A couple days ago my combined birthday, Father's Day, and "only if you sell off an older camera" (my wife) present arrived. I had been obsessing over a the X70 in my search for the perfect walkabout and travel camera. B&H Photo listed a used X70 in 9+ condition for a $110 less than new. My fate was sealed.
![Fujifilm X70]( "Fujifilm X70")
Now I am trying to figure out if I am satisfied with it.
I am not going to review specs, but suffice to say the camera is well appointed. The small size is perfect. I generally prefer composing off the LCD, so a viewfinder, to me, is optional. It is solidly built, and feels and looks very cool.
So why the hesitation? Sharpness. I am unsure if my used copy of the camera is not right in some way, or my expectations are outrageously high, but I feel the OOC images are not as sharp as they should be.
Perhaps I was hoping for images rivaling the crispness of the 14mm, except that lens alone is the cost of the entire X70. Perhaps I was hoping for the "magic" of the 35mm and the X70 would render that certain quality that is hard to describe but visible. I am not a pixel peeper, but this nagging doubt made me one.
I ran a very informal test. I put the 18-55 zoom on my X-T1 and matched the focal length (18mm), aperture, ISO, and film settings with the X70. I then took a series of identical pictures, transferred them to my Chromebook, renamed them to 1a and 1b, 2a and 2b, etc., and asked my wife tell which is better, A or B? Two of the images, she thought, were so similar she could not decide. However, for four of the images she strongly preferred version B. Version B came from the X70.
This little test makes me think that I am over-thinking my gear and too obsessive. I really like the X70 and will further test it. Next month I've booked a nine day trip with my son to Peru. I need to determine if the X70 will be the only camera I take with me. Can I leave the other bodies and lenses home, severely lighten my load, and still be satisfied with the images I take back?
Here are some initial pictures from the X70 from the waterfront by Save the Bay in Providence, Rhode Island. Images are from jpegs processed in Snapseed on a Nexus 7:
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![]()
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
![Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70]( "Save the Bay Providence Fujifilm X70")
Now I am trying to figure out if I am satisfied with it.
I am not going to review specs, but suffice to say the camera is well appointed. The small size is perfect. I generally prefer composing off the LCD, so a viewfinder, to me, is optional. It is solidly built, and feels and looks very cool.
 |
| Ultimate travel combination? |
Perhaps I was hoping for images rivaling the crispness of the 14mm, except that lens alone is the cost of the entire X70. Perhaps I was hoping for the "magic" of the 35mm and the X70 would render that certain quality that is hard to describe but visible. I am not a pixel peeper, but this nagging doubt made me one.
I ran a very informal test. I put the 18-55 zoom on my X-T1 and matched the focal length (18mm), aperture, ISO, and film settings with the X70. I then took a series of identical pictures, transferred them to my Chromebook, renamed them to 1a and 1b, 2a and 2b, etc., and asked my wife tell which is better, A or B? Two of the images, she thought, were so similar she could not decide. However, for four of the images she strongly preferred version B. Version B came from the X70.
This little test makes me think that I am over-thinking my gear and too obsessive. I really like the X70 and will further test it. Next month I've booked a nine day trip with my son to Peru. I need to determine if the X70 will be the only camera I take with me. Can I leave the other bodies and lenses home, severely lighten my load, and still be satisfied with the images I take back?
Here are some initial pictures from the X70 from the waterfront by Save the Bay in Providence, Rhode Island. Images are from jpegs processed in Snapseed on a Nexus 7:
