A smaller sibling of FUJIFILM’s X100 rangefinder digital camera, the new FUJIFILM X10 dress large crowds at this past weekend’s PhotoPlus Expo. It has a superb Fujinon Optics 4x zoom lens (28-112mm) with 11 elements and the similar EBC coating used on Fujinon motion picture lenses. The 2/3” 12 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor innovates the traditional Bayer array design with a diagonally repetitive pixel pattern.
You turn the X10 on by rotating the zoom lens barrel. The optical rangefinder zooms when you zoom the lens. There’s a bright preview on the rear 2.8″ LCD screen.
The X10 can shoot continuously up to 7 frames per seconds at the full 12 megapixel resolution.
The lens has 11 glass lens elements in 9 groups, including 3 aspherical glass lens elements (6 sides) and 2 extra-low dispersion lens elements. The zoom lens has a wide-angle maximum aperture of F2.0 and the maximum telephoto aperture is F2.8, with optical image stabilization and fast auto focus. The X10 can focus up to 1 cm for macro shots. The iris has 7 blades.
What does this all mean for motion picture practitioners? Besides offering a superb, small camera that is a high-quality constant companion for scouting, shooting and everything else, it’s also a showpiece of this company’s incredible optical capabilities. This is, after all, the same company that produces the top-of-the-line Fujinon Premier PL 35mm format zoom lenses, and I have a feeling that this is just a beginning as we keep our eyes to our eyepieces.
• Fast power start-up: the X10 is fully ready to shoot in approximately 0.8 seconds using the on/off power switch built into the lens ring in Quick Start mode.
• Modes: Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Speed Priority / Manual.
• RAW shooting and in-camera RAW processing.
• 1080p Full HD video recording.
• Manual pop-up flash with a range of 7 meters (23 feet).
• Electronic horizon leveling gauge and histogram display.
