I'll admit that I originally considered buying this camera purely based on looks. I wanted the X100, but the price and impracticality of no zoom put me off. So when the X10 was announced it immediately had my attention.
The camera feels fantastic to hold and it has a nice weight to it. All the controls and dials feel how they should; firm, so you wan't find controls have changed every time you take it from your bag. I think it goes without saying the overall look of the camera is gorgeous; I have received many compliments whilst using the X10 on holidays/at events/honeymooning.
I love the photo's it takes. I'm not very technical with this sort of thing, but the colours seem to pop. It might be the LCD screen on the back, but I found the images looked great. I'm not really a big video person, but I have no qualms with the short vids I've taken.
The controls take a little getting use to. It takes a little hunting thru the menu to find some special features, but having the custom function button up top is very handy.
The panoramic feature (which I'm sure is on a lot of cameras these days), is really handy for those amazing landscape shots, or interior design photos.
I do have an issue with the battery life. On holidays I find I have to charge it every night to ensure the camera doesn't cut out half way thru the second day of usage. With lighter usage I'm sure this would not be a problem. And I've been advised by many to just invest in a secondary battery, which I will get around to doing soon.
Another problem is finding lens filters. There is a ring adapter available for the X10, but I've found that its vented design lets dust get in between the lens and the filter (useless!). So I have settled for a 40mm UV filter which screws directly onto the lens. However! beware... each brand seems to have differing thread pitch, so try it on before you buy if possible. Marumi 40mm and Sunpak 40mm fit well enough (Sunpak doesn't fully screw on, but its firm enough).
Overall its a very fun camera to have for happy snaps as well as those days you feel kind of artsy =D.
Just make sure you pack another battery.
The Breakdown
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Hardware / design
10
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Image quality
9
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Video quality
9
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Interface / controls
8
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Features
9
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Performance
8
Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
