Fuji X70

Fuji's compact cameras have proved very popular, but some find the APS-C format Fuji X100T too big and the 2/3-inch sensor in the Fuji X30 too small. Well, the X70 could be just right. This new camera has the same 16.3Mp APS-C format X-Trans CMOS II sensor and EXR Processor II as the X100T, but these are joined by an 18.5mm f/2.8 lens which gives an effective focal length of 28mm, significantly wider than the 35mm (equivalent) lens on the X100T. There are also digital 'teleconverter' options that crop images to replicate 35mm and 50mm framing.

The lens has a ring for aperture adjustment, with markings running in whole stops from f/2.8 to f/16 - and adjustment in 1/3 stops. There's also a A for automatic setting to set the camera to shutter priority and program mode.

Meanwhile, on the top-plate there's a shutter speed dial with settings running from 1sec to 1/4000 sec as well as Bulb, Time and Auto settings.

Significantly, the X70 doesn't have a viewfinder like the X100T, but there is an optional optical viewfinder with 21mm and 28mm bright lines. The 3-inch screen is also touch-sensitive and capable of being tipped up through 180 degrees for shooting selfies, as well as downwards for easier viewing from below.

The X70 has the same hybrid (phase and contrast detection) autofocus system as the X100T, which means that there are single point, Zone and Wide/Tracking modes, along with 3D Tracking and Eye-detection. The claimed AF response time is 0.08sec and there's a maximum continuous shooting speed of 8fps (frames per second).

At 112.5 x 64.4 x 44.4mm, the X70 is significantly smaller than the X100T (126.5 x 74.4 x 52.4mm and smaller even than the X30 (118.7 x 71.6 x 60.3mm), though the body is thicker. Despite the small size the controls don't feel cramped and the body has a nice solid build.

A shallow rubberised grip on the front of the camera along with a small pad on the back with a pronounced ridge make the camera feel comfortable and safe in your hand.

It's reasonable to assume that the X70 will produce images of similar quality to those from the Fuji X100T as it uses the same sensor and processing engine, but with a shorter focal length lens. This means that we can expect noise to be controlled well and only really make an appearance in images taken at ISO 3,200 and above. Detail should also be well rendered up to around ISO 12,800 when the impact of noise and its removal comes to bear.

The pre-production sample that I used was able to focus pretty quickly despite the relatively low light conditions and I'm looking forward to giving a full production sample a thorough test.