Ken Rockwell Reviews the Fujifilm X100T

Ken Rockwell:

The Fuji X100T is the world’s best digital camera because no other camera has its ability to capture great photos perfectly in any light, all usually on the very first shot. It’s also the world’s quietest camera, with a completely silent electronic shutter. […]

The X100T has an astonishing combined optical and electronic finder that allows perfect viewing of anything in any light. A lever push selects each one, and even shooting with the optical finder the just-shot image can pop up for review! New in the X100T is the ability to use the optical finder and have an electronic inset at the bottom right to magnify a focus area. No other brand of camera can do any of this.

The X100T is a mechanical jewel, made at least as well as a $7,000 LEICA M240, with all-metal dials, lenses and top and bottom covers.

I own and adore the year-old X100S. The T update brings face detection, Wi-Fi, the silent electronic shutter, and a few other improvements, but not enough for me to consider upgrading. This is a great camera.

Rockwell writes:

Just like the older versions, ergonomics are superb. The X100T is designed for photographers, not computer programmers. The X100T has all the dials and controls we need right at our fingertips, not buried behind a function button.

The menu/settings system could use a thorough redesign, but in terms of shooting controls — having aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation as analog dials is just wonderful. It feels like a camera. And image quality is excellent. It’s a little too big to fit in a pocket, but it’s way smaller and lighter than my Canon SLR. I already have a good camera in my pocket; the X100 series hits a sweet spot for me, between image quality, photographic control, and weight. $1300 isn’t cheap, but in my opinion there aren’t many cameras left that (a) cost a lot less than that; and (b) are good enough to justify carrying them around instead of just shooting everything with your iPhone.

★ Thursday, 11 December 2014