Holiday snaps – it’s just one of those things right? Even though you LOVE taking pictures, LOVE capturing beautiful scenes of beautiful places, sometimes you simply can’t be bothered to figure out the following:
- Which lenses should I take?
- What bag am I going to use to take all this stuff?
- What ND filters should I take?
- What about chargers, spare batteries, neck strap, lens cloth (which you have temporarily ‘misplaced’ but don’t want to admit you have lost to your Wife)
- And what about my tripod, how will it fit in my luggage?
- Sighs..
This Is Where The Fujifilm X70 Comes In..
If you’re like me and already have a Fujifilm X Series camera, you have become very accustomed to quality photographs and probably shudder at the thought of using anything substandard.
And this could be for many reasons – but for me, it is this simple:
“What if I see something amazing while I’m on holiday? It could be the next picture to go on my wall at home.”
Now I know that if I shot the image on a smartphone there is no way that I would want to print it due to the lower image quality, and so I would always want to have an X Series with me.
With this in mind I decided to take only the X70 on my recent holiday to Mallorca. Now I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about not taking all my camera gear with me. I think this is because it all becomes a bit of a comfort blanket, I would think to myself:
“I’ve got the 10-24mm for my wide shots, my 55-200mm for my tele…” etc.
So ‘only’ having the fixed focal length I thought this might limit me creatively a bit, but all I can say is WOW – it really doesn’t!
I was trying to put my finger on what it is that makes this camera stand out from the crowd, and I think it really comes down to these 3 reasons:
The Image Quality Is Superb
This little camera creates beautiful images. It has the same sensor as found in the X-T1 (X-Trans CMOS II) and can easily produce stunning A3 / A2 prints.
And I have even seen great images printed at 2 by 3 metres from this sensor!!
It’s Really Easy To Use
Whether you understand shutter speed, aperture and all that jazz or not, it really doesn’t matter with the X70 because this camera will cater for your abilities.
If you’re still learning the basics of photography you don’t need to worry as the camera has a handy little AUTO switch you can use to keep things simple.
But if you are like me and LOVE playing with all the settings, adjusting your depth of field and all of that then the X70 will be a great choice for you as all of the useful features are either a switch or a dial at your fingertips.
Not only that but the camera itself will charge like a phone in that you can use a USB cable straight into the side of the camera, the battery will then charge internally. It’s a simple thing, but in reality it’s really handy, as every night I’d just plug it in and place it on the bedside table to keep the power topped up.
Another great feature I use all the time is the built-in WIFI. When on holiday or travelling, a lot of us like to share our images with friends through Facebook or similar. With the WIFI feature on the X70 you can transfer over your images from camera to smartphone, edit them in Snapseed or similar and then upload – simple.
It Fits Into My Pocket
This is perhaps the simplest reason, and yet it is still one of the most important as to why I love this camera.
Unlike any other camera in our range the X70 actually fits into my pocket, which I find truly liberating.
It means that wherever I go, I have my camera with me without having to take a camera bag – which as I’m sure many men out there will agree – our ultimate aim is to carry everything of use within the pockets of our jeans.
And The Super Technical BONUS Reason…
My Wife LOVES taking couple selfies, and it just so happens that this camera makes that really easy too as the screen flips up fully. 😉
To find out more about the Fujifilm X70 Click Here.
Until next time, happy snapping
Dale 🙂
I agree with all the reasons you give for getting this camera. The results are on a par with those of my XT-1 to the extent that I’m thinking of leaving the XT-1 at home when in London next weekend. The only reservation for me is the lack of a viewfinder. Did you find that the LCD screen at maximum brightness coped OK in Mallorca, or do you feel tempted to go for the expensive hot-shoe additional extra? Did you have any strategies to deal with the unavoidable reflections and dim screen image in bright sunshine? It’s a wonderful camera but sometimes I do wish it had even a pop-up EVF just like Sony were forced to make way for in the RX100 series.
