Ron Martinsen's Photography Blog

Showing posts with label X20. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

REVIEW: Fujifilm X30–The best one yet! (Part I of II)

When I first got the x100 to review I remember thinking “wow, this thing is special” (despite my later disdain for the fixed lens). When the x10 & x20 came out I had high hopes, but the x20 (at least my silver one) seemed to pale in comparison the likes of a x100s. Fast forward to this third version and it appears that Fujifilm has got it right. The x30 feels like a camera that deserves its hefty price.

Fujifilm X30 Rear View

The changes are plentiful and noteworthy. From a proper electronic viewfinder to a huge new LCD and wonderful control ring, this camera feels improved from the ground up. The net result of all the good new changes means this camera is heavier (12.45 oz / 353 g for the x20 vs 14.9 oz / 422 g for the x30), but I like the solid feel. The selector buttons make a great clicky sound and this camera is loaded with new and greatly improved features from end to end.

I can confess that this cameras weight is actually a positive to me. It feels as solid as a German luxury sedan, yet it’s super fast. All this new tech requires a bigger battery which doesn’t help either. The x10 & x20 were never going to win awards for their bulky design, but it was so charming you looked past it. The x30 is a bit like a Lamborghini where it’s big, bold and non apologetic about it!

I’ll discuss more in my next installment, but so far this camera has definitely made me a big fan.

Real World Sample Images

If you read my Nikon D750 review, this gallery might seem like déjà vu! The reason why is because I duplicated many of the shots I took with the D750 on the x30 shortly thereafter.

While the x30 is no match for the dynamic range of the incredible D750, you do see the advantage of a small cropped sensor when taking macro shots thanks to the greater depth of field. It’s also quite impressive how good many of these are when compared against one of the best DSLR’s on the market.

If you are new to my blog, what follows are in-camera JPEG’s with no modifications taken through the course of a normal day. The camera is mostly set to camera defaults but I do chose my AF single point and adjust the white balance as I see fit. Most shots are aperture priority but a few are using automatic modes as well. All but one shot long exposure shot in the gallery were also taken handheld.

You may view the photos for your pleasure, but please delete them and/or remove them from your cache when done. You may not edit, print, or otherwise use these photos. All rights are reserved. The full gallery can be found at http://photos.ronmartblog.com/fujifilm/x30.

f/2.2 @ 12.2 mm, 1/140, ISO 100, No Flash
This is one of those wow, I can’t believe it’s a “point and shoot” images. It looks so real and vibrant that I want to reach through the screen and grab it (especially on my 4k review display)!

f/2.8 @ 21 mm, 1/220, ISO 200, No Flash, Provia/Std Film Simulation
Fujifilm is known for great color, but as good as the standard Provia film simulation is, I still prefer the Velvia film simulation shown below. I use this often in my review because I just prefer the vibrant colors and deeper (sometimes shadow crushing) blacks

f/2.8 @ 28.4 mm, 1/220, ISO 200, No Flash, Velvia Film Simulation
Admit it, those leaves look pretty awesome with a simple film simulation mode change, huh?!!!

f/9 @ 7.1 mm, 1/850, ISO 100, No Flash, SP Sunset Mode
The x10 won my heart with the sunset shot I took in Hawaii with this auto mode (and a plate full of food in my right hand – ha, ha). In fact, that shot is still my Facebook cover page photo. The x30 didn’t disappoint here either. While it naturally doesn’t have the shadow detail of the similar shot taken with D750, I have zero complaints with this shot straight out of the camera

f/2.2 @ 10.4 mm, 1/125, ISO 100, No Flash, SR+ Mode
This camera is so good that I joked that I could just point it at the ground and press and it would make a vibrant and interesting shot. I think it did and that’s what you want from this class of camera – you want good results so you can capture the moment and move on

f/4 @ 13.7 mm, 1/340, ISO 200, No Flash
The sunset was raining down some serious yellow on these trees so this is actually still Auto White Balance in Velvia mode

f/2.2 @ 12.2 mm, 1/170, ISO 100, No Flash
The macro mode is still just as addicting as ever on this one

f/2 @ 7.1 mm, 1/60, ISO 1000, No Flash
Despite being such a high ISO, I see photorealism that makes me want to reach into the screen and touch it. There’s definitely an improvement in high ISO performance over the x10 & x20!

f/5 @ 7.6 mm, 1/30, ISO 2500, No Flash –1 EV
This was a case where I actually preferred the X30 results to the similar shot I took during my Nikon D750 review. With a point and snap it it managed to capture the vibrant colors of the trees very well yet still not get too dark for the train tracks

f/2.2 @ 12.7 mm, 1/20, ISO 400, No Flash, SR+
Clearly the beauty of the x10’s EXR mode still isn’t in this model It is sad too because the x10 nailed tough exposures like these

f/4 @ 10.4 mm, 1/30, ISO 3200, No Flash
ISO 3200 starts to show some grain but with a little Noiseware this shot is totally salvageable and impressive for a small sensor camera!

f/2.5 @ 18.7 mm, 1/40, ISO 800, No Flash
See my Nikon D750 review and notice how the Nikon needed ISO 12,800 to get this shot taken minutes apart. As a point and shoot it once again does a great job that I feel confident IS better than your new fancy smartphone (yes, even that one)

For more photos see my On Vacation with the Fujifilm X30 (Includes a Mom’s 2 Cents) article and visit http://photos.ronmartblog.com/fujifilm/x30.

