Fujifilm X-T10 Digital Camera: review, reviews

Fujifilm X-T10 is a mid-range mirrorless camera aimed at enthusiasts wishing to possess the quality and flexibility of the X series, but in a smaller, lightweight and more affordable version than its flagship. Announced in May 2015, the camera became a new branch of the line, although in many respects similar to the X-T1, especially after the latest firmware updates. Fujifilm X-T10, whose price is $ 650, refers to devices of the average price range.

Elite filling

The Fujifilm X-T10 has the same 16 megapixel X-T1 X-Trans sensor (and other latest models) and mounts for any X-mount lens. The image processing processor provides the same quality as the best camera in the series. In the center of the sensor there are many built-in AF points, thanks to which you can be sure of continuous focusing - until the object leaves the phase detection area. In addition, the Fujifilm X-T10 demonstrates the new AF zoning capabilities introduced with the latest firmware update.

The screen has the same resolution and tilt mechanism as X-T1. The viewfinder, although with a smaller magnification, but with a flagship OLED display. The speed of continuous shooting depends on the memory card used, the conditions of photography and the number of frames, and is 3 to 8 fps. Full HD video is recorded at 24, 25, 30, 50 or 60 fps. The minimum shutter speed is 1/32000 s, there is built-in Wi-Fi.

Fujifilm X-T10: Design overview

The device is a compact camera in the retro style, which resembles a slightly reduced version of the flagship X-T1. Its dimensions are 118 x 83 x 45 mm and weight is 381 g with a battery. This makes the Fujifilm X-T10 or Olympus OMD EM10 Mark II one of the smallest cameras with an interchangeable lens and an outstanding up-view viewfinder in the style of DSLR devices.

When comparing dimensions and weight, it is necessary to consider optics. The camera is usually sold in two sets of Fujifilm X-T10 Kit: with a cheaper lens of 16-50mm F3.5-5.6, which adds 62mm to the depth and brings the total weight to 576g, and with a more expensive XF 18-55 mm f2.8-4, which increases the dimensions by 70 mm and weight up to 691 g.

Fujifilm X-T10 comparison with the EZ 14-42 mm optics set for Olympus loses, as the folding design of the latter adds only 23 mm to the size and brings the weight to 483 g.

Obviously, Fujifilm X-T10 camera with optics is the biggest and heaviest of devices of this class and will not fit in the pocket of a coat. But still the device is much smaller and lighter than comparable DSLR-cameras, and non-laying optics provides the best quality of photography.

The standard capture of the camera is small, and the user with large hands will probably prefer something else. But do not get upset, because you can additionally purchase and install a grip of a suitable size. Of course, it will be less convenient than the devices of a higher class.

No mirror or mirror of the middle price range is water resistant. To do this, you have to invest in a semi-professional package, such as the X-T1. Nevertheless, according to the users who tested the camera under severe conditions, there were no problems.

Control system

From a management standpoint, the Fujifilm X-T10 shares the philosophy of the X-T1, albeit with a number of adjustments and even improvements. As with the flagship, there is no mode dial. Instead, the devices implemented the approach of old film cameras with a shutter speed regulator in the upper part of the case, combined with a diaphragm ring on the lens.

The exposure mode is determined by the position of these two adjusting dials. If both are in position A, the X-T10 is set to the program mode, at which the shutter speed and aperture will be set automatically. If you leave the shutter dial on A and turn the focus ring, the aperture will be given priority. If the opposite is done, then the exposure will be an advantage. If both discs are in a position other than A, the camera will switch to manual tuning.

This is familiar to everyone who worked with old SLR cameras, but users of digital devices will find the lack of a mode dial unusual. They also note that the disk speed control of the shutter between 1 and 1/4000 s has divisions in 1EV increments. If you need large shutter speeds (up to 1/32000 sec.) Or smaller (up to 30 sec.), Or divisions of 1/3 EV are necessary, the closest value should be set on the shutter dial and then use the front control dial. Photographers find this too complicated and call such a solution "retro for retro". Is it really easy to work a shutter disc, or is it just a tribute to style and nostalgia? Perhaps the owners of X-T1 are happy with this decision, but X-T10 users are a completely different contingent.

Fujifilm made the camera more friendly for beginners by installing a switch that turns the camera into fully automatic mode. Photographers consider this very convenient, especially when you need to quickly take a picture or transfer the device to another person.

