Just look at it.
Let’s go down the list: 12.3 megapixels on an APS-C size sensor, ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12800), 23mm f/2.0 prime lens (that’s about 35mm in good ol’ 35mm parlance), 9 aperture blades, physical dials to control shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation, a 460k pixel 2.8″ LCD, 720p HD video capture, a built-in neutral density filter to keep your aperture nice and wide when it’s bright out, and wierdest of all a “hybrid” viewfinder that switches between optical and digital or both. CRAZY!
Allow me to repeat: Caaahhh-Raaaazzzz-aaaaayyyy.
This thing is downright jam packed with awesome features and brilliant ideas! The super wide aperture prime lens and physical control dials will appeal strongly to the purist crowd. The inclusion of a built-in neutral density filter was a thoughtful touch: in order to take advantage of that wonderful 2.0 aperture and the pleasing background blur it provides, you’ll often want to dim the amount of light coming in to the lens without having to change the aperture setting; this is the function of a N.D. filter (in case you wondered). I suspect that in-practice it would get used often.
The hybrid viewfinder is sort of a one-of-a-kind feature here. If I’m interpreting the Fuji PR speak correctly, it sounds like you can preview your exposure by using the digital half of the viewfinder, which is quite neat. This funky viewfinder does add to the allure of the camera, although I suspect it adds to the cost significantly. Sort of to the point where I wished they would have just made it a standard optical viewfinder
It’s clear where the design inspiration came from on this camera, and that vintage rangefinder appearance will make it appealing to anyone with a vintage fetish, but … (you knew there was a ‘but’ coming, didn’t you) the price of admission is going to be prohibitive, making this camera a model for the die-hard fanatic ONLY. $1200 retail. Damn.
Canon recently announced their two newest entries in the Digital Rebel series, the T3 and the T3i, both of which have killer, killer specs, and could be purchased, with a very nice lens, for under a grand. That’s really what this camera is up against when it comes to the semi-pro or pro photographer. But then, I think maybe this camera isn’t intended for them. I think it’s more meant to compete with the Leicas and such.
Hmmm. Wow. What a piece of gear. It’s sexy-as-all-hell and it’s got every feature you could want (literally, and MORE) from a current-gen camera. That price is correspondingly painful, but hey, consider it like the Porsche of cameras. No-compromise style and no-compromise performance aren’t cheap when you want them both in one package. Add some flashy, unique features on top of that, and geez, it’s hot enough to melt that credit card!
Maybe in a year or two I will hit up the used market and see what one of these goes for. Something tells me they are going to be holding their resale value nicely though. Sigh. I guess a boy can always dream. What a camera!
Tags: camera porn, gadgets, photography
