#SOOC: Guillem Calatrava x X-S10

FUJIFILM X-S10

A small camera with good grip; this was my first impression when getting my hands on the new FUJIFILM X-S10 for the first time.

After further inspection, I started to realize it was rather a great camera in a small body. Many of the technologies we saw in FUJIFILM X-T4 have been incorporated into this new camera.

The new FUJIFILM X-S10 is equipped with the same sensor, AF tracking system and, better yet, the stabilization system we already experienced in the X-T4.

It is ideal to have a such camera with stabilization built into its body: it’s great to carry around easily, as I’ve done during my recent hiking trip. I try to avoid carrying unnecessary weight, so on many occasions, I will not take a tripod with me.

The stabilization system built into the Fujifilm X-S10 allows me to shoot with ease. I can easily set exposures of up to 1 second long – even longer if I can improvise comfortable support – without compromising on quality with blurred or dull images. This is particularly interesting for long exposures of rivers, waterfalls, or when I want to capture a subject in movement.

For the tests I’ve conducted, I’ve focused on the photography side of this camera. Nevertheless, the stabilization and AF tracking systems are also key in shooting video.

As an AV content creator, I need to shoot videos quite often. Having this advanced stabilization system is a great asset to work freehand without the need of a tripod nor monopod.

The AF tracking system on the face and eyes is ideal for filming a moving subject. It’s also of great help when creating content for my YouTube channel. As I need to be in front of the camera, it is always a struggle to nail the focus. This is not an issue with the AF tracking system, as it automatically focuses on your face.

Furthermore, to film oneself or take a selfie, the FUJIFILM X-S10 has a folding swing arm monitor which can be rotated 180º. This allows you to face the monitor towards you as you position your shot or film your video.

As a personal tip, I like to film myself quite far away from the camera with a telephoto, to achieve a beautiful blur. As it is quite difficult to see the monitor from a distance, I use the Fujifilm app to control the camera from my smartphone and therefore avoiding the need to walk up to the camera to start filming.

In the subject of filming, it is also worth mentioning the dedicated video button. Located next to the shutter button, this small button allows you to start filming with just one click. This is particularly useful when you have to take a mix of pictures and video, allowing you to film candid moments without wasting precious time switching to the correct setting.

Going back to the photography side of this camera, a great asset for newcomers to the FUJIFILM X Series is its mode dial. The new FUJIFILM X-S10 has the P-A-S-M modes; my experience in teaching photography courses has shown me these are particularly great learning tools.

On top of the standard shooting modes, the X-S10 includes four customizable modes. These allow you to pre-configure settings and quickly switch to your own shooting modes which could, for instance, focus on prioritizing shutter speed with a specific film simulation mode combined with a specific aperture.

The swing arm monitor can fold away completely when the camera is not in use or when we wish to save battery life. It’s remarkably useful for ground-level shots. Be that portrait or landscape, the swing arm monitor allows us to swiftly position the camera for the perfect shot without need to get into an awkward or uncomfortable pose.

As with all cameras in the FUJIFILM X Series, the new X-S10 comes with a range of film simulation modes. These color and black & white modes are great for many occasions, emulating analog films Fujifilm used to produce.

In this instance, as I was shooting in nature in mountainous landscapes, I chose to use the film simulation Velvia. It has particularly saturated colors, which accentuate green and blue hues and add a remarkable contrast. This shooting mode reminds me of my first experiences with photography, as I used to take a roll of Velvia slide reel with my analog camera for numerous hiking trips.

Even for the astrophotography images I took, I used the film simulation mode Velvia, as it added an extra bit of contrast to the sky thus enhancing the stars and colors of the night sky.

It is outstanding how, by simply selecting the right mode and exposure, Fujifilm achieves such finished files with barely any need to post-production. Even though this camera naturally allows for shooting in RAW, we can get perfectly stunning pictures in JPG format ready to share or publish (particularly useful if you don’t have the time or will to sit in front of your computer for hours on end).

Even more convenient, with the Fujifilm app for iOS and Android, we can instantly download the new images into our smartphones.

To summarize, the new FUJIFILM X-S10 camera is the ideal travel companion. Its small and light body make it remarkably easy to carry, and its many systems and settings give spectacular results to the standards we’ve grown accustomed to from Fujifilm.