X100S vs Nikon Coolpix A

Mike Kobal posted a “mini-review” where he compares the [shoplink 10075]X100S[/shoplink] (with [shoplink 10069]wide angle converter WCL-X100[/shoplink]) and the [shoplink 8820]Nikon Coolpix A[/shoplink] (both feature an APS-C sensor and don’t have an optical low pass filter).

Among the others, Fuji “scores” because its faster AF, better handling and ergonomics, while the Nikon has a better battery life and lens (“This lens/sensor combo delivers the sharpest shots I have seen from an APSC sized sensor. Scary sharp, really.“) And which sensor is better? Hard question. “I love the X trans sensor and I love the D800e sensor and now I also love the Coolpix A sensor :) where will this end? Getting rid of the AA filter paid off again, mind blowing detail, if you like your images ultra sharp, then this sensor is for you. My personal choice is the X trans. 1:1 Fuji/Nikon (subjective)“

Check out Mike’s whole review here. Here is his bottom line… and keep up the good work Mike!

“Anyone who needs to pack light and small for whatever reason (expedition, extreme sports, etc), can live with the 28mm equiv FOV, has no choice, the Nikon A is the one. Unlike us purists, with both feet solid on the pavement, we do have a choice, Leica or Fuji X100s. :)”

Fuji X100S: [shopcountry 10075] Nikon Coolpix A: [shopcountry 8820] Fuji WCL-X100: [shopcountry 10069]

And who’s the winner for you? Just vote this poll:

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 X-E1 vs OM-D vs GH3

Admiring Light compared the Panasonic GH3 (with [shoplink 8220]Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4[/shoplink]) with the Olympus OM-D and the Fuji X-E1. As we already heard from other reviews, they conclude that:

“Well, the X-E1 is a camera with fantastic image quality, that much is certain.  Not surprisingly, it produces cleaner images throughout the ISO range and retains great detail. Is the Fuji the best of these three cameras then? In pure image quality from the sensor? Yes. In other ways? Not so fast.”

Read it all and see ISO comparison here at Admiring Light.

Fuji X-E1 [shopcountry 8215] Panasonic GH3: [shopcountry 8219] Olympus OM-D E-M5 [shopcountry 8520]

image courtesy: Admiring Light

image courtesy: dpreview

And here it is! The XF14mm review of dpreview is online. The reviews we’ve read until now praised the new Fuji-lens, justifying its price. And also dpreview says that:

“[…] it turns out to be an exceptionally good lens. At the apertures you’d most often shoot a wideangle it’s exceptionally sharp right across the frame, and it’s almost perfectly-corrected for distortion and chromatic aberration. […] In the case of the XF 14mm F2.8 R, the exceptional cross-frame sharpness at normal working apertures, and almost complete lack of distortion or chromatic aberration, substantially outweigh the soft corners and vignetting at F2.8. Ultimately, the truly excellent image quality that it’s capable of delivering earns it our top award.”

Check it out here.

Fujinon XF14mm: [shopcountry 8628]

image courtesy: Cnet

Cnet tested the X100S and assigned to that camera 3.5 stars out of 5 (“One note on the rating: if it seems low — the same as the X100 despite all the improvements — that’s because it now has competition that it didn’t have two years ago when the X100 debuted. That includes the vastly more expensive but full-frame Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1, but more importantly a direct challenger in the Nikon Coolpix A. If necessary I will adjust the rating on the X100S in mid-April after I’ve gotten a chance to test the Nikon“).

It’s a great improvement over the X100, but the X100S has its quirks (which camera hasn’t?). The annoying issues are: autofocus inconsistencies, middling lens performance at f2 and an irritating control dial. Let’s focus on the Aperture:

“f2 is close to unusable, bad enough that if I hadn’t seen the same problems after looking back at my X100 shots I would have thought I had a defective unit. It’s not too bad beyond about 10 feet, but for anything closer it’s fuzzy in the center with what looks like convergence issues and extremely distorted at the corners of the image. At f2.8 it almost looks like a different lens, snapping into sharp focus in the center; you have to bump up to f4 before the edges are all relatively sharp.”

image courtesy: Cnet

But, overall, a very good camera. So the conclusions are:

“There’s enough improved in the X100S over the X100 that I think it’s worth the extra money over the now-reduced-price model: it delivers better performance, photo quality and usability. While the photo quality and lens can’t match that of the [shoplink 8518]Sony RX1[/shoplink], it’s still a great camera at $1,000 less. And though I haven’t yet tested the [shoplink 8820]Nikon Coolpix A[/shoplink], that camera lacks a viewfinder, which for some folks may merit the X100S’ extra cost.”

Check out the whole review (and see the first-look video) here at Cnet.

X100S: BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / AmazonDE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / DigitalRev / your ebay / your Amazon
X20:  BHphoto (black – silver) / Adorama (black – silver) / AmazonUS (black – silver) / AmazonUK (black – silver) / AmazonDE / AmazonITA / DigitalRev / your ebay / your Amazon