The black sheep - Fujifilm X-S10
My history with Fujifilm began in 2012 when the first, revolutionary X-Pro1 was released. A mirrorless camera with a hybrid viewfinder and a fantastic concept of the original Fujifilm film simulation. I claim that this camera has completely changed my photography so far. This camera was not perfect at all and especially the autofocus was painstakingly slow, but this is what sharpened my senses for slow photography. Especially in combination with the legendary XF 35mm f/1.4. produced images that had not been possible before. The look and rendering of the images and colours I only knew from my Leica X1 at the time.
After the X-Pro1 - the X-T1, X-Pro2, X-T2, X-H1, X-T3, X-Pro-3 and the X-T4 followed. At the same time, I invested in Fuji's medium format in the GFX50R. Currently, I work with an X-Pro3 in addition to the GFX50R. And then I run a second rail with Sony A7RIV, A9 for wildlife and sports and the new Sony A7S3 for video, but that's another story....My love for photography has only been rekindled by Fuji.
In autumn 2020, Fuji released a new APS-C camera that did not fit at all into the company's previous concept, a real black sheep: the X-S10.
When I saw the first pictures of the camera body I thought: this is the ugliest camera Fujifilm has ever produced - a real black sheep in the family. All the other cameras of the manufacturer have a common feature: state-of-the-art technology in a classic body with quick, manual controls of aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focus. But not with the X-S10 - here come freely definable controls, completely non-intuitively arranged - and yet I bought it. Why?
The reason I chose the X-S10 is the hybrid capability of the camera. Not only does it take good pictures on the go, but it is also an excellent video camera. With the in-camera five-axis image stabilisation (IBIS), the slow motion capability at FHD up to 240 frames per second (see demo video below) and the tilting LCD screen, it is the ideal run n' gun hybrid camera. Another advantage is the great grip for such a small camera. Unfortunately, it can't do 4K 60p, which the X-T3 and X-4 can. The X-S10 has all the bells and whistles like the 26,1 Megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 Sensor that the X-T4 has (except 4K 60P) and all that at a street price under 900 USD in Switzerland.
But the X-S10 certainly won't win a design award - that's what black sheep have in common. Here, the X-Pro 3 and the X-T3 /XT-4 are the better candidates.
I took the following images with the X-S10 and the Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS kit lens yesterday on a snowy Sunday in the Prättigau mountains in Switzerland using Fujifilm's ACROS film simulation and adjusted them slightly in Lightroom CC.
Fujifilm X-S10 as a Hybrid Video Camera
Here is a short film that demonstrates the 240 FPS slow-motion capabilities of the X-S10.
Snow Birds is a short film about the life of birds in the cold winter in Graubünden, Switzerland. Recorded in Pany, Prättigau on 17 January 2021. The video was shot with a Fujifilm X-S10 and XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS in F-LOG at 240 FPS in FHD and upscaled to 4K via FCP and exported to YouTube. Music: Lost Love by Gold Coast (Epidemic Sound).