Behold Fuji’s brand new X-S1, cousin to the sublime, retro-inspired X100 and X10 cameras. But unlike the other two, the 26x optical zoom on the X-S1 means it’s probably capable of some beautiful shots from a distance.
The X-S1 is a superzoom camera with a 2/3-inch 12 MP EXR-CMOS sensor with a high-speed EXR processor (likely same as the X10), a new FUJINON lens with aperture from f/2.8-f/5.6 and 26x optical zoom (24-624mm) with digital zoom to 52x. It’s got a 3″ LCD with 460k dots and a 1.4-million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF); switching between the two of them is handled with a heads up eye sensor, which detects when you shove your face up against the camera to switch to the EVF. The X-S1 can shoot 7fps at full resolution and full 1080p video at 30fps (h.264 compression). It also shoots in RAW, has a mini-HDMI out port. It’s $US800 and out at the end of January.
Fuji has a couple of other superzoom additions in the form of the HS30 and HS25. They both go to 30x manual zoom (24-720mm), have new half-inch 16MP EXR-CMOS sensors, the same 3″/460k LCD, and an EVF. The main difference between the two models is that the H-25 doesn’t shoot in RAW, and is powered by AA bateries instead of a Li-ion. They’re meant to be more affordable alternatives to entry level DSLRs. The H30 is $US500, and the H25 is $US400; both will be available in March. [Fujifilm]