Fuji sold one hundred thousand X100 cameras!

Yes, that’s right! Fuji sold one hundred thousand [shoplink 100018]X100[/shoplink] cameras! That’s what they affirm on their latest financial report (Click here to download / via Fujirumors / via NoisyC).
That’s a lot for a camera that has a fixed prime lens “only”, has an “old style” design and hasn’t been pushed by a big advertising campaign a là Canon and Nikon. It means that we have at least 100k real photographers out there…just joking :)

Chapeau to Fuji for trying to find a new way to think digital camera products. That was really needed after years of Rebel cameras and always same looking Nikon DSLR! My only complain is that the Fuji X PRO 1 is a little bit too expensive for me. With $200 less it would have certainly become a hotseller!

Fuju X100 order links: [shopcountry 100018].

Pentax K-mount mirrorless to be announced on February 2nd (with invitation!)

Now it’s not a “rumor” only anymore. THis is the official invitation for the PEntax even on February 2nd. The rumored specs of the camera should be:

Name: K-01
Sensor: Same as the (16 Megapixel).
Mount: K
Kit lens: New DA 40mm f2.8 (less than 1cm thick!)
Mirror: No mirror!
Video: Full HD video with external mic input support
LCD: 3-inch LCD 921k
AF: Contrast (no phase detection AF)
Flash: Built-in
Dimensions: 121mm x 79mm x 59mm
Weight: 560g (1.2lb) with battery
Colors: Three different versions

Source: StuffReview (via PR)

I am rally looking forward to ee this camera! It should have a completely different design than other mirrorless cameras! There is a sketch going around but I don’t know how 100% correct this is:

First Pentax K-01 mini-leak :)

This could be the first image of the upcoming new Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera. It has been posted at Dpreview forum. The poster said he found it on a unnamed Chinese forum. Yeah, always blame anonymous Chinese for leaks without to mention the source :)

As you know the specs are already out:

  • Pentax new mirrorless camera will be announced by CP + in February.

  • The name is K-01

  • K-mount!

  • Black & white body color (black keynote), white and black (white tone), black and yellow (based on black and white, yellow leather) three different colors.

  • The sensor is the same spec K-5 (). And same rear LCD.

  • Full HD video

  • Shutter speed to 1 / 4000 p to 30 seconds

  • Contrast AF, AF 81 Split

  • Built-in pop-up flash

  • 121mm width, 79mm height, 59mm depth

  • 560g in weight with battery

  • designed by the designer who designed talby from au (i.e. Japanese mobile phone sold in 2004)

  • it looks more like Optio than K series; not like GXR

  • comes with a new lens: DA 40mm F2.8XS

  • three lens kits with DA40XS and lenses already on market

  • mirrorless but whether there is an EVF or it is built in is not revealed

 

via Photorumors.

Mirrorless news and review roundup (Fuji X manual download and Canon G1 X test)

Fuji X-Pro1 manual now available online as pdf document (Click here to download). And there is also a X lens manual (Click here to download). Preorders at Amazon.co.jp (Click here), Expansys USA (Click here), Expansys Canada (Click here), Henrys Canada (Click here).

Canon G1 X tested by Photoreview (Click here / via noisyc) “Colours were attractively rendered and the dynamic range in shots was as wide as we found with the EOS 600D. In-camera processing was minimal for most JPEGs, although some shots would benefit from a little unsharp masking at the editing stage.” Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

Pentax Q 02 Standard Zoom Kit to be Marketed on Feb. 16 (RiceHigh).

Fuji X-S1 Review at Neocamera (Click here): “It can deliver great results for most travel subjects and creative photography thanks to extensive manual controls. Operating this camera is quick and efficient using its numerous controls.”

Fuji X PRO price and release announced in Japan (+ one more ISO test!).

Finally Fuji Japan announced the price of the new Fuji X PRo 1 and X lenses (via Fujirumors). It’s in yen, we still don’t know what’s the price in Euro or Dollar for example:
1) The X PRo 1 camera will be released on February 18 and cost 150.000 Yen. By using the current conversion rate this means 1475 Euro or 1930 Dollars. But I am sure the price will be less in USA (probably $1799) and a bit more in Europe (almost 1.600 Euro).
2) The 18mm f/2.0 lens and the 35mm f/1.4 will cost 55.oo0 Yen each (540 Euro or 708 Dollars).
3) The 60mm f/2.4 macro will cost 60.000 Yen (590 Euro or 773 Dollars).

Just my two cent. It’s an expensive camera, so I am going to wait to see real tests before to decide if I buy it or not. Right now no big website posted any preview or test of the camera. Only Romanian photographers are doing that job right now! :)  Look at the latest ISO test by F64 (Click here).They compared the X PRO 1 with the Fuji X100 and Nikon D3. His conclusions in short:
1) At high ISO the X PRO 1 beats both the e X100 and D3 cameras.
2) Shutter noise is similar to that of the .
3) The 18mm lens suffers from some purple fringing (but Fuji could add an automatic lens correction once finalized the firmware).
4) manual focusing has been improved over the X100 but the reviewer is still not completely satisfied with the performance. Also auto-focus isn’t really fast.
5) What matters: Image quality is spectacular.

Fuji X PRO 1 preorders and notification services:
Preorder: Expansys USA (Click here), Expansys Canada (Click here), Henrys Canada (Click here) .
Notification:  Amazon US (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).