Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

P

Phil Graham

Honorary PhD
Mar 10, 2011
651
1
18
Atlanta, GA
Hey all,

Thinking ahead to the holidays, and considering asking for a non-DSLR camera. Local photographer Zack Arias (Photography By Zack Arias) has steered me towards the Fuji line. He swears by the X100s, but the new X20 is more appropriate for my level of use. I'm drawn to the look, the build quality, and the dual dial control system.

I know there are some serious and accomplished photographers around these parts, and I'm hoping that people can recommend me some other alternatives to the Fuji in a similar form factor, and at a similar price (<$600 us). I'm not looking for big, chunky DSLR, nor do I really care about a bunch of swappable glass. I'm pretty intrigued by the x100s fixed 23mm lens, actually.

Thanks!
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

I've really really been enjoying my Fuji X10 (which is the older but very similar version of the X20). I mostly use mine to capture setups of various events so I tend to value low-light capabilities above all else. As a point&shoot it is very quick and easy, yet captures great images every time I allow it to.
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

Phil,
If you're not afraid to go used, you can probably pick up a used X100 (not X100s) in that price range. A friend who has a Nikon D300 as his main rig uses the X100 for point and shoot / travel and raves about it, and the photos he has shown me from the X100 are absolutely stellar, way more than good enough IMHO.
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

Jeff Babcock said:
Phil,
If you're not afraid to go used, you can probably pick up a used X100 (not X100s) in that price range. A friend who has a Nikon D300 as his main rig uses the X100 for point and shoot / travel and raves about it, and the photos he has shown me from the X100 are absolutely stellar, way more than good enough IMHO.
Click to expand...

Jeff,

That thought has crossed my mind, but Zack is very negative on the autofocus of the X100, but that might just be his professional photographer standard. I'm not a stickler for ultimate image quality and sensor awesomeness, but autofocus is something I'd want to work well.
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

More money, but if you don't mind a lack of zoom, the Ricoh GR is worth a solid consideration. The image quality is up there with with the best APS-C DSLRs, Ricoh's build quility is excellent, and it fits in your pocket.

On a more conventional note, DP Revew has a nice roundup of the high-end point'n'shoot cameras at Roundup: Enthusiast Zoom Compact Cameras: Digital Photography Review that's probably worth a look through. I was a big fan of the Canon S95 when it came out, but time has passed and while it's still a good camera, I probably wouldn't replace it with the current Canon model.

As far as brands for compact cameras go, some seem to "get it" better than others. Ricoh (Pentax) and Fuji both seem to "get it" when it comes to photography, and it shows in their cameras. Olympus seems to be about a half step behind them in this regard. Sony, despite doing lots of market research and throwing lots of technology at the problem, still feels like a consumer electronics company, not a camera company. What little I've seen of Samsung is similar. Nikon does pretty well with their DSLRs, but I've never really liked their compact cameras. Conversely, the Canon compact cameras have traditionally been quite good, if not outstanding. Their DSLRs have always seemed a step behind the Nikon models (with the exception of the 5D).

Of course, the fact remains that pretty much any camera in that price range is going to be able to take excellent images, and the real differences come down to the ergonomics. You really need to make your way to a camera store and get some hands-on time with the various options and see what works best for you.
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

Do any medium-price non-SLR digital cameras have an eye-level viewfinder other than the Nikon 1 models? I can't stand holding a camera at arm's length trying to compose on the big LCD screen, I wanna put it up to my eye. I don't care if the eye-level finder is optical or digital.
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

Dave Barnett said:
Do any medium-price non-SLR digital cameras have an eye-level viewfinder other than the Nikon 1 models? I can't stand holding a camera at arm's length trying to compose on the big LCD screen, I wanna put it up to my eye. I don't care if the eye-level finder is optical or digital.
Click to expand...
The Fuji S3xxx Series do have an electronic viewfinder, but then at around £130 (about $210) they are in the cheaper end.
FinePix S Series FinePix S3400 / S3450 | Fujifilm Global
 
Re: Camera people: Fuji X20 alternatives

Dave Barnett said:
Do any medium-price non-SLR digital cameras have an eye-level viewfinder other than the Nikon 1 models? I can't stand holding a camera at arm's length trying to compose on the big LCD screen, I wanna put it up to my eye. I don't care if the eye-level finder is optical or digital.
Click to expand...

The TTL-mirror-prism-ocular mimicking viewfinders seems to be disappearing at an alarmingly steady rate, obviously because the demand just isn't there. The cost of a high resolution small screen makes the saving by omitting it quite substantial, and I fear the trend will only continue. Fortunately, there are still a few to choose from, but I don't know any with what I would call a really good viewfinder (megapixel, high contrast).

Going back to the OP, I guess most of us quite often use our cameras for stage stuff , in other words low light, compromised shooting position etc, so a good lens with enough optical zoom range and good stabilization is a must. Digital zoom is generally crap and shouldn't be factored in.

I'd say these days, some of the cameras in the Panasonic Lumix DMC series are the "best" compact-ish cameras with a proper viewfinder.
 
Top Bottom