Conclusion

CLICK HERE for part II and my conclusion.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sony RX100 III - The Best Quality Point and Shoot I’ve Ever Tested (Review Part II of II)

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 III Digital Camera - Selfie Mode

This is my third time reviewing a Sony RX100 series camera and I’ve reviewed quite a few Sony’s over the years. I always fall in love with the size and sexiness of the RX100’s, yet I always find myself at the end of the review feeling a bit underwhelmed thinking – is that it?

Don’t get me wrong, this is an excellent camera, but I immediately ask myself “for nearly $800 price tag (at the time this was originally written), is this really the best bang for the buck?” With that in mind, I did a search on B&H on July 21, 2014 to see what else is out there for the $800 – $900 USD range:

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens Deluxe Kit
Probably a better video camera, but bulky and only native ISO 6400

Nikon D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens
Good camera with great features, but it’s bulky and this is definitely no Zeiss lens

Nikon 1 J4 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 10-30mm and 30-110mm Lenses
While these always underwhelm me too, at least you get decent interchangeable lenses

Nikon 1 V2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens Kit
Definitely more my style than he J4, but bulky and last gen technology

Canon EOS Rebel T5i DSLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Lenses
This is a pretty good camera with great video performance, but alas still bulky

Leica D-Lux 6 Edition 100 Digital Camera
Sexy, small and a Leica – hum, do we have a contender?

Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Camera Body Only
Definitely better than the Sony, but you still need lenses and they aren’t cheap!

In this search, I definitely felt that only the Leica 100 stood a chance at really comparing well against all the things that make the Sony RX100’s great – including size. I haven’t reviewed that one yet, so I could be wrong, but it’s clear that this Sony is Leica priced!

The answer is that if you start comparing size and features, there’s a lot of great choices that are significantly less than the RX100 III. This begs the question that when you ignore price, what else is really a viable alternative to the Sony RX100 III, and funny enough one of the best answer is the previous generation Sony RX100 series which are now much more affordable!

RX100 ($498 on July 21, 2014)
See my RX100 Review

RX100 II ($649 on July 21, 2014)
See my RX100 II Review

There’s also other great cameras like the Fujifilm X20, Canon G16, Canon s120, and so much more in the sub $800 price range. So this begs the question – is the Sony RX100 III really worth nearly $800 when even it’s own predecessors are so similar and cheaper?

Image Quality

Now that I’ve beaten the price issue to death, let’s talk about the RX100 III vs its predecessors and the competition when it comes to image quality.

The image quality of this sensor is excellent for its size, but like its predecessors the in-camera noise reduction is pretty aggressive. At higher ISO’s it does a much better job than previous versions but I still I felt compelled to disable it for most (not all) of my bookshelf tests so you can see detail captured by the sensor.

The gallery contains a sample of images with and without noise reduction so you can better assess the image quality. For me, I prefer to do my own noise reduction with a product like Noiseware and then sharpen the images myself afterwards. Naturally, if you only process the RAW images you’ll do something similar too (even if it is just Lightroom/ACR only noise reduction).

With that said, here’s a close up of an image with noise reduction at ISO 125 that shows that this is a pretty decent point and shoot:

Click here for the full-size original

That’s pretty darn good for a camera that can easily fit in a top pocket or purse, so the next question becomes – how about high ISO performance? Well here’s what you get with noise reduction turned on at ISO 6400 (12,800 is pretty gnarly):

f/2.8 @ 8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 6400, Noise Reduction On - Click for full size original

f/2.8 @ 8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 6400, Noise Reduction OFF - Click for full size original

At web sites like 580x387 above or click to see 800x533,
you'll certainly be pleased with the results
ISO 6400 f/2.8 @8.8 mm, 1/15, ISO 640, Noise Reduction ON

However, pixel peepers will probably feel like ISO 3200 is as high as they want to go. That’s pretty good for a point and shoot, so I feel confident that most will be pleased with the image quality of this camera. The Zeiss lens is good too, so if that’s important to you then perhaps it’s worth the price.

To see more real world images, please be sure to see the first part of this review here.

Compared to the RX100 II and RX100

In my pixel peeping of all of my files on these three cameras I’ve noticed that the RX100 III has a much brighter and sharper lens which results in shorter exposure times and much more crisp images. This becomes significantly noticeable at full zoomed in, so the RX100 III is without question the sharpness king of the three.

I definitely think that the RX100 III is the best “all things considered” version of the RX100’s yet. Sony keeps taking a great formula and refining it with customer feedback to make it even better. Improvements like the full tilt display that allows selfies and a battery saving electronic viewfinder are sure to please to RX100 fans, and the image quality is definitely impressive for its size.