The New Fujifilm X10 Compact Camera

The age of true high-end point and shoot cameras has finally arrived.

If you’re like me, you keep waiting for the next level of compact cameras that don’t cost a fortune, that produce great imagery, and that don’t have horrible shutter lag. You keep waiting, all the while just keep shooting with your iPhone.

This year at PhotoPlus Expo, we saw a new generation of compact cameras from every manufacturer, including the new Fujifilm X10. I only got a brief look at the very end of the day, but I really liked what I saw.

First of all, this camera looks and feels awesome in your hands. It reminds me of a small, classic rangefinder. All the dials and controls are laid-out in a really obvious and ergonomic way. You turn it on by rotating the zoom barrel on the lens, and adjust things like shutter speed and aperture with a small thumb dial on the back.

Image quality is pretty standard for what we’re seeing lately: 12MP, with a 4x zoom and a lens that effectively covers a range of 28-112mm. It shoots Jpeg, RAW and H.264 video with stereo sound. And it has impressive macro capabilities, focusing down to about 1cm away from your subject.

And the best part; virtually no shutter lag, which means you won’t miss the moment. Oh, and just to make sure you don’t miss it, the X10 will fire at continuous high speed mode ar 10 fps (M and S file size) and 7 fps at full resolution. That’s faster than my D700!

This is what we’ve all been waiting for, right?

The Fujifilm X10 costs $600, and in my quick look, I’d say it’s worth every penny. For $1,200, you can pick up its big brother, the new X100, which has many of the same specs, all packed into a beautiful, rugged chrome chassis that will make you think you’re carrying a fifty year old classic.

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Senior contributor Dan Bailey is a professional adventure, outdoor and travel photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Tagged as: Cameras, Fujifilm, gear, gear reviews, Photography