Hello X20

Taking the Plunge.

After spending two or three weeks reading camera reviews and ultimately deciding which retro camera to buy, I found myself in the electronics shop today looking at the Fujifilm X20. As a looked at the display model there was something very familiar about it, like I'd already owned it but had lent it to a friend.

I have an old Nikon D70, but typically when we go out I tend to leave it at home. It's starting to get a little long in the tooth (I bought it second hand 7 years ago), and although it takes great pictures I find it a little too bulky and obtrusive for everyday use. Then I saw the Pentax Q10 and the current crop of retro styled cameras and fell in love. In my eyes these are what cameras are supposed to look like. Just like the ones we grew up with. But ultimately the range finder and the great reviews for Fuji's X20 swung it for me.

The Fujifilm X20 alongside my D70

First Impressions

If you read a few reviews on the X20 you find yourself reading over and over again how the weight is just right and how nice it feels to hold. And after removing mine from the box I can see why, it feels solid and sturdy, with quality machined controls, plenty of quick setting buttons (like I'm used to on my Nikon), yet weighs a modest 350 grams. I won't go into all of the technical specs because there's loads of good professional reviews that probably do a better job, but here's a few test shots to show off what it can do.

My First Test Shots

Macro mode:
Camera set to 28mm at F2 gives these great shots in normal macro mode.

Macro Mode

This shot shows off the great colours in natural light. There's also a super macro mode that enables you focus down to 1cm from the object.

Flash:
There's a neat little pop up flash to the right of the range finder although there's also a standard hotshoe mount for a full size flashgun.

Flash Photo

This photo was from about about one and a half meter away and shows no signs of over exposing or red-eye.

Fluorescent Lights:
To give an idea of how the camera handles auto-white balance I asked my son to take my photo under the kitchen strip lights.

Fluorescent Lighting

Seems to show a pretty good skin tone despite the hash lighting, again doing a good job of setting the right exposure and producing a sharp picture.

(NB. All of these photos have had the minimum of tweaks so you get a good idea of how the camera handles the different shots.)

Summary

Well I can't find anything bad to say about it so far. It's taken some good photos without really trying hard and didn't break the bank. It's got plenty of manual controls for camera geeks who are used to SLRs, yet my seven year old son was able to use it without problems. I can't wait to start taking more photos and exploring what it can do. What a fantastic little camera!