Review Date: December 1, 2014
Category: Serious to Advanced Amateur
Fujifilm X100T
Photoxels Editor’s Choice – Compact Premium
USER’S EXPERIENCE
Monday, November 10, 2014 – Here’s what I receive in the box:
- FinePix X100T (Black)
- No memory card [Fujifilm included a 8GB SDHC memory card for the review]
- Li-ion Battery NP-95 3.6V 1700mAh 6.2Wh
- BC-65N Battery Charger with power cord
- Shoulder Strap
- USB Cable
- Lens Cap
- Metal strap clips with protective covers and a clip attaching tool
- Documentation: Fujifilm X100T Owner’s Manual available for download online
- Software CDs: MyFinePix Studio Ver.4.2b (Win) available for download online
Warning: You may fall in love! If you had told me that it were still possible to fall in love all over again over a camera, I wouldn’t have believed you. After all, the Fujifilm X100T is the third [re]generation after the X100 and X100S. I have walked past retail stores with the X100T in the display window, and it always set my heart racing a little bit faster. But there’s nothing like picking it up in your own hands. Size, weight, dimensions all fall to the wayside. They just don’t matter because the X100T just feels right in the hands: not tiny, not huge, not heavy, not toy-like light. The construction and build ooze quality. And did I mention it’s drop-dead gorgeous? The upgrades incorporated into the X100T just make using it even more a delight.
If you have used the X100 or the X100S, you will be very familiar with the X100T. It keeps the beautiful retro design, the dedicated shutter speed dial and aperture ring. You can now set shutter speed down to 1 sec. directly on the shutter speed dial, the aperture ring now clicks 1/3EV stops and the exposure compensation dial is expanded to +/- 3EV. The Selector dial is redesigned and a new Command dial added. These all make the X100T more intuitive to use, removing some of the somewhat irksome (but livable) design decisions of the previous models.
Of course, the improvements to the hybrid viewfinder will appeal to those who prefer using an optical viewfinder. But the EVF is so good you will barely be able to tell the difference. The performance is much better and you can just take a shot as fast as you can press the shutter button. The only two things missing in my book is a tiltable LCD and Touch AF. Others might also add to their wish list an improved video.
What I like about the X100T:
- Excellent image quality and low noise. Set ISO to AUTO 1600 and forget about it.
- Superb retro build and design.
- Excellent lens.
- Love the shutter speed dial and aperture ring.
No review is complete without a couple of improvement suggestions for the next iteration of the X100 [the X100F, where S=Second, T=Third, so F=Fourth?]:
- Provide a tiltable LCD.
- Touch AF is desirable.
- Improved video capabilities.
The Fujifilm X100T is a beautifully designed digital camera that is even more a joy to use in its third iteration. It’s rangefinder looks make it less threatening than a DSLR and is perfect for inconspicuous street photography. (People actually smiled when I pointed the camera toward them.) As an everyday camera, its excellent image quality and low noise performance mean that mom and pop will have a camera that can cope with every photographic situation indoors and outdoors. The enthusiast will buy it because they have fallen in love all over again. High praise for a camera that does not zoom or accept interchangeable lenses. Highly recommended.
Next: Fujifilm X100T QuickFact Sheet / Buy
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