Going back a while, there was a thread on here asking if anyone had a Fuji X10. I was considering a compact at the time, they say that the best camera is the one you have with you and I am not in the habit of taking the full frame DSLR and it attendant bag of big lenses everywhere I go. There where a few key parameters that had to be included in my choice of compact. It had to be small enough to stow in the car or in a jacket pocket. It had to make decent quality images, good enough for web display and prints maybe up to 15" wide. It had to have some sort of image stabilisation for lower light shooting and it had to have a decent viewfinder.

I looked at the X10, Nikon P7100, Canon G12, G15 and G1X. The G1X went out early as it was just that bit too bulky and heavy. The others all where in the running, but both the Nikon and Canon offerings, although good in most respects, had really crappy viewfinders. This left the X10. Just when I got round to buying it, the X20 was announced, so I held off to see if the image quality from the X20 was worth shelling out for. IMO it was not and it also did not have the clever EXR sensor options that the X10 has, so X10 it was.

So how is it? Really nicely made piece of kit for a start. It feels beautifully screwed together, the others tested really felt poorly finished by comparison, something to take pride in owning. Only had time to do a few test shots around the house while I am getting used to it. Ergonomically, it is pretty good (I particularly like the lens barrel zoom control ring), light enough but solidly built feel, like a professional instrument. The F2/2.8 lens is properly sharp and colours are excellent.

The down side, the menu system is a complete mess and the way the camera changes settings when other things are changed, but does not reinstate them when settings are returned is a bit iffy. I will figure out two custom settings to store to memory and probably work with those most of the time. Alternately, I could just leave it on auto everything where is seems very adept at picking the best mode for each subject.

So far, so good and £200 cheaper than the X20.

Chris

I got an x10 last year, final present before giving up and going to work for myself.

The macro is great too! Landscapes come up very nicely. I have lost the lens cap, put a cheap filter adaptor on so I can use 52mm nikon caps, easier when climbing, but it's a hard one to use climbing; didn't really think the purchase through fully, got sucked into the camera

I just need to get out and use it more.

I found a few quirks like how to get more range into the exr photos. Not gotten one to knock me of my socks yet... I took it to Norway in July, I think I left it on exr most of the time, some pics here:

whilst none are popping, some I feel really capture light and dark areas well, for that it makes it easy to take photo's in mixed lighting environments without too much thought.