Another X100 review emerged on the interwebs, this time by the renowned Japanese website DC Watch. It is available in Japanese only, but you can translate it to a number of languages via Google translate.
The DC Watch review features many product shots, shots of the different viewfinder modes, goes deeply into technical details, and features many sample shots, comprising brick wall resolution and distortion tests as well as ISO comparisons.
As has been observed earlier and elsewhere, the X100 holds up remarkably well at higher ISOs. I wouldn’t hesitate to use the camera at 3200 ISO regularly. 6400 shows quite a bit of ugly banding, but it’s still usable.
While DC Watch’s reviews regularly feature quite interesting and well-composed sample pictures, the quality of the X100’s images still doesn’t convince me that it’s the better buy over the Leica X1. Don’t get me wrong — the X1oo’s IQ is very good indeed. But the pictures simply lack the magic the Leica X1 is capable of producing.
Meanwhile, due to the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Fujifilm have halted the production of the X100, meaning the market introduction outside Japan will be delayed until further notice.
Overshadowed by the terrible events in Japan (my thoughts, hopes and best wishes are with the people of Japan), I would like to present you some news on the Fujifilm X100, which recently went on sale in Japan, and will be available for purchase in other parts of the world soon.
The British Journal of Photography have received a review unit with the final firmware, and went for some (admittedly pretty uninspired) street shooting with it. These lines in their article I found particularly noteworthy:
The retro design look is just perfect, and, as Adrian Clarke of Fujifilm told us earlier this week, was a conscious choice to appeal to professional photographers – the initial design for the X100 was too “futuristic,” Clarke told us, and engineers had to go back to the drawing board.
(…)
(…) [W]hen it comes to autofocus, you can run into a few problems, especially if you’re a budding street photographer trying to grab the “decisive moment” – you’ll most likely miss your shot.
(…)
The hybrid viewfinder is a beauty. Switching from electronic to optical is fast and simple. Without any doubt, it’s the camera’s best feature!
Here’s the flickr gallery with their first sample shots. While they look decent, I find nothing “special” in the look of these images. Might be that they’re straight-from-camera JPEGs, though.
On Leica Rumors, the X100 vs. X1 comparison continues with sample pictures both as straight-from-camera JPEGs as well as SilkyPix developed RAWs. The X100 RAW developed pictures look a lot better than the JPEGs, in my opinion. But please make your own judgement.
Again, my thoughts are with the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I sincerely hope that, with the help of the world’s nations, life Japan will return to “normal” soon.
 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!”
Our spanish-speaking friends at quesabesde.com have gotten hold of an X100 and written a little preview on the camera. Among some product shots featuring male human hands as a size comparison, they also include some sample pictures ranging from 200 to 12,800 ISO. Pretty cool! Don’t miss it!
UPDATE: I couldn’t check the sample pictures yersterday as my internet connection at home broke down. Well, what can I say: The X100 holds up very well until ISO 6.400, which seems perfectly usable to me, provided you get the exposure right. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot ISO 3.200 regularly (which will be necessary for available darkness shots, given the lens’ initial f/2 aperture).
In this Korean forum, several alleged Fujifilm X100 sample pictures have been posted. Most are shot at 200 ISO, with some at higher ratings up to 6400. If these are real, image quality looks quite good. Mind these could be fakes, and that they’re reduced to web size where things tend to look much better than at 100% magnification.
Source: rangefinderforum.com
UPDATE: Even more X100 sample pics in this Japanese blog. Source: rangefinderforum.com.
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March 15th, 2011, 5:18 pm | 
