Fujifilm X20 12 MP Digital Camera with 2.8-Inch LCD (Black)

I got tired of lugging around a big DSLR while im on vacation,but i wanted something better than a $100 point and shoot,I set $500 as the max I wanted to spend,I searched in vain for a $500 Leica M9 lol,I have a single malt scotch taste on a beer budget,I looked at several cameras over a months time,hands on testing,I tried my brother in laws new sony RX100, my preconceived opinion that this was the holy grail of small cameras,It left me cold it feels so sterilized and modern,I did not like much of anything about it personally,The Lumix LX7 was the same altho I like the price point,I am not a nikon fan at all megapixels alone do not make a picture,I learned that on my canon 5d with 12 megapixels which takes amazing photos, I wanted a nikon D800 with 36 megapixels I dont like anything about that camera,photos in my opinion are not better,my next DSLR will be a canon 5d mk111,but will take a year of saving,I tried a canon G15 I really like this camera it has so much going for it,this is not a technical reveiw its my gut review,then I tried the fujifilm x10 and I fell in love with this camera,its build quality and retro looks just made me want one,it takes amazing macro photos,and human skin looks so gorgeous its just the right hue for candid portraits,Its not perfect I still would rather have a Leica M9 or X2,but I think that for me this camera is the best compromise,but then the fujfilm x20 came out,It is rare to find at this point but I found one in a camera store in seattle but it was sold,the salesman walked me through the x20 and took a few photos,Its true its $600 but,its a real beauty so I ordered one,I will edit the post after awhile with an updated opinion,I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Overall: This was my first Fuji camera, and I had big expectations. I was expecting to be blown away by the supposedly amazing "Fuji color rendition". Although this little camera is competent, I was not impressed overall. I would not recommend this to the person graduating from the point-and-shoot, because you can buy a system camera (u4/3 or NEX) for less and learn more. But the advanced user tired of carrying their DSLR and lenses may want to consider the Fuji X20 for a competent camera in a tiny package.Pros:+ Optical viewfinder+ Fast focusing+ Easy to use menu+ Super easy to use Quick Menu+ Quality macro mode allows close focusing+ Panorama sweep mode+ Plenty of art filters and simulation modes+ Solid build quality and feel+ Excellent flash and high speed since+ Super quiet! (seriously, sometimes I wasn't sure I even took a picture)Cons:- Did not live up to the hype (for me)- Optical viewfinder offers too little coverage- Fuji non-standard filter sizesFirst Impression: As I was unboxing this thing, I was very impressed with the weight, feel, and build of this little camera. Everything felt very sturdy and not plastic like the Sony NEX 3/5. I have very little doubts as to the long term durability of this camera. It felt the way the cameras from the 70's and 80's feel: sturdy. (I have a Nikon FE2).VS the Competition: I can't compare it to any of it's direct competitors but I'll compare it to some of the other cameras I've owned:A) NEX F3: The Fuji X20 has better build quality, autofocus, menus, and usability. The NEX has better image quality, especially for low light, and better ergonomics. The NEX has atrocious menus.B) Olympus OM-D EM-5: The Fuji X20 build quality seems to compare well with the OMD. Autofocus is similar between the OMD and X20. Both are very fast. However, the OMD has more advanced features like face detect with near eye (which works great, BTW). OMD EVF is better than the Fuji X20 OVF. OMD also wins in image quality and low light. Of the two, I recommend the OMD - it is a unique and wonderful shooting experience.C) Panasonic LX7: Fuji X20 has better build quality, autofocus, menus, ergonomics, usability, and image quality. The LX7 is cheaper.Side note: People either love or hate the Fuji menus. If you like the way Olympus and Nikon do menus, you'll like Fuji too. If you like the way Canon and Panasonic do menus, it'll take you time to get used to the Fuji, but you may learn to like them. Nobody likes Sony NEX menus and no manufacturer should imitate Sony NEX menus. I learned on Nikon DSLRs, so Nikon, Olympus, and Fuji menus are natural and easy to navigate for me. The Fuji Quick Menu is very good and easy to use.My preference, in order of best to worst menu system (and thus, a big factor in general usability):1. Nikon or Olympus2. Fuji (Quick Menu is