Fuji Fuji X-10 Dilemma

[Donal]

I have been shooting with the X-10 for a while now and I seriously love it, but now the X-20 is out. I have been reading various previews and I can't make up my mind whether to sell the X-10 and get the X-20 or go rogue and buy something like the Olympus OMD, that just won camera of the year. I love Fuji and have an old S2 pro with some Nikon lenses, and a Nikon D40. I was strangled with equipment and weight whenever I was out and about and decided to get the X-10. It's fantastic for street photography and I love the images it produces but I want 'more'. I guess as you develop as a Photographer you just notice flaws a lot more with your images, quality etc... I feel so right at home with my little Fuji and it's a bit scary to change. I have been told by professional photographers my photographs are excellent and I could go pro. I am interested in doing a photographic series based on rural towns in my own country, Ireland. A lot of these little towns are literally dying because of the economic situation and emigration and I feel I need to capture the the spirit before it's all gone. What should my next step be technically? I need a camera that doesn't scare people, that is easy to haul around and takes pictures of excellent quality. Feel free to advise me, I am open to suggestions...

 

[JJJPhoto]

I have both the X10 and the OMD ... both great cameras but both are different. My opinion is that, if you want a relatively small camera for candid street shooting and you want a zoom lens then the X10 (or X20) is the better choice ... unless you have the cash to dump on a Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom lens to go with a new OMD. If you feel comfortable using small primes then the OMD is the winner.

 

[the sardonic iconic]

Haha, if you're looking for crowd-sourced affirmation to spend money on equipment... you won't hear it from me . The X10 is a tremendous camera, far more capable than even Fuji has marketed it for, and from the sounds of your project would be more than suitable.

 

[Donal]

Look's like I should stick with what I have then. I could spend a heap on the OMD and a prime but is it 'worth it'? Will my images be any sharper or more pleasing to the eye (of the beholder) than images shot on my X-10? I am starting to think that a person could go insane trying to choose a camera if you are to read reviews. The choice has been getting steadily wider over the last few years, in the end I think a 'perfect' camera is something that may never happen. What matters the most in Photography is of course, how you compose and see the world through a lens. That is something you can't buy. Thanks for the input!

 

[flysurfer]

If you need more resolution and IQ, you could get a used X100. Since you probably don't shoot much action during your project, the camera's AF performace should be fine. Apart from that, the X10 is pretty good as a 6 MP camera.

 

[depscribe]

If you are relatively happy with what you have, it might pay to wait a bit. The X20 is out now and fairly reliavle reviews will be along before many weeks have passed. It could be that its additional features will justify the purchase (assuming the reviewers find no prohibitive flaws, which is always possible but I don't think very likely). Or it could be that the D-7100 proves to be so outstanding that you might sell your S2 to a Fujifile and put the money toward one of those, and keep the X10 as a smaller camera. The X10 is a dandy camera -- I've shot a fair amount of stuff for publication with it in the last year -- and it won't be getting any worse. I'm getting the X20 because I want the in-finder focus box and the increased focus speed. But if there were no X20, I'd be happy to shoot the X10 (or, where I am carrying other gear in case I needed more reach, my X100, which I do not plan to replace with a 100s because I don't see that much improvement for the money).

Which opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it, but I thought I'd offer it anyway.

 

[Lawrence A.]

This probably is not the forum to confess it, but if I had to keep only one camera it would be my OMD E-M5. I had the X10, though, loved it, and still think about replacing it with another one, or with an X20. The OM-D with the Panasonic PZ 14-42 can be a very small kit, but you'd have no manual zoom on your lens, and the lens is significantly slower than that on the X10 or X20

Something to think about.

 

[jloden]

My best advice (full disclosure: I am terrible at taking my own advice) would be don't buy something unless you have a defined need [want] for something specific from it. What's an OM-D EM-5 going to give you that you don't have now - and are those things important? You mention you're left wanting "more" from your X10 but what does that entail? If you know the answer to that then the answer to whether a camera upgrade is worthwhile from a technical perspective should mostly sort itself out.

Every camera has limitations, and if you legitimately feel the technical aspects are holding back what you want to do with your project then it makes sense to do something to change that. If it's just "shiny new toy" syndrome then that's ok too - but it's worthwhile to make the distinction between the two, at least.

In my case I'm perfectly willing to admit I'm just a gearhead who can't leave well enough alone and likes playing with new toys, and I don't *need* new that new lens/camera to make better photos

 

[carlb]

The OMD will have dynamic range and high-iso cleaner photos that the X10 can't match. Sometimes that will be needed. If it were me, I'd keep the X10 for the quick grab shots. Have an E-M5 in a bag, ready for that landscape shot, or interior high-ISO, or that sunny sky where you want to keep more of the shadows salvageable.

 

[teefin1]

Or maybe the XE-1 with the rather good kit zoom. Here in the UK it is cheaper than the OMD, is still quite compact and offers all the Fuji goodness of the x10.....and much more