Fujifilm X100S Review

I am old school. Twins lens Rollie film shooter. RB-67 user. A shooter 40 plus years. Mainly a Nikon guy, full time. I have the X100s and love it. It took me about a year to figure it out, due to the fact I only shot the camera three times in a year. I use the nikon full time and not much time to look at the settings and figure it out. Now that I had time over this summer to work with the X100s I thing it is a great camera. I thought the Fuji had a tough menu compared to the Nikon. I have five Nikon cameras and just use to the Nikon Menu. Since I had time with the Fuji I love the camera, IQ is good. Focus is OK. I am getting better with it.

I recently bought an X100S. I love it because it feels solid like my old Contax G2 (shame no interchangeable lens) and no fancy menus. I have used it in very low light conditions set at 6400ASA and monochrome. Results like old cafe shots -really have a lovely feel to images.

Just bought one, despite the lack of zoom, despite the follow-up 'around the corner', despite the limited auto-focus-modes, actually despite everything. I bought it for everything it does not have.

I love this camera, from the moment I picked it up in the store. Tried a lot of different models, but kept coming back to the X100S. No explosion of buttons on the back, no excessive feature laden menus, no bulky protruding zoom lenses, no auto-intelligent stuff doing what you don't want just as you fully press the shutter....

The Fuji X100s is very disappointing. I bought this camera to shoot like a digital rangefinder camera. The f/stop ring is nice but works in full stop increments only !!! Where have these Fuji guys been for the last 40 years ? The shutter speed dial is perfect, Bulb, T, and 1/4sec through 1/4000th sec. plus A. Then there is that exposure knob to the right of the shutter speed dial that allow 1/3 f/stops from -2 to +2. Perfect for dialing in that exposure that full stop increments wont give you, except is doesn't work in the manual mode. You have to use that rotating thumb wheel that I hate because if you press it just a tad too much you go into different modes.
Fuji had an excellent idea, a digital rangefinder, fixed focal length lens that could have been a perfect digital replacement to a Leica rangefinder of yesteryear - and they screwed it all up. I played with the camera trying to get used to the myriad of options that are all unnecessary. Sent it back.

I moved from a D600 to the X100s and for me that works. I also have a Sony RX100 when I need more focal range selection.
The X100s viewfinder is great and the 35mm is my favorite focal length.
Excellent image quality and it just feels right.

Please get someone ELSE, ANYONE ELSE to do this review next time, Whoever did the review photo's knows NOTHING about the Exposure Triangle.

I am considering the Fuji X100S. I have to rely on professional feedback from unbiased photographers. I used to have a Canon 10D , 20D and 5D as my professional cameras and used a small Powershot S45 as my "point and shoot". I was blown away by the accuracy of the S45 exposure metering system but was always disappointed with the 10D, 20D and 5D. I had to shoot in RAW to get good JPEGS. Highlights were always over-exposed. The point and shoot S45 always gave me good exposures in JPEG's, I never needed to use it in RAW ( it did shoot RAW).
My wedding photographer friend used an Olympus with a sensor that had two types, one for bright light one for normal. Result was no blown out highlights. Ne never used RAW and the JPEGS were always spot on.

My question is: How is the metering system in the X100S and how does the sensor handle contrast ? I don't want to shoot in RAW all the time.

How do you offer a fixed lens $1200 camera WITHOUT image stabilization? Or are you just saving that for the x100s2?

Honestly, those f2 samples are horrible.

I've now had my X100S for about 2 weeks and have been rotating its use w/ my Panny GX1 and Canon 6D. So, I've been able to do some comps of similar shots. Some thoughts: 1st, I note the painfully slow AF in low light conditions. The GX1's AF does very well in low light; I've owned 2 other m4/3 cameras and they have also had a pretty fast AF.

2) the incredibly noisy images at ISO 3200 and above.

3) the images appear very soft at f2 in low light.

That said, I really enjoy the X100S. I've overcome the slow AF and soft image quality (in part) by switching to manual focus. The manual focus ring is very responsive. I feel like it's just a matter of time/use before I get better at manual focusing.

The ISO problem, however, remains. Is it for daylight/bright interiors only?

The shutter is quiet. The only thing quieter would be an e-shutter or the shutter on the Sony RX1/100. This is the best feature of the camera.

And, it is extremely low profile (fits in my bag easily).

Again another camera that is not CanNik brand and all I can read about, great sensor, color etc but FUNCTIONALITY, the basic mechanic yet again is a failure.How long it would take them (Fuji,Sony,Olyimpus,Panasonic) to come up with product that will not fail within first year? I am not saying that 2 major players did not have horrible cameras on the market but in a much less percentage that all others...I am still waiting for decent compact camera.

nice review.
I have used the X100S and the RX1, both the best 35mm walkabouts at the moment. Both are truely excelelnt and its a matter of personal taste. The main advantage of the RX1 is the sheer cascade of detail. The main advantage of the Fuji is colours and price.
Look and handling is really up to the individual.

