Rix Mascarenhas
Fuji X-T10 Review: with the same sensor and processor as its larger sister, the Fuji X-T10 should be popular with beginners even because it is a camera with a not-so-high cost.
Find out why the Fuji X-T10 is a great option.
The compact system camera market is a very competitive place at the moment.
And Fuji has been standing out for its sophisticated, retro design along with traditional controls.
This approach has had great success among enthusiasts and professional photographers who need a DSLR alternative. However, the company also has some excellent options for beginners such as the X-M1.
Those who have been coveting the gorgeous style of the Fuji X-T1 but have been barred for its relatively high price will be surprised by the cheerful news that the company has decided to release a slightly simpler but much cheaper version, the X-T10.
The best news of this whole story is that it continues to use the same sensor that is used in the Fuji X100T and Fuji X-E2. Fuji claims that the autofocus times that the camera’s hybrid AF system is capable of can reach 0.06 seconds, thanks to the phase detection and contrast detection present in this sensor.
When you are setting the auto focus point, there are three options available – single, zone, and wide. When using continuous autofocus, you can also use single, zone wide, and tracking.
In this last mode, the camera will automatically choose an autofocus point and track the subject, select a new auto focus point, and the distance the subject moves.
As you would expect, however, there are some details to facilitate and justify the price drop such as the smaller size of the machine.
The display, which has the same resolution (2.36 million points), as the X-T1, is lower. This means that it cannot display a double image, which is possible on the X-T1 display.
On the plus side, it displays the same delay time of only 0.005 seconds.
The screen has a slightly lower resolution than the X-T1 (and X-E2), with 920,000 points (compared to 1,040,000 points). It leans both up and down to shoot from more difficult angles.
The camera also features an SD/HC/XC card slot, it’s UHS-I, while the X-T1 is the fastest UHS-II.
Complete the list of specifications she has a pop-up flash, a shoe, with sensitivity of ISO 200 – 6400, which is expandable only when shooting in JPEG for ISO 100 – 51200, Wi-Fi connectivity and an electronic shutter with super fast speeds of up to 1 / 32,000 seconds.
Standing out for the target audience of beginners and enthusiasts with this camera you can shoot in fully automatic mode, something that the X-T1 does not offer.
Fuji X-T10 rating: Construction and Handling
Although the X-T10 is not weather resistant, like the X-T1, it maintains the high build quality of other X-series cameras.
The biggest differences between the X-T10 and X-T1 appear when you look at them from the top down where the Fuji X-T10 is noticeably leaner.
It is also approximately 60g lighter.
On the right side of the camera, you will find an exposure compensation disc, which allows you to change from -2 EV to +2 EV.
A power switch surrounds the shutter release, while there is a shutter speed dial that is marked with settings from 1 second to 1/4000 second, as well as Bulb, Time and Automatic.
When you have the electronic shutter enabled, you can set the fastest shutter speeds using the buttons on the back of the camera.
A unit mode selector is found on the left side of the camera. This allows you to choose between single, continuous (low) and continuous (high) which are shooting speeds of up to 8 frames per second.
You’ll also find options for setting up bracketing modes, Advanced Filters, Multiple Exposure, and Panorama modes.
Two scaling modes are available – one for exposure succession, and one second for bracketing film simulation. In other words, you can take a sequence of three images with different exposures or 3 different movie simulations.
There is no button or dial to set the ISO sensitivity on the X-T10. Instead, you can set the desired speed through the main menu, or alternatively through a quick menu, which is available via a button marked with a Q.
If you think you’ll be changing this setting often, you can customize one of the physical buttons or disk to directly access this setting.
You can also let the camera choose an ISO sensitivity for you.
If you are concerned about this when you do not know whether using a speed that is too high or low, you can set a maximum sensitivity as well as a minimum shutter speed.
To release the pop-up flash, there is a small switch found under the mode selector. The flash looks pretty robust.
If you are using one of Fuji’s lenses, which has an aperture ring, you use this to manually control the aperture.
Or, you can set the ring to position A (automatic) and let the camera select the best aperture it thinks you need.
There is a dial to set the shutter speed, which can also be set to the automatic mono.
If you set both dials to automatic, you will find that you are shooting in a Program mode in fact, at the same time, if you take control of just the aperture, you are in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and if you take control of only shutter speed.
If you are using single AF mode, you have the option of 49 auto focus points available. However, if you switch to AF point per zone there are 77 points that are selectable in groups of 3×3, 35 or 5×5.
To change the AF selection mode, you press the down key of the four-way navigation pad on the back of the camera.
To change the size of the AF point, you use the front or rear dials while you use the navigation keys to move to the point you need.
When you are shooting a moving theme and you have Continuous AF Mode the camera focuses the theme within the zone you selected and changes AF points inside the area where the subject moves.
