FinePix X100 | Stuff-Review

Fujifilm X100 v1.20 firmware update brings control refinements and AF improvements

March 23, 2012 at 3:12 am

We thoroughly reviewed the Fujifilm X100 here, which we loved for its amazing image quality. Our main gripe with the camera was its secondary controls. Well, Fujifilm has just released a new firmware v1.20 for the X100 that tackles these specific issues.

First of all, we asked for the ability to be able to customize the RAW button in the back, i.e. use it as second function button, and it seems we got our wish. Next up, ISO Auto Control has now been moved to the more logical ISO menu. Unfortunately however, it is not accessible from the FN/RAW buttons when you pull ISO settings, you still need to go into the menu to enable or disable it.
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Fujifilm FinePix X100 digital camera real world review

Featured Reviews

March 5, 2012 at 8:35 am

Fujifilm X100 digital camera - top front

I have to foreword this review of the Fujifilm FinePix X100 by saying that I am not a professional photographer or a camera expert, nevertheless I think there is value on a review done from the viewpoint of the average user. Thus, this review will be very different from other technically focused reviews; instead I will tackle the camera from a real world perspective.

I’ve tried to balance the review with a healthy number of sample shots. To depict the camera’s image quality, rather than my Lighroom skills, the images in this review have not received any software treatment, except from the odd straightening/cropping. The shots are mostly out of the camera JPEGs. Rather than photographicw merit, I’ve tried to include shots that demonstrate the camera’s capabilities.

It’s also good to note that this review of the Fujifilm X100 comes late to the party; the camera has been out for almost a year now, though initially it was impossible to get hold of one. I’ve had my own unit since late last summer. I do consider however that despite more recent mirrorless camera launches, and even Fuji’s own X-Pro1, the X100 still is a very unique camera with a very unique offering.
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Panasonic GX1 vs. Sony NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm X100 vs. Olympus E-P3 comparison

The Lab

November 7, 2011 at 10:47 am

With the successor to the GF1 finally announced, Panasonic is coming back strongly to the space it helped create. The Panasonic GX1 is the company’s new high-end rangefinder style mirorrless camera. But, as we’ve discussed in our initial in-depth coverage, unlike its predecessor it’s coming up against some very serious competition.

To put things into perspective, we’ve the GX1 against the top competitors from Sony, Fujifilm and Olympus. Our comparison includes the super-high-end NEX-7 with an APS-C sensor and the amazing OLED EVF, the excellent fixed lens APS-C Fujifilm FinePix X100 (full review here) and a fellow Micro Four Thirds camera, the Olympus E-P3. So, read on to check out how our new MILC holds up.
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Fujifilm X100 startup time and SD card write speed tests; how to make the X100 faster

Guides The Lab

October 23, 2011 at 4:47 pm

The X100 shoots amazing photos, in general, and some of the best low-light pictures of any compact camera — it looks the part too. You can read our in-depth real world review here. Unfortunately, it’s not a speed demon; specifically, auto focus, startup time and SD card write speeds are relatively slow. This means that it’s not the ideal action shooter.

Nevertheless, there are things that you can do to get the camera to perform faster. The X100 includes a ‘Quick Start Mode’, which Fuji claims to reduce startup time to about 0.7 seconds compared to about 2.2 seconds when the mode is off. This mode is accessible on page 3 in setup. Fuji however, warns that, setting the mode to on will drain your battery, reducing the number of shots per charge.

It’s also been suggested that a fast SD card will help reduce startup times and of course file write times. So, with this suggestion we set out to test the X100’s performance with three different SD cards: a top of the range SanDisk Extreme Pro card claiming 45MB/s write speeds, a SanDisk Extreme III card with 30MB/s write speeds and finally a cheaper Transcend 16GB Class 10 card.

We measured the amount of time between switching the camera on and the camera becoming responsive, i.e. being able to focus, first, with the quick start mode off, and again with the quick start mode on for each of the three SD cards.