To the right of the shutter dial on the X-T10 is the exposure compensation wheel with a range of +/- 3EV. It is similar to a disk in X-T1, only slightly smaller and more difficult to rotate, which, according to users, has solved the problem with a random offset from the flagship. The shutter release is located between the two discs, but, unlike the X-T1, has a thread for connecting the cable. The old guard, perhaps, will appreciate this curtsey to the past, which is doubtful with respect to modern photographers, as it is almost impossible to get a phototroke today. Instead, you can use the USB port or Wi-Fi to remotely control the camera.

To the left of the viewfinder on the X-T10 is a DRIVE adjustment dial with a lever that pushes the built-in flash. This means that there is no ISO-disk present in the X-T1, but you can easily configure the button on the rear panel to gain access to the sensitivity. The drive mode selector allows you to select continuous shooting parameters, including panoramas, bracketing and special effects.

The rear control panel X-T10 exactly corresponds to the X-T1 in layout and functionality. Users are happy with the fact that the buttons are now slightly larger than before, which allows you to better control the pressure. Such trifles as this, in the end add up to a big difference. You can customize the function of the four transverse keys, along with the dedicated function button at the bottom right, as well as the video button on the top panel.

DRIVE-disk and the rear control dial are now possible to press, which gives them greater flexibility than in the X-T1. If the thumb button is reserved for focus, the action caused by pressing the front dial can be adjusted - for example, to use to set the ISO sensitivity.

Viewfinder and rear panel displays

Pressing the Q button brings up 16 settings. You can configure which parameters are presented here and in which order, which allows you to quickly find the right one. Users are advised to add the Face Recognition option here for faster access to it than through the regular AF menu.

These 16 screen buttons just require a touch screen, but unfortunately Fujifilm resists adopting this technology. Users call this a shameful situation.

The X-T10 screen is a 3-inch 920k-dot LCD panel that can be tilted upward 90 ° and down 45 °.

The electronic viewfinder uses the same 2360k-dot OLED display as the X-T1 flagship, but its increase is below 0.62x. Viewfinder X-T10 inherits the trick X-T1: when the camera rotates for portrait shooting, information about the parameters moves to the bottom of the display with a rotation of 90 °. Users find this very convenient, especially when most of the frames are shot in this orientation. This is so obvious and useful that it is unclear why so few cameras offer such an opportunity. And at the same time, the information on the back panel for some reason does not change the orientation.

Data on the shooting parameters of the X-T10 are no different from X-T1. You can turn on the electronic level displaying the virtual horizon line, histogram, focal length indication, framing frame and focus. All of them can be presented in the viewfinder or on the screen, and the DISP button allows you to easily clear the screen if you want. A sensor located below the viewfinder allows you to automatically switch between it and the screen, or you can force the display with the View button to the right of the viewfinder.

Connectors

Speaking of ports, the X-T10 is equipped in the same way as the X-T1 - a USB2 port, a 2.5mm connector and a micro HDMI connector located on the left side of the case behind a removable cover. Like the X-T1, a 2.5mm jack can be used to connect an external microphone or cable, and the RR-90 remote descent device can be connected to the USB port. A 2.5 mm plug for an external microphone is not ideal, since most of them use a 3.5 mm jack to which you will need to purchase an adapter, although video shooting on Fuji cameras can hardly interest anyone. In addition, the X-T10 is equipped with Wi-Fi, which also allows you to use the device with iOS or Android as a remote control.

Users note that the connection of the Triggertrap cable to the USB connector, unlike the XT1, does not lead to light. The Fujifilm X-T10 Body is better protected from light penetration, even when the connector cover is open. This was confirmed by long exposures in bright daylight.

Food

Battery power - NP-W126, is the same as the models XT1, XE1, X-Pro1, XE2, XM1 and XA1, which allows the use of spare parts of any device line. According to Fuji, its capacity should be enough for 350 shots. This is confirmed by many users with the caveat that video and Wi-Fi are not used.

The X-T10 is equipped with a traditional AC charger, although users would like to be able to recharge through the USB port, as implemented in Sony cameras. It would be convenient in the absence of a nearby outlet to recharge the battery with portable USB-batteries, car adapters or simply through the laptop port.

The location of the SD-slot and the battery next to the tripod mount of the Fujifilm X-T10 camera users' reviews is called inconvenient, since the tripod blocks access to them. This concerns a few, but still ...

Two sets of optics

The camera is equipped with a Fujifilm X-bayonet, which, with an APS-C sensor behind it, has a 1.5x zoom factor. With the Fujifilm X-T10 Kit XC 16-50 mm and XF 18-55 mm, the zoom is adjusted to an equivalent field of view of 24-75 mm and 27-83 mm respectively.

