Fujifilm X-S1: Less Zoom But a Bigger Sensor

We often complain about the fact that Fujifilm is still the only manufacturer to produce an expert-level bridge camera with a real mechanical zoom, the extra controls we'd expect from an SLR and a bigger sensor than you'd find in an ordinary point-and-shoot camera.  It seemed, though, that even they had left this last aspect for dead with the HS10 and its 1/2.3'' sensor.

But the new X-S1 will pique the interest of anybody nostalgic for the old Minolta A2 from back at the start of the last decade.  It has the same new 2/3'' sensor—with approximately double the surface area of standard 1/2.3'' cameras—as the recent X10. 

Another unique feature of the A2 was its high-resolution viewfinder.  That camera was on sale before we even started the site—but every other bridge camera since 2006 has had a pathetic 230 000-pixel viewfinder.  Until now that is: Fuji has finally decided to fit a 1.4 Megapixel viewfinder to the X-S1, which should make lining up your shot a much more enjoyable experience than on existing bridge cameras.  You can't, however, move it, so if you're squeezing into a tight corner, then you'll have to rely on the fold-out screen.

In other areas, the XS-1 follows current trends for bridge cameras.  For example, it puts the emphasis on a longer zoom instead of extra aperture: in place of the Minolta A2's f/3.5 at maximum zoom, which matched the Panasonic FZ cameras of the area which had around f/2.8-3.7, the X-S1 has a 26x zoom, the equivalent of 24-624 mm, but only opens to f/5.6 at the longest focal length.  That zoom is slightly shorter than the one on the HS20 EXR, but we don't really expect the differences to very noticeable.

Other features are borrowed from Fujifilm's X10 advanced compact camera, including Full HD video, a seven frames per second burst mode and an EXR mode to boost sensitivity and dynamic range.

Unless one of its competitors springs a surprise launch on us, Fujifilm's X-S1 will easily be the most expensive bridge camera on the market when it launches early next year.  Quality components and advanced features cost money of course, but at the £600 mark, Fujifilm can't afford to get things wrong.  We'll be paying an awful lot of attention to this new camera!