Fujifilm X30 12 MP Digital Camera - Black

I bought this camera as an upgrade from the phone camera I have been using, to try to actually understand and explore photography as a hobby. I have been taking reasonably nice pictures on my phone for years, but want just that bit more control over how my pictures end up. This review is targeted at those who are in that demographic.First, if you are considering this camera as an upgrade from a regular point-and-shoot or phone camera, ask yourself why. No camera automatically make your pictures better. However, a good camera can give you more control. If you are frustrated at how your old camera does not produce the pictures you were seeing in your head, then consider this camera. For instance, my phone camera would sometimes produce blueish or yellowish pictures for no reason. Sometimes I will try to focus on a close object (a macro shot), but the camera will produce a shot that has everything in focus. These are things I can remedy with more functions and controls, which this camera gives me.This camera also opens up is a whole world of opportunity with it's ability to shoot raw. On a regular camera, you press the shutter and the camera processes the information, decides how you wish to see the shot, and presents that image to you in a jpeg. Anything irrelevant (such as details in a dark patch of shadow) is removed. With raw, those details are never removed, which allows you to draw them out in editing. Why is it that photographers always have amazing shots? Half of it is because they are photographers and have the right skills, perseverance and gear. The other half (ok, maybe slightly less) is the post-processing.Of course, all that I said so far is just as true for the X30's far more expensive cousins, or its direct competitors. Why Fuji X30? Personally, a lot of it came down to value for money. For the kind of control I need (shooting raws, aperture, shutter speed, having a viewfinder etc), the Fuji X30 is probably the most affordable. Also, I am also the sort of person who can give up on a hobby if it is too much hassle from the onset. A Fuji X30 is small, portable and a joy to carry around. I saw the lack of inter-changeable lens as a bonus. I'm still learning the basics. I don't need to worry about lens selection and care at this stage. And certainly, at my level of photography, carrying a whole bagpack of camera gear the next time I go travelling does not appeal to me.I have also seen lots of reviews mentioning the picture quality of the X30. To be frank, yes, the quality will not rival those that are twice the price or have a far far larger sensor. However, for someone who just wishes to capture photographs and maybe print a few for our own collections, this is just fine!To sum up after all that - the Fuji X30 is an amazing camera for someone who is just venturing into 'proper' photography. It produces good pictures all round, but gives you the flexibility and options to go pretty far. And for regular usage (ie. not driving into the mountains at 4am to catch the early morning mist), I can't ask for a better balance between convenience and quality.Note: attached are pictures I took on a recent holiday. They have been enhanced on Lightroom afterwards, but only with very basic tools.

Only had this camera for a few days but already getting to like it. It is nice to handle, just the right size, and has a load of customisable controls. It's well made (with a few reservations) and well finished. The thing that keeps it in the "compact" league is the image quality - in jpg it only just matches my much smaller and cheaper Panasonic TX8! At higher ISO speeds it does a lot of "smearing" of fine detail in an attempt to obscure pixel noise - 1600 ISO looks "stippled"! Even at 400 ISO the "painting over the rough bits" effect is rather obvious! Admittedly I did set it to Medium size. "Film simulation modes" are thoughtful but fairly crude - the "Velvia" setting just looks a bit garish, although the black and white settings are handy. However, I also have a Nikon D5300 which is spectacularly good, and it isn't supposed to compete with this - it's just for (good) snapshots - the value of this X30 is in the controls, with a customisable control ring, manual zoom (with focal length equivalents on it as though you were using a 35mil film camera...), most useful manual exposure compensation dial and as I said, customisable function buttons, so now I can use the movie button for selecting white balance - I'd never use it for movies. Like any decent camera you can customise WB as well. Viewfinder is nice for bright sunlight although you might find yourself using the screen most of the time. The screen tilts, although its maybe a little "creaky" mechanically. The tiny flash is pathetic, you might be excused for thinking it wasn't working - obviously Fuji want you to buy the 160 quid accessory flash, although there is a cheaper Metz version, but I rarely use flash anyway. I have an old Metz slave flash if I do want it. You need the admittedly pricey lens hood/filter kit - Fuji aren't saying what size the filter thread is, but the filter and hood are well made and look as though they belong to the camera. Lastly, I rigged up the strap so it only attached to one lug - it gets in the way otherwise. You don't need a two-point strap for a camera this size. So, this is a camera for those who like to customise controls, who like a cool looking camera, and who know that you need a larger sensor for max quality!

Bought this camera for times when I don't want to lug around my Canon 5D Mk II, but still want great image quality and control. The retro styling is great and I especially like the twist zoom rather than pressing a button as it gives me absolute control over the zoom range. Great inbuilt Fujifilm simulations, such as Velvia. EVF is great and is better than using the screen in bright sunlight. Wifi connectivity is easy and really useful to get photos off the camera within plugging it in to a computer, etc. Build quality is excellent as it's metal rather than plastic which adds to the retro feel. Not as heavy as some say, but then again I'm coming from lugging around 1.5 kg of DSLR + lens so it feels very light in comparison. Image quality is great, but of course it's not DSLR quality, but if you want that then buy a DSLR. However, for the price, size and features it can't be beaten which is probably why it won the TIPA European Camera award for Best Expert Compact Camera 2015. Highly recommended!

I bought this camera twice and returned it twice.The sensor lets it down, otherwise it has everything you would require.It feels and looks like the perfect camera but it isn't.I was going to use the 2nd one I bought for bright days but the lens control wheel had a scraping feel to it and the autofocus was out.I now have the original Sony RX100 with 1" sensor and I can use it in very low light with excellent results.Doesn't have the specs or feel of the X30 but it is nice and small and is a bit of a mini marvel.The X30 could have been fantastic.