The camera comes in two sets of lenses - with a budget Fujifilm X-T10 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 XC and a more expensive XF 18-55 f2.8-4. In its lenses, the manufacturer uses the LMO optics modulation optimizer, which corrects image blurriness caused by diffraction when shooting with a small aperture, and also adjusts the softening to the edges and corners of the frame. LMO acts by default, but only for JPEG. On the RAW-format it does not work. According to users, this kind of cleverly balanced processing makes Fujifilm cameras the best in the industry for the quality of compressed images.

Both lenses allow optical stabilization of the photo.

Fujifilm X-T10: overview of shooting modes

The camera does not have a mode dial. Instead, as with previous devices with X-bayonet, it recreates the system of adjustment of old mirror film cameras. The shutter speed dial is located on the body, and the lenses are provided with diaphragm rings. If both discs are set to A, the camera goes into program mode.

For the same purpose, there is a separate button. It is convenient for novice photographers or for quick exit from unusual settings. One click brings the camera to full automatic mode, and the second one returns the previous settings.

Available exposure values are from 1 s to 1/4000 in 1EV increments. The minimum synchronization speed of the flash is 1/180 s, for which a special position is indicated on the dial scale. Shutter speeds that are beyond the specified range or manual mode can be adjusted in 0.3EV increments. If you set the exposure to T, you can select the shutter speed from 1/4000 to 30 seconds using the front dial.

Also on the shutter dial, there is option B for manual exposure, which can last up to 60 minutes while the shutter-release button is held down. Unfortunately, it is impossible to remotely set exposure for more than 30 seconds using the smartphone application, even in manual mode.

Fujifilm X-T10 also has an electronic shutter. The function is added by updating the firmware. If it is switched on together with the mechanical one, the X-T10 uses the latter for speeds up to 1/4000 s, after which it switches to the electronic one for values up to 1/32000 s. Impressive shutter speed, as the maximum of what analogs are capable of is 1/16000 s.

Like all electronic shutters, there may be problems with skew if the camera or object is in horizontal motion. But under normal conditions, a high shutter speed can be used with bright apertures without the need for ND filters. The mechanical shutter is quite quiet, slightly quieter than the OMD EM10 II, but not much.

Automatic bracketing (AEB) is available, but surprisingly modest, offering only three frames in 0.3 increments; 0.6 or 1EV, which makes it a bit more useful than a simple shot. HDR is absent. The only positive aspect is that the entire 3-frame AEB sequence can be called up with a single press of the shutter button or the self-timer. This allows the camera to capture all frames without additional pressing. Users are unhappy with the lack of 7-frame bracketing Olympus OMD EM10 II and Panasonic Lumix G7.

ISO bracketing, film simulation, dynamic range and white balance are also available , but the X-T10 disables RAW recording, leaving only JPEG. This is strange, because the other modes allow RAW or RAW + JPEG images.

Multiple exposure allows you to take two pictures and combine them.

ADV mode allows you to apply one of eight additional filter effects:

• Lomography,
• Miniatures,
• Highlighting colors,
• Light tone,
• Dark tone image,
• Dynamic tone,
• Soft focus and
• Partial color with six sub-variants (red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple).

Thanks to the effects, you can achieve an unusual result, but for the video you can not apply them. It's a shame, but when using advanced filters RAW file X-T10 does not record.

At the end of the DRIVE disc is Panorama mode, which allows you to select its length with panning in any of the four directions. To capture a panorama of the Fujifilm X-T10, an instruction explaining the procedure will appear on the screen at each stage of the process. During shooting, the camera will capture several images and merge them into one. The process works well enough, the seams between the images are invisible.

Rummaged in the menu, you can find an interval timer, allowing you to save up to 999 frames with an interval of one second to a day. In addition, a delay of up to 24 hours can be set before the survey begins. True, the camera does not allow you to assemble the video, as in Olympus and Panasonic. Users of this feature would not hurt, because competitors offer this option as a standard, with a resolution of 4k and a speed of 30 fps .

Another set of effects is available with a film simulation function that serves to simulate the effects of different types of film. The default mode is Standard Provia, which provides a good balance of contrast and color without being too bright or saturated. To achieve greater contrast and saturation of the palette, you should choose the option Velvia, which, according to users, is best for shooting landscapes. The more discreet Astia option enhances the body shades and is recommended for portraiture in natural light conditions, like Pro Neg Hi and Standard. To create good vintage frames, the option is Classic Chrome, "Sepia" or one of four monochrome modes, three of which use yellow, red and green filters. Users are advised to use the option "Monochrome + red filter" to darken the blue sky and detail the structure of the clouds.

