fujifilm

Will wedding shooters say 'I do' to the Fujifilm X-Pro 1?

LAS VEGAS--As potentially the most expensive mirrorless camera on the market, the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 backs the price up with a promising new sensor and sleek design.

It seems strange that until as recent as a few years ago, we'd come to associate Fujifilm primarily with masses of middling point-and-shoot cameras. But the company has come quite far in a short time, thanks to its premium X series of cameras, which deliver strong image quality in striking vintage designs. Its new X-Pro 1 interchangeable-lens model now sits at the top of that line, packing a variety of innovative and promising technologies into a really retro and seemingly well designed--if a bit large--body. … Read more

Fujifilm goes mirrorless with new X-Pro1 camera

Who needs mirrors?

Not Fujifilm. As expected, at CES today, the digital camera maker unveiled its X-Pro1 mirrorless camera. The X-Pro1, which Fujifilm is aiming at pros like wedding and portrait photographers, features the X-Mount, a Fujinon-XF Lens, an X-Trans CMOS, and a new hybrid viewfinder, explained Kayce Baker, Fujifilm North America's director of marketing. The camera will be shipped in late February.

Fujifilm wouldn't say precisely at CES what the price will be, but Manny Almeida, vice president and general manager for Fujifilm North America, estimated that the body will run around $1,700 and lenses about $650 each.

The camera uses all glass, aspherical, and extra-low dispersion components, as well as a new aperture blade shape. It also has three new lenses: an 18mm f2, a 35mm f1.4, and a 60mm f2.4 macro.… Read more

Fujifilm unveils the X-Pro1 mirrorless camera at CES

Fujifilm took to the stage at CES to unveil its X-Pro1, a mirrorless camera that will set you back an estimated $1,700 for the body alone.

Lenses--and there will initially be three of them, though no zooms--will go for about $650 apiece, the company said. The camera and initial lenses are due in February, with pricing to be firmed up in late January.

Zoom lenses won't appear until 2013. At its press conference here, the company said it's aiming the camera at wedding and portrait photographers.

Last year, the Tokyo-based camera maker debuted a whopping 16 new point-and-shoot models, … Read more

Fujifilm spits out crazy number of FinePix cameras

I guess all the talk that smartphones are killing off point-and-shoots really isn't true. Or, maybe, someone just forgot to mention it to Fujifilm.

Along with bringing its latest X-series camera, the 26x zoom X-S1, to the U.S., the photographic and imaging company announced 18 new FinePix models for its 2012 lineup.

Several of the cameras are variations of other models (e.g. one with GPS, one without). It's no different than what Fujifilm did the past few years for CES, but I expected fewer cameras than this simply because of the seemingly diminished demand for pocket cameras (nonenthusiast ones, anyhow).

What isn't unexpected is the concentration on long zoom lenses and rugged models, the areas smartphones can't really touch at the moment. Even the very bottom of the line has a 5x optical zoom. … Read more

Fujifilm's pricey megazoom lands on U.S. shores in time for CES

Incorporating the same 2/3-inch EXR CMOS sensor as its smaller sibling, the FinePix X10, the Fujifilm FinePix X-S1 brings a higher-end sensibility to the megazoom market--along with a hefty price and design.

The X-S1 was quietly announced in Europe last November, but doesn't yet seem to be available there. We get it this month, for $799.95; the only megazoom more expensive is Leica's $950 V-Lux 3, Leica's twin of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150.

Because it uses a larger sensor than the typical megazoom, it has a smaller focal-length multiplier--3.9x, versus 5.6x for the typical megazoom with a 1/2.3-inch sensor--and therefore its f2.8-5.6 lens needs to be physically longer to achieve its 24-624mm-equivalent focal length. So it should come as no surprise that the camera weighs over 2 pounds, compared with, say, 1.2 pounds for the FZ150, and occupies over twice the volume. It's even bigger than some dSLRs.… Read more

My favorite point-and-shoot cameras of 2011

It's crazy just how many cameras were released in 2011 from the major manufacturers. According to camera site 1001 Noisy Cameras, the count stands at 203; the majority of those are point-and-shoots.

For us, a point-and-shoot is a fixed-lens camera (i.e. not interchangeable) that uses a 1/2.3-inch-size sensor. So, before you get all "Where's the Canon S100!" on me, we consider that and similar models enthusiast compacts because of their larger sensor sizes and target user.… Read more

Full-size megazoom cameras compared

Call them bridge cameras, longzooms, superzooms, or megazooms (as we do), they're all pretty much the same thing: a large lens slapped on the front of a point-and-shoot camera.

While that's a bit of an oversimplification, the fact remains that though these are full-featured models with digital SLR-style bodies, they still have the shooting performance and photo quality of a compact camera. That said, if you're after a long lens, point-and-shoot simplicity, and an affordable price (at least more so than for a dSLR that has comparable lenses), you've come to right roundup.

Editors' note: This post was originally published October 26, 2011, but is updated frequently. It was updated May 8, 2013, to include the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300.

… Read more

Will the Fujifilm FinePix X10 win over amateur shooters?

There are two ways to look at the Fujifilm FinePix X10. You can view it as a cynical attempt to capitalize on the fanboy frenzy of the X100 with a camera that looks a lot like it, but that lacks everything that made it desirable to the fans. Or you can look at it as Fujifilm's first serious entry into the enthusiast compact market, going up against stalwarts from Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic (and newcomers like Olympus), with a design and specs that don't look too shabby in that crowd. I'm taking the latter view.

Keep in mind, however, that Fujifilm hasn't released the price, which makes it close to impossible to say anything meaningful about the camera. So I'll frame it this way: unless it can deliver absolutely stellar, X100-class photo quality, which I doubt, then anything more than $599 is too much.

With that in mind, here's how I picture its competition:… Read more

Fujifilm X100 verdict: The next one should be great

From a market standpoint, the pricey Fujifilm FinePix X100 is a bit of an oddball. Though we traditionally call models like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 or Canon PowerShot G12 "large sensor" compacts, their CCDs are relatively tiny compared to the APS-C-size CMOS in the X100. ILCs like the Sony Alpha NEX or Samsung NX series have APS-C sensors, but they're higher resolution with smaller photosites. The X100 also sports a prime lens with a 35mm-equivalent focal length, while the less expensive, more mainstream-focused compact models incorporate zoom lenses; no matter how short the zoom range, a prime … Read more