New In The Shop This Morning - And It is A Bright New Fujifilm Camera!

Okay. This is my reward for coming to work early this morning - a look at the new Fujifilm X-30 camera. Sitting on the shelf there and ready to go. As I am a Fujifilm shooter and use a number of their previous cameras, here is a completely unbiased, biased report.

It is slightly larger in the hand than my X-10, slightly smaller than the X-100, considerably smaller than the X-E2. The rubber finger rests are in good places and the camera body covering has a sufficient "knobble" to be a good grip.

Gone is the back wobble dial of the X-10 - replaced by a round-the-lens programable ring. There is a small flush button near where the assist light used to be that switches this ring from function to function, should you desire it. I love it set to change the focus when the camera is in MF mode.

MF with the focus peaking is an unalloyed pleasure. I used it to do closeups and it is better than the dessert trolley in a fancy restaurant.

The top control dials are more intuitive - you don't have to dive into a menu to do panorama or special effects.

View control is reminiscent of the X-E2 - EVF alone, EVF and LCD, or LCD alone. The additional attraction is a tilting screen for studio and  wildflower work. The screen will use up more juice, but fortunately this camera has been equipped with the larger NP-95 battery that powers the X-100 series. We should get more shots per charge than the NP-50. Yay.

Cable release still exists in the top of the shutter button, but now there is also the side socket for electronic release.

Usual small fill flash and hot shoe connections for Fujifilm flashes.

In all, a worthy successor to the X-10 and X-20. This is a camera I would recommend for tourists travelling to Europe and Britain and to the eastern parts of Canada and the United States. Also for anyone travelling to Melbourne for the Australia Day weekend in 2015. Wildflowerists and tabletoppers would also enjoy using this camera.