What is the most important characteristic of a camera for city and travel photography?
Is it the sensor size? Or the lens aperture? Or the ISO range?
To me it’s the portability and the Fujifilm X70 is a winner in this respect.
Why?
Because the best camera is the one that’s with you.
I planned few days in Sydney. I decided to fly with my carry-on luggage, I could only take 7kg with me. I am used to flying light and I do not find that complicated to organise just the essentials.
What I find challenging is to decide what camera to take with me. I usually shoot with Nikon, fantastic gear but heavy. I sometimes end up taking just my mobile.
Not anymore with the X70. I had it for few weeks and I got so easily addicted to it. I now take it with me everywhere.
This camera is not just light. It’s the size of a compact and a heart of a DSLR. The Fujifilm X70 has an amazing 16MP APS-C sensor in that tiny body.
There is only one limit you have to live with. The X70 has a fixed prime lens with an equivalent focal length of 28m and an aperture of f/2.8.
The legs are the only form of zooming you have. And they work very well, by the way.
Yes, there are situations when you really need a zoom lens and yes, in that cases the X70 will not help. But then there are occasions when you would not take with you an interchangeable lens camera, because too bulky, and the X70 is the perfect camera to have.
The wide aperture at f/2.8 gives an amazing bokeh where needed, still maintaining amazing details on your subject.
The X70 is not a backup on an interchangeable lens camera. It’s so much more than that.
In the city is really what you need. The perfect camera for street photography. Small and unpretentious.
I find that 28mm is not always the optimal focal length for a portrait. That’s why the digital tele-converter at 35/50mm is a great feature to have.
During some landscape photography with the X70 I missed the EVF (you can buy an OVF separately) however I find easier to shoot people with the LCD. The OVF attachment looks too professional and people seems more worried about who you are.
Who would I suggest this camera too?
To everyone that is shooting with a mobile, or a small compact, and want to step up with the own creativity. It’s really a pleasure to use Fujifilm in manual mode.
But not only. I highly suggest it to anyone shooting with a DSLR and looking for another camera to always take with you, anywhere, anytime.
Check more photos and read the full review of the X70 here.
About the author
Italian photographer Stefano Ferro has lived and worked all over the world, but now calls Melbourne home. He successfully runs MEL365.com, a travel photography website that focuses on visual stories from Melbourne, Australia, and around the globe. His work has been published in magazines and websites internationally.
Yes, X70 is a good compact but needs a zoom lens …
Hi Alex, the zoom always helps however it comes at a cost, which is size. I believe that Fuji with the X70 has decided to stay as small as possible and it has succeeded, I mean about the tiny dimension, also considering the APS-C sensor.
I was very happy with it. The size is very important to me however I fully understand that a zoom would help too, maybe just up to equivalent 70mm. I guess it’s impossible to make everyone happy here 😀