Fujifilm x10

If you are not hung up on interchangeable lenses, this little camera could prove handy

I love clicking pictures, but regular point-and-shoots just don’t do it for me. And while I could buy a DSLR for this price, it would be too big and awkward to lug on a holiday. Yes, there are Micro 4/3rds. And now, there is also the Fujifilm X10, which is not a Micro 4/3rd format camera, as it does not have interchangeable lenses, but an interesting option all the same. And not just because its magnesium alloy, retro-style body is designed like a rangefinder from the 1960s.

Perhaps because it is such a small camera, its exposure compensation dial is placed on top. The power button has been done away with, and it turns on when you rotate the zoom lens from lock position. It turns off when you rotate back to lock.

There is an optical viewfinder too. While it covers only 85 per cent of the image being shot, it has this great ability to zoom in when the camera’s lens zooms into a shot. The camera’s front only has an auto focus and manual focus switching mechanism. Its rear, however, is loaded with buttons and has a 2.8 inch (7.1 cm) LCD screen. The lens is 28–112 mm (4x, that is), and its aperture is between f/2 and f/2.8. The flash may be small, but is good for regular shots, and there is also a hot shoe for external flash units. The camera can shoot HD videos and macro images from as close as 1 cm (distance to lens).

It is a nice camera if you can live without interchangeable lenses. Its small size is easy to work with, and it packs enough power and versatility to let you do a lot of work you would expect of larger cameras. It fits perfectly in one’s hand, and does an especially good job of capturing indoor and low-light pictures.

It can also store images in raw format. This means you can touch up your images  after you shoot them, doing things like optimising the colour or hue by deciding the ‘white balance’ for each image.

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