When the Fujifilm X-T10 was released, I was a little perplexed. What was the point of a a smaller, compromised version of the X-T1? I didn’t get it.
But as I started to read the early reviews, it started to sink in. This camera is an ambassador for what Fujifilm can do. Sure, the X-T1 is still there. But it’s $500 more than the X-T10. For many people, $500 is the difference between getting the camera or not getting the camera.
So what do you lose for that $500? First of all, you lose weather sealing. For most people, this will not be a big deal. Secondly, you lose the dedicated ISO dial at the top of the camera. Again, not something most are going to cry over. Thirdly, you get a smaller buffer. Sure, the X-T10 can burst shoot at 8fps, but once you grab those 8 frames in that first second, the camera’s buffer fills up and your subsequent shots will come much slower. Compared to the 47 shots you can grab with the X-T1 in succession, this could be a deal breaker for some. Fourth, you get a smaller electronic viewfinder (EVF). The X-T10 has a 0.39 inch viewfinder, which the X-T1 has a .5 inch viewfinder. The LCD of the X-T10 is a slightly lower resolution panel as well (920k dot for the X-T10 versus 1,040 dot for the X-T1.
So that’s what you lose. What do you gain with the X-T10?
Smaller body. For many, this is a plus. The X-T1 isn’t huge by any stretch, but a smaller body is welcome in many situations.
Pop-up flash. Sure, the X-T1 came with a pop up Flash accessory, but the X-T1o has a pop-up flash built in to the camera itself, hiding discretely in the top of the camera.
“Full Auto” button. For those times that you hand your camera off to muggle, there’s the AUTO switch. Flipping this switch on the top instantly puts the camera in to full auto mode, so all the person taking the picture has to do is press the shutter button. Brilliant.
Additional ‘buttons’ on the front and rear dials. Since these dials aren’t weather sealed, they can act as buttons when pressed, giving you extra function buttons to assign features to.
Apart from these differences, the X-T10 is basically a smaller, lighter X-T1. It uses the same NP-W126 battery. It is rated for the same number of shots on a full battery charge as the X-T1. This makes it an ideal second body for those who are using the X-T1 professionally.
In my time with the X-T10, I found myself grabbing it over the X-T1 in certain situations. For street shooting, it’s smaller size is a definitive pro. For casual family affairs, the ‘AUTO’ button means I can hand it off to a family member and they get the shot without knowing how to operate it.
How does it compare to the X100T? After all, the X-T10 with the 18-55mm kit lens ($1099) costs less than the X100T ($1299).
Personally, I think it’s a better buy.
The X-T10 feels much better in the hand than the X100T. It’s body has the textured material and a nice thumb rest area on the grip portion in the back, making it much easier to hold than the X100T.
The X-T10 has the articulating screen. The X100T does not.
Being an interchangeable lens camera, of course, you aren’t limited to the one 23mm f2 lens that the X100T offers. If you wanted an X100T like kit, you could get the X-T10 body for $799, and then buy the 27mm f2.8 pancake lens ($449 retail, but available on eBay for as little as $249) and still come out less than the $1299 for the X100T.
Fujifilm did an extremely smart thing with the X-T10. It took the winning formula it had with the X-T1, pared it down where it could to save costs, improved upon it where it could to appeal more to the advanced hobbyist/prosumer crowd, and goosed their product line up while they continue work on the X-Pro2 and the X-T2 bodies. I expect they X-T10 will become the new ‘ambassador’ camera for Fujifilm, and bring lots of additional people to the system.
Well done Fujifilm.