I used my Fuji X100s mostly as a "MONOCHROME" camera,
the X-Trans sensor is excellent for B&W.
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See some exemples : http://my-finepix-x100s.blogspot.com

I haven't upgraded my DSLR in years. I own a Canon 5D (original 5D) and it still works wonderfully. If I upgrade it will only be to a used markII, beacause of my budget. But for around the same price I could get the x100s which I would love to have. Unsure whether to upgrade my DSLR or just buy the x100s. Any advice?

Overexposed galore for the gallery!

Just chiming in that in order to get really nice colors in a Lightroom RAW workflow (similar to what you get in Apple's Aperture), you should make your own X100S DNG camera profile.

If you don't have access to a color checker chart you can download my X100S camera profile and see if it makes any difference: http://fredrikaverpil.tumblr.com/post/53053979867

Where is NX300 review???

if there's one thing i wish fujifilm would tweak for the x100s it would be to extend the shadow dynamic range. i always feel there is a fight to prevent clipping blacks, tweaking in post to raise shadows and lower contrast, and somewhat distorting the natural feel of the image

the dynamic range of the original x100 is incredible, the shadow dynamic range is almost 3 stops extended over the x100s, in the s-s mode. now i know why x100 images can look so soft and natural

in the end i'll probably have to just work with a more limited dynamic range, or shoot RAW since RAW images tend to look a lot less clipped in the blacks, but it would be nice if fujifilm could extend shadow DR to levels similar to XE-1

Hey where did my post go? I replied to a poster who had questioned the testing method of the X100S in relation to the Nikon A and Ricoh GR and thus the scoring between cameras reviewed.

My reply was something along the lines of; I noticed in the review that dpreview called the Nikon A and Ricoh GR "pretenders" and wondered if dpreview worked a sweet resellers deal with Fuji in order to sell the X100S in the dpreview GearShop.

I must have struck a nerve and considering the very real trust issues dpreview is having with members concerning the GearShop and it's relation to honest reviews going forward I shouldn't be surprised they chose to axe my post.

Hard to be objective, honest and transparent when chasing the almighty dollar.

Don´t worry Barnaby . Yes it took time but We like the review ! :D

"Jpeg rules. RAW is for posers."

Johnsonj's post is meaningless. It only illustrates his ignorance about the advantages of shooting RAW vs. JPEG.

A knowledgeable photographer will be aware of the advantages/disadvantages of both RAW and JPEG and will select the image file format based on the situation and his/her particular requirements.

Good easily-understandable explanations of the advantages of RAW vs. JPEG can be found at http://luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-raw-files.shtml and http://bythom.com/qadraw.htm.

I own the X100S and a Canon 5D3. The X100S has all but replaced my 5D3 for family outings and candids. It's a wonderful camera with wonderful IQ. If you understand the need for an aperture ring and a shutter speed dial, and being your own judge of exposure, you understand this camera. If you don't, you don't. The only other manufacturer who understands this market segment is Leica. The Gold Award is well deserved.

You definitely won't ever need to use RAW with this camera. The RAW mode is already cooked just as much as the jpg mode. I don't see that as a plus though.

When I don't intend to edit the image at all I use jpg. When I want to edit the image I want all of the data to be there and that is not possible in RAW mode with this camera.

How in the world could you describe this as a serious professional camera. It basically doesn't have RAW? If Nikon or Canon did this everyone would be complaining majorly.

Isn't In Camera RAW Noise Reduction a beautiful thing? Oh wait, you can't get that data back if you want it? Ok, never mind.

At base ISO I really couldn't see how this camera had any better image quality than the Olympus OMD. If you stick the excellent Panasonic 20mm F1.7 lens on the Olympus or the upcoming Panasonic GX7 you would have the same image quality(or Better) for about the same price.

The biggest difference is that you could also then have an interchangeable lens camera. I don't think that the X100S is a bad camera. I just think that the fixed lens compact category offers no benefit over an interchangeable lens compact camera.

It looks like a good camera in a niche market. If you are shopping for a camera in this market I am sure you would give this camera a nice long look.

That is pretty much the definition of the Gold award. I camera that excels in its particular category. If they only gave the gold awards to the absolute best performing cameras then the only cameras that would get the gold awards would be ones that most of us couldn't afford.

I would never buy this camera because I need a lot more flexibility than it can offer. However, I definitely would recommend that other people who need this particular type of camera look at it.