Focusing and continuous shooting

Fujifilm X-T10 is equipped with the same hybrid autofocusing system as the flagship X-T1, using technologies based on contrast and phase detection. The AF system, depending on the shooting mode, is divided into 49 or 77 zones throughout the frame, and the phase detection area, consisting of 9 3x3 points, is centered.

X-T10 also displays on the screen or in the viewfinder the distance to the marked object in the form of a strip that changes its size to indicate the effective depth of field, depending on distance, focal length and aperture. It's interesting to use.

In the AF setting menu, you can choose between three modes:

1. "Single point" allows you to manually assign one of 49 AF grid points with a size of 7x7.
2. The "Zone" and "Wide / Tracking" modes use an array of 77 points with the size of 11x7. In this case, the first option groups them into small areas of autofocusing of 3x3, 5x3 or 5x5 size and all around the frame - this is convenient for focusing the camera in one area or another, allowing automatic selection within the allowed limits.
3. The third mode transfers the right to select the AF zone to the camera software.

The face detection function is activated in the focus settings menu. After that, you can set the option of detecting the eyes with the choice of the left, right or nearest eyes. If the face is not detected, the X-T10 switches to the previously selected AF mode, which makes it easier to work with the camera compared to the original X-T1 firmware.

The AF options can be changed using a small disc on the front of the chassis.

Single AF with the use of complete lenses X-T10 fast, captures the subject in good light with a minimum pause. In low light, it will take 1 second to focus. This is inferior to the Panasonic and Olympus cameras, but is approaching them, which is a huge improvement over the previous X models.

Continuous AF can produce very good results, but it largely depends on the position of the subject on the frame, the autofocus zone mode and the lens used. In X-T10, 9 AF point detection points are concentrated in the center of the frame. They are automatically activated when this option is selected with the quick capture option.

Users note that the best result for moving objects is achieved when using the zone mode. Even when one AF area was within the object, X-T10 often tried to capture more than the required number of frames. A wide mode is able to track the movement of the subject throughout the frame, but if it goes beyond the points of the phase AF, the camera experiences difficulties with focusing. Switching to zone autofocus, although it improved the result, from the series of 10 frames only 6-8 were focused.

Optics also have a big impact on image quality. Users get better results on XF, and not on lenses with a constant focal length. It is significant that Fujifilm, advertising the capabilities of the AF X-series, invariably uses XF 50-140 mm f2.8, and the user manual XT1 and XT10 recommends only optics with variable focal length.

The manual focus mode, completely inherited from XT1, is one of the best among analogues. By pressing the center of the rear control dial, you can call up "Manual focus assist". In this case, the XT10 increases the selected AF area to the full screen for immediate confirmation. Press again to return to the previous state.

When you hold down the button, you can choose one of two options - highlighting the focus peak and digital bifurcation of the image.

• The first highlights the focused objects, which is especially useful when used in combination with zoom when pressing the help button again.
• The second splits the image, like film SLR cameras. In X-T10 a small window in the center of the frame with a black and white picture, divided into five bands. When the picture is out of focus, the stripes move relative to each other, showing the object in a slightly shredded way. As you focus, the bands overlap.

The option works well when the image contains clear lines, but on more uniform objects it is often difficult to understand whether the strips are aligned or not. Users find the highlight of focused objects more useful, especially in combination with the increase in the frame.

Wireless connection

Fujifilm XT10 is equipped with Wi-Fi, which allows for wireless image transmission and remote control of the camera from a smartphone with iOS or Android. After launching the application, 4 options are offered: remote control, receiving and viewing snapshots and geotagging.

Thanks to the remote control, you can view the image, shooting information and access the control buttons. Pressing anywhere on the frame changes the AF area, which somewhat compensates for the lack of a touch screen on the camera itself.

Sensor and processing

The Fujifilm X-T10 is equipped with a 16-megapixel Advanced X Trans II CMOS sensor, exactly the same as the X-T1. It uses a unique color filter that avoids the moiré effect and eliminates the need for an optical low-pass filter, providing enhanced image clarity, while the APS-C format and modest resolution means low noise at high sensitivity. Version II refers to the built-in AF points.

The sensitivity is in the range from 200 to 6400 ISO with an extension of the range from 100 to 51200 ISO. Like X-T1, the enlarged range is only available in JPEG format.

Users using the minimum sensitivity for maximum exposure are dissatisfied with the lack of RAW for 100 ISO, as they have to be satisfied with the white balance and processing options embedded in the camera.

In general, the camera in question is an ideal solution for those wishing to possess the characteristics of X-T1, but they can not afford to purchase it. Compared to the Fujifilm X-T10, the price of the flagship is more by 60%.