This camera is intended for less experienced photographers when compared to the X-T1, and as such there is also the option to shoot in a fully automatic mode.
A switch that protrudes under the shutter speed dial allows you to activate automatic mode.
While the fuji X-T10’s display is smaller than that of the Fuji X-T1, in practice it is still very good to use. Detail of course, that the viewfinder works much better in environments with good light, you will notice noise when using it in dimly lit environments.
The screen is also large, not suffering much from reflections, in some circumstances it is a beneficial tilt the screen to avoid light, or sisplesmente use the EVF.
The screen being able to tilt makes it useful for shooting from unusual angles, but is not useful when shooting images in portrait format.
It is also not possible to turn it at all angles because EVF ends up getting in the way. If you’re worried about selfies, one way around this is to connect the camera to your smartphone and control it remotely.
Fuji X-T10 rating: Performance
The image quality of the Fuji X-T10 is fantastic – it’s no surprise given that it has the same X Trans CMOS II sensor and processing as the X-T1.
Detail of the camera is particularly impressive considering that the sensor is relatively modest 16 million pixels.
The reason for this is that the sensor design is slightly lower, which means there is no need for an anti-aliasing filter.
The noise is impressively well controlled throughout the camera’s native sensitivity range, and we can see that even in images taken with ISO 6400 a high level of detail.
If you examine the 100%, you can see a uniform texture of noise, but the overall impression is still good and you can make a nice A3 impression.
Raw files show chromatic noise, but controlling this in post-production is easy so you can get the balance of noise and detail you prefer.
As we’ve seen before with other Fuji cameras, the X-T10 is able to create good images in a wide variety of different shooting situations.
Movie simulation modes are very popular, and it will be up to you to decide which one is your favorite.
Fuji X-T10’s automatic white balance system is very good doing a decent job in natural lighting situations, but even so it can be fooled by cloudy or shaded conditions.
One of the biggest problems with the X-series was autofocus when shooting a moving object.
Fortunately, the Fuji X-T10 brings with it a key improvement, which will also be released for the X-T1 through a firmware update.
Now, instead of af point being locked in the center of the frame when you’re using continuous AF mode, you can select points or zones from all over the frame.
The camera does a good focus job for moving subjects and manages to track it around the frame when you’re using continuous AF mode wide, but you may find that backgrounds can be a distraction to focus, so using AF per zone or many Single Point times is easier.
If you keep the focus zone a single point on the subject, the camera is able to provide good sharp images even when shooting in low light.
The Fuji X-T10 is able to focus quickly when using simple AF mode.
There is a very useful Auto Macro function that, as the name suggests, automatically switches to Macro mode when next object is detected – this means that there is no dedicated macro button.
Examples
- Aperture: f / 2.8
- Camera: X-T10
- Flash triggered: none
- Focal length: 36.5mm
- ISO: 200
- Shutter speed: 1/300s
- Aperture: f/8
- Camera: X-T10
- Flash triggered: none
- Focal length: 35.3mm
- ISO: 400
- Shutter speed: 1/210s
- Aperture: f / 2.8
- Camera: X-T10
- Flash triggered: none
- Focal length: 37.6mm
- ISO: 6400
- Shutter speed: 1/800s
- Aperture: f / 2.8
- Camera: X-T10
- Flash triggered: none
- Focal length: 55mm
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter speed: 1/800s
Fuji X-T10 review: verdict
One of the problems associated with creating a cheaper version of an existing camera is that the previous version becomes less attractive.
However, Fuji has done a great job here to produce something that retains the appearance of the Fuji X-T1, but has enough differences to justify even the existence of two cameras in the line-up.
A reminder of the main differences: with the X-T10, the body is not weatherproof, the EVF is smaller and there is no dedicated ISO sensitivity control.
There is still a good variety of dials and buttons and features for enthusiasts or professionals, however novice photographers can, if they wish, use automatic mode
If you like shooting moving objects, the improvements that have been made to the camera focus system is great news.
The electronic display is also excellent, which is also useful for this type of photography.
Being able to customize many of the buttons on the back of the camera means you can use the camera exactly as you want, while the Quick Menu also allows you to access and change key settings.
It’s not good news though. It’s a bit frustrating that some shooting modes are available in JPEG only – such as sensitivity expansion options and advanced filters.
It’s also a bit unusual to have ISO 200 as the lower sensitivity settings.
Overall the X-T10 is a fantastic camera for anyone who is after something serious for photography, but it’s also a good option for those who already have a bit of experience.
If you have an X-T1 in your kit, the Fuji X-T10 is also a good backup option.
Although it does not have completely the same specification as the Fuji X-T1, the image quality has the same high level, and with a significantly improved auto-focus system.
