Photography News issue 21

Preview

SPECS

FIRST LOOK FujifilmX-T10 Fujifilm’s latest X-series CSC promises class-leading performance and portability at a great price. We got our hands on a pre- production sample to check out its potential

PRICE £499 body only, X-T10 and XC16-50mm kit £599, X-T10 and XC18- 55mm kit £799, with

black and silver finishes available CONTACT fujifilm.eu/uk SENSOR

X-Trans CMOS II 16.3 megapixels, 23.6x15.6mm (APS-C), 4896x3264 pixels SENSOR FORMAT APS-C 23.5x15.7mm, 1.5x crop factor ISORANGE 200-6400, extended settings 100, 12,800, 25,600 and 51,200 for JPEG only SHUTTER RANGE 1sec-1/32,000sec (electronic shutter), 30secs-1/4000sec, B (max 60mins), T (30secs-1/4000sec), flash sync 1/180sec DRIVEMODES Up to 8fps METERING SYSTEM TTL 256-zone metering, spot, average EXPOSUREMODES PASM EXPOSURE COMPENSATION +/-3EV in 0.3EV steps, AE bracketing up to +/-1EV MONITOR 3in, 920K dot FOCUSING Single, continuous, manual. Focus points 49 areas on a 7x7grid, wide/tracking AF from 77 areas on 11x7grid, zone AF selectable with 3x3/5x3/5x5 areas from 77 areas on 11x7 grid VIDEO Full HD 1920x1080 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p, 14 mins continuous recording max CONNECTIVITY USB 2.0 STORAGEMEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-1) DIMENSIONS 118.4x82.8x40.8mm WEIGHT 381g body only

With the X-T10’s ability to shoot at 8fps and its AF-C feature, action subjects fall well within the remit of this CSC. For this hands-on, we tried the X-T10 alongside an X-T1 running the current firmware (v3) with the 56mm f/1.2, 50-140mm f/2.8 and the 55-200mm f/4-5.6. In this brief hands-on look, the X-T10 did seem to be quicker and more responsive, especially in busy crowd scenes. The X-T1 could be slightly more random, especially in face-detection and multi-zone modes, with the wrong subject latched onto or results just not sharp. The X-T10 seemed better and more decisive in general use, but quick-moving subjects like passing traffic proved more challenging. We’ll have to wait for the full production model to arrive before passing judgement on the new AF system. The X-T10’s body and feel belie its relatively lowly price tag. With top and base plates made from die-cast magnesium, the body has a reassuring rigidity to it, although the body is not environment-sealed. The camera does feature an integral flash, although it’s low powered even for a pop-up unit with a 5GN at ISO 100 so its use and range are limited.

Words by Will Cheung

The Fujifilm X-T1 has struck a chord with many photographers, not just for its retro styling but also for its all-round high performance and ever- increasing lens options. Its price – currently £879 body – put it beyond the reach of many so the idea of a budget X-T1 is an obvious follow-up for Fujifilm to launch. The X-T10 is like a cut-down, more compact version of the X-T1 and sells for £499 body only. You would think that for that price, the X-T10 would share little with the X-T1, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Features wise there’s a good degree of common ground. It shares the same excellent CMOS X-Trans II sensor with built-in phase detect AF and the AF system itself is completely new. It uses 49 zones for fast, accurate AF there is an option of a Zone and Wide/Tracking modes that track subjects using a larger 77-point AF area. Existing X-T1 users will also be able to enjoy the same AF system when the new version 4 firmware is released.

ABOVE Our pre-production X-T10’s exposure system proved spot-on producing excellent JPEGs. Shot with a Fujifilm 18-135mm zoom lens.

Photography News | Issue 21