image courtesy: Mike Kobal

(the X100S will blow you away ;) )

MIKE KOBAL: Very solid, increased refresh rate and resolution when in EVF mode, better feel of the focusing, aperture, shutter speed and +- control rings, “in good as well as mediocre lighting conditions auto focus can be blazingly fast. Nikon V1/V2 fast. [shoplink 8520]Olympus OM-D[/shoplink] fast. Yes, my friends, it is that good!“

And here is the video where Mike compares the [shoplink 8518]RX1[/shoplink] and X100S. He will, among the others, show you the AF-performance in low light. The X100S is a bit faster. In his RX1 review here he says that”Auto focus performance is the Achilles heel of the RX1 with non static subjects […] Battery life sucks on the X100S, not a big deal, I have two spares on me when I am out.” A detailed comparison will follow in the next days. I’ll keep you updated.

BRIAN KRAFT: You know, Brian updates continuosly his website, with his findings about the X100S. Look at the updated PROS and CONS section here. This time he photographed a wedding. Just click here to see read his considerations and the images. Here an extract:

“I’ve never been much of a manual-focus-photographer, but I was really surprised how often I found myself going to the manual focus with focus peaking yesterday.[…] Since it was so dark and using the OVF is not helpful in that situation, I was using the EVF. However, for flash photography, your camera settings are not set bright enough to very effectively use the EVF either. Except… with focus peaking engaged, you could see those white contrast lines show up in the dark and could know whether you had focus or not. Loved it! Also, please note for those wondering about the low light ISO capabilities (FYI- I did shoot RAW). I happen to love the grain structure of the X100S and so I did very little noise reduction on these– most have no noise reduction at all, even many of the ISO 4,000, 5,000, and 6,400 photos. If you’re looking for the cleanest shots possible– the camera can do it very well– […] The camera is capable of producing an amazing dynamic range.”

And here you can make your guess. There is the same picture shot with the [shoplink 7748]Canon 5D Mark III[/shoplink], Fuji [shoplink 8618]X100S[/shoplink] and [shoplink 9135 ebay]Fuji X100[/shoplink].

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

image courtesy: Brian Kraft

GERMANY:
X100S: At ebay, but you have to pay €140 extra. If you can’t wait for it, then click here for the ebay store.
X20: There is one black in stock here at AmazonDE for €555 (third party reseller). Also ebay has it here for €549.
ITALY:
X100S: At ebay here or here or here (delivers in 16-18 days).
X20: At ebay here (€529) or here (€495 – delivers in 16-18 days).

image courtesy: pocket-lint

Pocket-lint posted his X20 review. They assigned to the X20 five out of five stars (the RX100 gained 4½ stars here). Read why in this review. Here just the verdict:

“The Fujifilm X20 is not only the camera that irons out its predecessor’s orb-related imaging issues, it’s also the camera that pushes image quality up a notch to class-leading levels. The chunky, retro-styled build doesn’t make the X20 the tiniest of models and the design, even just aesthetically, won’t suit all tastes – but we’re big fans and think its looks are just as stand-out as its images. The advancement of the camera’s optical viewfinder with its digital overlay is also welcome, even if the limited field of view and inconsistent – yet unavoidable – presentation of focus areas can frustrate a little. Yet, and in context, we can’t think of a better OVF in a camera at this price point. There may be no touchscreen and no vari-angle bracket mount, but we have no care. The one thing that the X20 has missed out on – in order to make the very most from its 28-112mm f/2.0-2.8 equivalent lens – is a built-in neutral density filter. Sounds small, but we’re surprised at its omission. That small blip aside and this is high-end compact camera perfection. We’ve got a lot of love for the X20, and it’s given us a lot of love back. The high-end compact camera hierarchy has a new champion: all hail the Fujifilm X20.”

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
Sony Cyber-shot RX100: [shopcountry 8524]

What a review week! And the best is yet to come, with the X100s and X100 comparison of Rico Pfirstinger tomorrow at the X-pert corner. So, don’t miss it!

1) This video is a nice introduction to the two new Fuji cameras. Among the others you’ll see how Chris captures a driving car with the [shoplink 8618]X100s[/shoplink]: the image is sharp and in focus, confirming that Fuji massively improved the AF-performance.  At minute 7:05 the big question: [shoplink 8524]RX100[/shoplink] or [shoplink 8620]X20[/shoplink]? According to our poll (at the bottom) most of you would choose the X20 (58%).

If you already have the X100 or X20, is it worth upgrading? Chris says: yes. But look at the video here.

2) 74 JPEG photos (from ISO 100 up to ISO 25600) and a 1080p movie taken with the new Fujifilm X100S are online at the photographyblog (click here).  [UPDATE: Or read the full review here (thanks Andy): ““Quite simply the new Fujifilm X100S is one of the best cameras that we’ve ever reviewed and joins its illustrious predecessor as a worthy winner of our coveted Essential! award.”]

X100s: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonDE / AmazonUK / AmazonITA / DigitalRev
X20: AmazonUS (black – silver) / BHphoto (black – silver) / Adorama (black – silver) / AmazonUK (black – silver) / AmazonDE / AmazonITA / DigitalRev

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