Picture courtesy of Fujifilm

According to Leica Rumors, the Fujifilm X100 started shipping in Japan, US shipping is estimated to begin in a few weeks. This flickr user is one of the lucky first to receive the camera. (He’s also got a side-by-side comparison with the Leica M3 — the two look remarkably similar!)

On Photo Rumors, there is also a post with many links to X100 sample pictures. Also, if you’re fancying the camera, make sure to check out the X100 discussion forum over at RFF.

I’m really curious to read the first reviews, and I’m seriously hoping for Steve Huff to give us his famous ‘real world’ opinion soon.

UPDATE: The same aforementioned flickr user shared his first impressions of the camera over at Steve Huff’s website. His (preliminary) verdict: “The X100 is not a rangefinder camera and is not an alternate for the M9. [Who would’ve thought!; Ed.] (…) What the X100 does well over the M9 though is close-ups, useable high ISO output, good auto white balance, clean JPG output, silent shutter and pocketable size. And, lots of fun!”