Hi Ian, thanks for the comment. You know, when the X70 first was announced and I hadn’t actually used it I was unsure about the lack of viewfinder as I love using a viewfinder. However a colleague had had a play with the camera and said I should give it a go as he thought I’d like it. So when I actually did get my hands on it I was so surprised at how much I truly loved it – I’ve had no issues in bright lighting conditions (I just turn the LCD brightness up a bit) so composition is still a delight with this little pocket rocket. For me, the biggest difference between this camera and any other camera is that this one goes EVERYWHERE with me, and that alone is one of its biggest selling points. I hope this helps 🙂 Dale
Thanks for the quick reply, Dale. To be honest I hadn’t located the screen brightness control on the menu until a few days ago, and, with the current UK weather I’ve had no chance to try it out in sunshine. Certainly with the default setting it’s been a difficulty but, now that I’ve found how to increase the LCD brightness, I’m looking forward to trying it out and maybe saving myself the expense of the viewfinder! Thanks a lot and let’s hope the sun puts in a visit soon!
No problem Ian, my pleasure. Yeah I personally do not think the viewfinder is needed as the LCD screen does such a great job. I think it is really for those that want the benefits of a camera like this but have to have a viewfinder that would choose the extra equipment. All the best. Dale
Great minds think alike! I wrote a similar article for Fujilove.come based on my experiences with the X70 whilst on holiday in Malta. I came to the same conclusion. You can read it here: http://fujilove.com/traveling-with-the-fuji-x70/
Enjoyed your article. I am seriously thinking about the X70. I was wondering if you had tried the digital teleconvertor feature (35mm and 50mm equivalent) and if so what you thought about the quality of the images? generally I shoot for the internet (very active on Flickr) and if I print, it is usually 8X10 and not more then 10X14. Please and thanks for any response.
Hi, thanks for the question. Yes I have used the digital teleconverter feature – in fact the image with the flowers on the wall was taken with the 50mm setting. The quality will be fine at those sizes. It is only when you really start to pixel peep that you would notice the difference I think. Hope this helps. Dale 🙂
You call those “holiday snaps,” do you? I call them “beautiful” and “brilliant.” Thank you for the inspiration — and for proving that you don’t need 3 kilos of gear to produce stunning images.
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂 Dale.
i shoot with the x70 son focused most of the time, i use a ricoh gv-2 for a viewfinder and its fits the 28/21 format well. plus its a lot more discreet than the fuji viewfinder.
Thank you for your comment, the zone focusing for Street photography works great. Though I also find using the ‘Touch & Shoot’ option quite handy for this as people don’t see you pressing the shutter button – so it’s easier to get great candid shots. All the best. Dale
i meant zone focused, not son
I love Fuji X cameras and have budgeted to add an X-T1 to my kit and I really enjoyed this article but … unless you are making poster sized prints or shooting with an old iPhone 3G, I call BS on that sentence.
Here’s how you do it:
http://iphonephotographyschool.com/print-photos/
Hi there, thank you for your comment. I think I should have perhaps clarified what size I would normally print to – A3 or A2 size are common sizes for me and that is where this camera’s image quality really shines. Nice images on the post you shared. All the best. Dale 🙂
It’s a great camera which I think is more capable than iPhone for many types of images. I am in the USA so those sizes don’t exist but the iPhone can produce excellent prints at A4 size and perhaps A3 equivalents.
I am budgeting for an X-T1 (or X-T1 Mk II). I think Fuji has done an excellent job saving it’s customers from DLSR menu hell.
I wrote a similar article for Fujilove.com and came to the same conclusion. You can read it here:http://fujilove.com/traveling-with-the-fuji-x70/
Nice article, thank you for sharing.
Or if you want small size, a quality EVF, a decent zoom lens and X-Series features, I find the X30 makes the perfect all-in-one holiday camera… and as the article mentioned, I find it allows me to ‘be on holiday’ rather than ‘on a photo shoot’.
Having only recently bought an X100T I love the small size compared to the ICL bodies especially for travelling. Can’t help thinking the X-70 just takes it to the next level… Guess I need to start saving those pennies!
Just got mine yesterday so looking forward to seeing what happens! First Fuji camera after years of other makes but loving the feel of it! Exciting!!
Hi Lynda, thanks for the comment – I’m sure you will love it! The image quality that little camera produces is superb! Have fun 🙂 Dale.
do u shoot in raw or jpegs for the x70 ?
Hi there, normally I shoot Jpegs with it as they come out so good (all images in this blog are Jpeg). If I was going out to shoot a sunrise or sunset I would switch to RAW and Jpeg just to capture more data into the image for post-processing purposes. I hope this helps 🙂 Dale
The size of camera and the image quality, that’s my main reason why I brought this camera when I did solo trekking to Annapurna. Even this camera still can be used in the freezing environment of Himalaya, without any problems. Love it so much.