Then, we shot eight continuous RAW files, with each of the cards, in burst mode, and measured the time between pressing the shutter button, taking the 8 shots and the camera becoming responsive again, after writing the files to the SD card.

You can see the results, of our lengthy tests, below — note that we examined the video of our tests in slow-motion to assess the time better and avoid reaction time errors:
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Fuji updates FinePix X100 to v1.11 with better macro auto-focus and fixes

News

October 20, 2011 at 8:27 am

The Fuji X100 is a fantastic camera that takes amazing low-light pictures, but like most works of genius, it has its quirks. The most frustrating of all, as we’ve found out, is macro (close-up) auto-focusing, it’s really slow and it doesn’t always focus correctly.

Fujifilm has just released an update for the camera which is said to improve macro auto-focus performance and also includes a couple of software fixes — full info after the break.

To check which firmware version you are running, turn on your camera while holding down the ‘DISP/BACK’ button. To update, download the update file here, copy it to an empty SD card, insert the card in your camera and then switch it on while holding the ‘DISP/BACK’ button. The camera should then guide you though the firmware update.
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Sony Alpha A77 vs. A65 vs. NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm Finepix X100 comparison

The Lab

August 29, 2011 at 9:24 am

We’ve already shown you how Sony’s NEX-7 digital camera stacks up against other high-end compact shooters. However, Sony also announced a pair of incredibly specced single-lens translucent (SLT) cameras, the Alpha A65 and Alpha A77, poised to take conventional Nikon and Canon mid-range DSLRs head-on. We will soon have a look at how these compare to DSLR cameras at the same price range.

Now, we have compiled a comparison between these three higher-end Sony cameras, the Alpha A77, A65 and NEX-7. We are finding it just so damn hard to decide between them, we are sure you as well, and time has started ticking as all cameras are already available to pre-order, so hopefully this will help. We’ve also added our current favorite camera, the Fujifilm FinePix X100, to the mix. Head over after the link for a detailed spec comparison.
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Sony NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm X100 vs. Olympus E-P3 vs. Panasonic DMC-GF3

The Lab

August 24, 2011 at 7:18 pm

Sony’s just announced NEX-7 digital camera is a real contender as the new king in the compact mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera realm. We’re sure that you are itching, same as we, to see how it stacks up against the competition. We’ve pitted the NEX-7 against two Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras, the new Olympus E-P3 and the Panasonic GF3 — although we are sure Panasonic is secretly cooking a high end shooter, the GF3 is currently their higher end compact MFT camera. We’ve also added the excellent fixed lens Fujifilm FinePix X100 to our comparison; the NEX-7 shares some of same genes having a no-nonsense retro look, APS-C sensor and lots of controls. Head over after the link to see a spec fight-out.
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Fujifilm FinePix X50 to be the smaller and more affordable zoom brother to the X100 camera

News

August 22, 2011 at 2:33 pm

Fujifilm undeniably rocked the digital camera world with its retro looking FinePix X100 digital camera. The X100 went against the flow, with Fuji opting for complexity and a fixed focal length lens, and in the end the bet paid off. Unfortunately the X100 is out of most people’s budget at around $1,200. Fujifilm is now said to announce a smaller and cheaper but still capable retro looking camera, the X50.
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Fujifilm FinePix X100 gets firmware update to v1.10

News

June 24, 2011 at 4:54 pm

If you are one of the very lucky owners of the FinePix X100 camera, or are considering to buy one, you’ll be happy to know that Fujifilm has made available an updated firmware for the very capable camera.

The FinePix X100 features a large APS-C sensor, super-sharp fixed focal length lens, in a compact, very solid and very beautiful body. Nonetheless there have been some qualms regarding the usability of the camera and Fujifilm is addressing a number of these issues in this update.

Firmware v1.10 brings a total of 22 fixes and add-ons; with the list of fixes/additions after the break together with a link to download the firmware and a how-to update the camera guide.
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