FUJIFILM X-S1 / SHOOTING REPORT

Reviewers go out with several cameras at one time. Because we use so many cameras every day, we somewhat know how to use them even if they are new. But, to be honest, we sometimes have a difficulty in using their functions fully at the location and we do fail to shoot great moments because of the unfamiliarity with them. When I shoot privately, I usually take two cameras with me. One is the main camera to shoot most scenes and the other is the sub camera to shoot the scenes that the main camera cannot deal with. And, I use them only after I mastered them because I may fail with a camera that is not a part of my body. What I introduce this time is the Fujifilm X-S1 featuring a high-zoom lens with an amazingly wide range from 24mm to 624mm equivalent! Yet, the max aperture is as bright as F2.8 at the wide-end and F5.6 at the tele-end. Plus, it gets as close as to 1cm with macro mode. So, it shoots just about anything and it can even work asda main camera. Or, it’s a super sub camera to work with the compact X100 or X10. While on a journey, you can shoot most scenes with a 28-105mm because of the reasonably high speed. But, sometimes you want a telephoto lens around 300mm and will appreciate a camera like this one.

( Photography & Text : K )

High-zoom lens. Sharp throughout the range.

You may wonder if the image quality were sacrificed because of the wide zoom range, but it’s sharp throughout the zoom range and the max aperture is still F5.6 at the tele-end. To feature a full frame, it has to be a monstrously giant camera. And, if it were designed just to realize the high-zoom, the image quality would have been degraded. And, most importantly, the X-S1’s image quality meets the X brand standard.

Around the tele-end. This lens outperforms conventional high zoom lenses that are softer and prone to ghosts and flare. Of course, it can’t beat the sharpness of the fixed-focal lens of the X100 or the "low-zoom" lens for the X10 (the price has to go up to rival them). But to my surprise, it closes with them. Yet, the body is even smaller than a standard SLR camera. A decade ago, I had to carry a telephoto lens like a cannon as if I were practicing asceticism…

To take this ground level shot, I zoomed in toward the tele-end from a distance. The tilting new LCD offers a freedom of camera angle. The color tones of JPG outputs will be favored by people who have been shooting slide films. The standard "PROVIA" ode is almost perfect, but you’ll also love the landscape shots with "Veivia" mode.

Testing Fujifilm’s exclusive dynamic range extension

Testing the "dynamic range (DR) extension" which is a tradition of Fujifilm’s digital cameras. I believe it’s set to AUTO by default, so I manually set it to 100% and 400% to make a comparison. The image with DR100% has a slight level of highlight clipping and it looks just like the real scene. At DR400%, the dynamic range is extended to reproduce richer tonal gradation even if it’s a bit saturated (check the shadow area of the most remote part). By extending the dynamic range, the ISO sensitivity automatically increases (to ISO400 at DR400%). But, it generates no distracting noise and it doesn’t degrade resolution. While you can shoot with DR "AUTO" regularly to leave the clipping as it is just like we do with other cameras without this function, you can also use the DR extension to get wider tonal range. And, it will be perfect for monochrome outputs as well.

Film-like rendition. Freedom of angle of view.

The color reproduction is deep just like films. And, thanks to the macro mode, the high-zoom lens, and the image stabilization, you can shoot almost anything in any occasion with this one camera. Enjoy the power of pulling remote subjects and the freedom of angle of view.

For those who worry about the on-sensor AF.
Actually, it surprisingly works just fine even at the tele-end. But, because it’s a contrast AF, it’s poor at focusing against direct backlight and on low-contrast subjects. Of course, if you want to shoot moving subjects, choose other camera. Yet, manual focusing is easy with this camera because the zoom ring and focus ring operate smoothly. Overall, this camera has an excellent total balance for intuitive control.

X100 for thin depth of field. X10 for everyday. X-S1 for everything else.

While the X100 and the X10 may overlap in their designated fields, you may pick the X100 to use the thin depth of field and soft rendition and the X10 for everyday use. But, there’re scenes that only the X-S1 can capture. It works perfectly as a main camera and super sub camera, and it will definitely expand the field of shooting. There’re many other high-zoom cameras with compact sensors. But, if you are attracted to the rendition of Fujifilm cameras including the X100 and the X10, go for the X-S1. Now, you don’t have to carry many cameras and lenses anymore!