June 26, 2014

The Chronicles of Fumiko: Beginnings

Please welcome Fumiko, the latest edition of gadgets to join my humble collection.

Hello, I'm Fumiko!
Hello, I’m Fumiko!

Fumiko is a Fujifilm X20, a sweet-looking petite camera from the land of the rising sun.

I remember years ago writing down owning my very own DSLR as one of my long-term goals. Fast forward to about a year ago I switched to wanting to have a mirrorless camera like a Sony NEX. But then I realized that the temptation to use a variety of (very expensive!) lenses defeats the purpose of having a compact mirrorless. So I decided to go for a fixed-lens, street photography camera that looks great. The X20 hits that sweet spot. [review]

I just bought this baby yesterday, and the business of money-making forced me to not hunt for photos today. Instead, I decided to test on whatever subject I could find lying around the office. Moderate Lightroom editing applied.

Using the super macro feature.
Using the super macro feature.
Taking a step back and using the macro mode.
Taking a step back and using the macro mode.
Testing low-light condition shots.
Testing low-light condition shots.
The black-and-white pictures of this camera are highly praised. Here's one of my own.
The black-and-white pictures of this camera are highly praised. Here’s one of my own.
Focusing is super fast, and this close-up is a testament to that. With almost-ideal light conditions and at ISO 100, this was an easy shot.
Focusing is super fast, and this close-up is a testament to that. With almost-ideal light conditions and at ISO 100, this was an easy shot.
The sun was already setting at this point, so I bumped up the ISO to 6400 and managed to get a grainy portrait, albeit not half as sharp as the previous one.
The sun was already setting at this point, so I bumped up the ISO to 6400 and managed to get a grainy portrait, albeit not half as sharp as the previous one.

That’s it for now, let’s hope Fumiko lives up to its price tag!