Still amazing camera in 2023

I bought my first copy back in 2017, but for some reason sold it a year later. Don't ask...I have no idea why I did that. My second copy arrived in 2019 and I'm 100% sure I won't be selling this one. The camera holds a lot of punch and images are really great. In my opinion, this 16mp sensor produces way batter colors than my X-T2 and X-T3. The lens is sharp & contrasty, quite surprising for such a small unit. The maximum aperture seems to be more than enough for everyday shooting.

AF is snappy, accurate but not blazing fast. It works really good with enough ambient light although you might miss some shots in extremely low light conditions. Overall, I would rate it quite good.

I bought WCL-X70 wide conversion lens so the camera right now can shoot 4 different focal lengths (14mm, 28mm, 35mm and 50mm) which on its own, is simply AMAZING. Btw, I can not recommend more the WCL-X70, if you but the camera, get it.

Batteries on X70 last forever. I shoot only with original Fujifilm NP-95's. I haven't tried third party offerings. I can spend a whole day taking hundreds of photos with only two fully charged batteries.

All in all, I'm convinced this is still the best compact APS-C camera on the market...value to money ratio. I know many will disagree, but I truly believe that. Great ergonomics married with touch/flipy screen and superb picture quality makes X70 a great companion for many diffrent shooting situations.

Some nice images you captured, well done. Thanks for the review of this little gem

Much appreciated.

Your preference for X-Trans II is totally understandable to a minority of us who like that rendering. I recently went back to it from X-Trans IV - a move that few would make. However, I’m back to a look that I prefer. 16 MP resolution seems ideal to me from the APS-C sensor. I’m seeing less noise along with that gorgeous jpeg color pop.

I bought one when it first came out and it converted me to Fuji from Pentax.  At the time the reviews were rather lukewarm and there was some criticism of the lens shartpness, I seem to remember.  I never found anything to complain about. It was rather odd that the X70 had a very short run and I was surprised a few years later how well it held its price and it seems it became a sort of cult camera.  The only reason that I sold it, was that I wanted a truly pocketable camera to complement the XT2 and then XT3 which I later acquired largely as a result of my positive experience with the X70.

I concur with most of your well considered thoughts, but for me the ergonomics didn’t work at all. The three buttons immediately to the side of the screen were so close to it that they were unusable. (Had Fuji pulled the rear panel back to be flush with the screen, there would have been no issue.)

It’s also a decidedly two-handed camera (thanks largely to the aperture ring and the left-leaning distribution of its significant weight). I am probably a little conditioned by long experience with the Ricoh GRs here, which are designed explicitly—and extremely successfully—for one-handed use. As soon as I need a second hand on a camera I instinctively want to put it to my eye and look through a viewfinder, and the X70 trips me up here.

There’s no denying the quality of its output or the control and capability that it provides; I just found it a slightly misjudged competitor for the GR. It probably makes more sense when not viewed in that context. Ultimately I found the XF10 was, despite its myriad flaws and idiosyncrasies, a better street shooter and a better complement to an ILC, thanks largely to being much more usable in one hand.

... and still hope there will be a small X80 with new CAF, sensor, lens, flash and a retractable small EVF

The price of X70 on the used market have gone parabolic. I've seen LN condition selling on Ebay for over $1000 USD. I'm not sure if camera is worth that much but then again it's all about availability and demand.

I sold my first X70 copy hoping Fuji will release X80 in 2017/2018. At this point, I'm not sure if they will ever do that. Even if they come up with a replacement camera, it won't have that beautiful 16mp sensor.

X-Trans II is simply stunning!

Good shots, and beautiful colours indeed. I was contemplating this camera as a compact option with the older sensor and prime lens, but I prefer a 35-40mm equivalent focal length, and a faster lens. Couldn’t find a clean X100T, so I settled for an X-A10 with 23mm f1.4 R. That turned out to be a better kit for me. The large aperture and no need for a viewfinder.

X70 offers FF equivalent 28mm FOV but it also shoots in 35mm and 50mm mode. I found a cheap TTArtisan viewfinder which works really well. I guess if you need a faster lens, Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 prime is the awesome choice.

SenicPhoto wrote:

X70 offers FF equivalent 28mm FOV but it also shoots in 35mm and 50mm mode. I found a cheap TTArtisan viewfinder which works really well. I guess if you need a faster lens, Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 prime is the awesome choice.

Yes it does have a 35mm mode by keeping the full resolution with some digital trickery. But indeed the main idea was to have that 1.4 aperture.

Funny thing, this camera.  I have heard (read) from several that had sold theirs, later regretted that sale and searched for another.  I had mine sold but noticed a crack in the LCD screen so the sale fell through.  Sure enough, 2 years later changes in my life once again made this the perfect camera for me.

Now I'm not at all sad that I had cracked the LCD

When it was launched, it was rated as premium compact APS-C camera. I think the best at that time. In the past 6 years many other cameras were launched to compete in this segment...I believe X70 still holds on in comparison to some more technologically advanced counterparts.

Thanks. I just ordered TTArtisan 21/28mm viewfinder. I'm not expecting miracles but it just might be crazy enough to work.