Has Fujifilm, of all people, finally made me my Digital Hexar? This new FinePix X100 certainly looks the part. Fast fixed lens: check. Fast sensor: check. Claims of fast autofocus: check. Finally, check out the freaky hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder system! Pretty nice.
Overnight update:
The photo blogosphere was all aglow with the news of this new machine. In particular, over at TOP you could almost feel the drool over the Internet wires. There were four classes of comments:
1. “WOW, WANT!” Sure, I can agree with this.
2. “Fuji will sell a ton of these because we all know what everyone wants is exactly a niche enthusiast camera!” Well, no. Enthusiast photographers, like all enthusiasts, want something every different from all other users. They tend to just not know it. That’s why no one has done a camera like this before. It won’t sell in large numbers. Just ask Konica about the Hexar. Also, there is little chance that this camera sells for much less than $1000. You don’t sell large numbers of $1000 cameras with fixed lenses and a relatively limited feature set.
3. “Where is the interchangeable bayonet mount?” These people are the same ones who cannot use small cameras because of their huge ape-like fists.
4. “Boy this would have been great as a film camera!” Um. Yeah. Sure.
Also, I would like to register my annoyance with the constant use of the term “analog” to describe dial-style controls with click stops and numbers on them. These dials are sending digital signals to a little computer inside the body of the camera just like all other controls on a digital camera wouild. Just get over it. Sheesh.
Anyway, to summarize: WOW. SHINY. WANT.
If you remember the Panasonic DMC-LC1 (aka Leica Digilux 2), which was similar in concept (traditional dial controls, high-quality non-removable fast lens) I got exactly the same feeling seeing the Fujifilm X100, even more than seeing the Leica X1. The LC1 was saddled with a relatively crummy EVF and somewhat sluggish performance but handled great and took JPEGS out of camera that didn’t require a lot of fiddling to look nice on the screen.
The X100 is a little too precious-retro* the same way the New Beetle and 2006 Mustang are and the rumored prices I’ve heard (US$1700) are in line with the LC1′s sticker shock as well. I have the feeling that it’s going to be just as niche-y, with diehard legions who will swear to its superiority mainly because no one else will have a chance to use one. And as for everyone who swears up and down that they’ll get one once they’re out, well, these are the same people who clamor for an AWD diesel stick wagon on TTAC and yet never pony up the money when the product is out.
I like the X100. It looks great. I’m not sure that the want button is getting pushed hard enough, even though a 35/2-equivalent is all kinds of awesome and would serve me until I went blind.
* (precious retro = look at us! industrial design peaked forty years ago!)