Pixiq

I’d like to add another viewpoint to the posts that have already appeared on PIXIQ about Fujifilm's newest X Series camera, the FinePix X10. My reason for jumping in is that this new camera may be the one that I and others, have been hoping for. 

Let me explain. It's retro style gives it the look of a film rangefinder camera. Compare the photos in the Gallery of the X10 and the Leica CL and you’ll see how similar they are. Designed like a rangefinder right down to an optical viewfinder built into the camera body, the X10 is loaded with manual controls. In fact, it appears that the X10 is really meant to be a user-operated digital camera rather than an auto-everything machine. 

The heart of the X10 is a new 2/3 inch, 12MP EXR CMOS sensor, which Fuji says will produce “professional” quality images and usable ISO speeds  up to 12800. The  X10 has a non-interchangeable 4x, manual zoom, 28-112mm (35mm equivalent) f2-f2.8 lens of 11 elements in 9 groups and 3 of the elements are aspherical lenses. There is a new image stabilizer built in the lens and Fuji claims that with 2 ED lenses in the mix there is simply no color fringing. I have an LX3 with Leica Summicron f2 lens and I know from that camera that "glass", the quality of the lens, really matters. Although the LX3 is only 10MP, the Summicron produces amazingly sharp and very enlargeable images. I also prefer to have that extra aperture stop or two in the lens, rather than cranking up the ISO. Unfortunately, the LX3 does not perform well at high ISO, so the faster lens speed is a trade-off and not a gain. How exciting it would be to have both an f2 lens and high ISO capability? 

When I was shooting film, my favorite camera was the 35mm Leica CL shown in the Gallery photos. A “baby” compared to its bigger M-Series siblings, the CL (Compact Leica) was produced from 1971 to 1974 and was extremely popular. To me it was the ultimate expression of a picture-taking device, perfect for street photography and travel, it was marvelously balanced and fit into my hand comfortably. I bought the CL with the original Leica 40mm f2 Summicron and 90mm f4 Elmarit and along the way, added Voigtlander 15mm and 28mm lenses. The body and four lenses weighed perhaps two and half pounds and fit easily into a small camera bag. The lenses were incredibly sharp and the CL, despite its odd semaphore-arm exposure meter, generally got well-exposed images. All I had to do was adjust the aperture with my left thumb and index finger. If the CL battery died, the meter stopped functioning but the camera keep right on taking pictures. 

Leica was not doing well in the 1970s, when they produced the CL and their "Edsel" the M-5, a big, clunky camera that many people thought was as ugly as sin. It was larger than the other Leica M cameras because of it’s super accurate long based rangefinder and built in exposure meter.Despite these features, its sales were dismal.

The CL on the other hand, was produced as an entry level Leica, something to get photographers into the Leica brand and using Leica lenses. Nonetheless, for many veteran Leica users, like the King of the Leica Henri Cartier- Bresson, it was love at first sight, and they bought it instead of the other M cameras. Sales of the M-4 fell off and rumor has it that Leica, in its corporate wisdom, decided to cease production of the CL in an effort to force photographers back to the M-4. 

Looking at the X10 and the CL side by side, you can see the resemblance in shape although interestingly, the CL was a smidge bigger than the new X10. There is an optical viewfinder to the right side of the body. The X10 has a 10x glass finder that shows some 83% of the image, which is oddly the same percentage of the image seen in the CL viewfinder. Of course with the X10, for a 100% view, you simply use the 2.8 inch LCD monitor on the camera's back. 

From the photo in the gallery of the X10s top deck, you can see the other reason I am excited. Control knobs! Yes, you can control this camera the old fashion way. No touch screens, just dials. 

There is the usual Exposure Mode dial, but notice that it is different from the dials on other cameras. There ain’t no AUTO setting or dumb Intelligent Auto. There is A, P, S, M and Programmed AE. Look at the dial to right of the Exposure Mode. It is the Exposure Compensation control. Right there and easy to use. Oh, happy days, someone actually thinks that photographers are smart enough to figure out exposures and make adjustments. In addition to the dials, there a hot-shoe on the top deck. Sadly, that is what Panasonic just removed from their GF series, making the GF3 far less useful. I like hot shoes and off camera flashes, because there are times I need more pop than you get from the built in flash. Then, another surprise, look closely, the shutter release seems to have a screw thread for a cable release! A manual cable release and not a push button.

Cleverly, Fuji has also made it possible to set the camera to emulate the color palettes of their slide films like Velvia and Provia, showing that they are aiming this camera at us old film junkies. 

Naturally new cameras have to have other features. I’m tired of new features since they generally add nothing to my photography. A new feature for the X10 is what Fuji calls “Motion Panorama” which produces a long panoramic image. You rotate the camera and the camera produces a single integrated, panoramic image. That’s cool, but now do I have to spend a fortune trying to frame photos that are 1 inch x 24 inches or some such?. The X10, of course, is also, like all new digitials, capable of producing full HDTV videos with stereo sound, but at least you can use the manual zoom will videoing.

I am waiting to see if the actual camera lives up to these specs and my hopes. It will be available in November 2011 at a rumored MSRP of about $600. I look forward to a high quality, carry-around digital that resembles and handles like my old Leica CL . If the X10 does it will certainly be my next camera purchase.