Fuji has been very well known for their films for many years. I still remember using Fuji Superia and Fuji Velvia when shooting film. This was so long ago…

Since the digital era started, Fuji hasn’t played any major role. All focus was on Canon and Nikon…. and now Samsung and Sony. But Fuji found their own place in the digital era of photography with their digital compacts and now with their X-series.

Digital Technology changed a lot when it comes to cameras and some new emerging markets/segments appeared. For many years the ultimate in photography was an SLR camera and now in digital photography a DSLR. In many respects it still is an ultimate when it comes to quality and flexibility with all the lenses in hand. SLR technology has always been perceived as the ultimate and what professionals have always used.

However a lot has changed in the last few years with the arrival of a new segment – CSC or Compact System Camera. For the last few years there has been a need for a new camera system, something that would bring the quality of a DSLR into a smaller camera body. That’s where CSC cameras, or Compact System Cameras, were born. CSC cameras offer many of DSLR cameras features in a smaller package. What’s more, many CSC cameras offer the same APS-C size sensors as DSLR cameras! And you get interchangeable lenses as well (which by the way are usually a bit smaller as well).

There are many CSC cameras on the market but what caught my attention was the X Series from Fuji. The Woow factor for me, initially, was the fantastic design – retro look – of the cameras. This is so different from all other CSC cameras on the market and it is so much more like a more “affordable Leica”. Well, almost as “Leica freaks” would definitely argue here….  😉

The X Series from Fuji became so popular that Fuji started adding more cameras to the series, something for amateurs, enthusiasts and professionals alike.

A lot has been written about the X-Series so I’m just going to focus on what I find the most appealing to me in my search for a smaller and lighter (than DSLR) camera.

What’s really appealing to me when it comes to Fuji X-Series cameras is the way they are designed. Want to apply exposure compensation? It’s right on top of the camera. Changing aperture? It’s on the lens. Want to zoom in? It’s right on the lens instead of a weird button on a camera like most small cameras nowadays. What I’m talking about are primarily two cameras that I own/have owned – X10 and X-E1.

Both, Fuji X10 and Fuji X-E1, are fabulous cameras and I have used them both with great pleasure. Where they differ, and where they find their owners, is X10 has a fixed zoom lens (28-112mm) and X-E1 has interchangeable lenses. This is one of the main reasons why I upgraded from X10 to X-E1. I missed having the ability to put a prime lens (like on my SLRs), otherwise X10 is a fabulous camera with fantastic quality.

To be continued…