excellent)3. Canon4. Panasonic5. Sony NEX (which is terrible)However, overall, I wasn't too impressed with the Fuji X20 image quality. Also, after reading other reviews about how the Fuji color rendition was great, I think I had too much expectation for this little camera. It's a good advanced point and shoot, but I wouldn't recommend it to the average user.Fortunately, Fuji makes it very easy to use this camera. You can use the control wheel to easily change aperture, shutter speed, and program shift. I generally use cameras in Aperture Priority. Autofocus speed is excellent and on par with the OMD, and significantly faster and more accurate than the Sony NEX.The Fuji X20 is incredibly quiet as well. Sometimes I couldn't even tell that it had just taken a picture. My wife couldn't tell either.Lastly, Fuji does one thing better than any of the other camera listed above: fill flash. Combined with the leaf shutter, you can get some very fast flash sync speeds that are not possible with your typical Nikon, Canon, Olympus, or Sony. And the Fuji fill flash looks very natural without being overpowering.In Summary: I think this is a really nice camera, but a little underwhelming compared to my expectations. At $600, I wouldn't recommend it to the person who is graduating from a point-and-shoot because it is too expensive and you could use the money for a system camera (like Panasonic, Olympus, or Sony NEX). However, I would recommend the Fuji X20 to an advanced DSLR user who needs a competent camera in a small package.Thanks for reading and I hoped this review helps you make an informed decision about this much hyped camera.- AviUpdated 08/03/2013: I dropped this to 3 stars. I have the X-M1, and it blows away the X20. Of course the APS-C sensor is significantly larger than the 2/3" sensor. I highly recommend buying the X-M1 over the X20. For a competent point-and-shoot, I also recommend considering the RX100 M2 before buying the X20.

I watched so many review videos and read a bunch of forum posts about this camera before buying a used one from a retailer in Japan who tried to rip me off for return shipping (they wanted to charge me retroactively for shipping the camera TO ME when I submitted a return request in addition to paying return shipping out-of-pocket. How insane is that?) but this review isn't for Amazon's sketchy merchants, it's for the Fujifilm X20.The camera is small. I like that. It's small, retro and feels really solid. It's metal and... whatever that stuff is. Rubber? Faux leather? Whatever it is, it's of excellent quality.Fujifilm cameras really do put out some great looking photos, so that's a given. My problem is mostly with manual focusing. Using the viewfinder with auto focus is nice because you'll get your aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and a square or rectangle indicating what is being focused. Apparently there is an indicator for when something is out of frame (parallax) but I did not encounter that while shooting. The deal breaker for me was in the way manual focusing works. I didn't know this before I bought the camera, but in order to focus manually, you have to turn this little dial that's around the circular control button (the one that's usually a d-pad for menu/flash/macro etc). When you do that, of course because it's an optical viewfinder, not a hybrid viewfinder (and the camera is not a DSLR) you need to use the LCD to focus manually.I exclusively shoot through the viewfinder. I don't know why I didn't realize that the OVF would be useless by design for manual focusing. I guess because I owned (and was spoiled by) the X100T. I wrongly assumed that the X20 would have some sort of focus outline or something similar to what's in the X100T's hybrid viewfinder. Of course it doesn't! The X20 is not advertised with such a viewfinder.If you're like me and enjoy shooting entirely through the viewfinder, either get one with a hybrid viewfinder (X-Pro1/2, X100/S/T) or get used to electronic viewfinders. EVF's are really useful, but some people (myself included) are put off by the presence of a screen against their eyeball.So, my missing star is not for my mistake. It's for the battery life (which pales in comparison to the X30), lack of every film simulation modes found in other cameras (really, there's no reason Fujifilm couldn't throw in Classic Chrome besides selling newer models) and for the somewhat inconvenient method of turning the camera on and off. The X30 operates in the same way. You have to twist the lens. I'd prefer an on/off switch so I can save battery power without having to set my focal length every time.