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Fujifilm X-T10 reviewed: pint-sized photo perfection

You know that feeling when you get something so right? Well, the folks at Fujifilm must be walking around with the biggest of smiles on their faces at the moment because they’ve nailed it. They have managed to produce a camera that does everything the most demanding photographer wants to do and does not cost the earth.

Available in black or silver.

The Fujifilm X-T10 is billed as the little brother of the X-T1. Besides its form factor, there is nothing little about it. The X-T10 uses the same X-Trans II APS-C sensor and EXR II Processor that has helped its big brother make a serious dent in the market. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a 2.36 Million dots OLED with a 0.62x magnification that means it’s slightly smaller than the 0.77 of the Xt-1, but it is possibly the best EVF viewfinder that I have ever used.

Layout and design

What attracts me to this camera is its simple no-nonsense design, there is nothing there that you don’t need. While it is similar to the X-T1, the lines are a little harsher and well defined, in the end you have a much cleaner looking camera. The magnesium alloy body comes in either silver or black painted version. The incredibly small footprint of the X-T10 is a serious plus – it measures just 118.4×82.8×40.8mm which makes it a street photographers dream.

On the top plate, you will find three dials. The ISO dial of the X-T1 is gone and is replaced by a mode dial, which makes much more sense to me. On the other side the shutter speed dial and exposure compensation dial remain. On both sides under the mode and shutter dials are the levers for the pop up flash and a lever to switch between full auto SR+ mode and manual mode. There are scroll wheels both on the front and the rear of the camera, in addition to scrolling they can be pressed and assigned custom functions.

The small body makes the X-T10 perfect for candids and street photography.

The XT-10 comes with Fujifilm’s revamped AF system, already loaded on the camera, which was spot on every single time we used it. The superfast zone focus system makes it perfect for those situations when you need to catch a fleeting moment. What’s really impressive, though, is that the light sensitivity of the phase detection has been boosted by an incredible five times. The sensitivity threshold is now only 0.5EV, this has made the world of difference. There is no more focus hunting in low light or backlit conditions, in fact, it is better than most of the high-end cameras that I have tested, even with the slower 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 lens.

The image quality out of the X-T10 is what you would expect. JPEG images are crisp, with fantastic colours, which is just as well. At this stage the camera is so new, the RAW converter software isn’t available yet. But the JPEG engine has great dynamic range and low noise levels.

Beyond the body

The Remote application for smartphones is very well done.

One feature that resonated with me was the ability to connect the camera to the dedicated “FUJIFILM Camera Remote” application. With this app, you can focus and trigger the camera release from your smartphone. The app not only lets you adjust focus, but also control settings like shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity. You can even apply other settings like Film Simulation, self-timer, and flash while “Touch AF” lets you focus from your phone. This is a great little weapon to have in your arsenal when you are out on the streets shooting and don’t want to be noticed. I managed to get some great images with my camera strung around my neck and shooting from my phone.

What Fujifilm has created in the X-T10 is an incredibly high performing camera, that not only looks fantastic but can hold its own against many cameras in much higher price brackets. This is a street photographer’s camera, a beginner’s camera, and a studio camera, in fact, this is a camera that everyone should consider owning.

The X-T10 is expected to retail at R8999.00 for the body only, R9999.00 with the 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens and R12999.00 with the XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens (which on it’s own is worth R7999.00).

If you are in the market for a camera at the moment, do not buy anything without having a look at the X-T10. Actually, just go buy the X-T10.

Still not convinced? Check out the gallery below.

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