FujifilmX-S10 With a user-friendly look, great feature set and a competitive price, does the X-S10 have the attributes to attract non-Fujifilm users to the fold? FUJIFILM.EU/UK
Big test
PRICE: £949
SPECS
› Price £949 body only, £999 with XC15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, £1299 with XF18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS, £1399 with XF16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR › In the box Li-ion battery NP-W126S, USB cable, headphone adapter, shoulder strap, body cap › Sensor 26.1-megapixel back-side illuminated X-Trans CMOS 4 › Sensor format APS-C 23.5-15.6mm. 6240x4160pixels › Lensmount Fujifilm X Mount › ISO range Native range ISO 160- 12,800. Expansion to ISO 80, 100, 125, 25,600 and 51,200 › Shutter range Mechanical shutter 15mins to 1/4000sec, B to 60mins. Flash sync 1/180sec or slower › Drivemodes Up to 8fps with mechanical shutter, up to 20fps with electronic shutter, up to 30fps with 1.25x crop. Pre-shot mode › Exposure system PASM. TTL 256 zones. Multi, spot, average, centre-weighted › Exposure compensation Stills +/-5EV in 0.3EV steps. Movie +/- 2EV in 0.3EV steps. Autoexposure bracketing up to 9 shots up to +/-3EV in 0.3EV steps › Monitor 3in LCD, 1.04m dots, touch › Viewfinder 2.36m dot OLED finder › Focusing system Intelligent Hybrid AF (TTL contrast/TTL phase detection) works down to -4EV in phase detect. Face/eye detect › Focus points 91 in 13x9 grid, or 325 in 25x17 grid. Selectable in single zone, zone, wide › Image stabiliser Five-axis in-body image stabiliser with max benefit of 6EV. Digital image stabilisation and Electronic shutter 15mins to 1/32,000sec, B to 1sec fixed. IS Mode boost in movie › Video DCI 4K 4096x2160 29.97p/25p/24p/23.98p 200Mbps/100Mbps up to 30min. 4K 3840×2160 29.97p/25p/24p/23.98p 200Mbps/100Mbps up to 30min › Movie format MOV and MP4 › Connectivity USB-C 3.2, HDMI (type D), 3.5mm jack for mic/ remote release, Bluetooth › Other key features 18 Film Simulation modes, HDR mode, grain effect, dynamic range setting, advanced filters. Built in pop-up flash › Battery NP-W126S Li-ion, capacity of 325 still images approx › Storagemedia 1xSD UHS-1 › Dimensions (wxhxd) 126x85.1x65.4mm › Weight 465g (card and battery) Contact fujifilm.eu/uk
WORDS AND IMAGES BY WILL CHEUNG
IMAGES Just check out the X-S10’s handgrip. It’s big, which helps make the camera very comfortable to use
is provided by the NP-W126S battery – the same cell used onmost Fujifilm X Series cameras – giving about 325 shots per charge, and there’s in-camera charging via the USB-C port. With a mains-connected adapter, full charge took less than two hours and charging with a power bank also worked fine. The X-S10 is a very compact camera, smaller and lighter thanmost DSLRs andmany mirrorless models, suiting photographers of all levels who are keen to downsize. I had the X-S10 sitting next tomy X-T2 and it was clear that the new camera was shorter, thinner and not so wide. It was also obvious howmuch bigger the X-S10’s handgrip is, not just compared with the X-T2, but also in general terms. When I am out shooting, I like to carry the X-T2 in my right hand with the strap wrapped aroundmy wrist for security. I’ve always been happy with this and found the
grip comfortable. With the extra depth and girth of the X-S10’s grip, it felt so muchmore secure inmy hand and the extra room for fingers meant my grip could actually be more relaxed and, consequently, less fatiguing. I’ve nothing but praise for the super-sized grip. The camera’s build is reassuringly solid too, and it feels really robust, although it is worth noting that the body is not weatherproofed. As part of Fujifilm’s plan tomake this camera less intimidating to the uninitiated, there’s no dedicated ISO dial, but rather a button behind the shutter button. I’m someone who likes to tweak ISO as I shoot, so having a button here is ideal. Typical of Fujifilm, the ISO button is one of several controls that can be dedicated to adjusting ISO – of course, this applies to previous models, too. So if you prefer having the ISO button working as something else, there are 60 other options, and then you can dedicate the Fn or movie record button to adjust ISO – both have the same number of options. Or you can set it using the touchscreen – you can swipe up, down, left and right, and there are 55 options for each of those actions. The thumb-operated rear command dial works with exposure compensation – a dial in the same spot carries out this function on other Fujifilm cameras. Though on the X-S10, it does have other roles. Inmanual exposure mode, it works as a shutter speed control, plus it lets you scroll throughmenus or AF zones in conjunction with the focus lever. On the downside you can’t look down at the dial and see at a glance what compensation value is set – you need to check the monitor or EVF.
THE FUJIFILMX Series has many options for DSLR photographers looking to gomirrorless, withmodels such as the X-T30, X-T4 and X-Pro3 offering different body styles and control layouts at various price points. Those three cameras share the same 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, which has proved itself to be a top- drawer performer since it appeared in the X-T3, which came out in late 2018. Fujifilm’s latest arrival is the X-S10, which is also centred on the same sensor and processing engine – the X-Processor 4 – but there has been innovation in its body shape and layout, so it’s a departure from some existing models. Its unmarked dials, pronounced pentaprismprofile and sizable handgrip are all aspects designed to be more user-friendly and tempt current low- tomid-range DSLR users who are keen to gomirrorless and
are looking for a more familiar-looking camera. That is backed up by a deep feature list for stills andmovie shooting for a good price – the X-S10 with the XC15-45mm f/3.5-4.5 OIS PZ costs £999. We’ve already mentioned the sensor and processor, so let’s briefly run down a few other headline features. The X-S10 has a five-axis image stabiliser that is 30% smaller and lighter than that found in the X-T4. It has a benefit of 5-6EV, depending on the lens used. You can shoot at 30fps using the electronic shutter with a 1.25x crop or 20fps without a crop, and 8fps uncropped with the mechanical shutter, while autofocusing is handled by an intelligent on-sensor phase and contrast detect system that can work down to as low as -4EV. For movies, the X-S10 has options to shoot DCI and UHD 4Kwith ports for headphones (via an adapter) and a microphone. Power
I’VENOTHINGBUT PRAISE FOR THE SUPER-SIZEDGRIP
30 Photography News | Issue 84
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