Fujifilm X100: Something Truly Different

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/13/fujifilms-x100-hybrid-viewfinder-demoed-on-video-gets-us-all-s/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/13/...-gets-us-all-s/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Imagine a retro-styled, Micro Four Thirds-sized compact camera with an optical viewfinder. Now, imagine that same camera having a switch that throws all sorts of useful data into your line of sight."</em></p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/Az6dt1InIg4&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Az6dt1InIg4&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /></object></p><p>Real, honest-to-goodness breakthroughs in the digital camera space are a bit more rare than the marketing folks at the camera companies would have you believe - many features are just tweaked versions of previous features. The Fujifilm X100 though offers something that I haven't seen before: an optical viewfinder that overlays image data in real-time. Pretty slick! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOhR2O4C054&amp;feature=player_embedded#!" target="_blank">This video</a>, although a bit herky-jerky (that's a hard thing to shoot!) shows you how this functions. Nicely done Fujifilm! Hopefully the image quality will stack up, because that's one nice little camera. I'm not a big fan of the retro design, but it does have a certain cachet. Too bad I missed this at CES!</p><p>This is random, but isn't it weird for Fujifilm to continue to have the world "film" in their company name? It seems odd when talking about a digital camera...</p>

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

FujiDigital! :P

I think I mentioned this before: It's a rangefinder with one of the two windows replaced with a LCD display.

[ptyork]

Speaking of something truly different...Jason Dunn has changed his avatar. My world view has been shattered. Maybe it'll inspire me to actually create one. :)

Not sure how I feel about a P&S with a fixed focal length of 23mm (35mm equivalent), non-interchangeable lens. Kinda like carrying around a 35mm prime with a camera attached. But I love the "full" APS-C sensor size in that compact frame. And the cool LCD overlay on the rangefinder (not really THAT innovative, though, as this seems like the same tech overlaying the viewfinder on my 7D). Very interesting. And I agree, a welcome change from the tweaks and me too's.

[Jason Dunn]

Speaking of something truly different...Jason Dunn has changed his avatar. My world view has been shattered. Maybe it'll inspire me to actually create one. :)

I change it every so often - maybe once a year or so? I'm excited about the Thor movie so I thought I'd change it. :D

And the cool LCD overlay on the rangefinder (not really THAT innovative, though, as this seems like the same tech overlaying the viewfinder on my 7D). Very interesting. And I agree, a welcome change from the tweaks and me too's.

I'll let Lee explain this one. It's a bit different than what we have in our DSLRs. :)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

OHAI

Most modern DSLRs use a simple LCD (monochrome) display to show simple information. The overlay is in the one optical path through the reflex mirror.

The X100 uses a rangefinder design, which uses two optical paths not formed from the main lens; they're traditionally two seperate windows above the image capturing lens. Here Fuji removed one window and replaced it with an EVF. The camera can use the EVF to overlay contextual data, like a digital camera, or shut the optical viewfinder and use the EVF only for more accurate framing.