this ultimately is the key to its attraction - it just takes wonderful pictures, time after time.

Overall, then, the X100 is a difficult camera to assess. Indeed it might be tempting, after all of the bugs and quirks that we've detailed in this review, to dismiss it as a case of Fujifilm overreaching itself in a bid to make a 'halo' product. But this would be to miss out completely on the bigger picture. Because when used in a simple fashion, much like a traditional rangefinder, the X100 is (usually) a delightful photographic tool that is capable of image quality that rivals most DSLRs, but in a much more discreet and portable package.

Ultimately, perhaps the biggest problem for the X100 is that it's competing in today's marketplace with the new breed of compact Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras, and it's not exactly cheap in comparison. These tend to offer a more compact-camera-like user experience, often with approachable, results-orientated interfaces as well as full manual control, and for many users they will surely be a more sensible option. But none can quite match the X100's combination of excellent viewfinder, silent operation, and out-and-out image quality - especially at high ISOs.

As a high-end retro-styled camera with a fixed focal length lens, the X100 was always going to have niche appeal. Sadly the way its firmware and behavior have been implemented limit that appeal still further - quite likely ruling out many film enthusiasts attracted by its styling and manual controls. Even after the recent firmware update the X100 is too flawed to earn our outright recommendation, but if you're prepared to tolerate its foibles as the price to pay for its superb image quality, it's a camera you can easily grow to love.

ADDENDUM: With the release of firmware v1.10 on 24th June 2011, Fujifilm has addressed a number of the issues originally raised in this review. From the photographer's point of view, the most important improvements are that the camera no longer sets the ISO and DR separately for each exposure mode, and that drive and macro mode settings are no longer forgotten on changing exposure mode or entering playback.

It's also nice to see Fujifilm addressing usability issues too: you can now wake the camera from auto power-down with a quick half-press of the shutter, and intermediate third-stop shutter speeds and apertures are available in all exposure modes. The camera's lack of customizability has been partially addressed by allowing you to change the function of the Fn button by pressing and holding it for a couple of seconds, which offers slightly quicker access to key photographic functions such as the ND filter.

Not everything has been fixed, of course - most notably you still can't change certain camera controls while the camera is writing to card, which is compounded by slow RAW write times. So there's still work to be done before the X100 is as slick in operation as the best of its mirrorless interchangeable-lens competitors. But overall Fujifilm has to be applauded for listening to feedback from both its users and reviewers, and addressing their concerns. It has made the X100 a better camera.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR Compare to ... ON OFF
Build quality Ergonomics & handling Features Metering & focus accuracy Image quality (raw) Image quality (jpeg) Low light / high ISO performance Viewfinder / screen rating Performance Movie / video mode Value	Poor Excellent
Good for	Enthusiast and professional photographers looking for excellent image quality and traditional analogue controls in a relatively small, discreet package
Not so good for	Photographers demanding fast, flawless, user-friendly operation.