Fujifilm has officially unveiled the X100S, the successor to
its super high-end fixed zoom compact camera the X100.
The new model looks very similar to its predecessor, with its premium metal and build strewn with buttons, but under the hood there are a plethora of changes. The sensor has increased in resolution from 12.3megapixels to 16.3megapixels, it can now shoot Full HD video at 60fps (rather than 720p at 24fps) and it has a new Lens Modulation Optimiser that Fujifilm claims reduces the impact of lens distortions to produce sharper images.
Fujifilm X100S Specs
The new sensor is also of a new type which brings with it some benefits. It now uses the same colour filter arrangement as the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujifilm X20, which rather than a uniform arrangement of RGB receptors uses a random array. This has the benefit of naturally reducing moiré and false colour effects to the point where a bayer filter is no longer needed. The upshot? Images are sharper and Fuji reckons the X100S sensor now had 30% higher signal to noise ratio than the X100.
The X100S features a hybrid optical viewfinder which doesn’t look through the cameras lens but rather simulates the view for easier framing when in bright conditions in particular. What makes it hybrid? Well it also incorporates an electronic viewfinder (EVF) which does take on the view through the lens but in a digital form. The EVF has a very high 2,360,000-dot resolution for what should be excellent clarity.
The new trick in the hybrid viewfinder for the X100S is that it features a new overlay that shows camera information like shutter speed and ISO overlaid onto the optical viewfinder, making it easy to keep track of settings while the camera’s up to your eye.
Another key upgrade to the core functionality of the X100S is that it now sports a much faster autofocus (AF) system. That of the X100 let that camera down so the new faster system should along with these other changes better help the Fuji X100S justify its price.
Another reason the X100S is set to cost a pretty penny is because of the quality of its fixed focus f/2.0 23mm (equivalent) lens, which should offer quality on par with seriously expensive SLR lens arrangements.
Fujifilm X100S Release Date and Price
We’re yet to confirm a UK release date or price for the Fujifilm X100S but a US price of $1,699 has been released, and given the original X100 sold for around £900, we’d suggest this puts the X100S at around that price too.
