I Leica Fuji X100

<p>http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/19/fujifilm-intros-finepix-x100-12-3mp-aps-c-based-camera-with-hyb/</p>

<p>Whoa! No, it's not a rangefinder, but had to post-- the Leica resemblance is there in spades! What does the switch in the rewind-button position do?<br>

I like the idea of being able to go back and forth between OVF/EVF.<br>

How much will it go for!? And how many M users will go this?</p>

<p>It sure has more than a slight nod to the Leica M. </p>

<p>The digital version of the Hexar AF.</p>

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<p>How much will it go for!? And how many M users will go this?</p>

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<p>Great for Fuji! I hope they have some senses and price this right. I have always like fuji...from their finepix F10 series, natura 1.9 24mm film compacts to MF RF...I hope it's under 1k. And they get the perfect FL and aperture as well, a 35mm F2...a digital Hexar AF:)</p>

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<p>Folks...At what price point will you buy this so called rangefinder considering the 4/3rds, NEX, Samsung, DP1/2 and other big sensor compacts etc...</p>

<p>It's a "hybrid" rangefinder-- http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091910fujifilmx100.asp<br /> According to Fuji, it'll be released in "Early 2011" and will cost 150,000 Yen (~$1750).</p>

<p>The Fuji X100 sounds like a fine camera, and I wish well any product that boosts the level of image quality in the marketplace.<br /> <br />Most of the chatter on other forums compares the camera with the Leica X1. After all, both have fixed lenses and give preference in design-for-use to auto-focusing over manual focusing.<br /> <br />Comparison of the Fuji X100 sensor with the Leica M8 is interesting. The X100 has an APS-C sensor, which has an area of 370 sq. mm. The M8 has an area of 486 sq. mm., both in 3:2 format. That must make a difference in image quality. The M8 has a CCD sensor. I believe that gives higher quality than a CMOS sensor like the X100, although the point is hotly debated. Fuji's sensor might have recent technical improvements.<br /><br /></p>

<p>What a beautiful camera, but $1750? That's nuts. It even has the Leica rewind lever in approximately the right place. A G11 killer? Fuji seems infamous at pricing their cameras just out of my trigger pull range.</p>

<p>It looks like a really great camera. While I do think it looks physically beautiful as well, I wish they had gone a bit more with their own design aesthetic rather than Leica's. The Fuji rangefinders, Xpan/TX-1, GX680, H1/GA645 etc...they are well designed cameras. The uncanny resemblance to the Leica will probably sell a lot of cameras, but it is kind of a shame since people will probably say this is a pure copycat or wannabe Leica. The feature set certainly does not imply that, as it looks like a groundbreaking bridge of the best of film compacts (good VF, clear and tactile controls) with the best of modern technology (overlaid EVF, larger sensor digital, af, lens to sensor pairing etc). I hope this turns out to be as good as the specs suggest it might be! Also, if it is 1750 dollars, I hope it is built as well as the professional cameras they make like the Xpan, H series, GX680, GF670 and so on. They are certainly capable of making world class cameras and lenses if they set their mind to it. Given that price, I expect they pulled out all the stops for this one too. </p>

<p>I'm concerned about the price but more than that I find the 23mm (equiv) lens to be a bit wide for fixed lens. The 24mm is a handful to use all the time. If you're using it with another camera with, perhaps, a 35 or 50 it would be great. As a single camera? Ouch. They're aiming it at pros and "keen amateurs" so they may feel their audience knows what they're doing and will make proper use of that focal length. Good to see a camera nipping at the heels of the X1.</p>

<p>The 23 mm focal length is befor "recalculation", so it's a 35 mm equivalent, John - and that's probably perfect in a fixed lens for most of us.<br /><br />And I really want one like everyone else :-)<br /><br />Soeren</p>

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<p>i does not even touch the leica look, have you all forget the classic fujicas? or many other classic cameras, the current leica look has not even been inaugurated by leica much more by konica or contax, by having a solid look with leather and chrome does not mean it´s looked like leica, i do not see many resemblances...<br>

but it´s a beautifull camera and hope the price does not go so high in the sky<br>

thanks</p>

<p>Looks beautiful. I hope the price is not too high once they fix a US one.</p>

<p>I have to say it sure looks like a Leica M to me. The rewind lever optical/electornic viewfinder switch is a dead giveaway. I don't blame them-why not imitate the most famous r/f camera?</p>

<p>No image stabilisation mentioned. I guess they think it is not needed as it is a fixed-lens camera. Not a deal breaker for me. The only trouble with all these great m4/3 and APS-C point and shoots is that it seems to pay to wait as a newer and nicer one appears every 3 months.</p>

<p>Doesn't look like any of my Leicas, that's for sure. As the happy user of a Fuji S5 I'm glad it will get a little brother at last.</p>

<p>Looks like a great street camera. Pity about the price...</p>

<p>I have both Fuji F30 and F100FS, still working with no problems. Looking at the first X100 images, I find it handsome. I want to have one in my hands for trial. I have a Leica X1 too, the fact the Fuji has a non collapsible lens is very nice, we don't loose time for a quick photo. I hope it will take crisp images and good high ISO perfomance.</p>

<p>As a fixed lens camera, it's not real competition for an M, but it seems to pack a lot of features into that price level. The deal maker or breaker will be the lens quality and camera software. By the time it comes out, a used M8 body will probably be of the same price point. The dial and other castings and the body shape moulding seems kind of cheap looking, IMHO. I understand that the recent film Fuji 667 was also a bit disappointing in terms of body rigidity. Tough viewpoint perhaps, but the competition is quite tough. But I do applaud Fuji for its inventiveness, and general high quality. </p>

<p>Well, the price will be key, but I think the lens is a good compromise (albeit I would have liked it a little longer 40-50mm), still it allows potentially good landscapes.</p>

<p>As a long term Fuji user (Velvia, GS645, GW670III, S2 Pro, S5 Pro) I've been awaiting this for some time now, albeit I was expecting something different.</p>

<p>Kudos to Fuji regardless...</p>

<p>'By the time it comes out, a used M8 body will probably be of the same price point.'</p>

<p>That was my thought, too, though it (nearly) applies to the X1 as well. And on paper this looks like the camera the X1 should have been, with a fast lens, full traditional controls, and a built-in optical finder (plus the interesting hybrid option, which could be very cool if it's implemented well). Finally, someone has realised that we don't all want to hold compact digitals at arms length, and aren't satisifed with afterthoughts like 1920s-style accessory-shoe finders, cheesy clip-on EVFs, or tiny peephole windows. If it does well (without the red dot it will have to sell on its own merits) perhaps someone else will follow Fuji's yield with something more affordable?</p>

<p>To address the fact that the M8 might be at the same price point...There is almost always something cheaper available used than something that is introduced new. You may be able to get an M8 for a similar price, but not everyone will want one! Some would buy this as a companion to an M9, or some might not want to buy the rangefinder lenses for the M8....or deal with the IR issue, poor ISO performance and so on. Maybe they just want AF and a good optical viewfinder? Maybe they really really like Fuji! If this camera is executed well, it might be a digital equivalent of the Hexar AF. That is not really a camera that you buy instead of a Leica (though some might), but one you buy for a different mission.</p>

<p>The Hexar AF just reacts....it kind of disappears in your hands. Leicas can do this as well, but there are always things to think about...lens selection, focus, selecting the aperture etc. The Hexar is the ultimate point and shoot in that you point it, shoot it, and 99% of the time everything is fantastic. The AF is always spot on, the lens is excellent from f/2 to f/22, the metering is good, it is extremely quiet and unobtrusive. It just seems to go about the job of taking nice pictures without calling any attention to itself. The X100 seems like it has a bit of the same DNA. I really hope it does, because having a digital camera that disappears in the hand and just goes about taking nice pictures would be really fantastic. The M9 does this too, but as said before there is still a bit more effort that is required. The Hexar is great for when you want to focus on letting the images happen, rather than making the images happen. A subtle but important distinction! It is a fantastic "carry all the time" camera or one to bring in addition to another more flexible camera system. I would hope that the X100 might fit that same mold. Throw in in the bag with your medium format kit, or bring it to a party/event, keep it in your bag as you go about your day. A serious camera with great results that is easy to bring along and not 10,000 dollars burning a hole in your bag like an M9 and lens is. </p>

<p>Apologies for getting the equivalent focal length buggered up. 35mm certainly makes more sense. I was reading too fast or skipped something so I got it messed up.</p>

<p>Thanks, Fuji, for making the camera I need as a replacement for my dear, departed Contax T2 (compact film camera w/ gorgeous 38mm/2.8 lens, AF and MF capability). The price seems to be 3/4 of the price for a Leica X1, but I would prefer the Fuji any time, even at the same price. They share the ingenous getting rid of the PSAM switch simply by having "A" on the aperture as well as the shutter speed selectors. Yes, the X1 is smaller - but not any longer when you put a finder on top of it!<br />The X100 is called a Leica clone. These people must be too young to remember the Yashica, Konica and Olympus rangefinders.<br /><br />Some lament the lack of interchangeable lenses. But a fixed lens can be made to match the sensor and focusing engine, and the lack of lens mount makes it more compact - and the whole point of a camera like this is something you put in your coat pocket for a bike ride, city weekend trip or when visiting friends; situations where a DSLR will just get in the way.<br>

It is a tell-tale sign of the value of a quality compact camera that more than half of the framed prints on my walls from my film days was taken with the Contax, not with the Nikon SLR gear!</p>

<p>MSRP will be $1k and ship in March, or so says Engadget.</p>

<p>'The AF is always spot on, the lens is excellent from f/2 to f/22, the metering is good, it is extremely quiet and unobtrusive. It just seems to go about the job of taking nice pictures without calling any attention to itself.'</p>

<p>Of course what will decide whether this is a similarly useful camera is how responsive it is. Some cameras aimed at the same market, including the X1, have had mediocre AF or long shutter lag. Let's hope they took the practicalities as seriously as the styling!</p>

<p>'They share the ingenous getting rid of the PSAM switch simply by having "A" on the aperture as well as the shutter speed selectors.'</p>

<p>I quite like the simplicity of this, but it does mean you have to find some other way to do 'shiftable program' (if you have it at all). Cameras with a PASM switch can (e.g.) use the shutter speed dial to control program shift. What does the X1 do?</p>

<p>'MSRP will be $1k and ship in March, or so says Engadget.'</p>

<p>Now we're talking. Not cheap, but much better than the $1750 estimate! Of course, in the UK that will probably mean close to £1000 (camera/electronics companies don't use the same currency converter as the rest of us).</p>