To be honest, I was not planning on writing a review of the Fuji X100 camera. First, because the camera was sent to me in error. As I was preparing to send it back, I was asked if I wanted to try it out, so I agreed to check it out and ended up shooting with it for a week.

The Fujifilm X100 is here, offering DSLR-like image quality and noise performance in a decidedly un-DSLR-like package. The classic rangefinder look is smart and relatively compact, at least compared to the typical DSLR. Materials, fit and finish are quite good.

Very good images; color; Great features for serious shooters; Useful hybrid viewfinder

Cost; Slow write times; AF average to a bit slow

If you have the bucks and you want the best photo quality possible, the Fujifilm FinePix X100 delivers. But definitely try before you buy to make sure the focusing systems won't make you crazy.

Thanks to great photo quality; a clever hybrid viewfinder; and a cool; retro design; there's a lot to like about the Fujifilm FinePix X100

Sluggish performance; especially for such a high-priced camera; and a frustrating navigation control make shooting with the camera a lot less fluid than it should be

The Fuji Finepix X100 is a uniquely intriguing camera. Its inconspicuous analog-camera look is alluring for its quantity of buttons and dials, promising efficiency while shooting. A one-of-a-kind hybrid viewfinder lets it have an EVF and an optical-tunnel viewfinder in the same place.

Superb image quality in compact size; Extremely low noise; Very good sharpness from wide-open; Flexible rendition of colors and tones; Bright lens with F/2 maximum aperture; Real aperture ring; Leaf-Shutter allows High-Speed-Sync; Built-In 3-Stop ND Filter; Plenty of external controls; Inconspicuous...

Sluggish autofocus system; Slow manual focus ring; Severe yellow cast under tungsten lighting; Live-Histogram shows metered exposure; Previews metered exposure; not actual; Clear but pointless OVF; Two dials needed per exposure parameter; No AE-L with MF; Illogical and under-used button functions,...

Are there better cameras that cost less than the $1199 price tag? I'm sure there are. But there aren't many that can match the sturdy build, good looks, and great performance in such a package smaller than a digital SLR.

+ Looks great; + Feels great; + Smaller than a full-size digital SLR

- More expensive than your ordinary digital camera, - No zoom; can't change lens, - If you want a petite camera, look elsewhere, - No auto-intelligent-preprogrammed-whizbang features, - If you take a lousy picture, you only have yourself to blame

A little retro and a little modern, the X100F is a magical camera

The X100 is a truly pioneering camera that has brought retro styling back to market in a big way. Though retro styling aside the real beauty of the X100 is that it offers the market a relatively inexpensive rangefinder camera that delivers incredible image quality from a large APS CMOS sensor.

Fujifilm's star is now so high in the camera makers' firmament that it's easy to forget just how recently the firm was primarily a purveyor of identikit zoom compacts. The camera that set it on course towards higher things was the original X100, with its retro rangefinder-style design, fixed lens,...

+ Traditional control dials are quick and engaging to use; + Superb JPEG colour rendition and excellent raw image quality; + Unique hybrid viewfinder gives a useful choice of viewing options; + Stunning rangefinder-style design

ISO dial can be awkward to use with the camera to your eye; Lens is a bit prone to flare; Filter thread and hood adapter is a pricey optional extra

The Fujifilm X100F is the latest in Fujifilm's series of fixed-length premium compact cameras. It features the latest generation X-Trans CMOS sensor, which has 24.3 megapixels - a jump up from the 16.3 megapixel sensor of the X100F's predecessor, the X100T.

Did anyone mention an age of austerity? Certainly not at Fuji Towers, from whence has appeared the manufacturer's most expensive and inevitably most exciting digital camera for coming up to a decade.

Superb quality quality; Exceptional image quality; Versatile yet easy to use

Very expensive; Fixed zoom lens; Slightly fiddly controls