Fuji X100 Price Drop

Taken with the Fuji X100, in Madison with Ctein and Laura

Well, this is what a lot of people have been waiting for—the undyingly popular Fuji X100, with its super-duper lens and superlative image quality, not to mention Leica-like looks, for less than a grand. (You knew the day would get here, you just didn't know when.) The price drop takes it from $1,199 to $999, and is good until Nov. 3rd.

Jerry telling a story, taken with the Canon 5D Mark II (two-frame panorama)

And on the screaming bargain front, B&H is closing out the still very nice Canon 5D Mark II (in favor of the new 6D) with the kit to end all kits—the camera, the very nice 24–105mm image-stabilized all-purpose"L"  zoom lens, and a Pro 9000II printer, along with a few other goodies, all for $2,199. The page says the offer's good till the end of the year, but don't count on that—it's probably good for as long as Canon can supply the cameras. Of course you can buy just the camera and lens if you want to...for $300 more.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
A book of interest today:

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Rob L: "I've seldom loved a camera more than my X100—sure, it's frustrating, but all great things are (try changing film on a Leica in a hurry). But the results outweigh the growls. And the looks honestly don't feel like a put-on, but an honest attempt to match form with function."

Mike Boudreaux: "Well, a $999 mistake would be better than the $1299 mistake I made when I bought one."

Bob (partial comment): "...Personally, I need much more for a massive ONE THOUSAND QUID!!!"

Robin Dreyer: "I'm so happy with my X100, I don't even resent this price drop. As others have said, it's worth taking the time to thoroughly learn this camera. Which isn't as daunting as learning a lot of other cameras because there are lots of (mostly silly) things that the X100 doesn't do, so there's not as much to learn."

Comments

[Max]

OT: Mike, did you try the new panorama mode in the iPhone? I'm shocked. Shocked. Dozens of fluidly joined megapixels.

[Karl]

Too little too late as far as I'm concerned. Been wanting one of these since it was announced and have been stimied about the rather set price since then.

Now the Fuji that has my attention is the X-E1 - lovin' everthing I see and read about it. And just $200.- more than the 'old price' on the X100? A no brainer if you ask me, Fuji HAD to drop the X100 price.

[Ludovic]

Yes, I did notice the price drop.

When I checked the price before placing an ad to sell mine.

Sell high, buy low? Me? Nah, I'm no stock investor :)

[Dan Myers]

Thanks for the heads up on the Fuji X100 sale. I just bought it (after clicking on your link). Love your website. Longtime reader. It addresses topics/issues like NO OTHER website, like "creativity".
Love your book recommendations also. Keep up the great work! (I sell my prints at a retail co-op store in Ocean City NJ. Had a great first season.)

[Steve Biro]

I have been seriously considering the X100 for a while now and this might be the time to act. The best part is that, unlike buying into a multi-lens system, the X100 doesn't mean I need to dump any of my other gear in order to fund additional glass purchases.

But could current X100 owners please bring me up to date on how the camera is with the latest firmware? I mean both improvements and continued frustrations. Your input will lead me to my ultimate decision in a few days.

[Torquil Macneil]

Weirdly the price in the UK has been stable at about $1,000 for yonks. This is weird because photo equipment is always pricier over here.

[Ross Chambers]

I checked the X100 price at the duty free shop at Incheon Airport, Korea as I headed home from there today and it was USD1300--at least USD100 more than I paid for mine retail at home in Sydney about 8 months ago. Australian Customs would have probably whacked something more on top the USD1300. Strange idea "Duty Free"--seems like a dead concept.

[Sean]

The 24-105mm is not a lens you care for optically is it, Mike?
That's aside from it being a zoom. Unless I'm mistaken (I often am)

I recall that you were being kind when you said it.

Sean

[Mike Johnston]

Sean,
I don't know that one myself. It's probably not a lens I would buy, but I hear other people like zooms. [g]

Mike

[Mike]

@Steve
I love mine. Got it about two months ago. Certainly not as fast as my D700, but it isn't supposed to be. Viewfinder is great, lens is sharp. I set the jpeg to b&w and the thing just sings. Looks great even at ISO 2000. Best part is the size - I take it with me everywhere I go.

[Bob]

I can't see why this ordinary camera, which offers less than some other much cheaper digital cameras, is SO expensive. I was hugely disappointed when I handled it,...a two hundred pounds 'car camera' with a lot of hype....

....Personally, I need much more for a massive ONE THOUSAND QUID!!!!!

[Patrick Dodds]

The latest firmware? Has made it much quicker. Is it still an incredibly annoying little camera? Yes. Also, have a look at Flickr and, in particular, "Interesting" photos taken with an X100. There are 11. Yes, eleven. Less than those taken with a Casio EX-Z1050, whatever that is - I picked it as representative of cheap point and shoots. What's more, the latter are better, if "better" is a metric that it is possible to use in relation to pictures. (At some base level I believe it is, though where one sets that level is a matter of personal taste of course). Mind you, I still haven't quite given up and sold mine...

[Burt]

@Patrick: Perhaps the reason there are only 11 interesting photos from the X100 on Flickr is that people who take interesting photos don't bother categorizing their work based on the tools they used to create it.

[Steve Biro]

Quirky, a bit slow but capable of great results. It can't be any slower than my first film SLR, a 100% manual Minolta SRT-200 that I bought in the mid 1970s. I should just buy the X100 already.

[Patrick Dodds]

@ Burt - they'd actually have to work at NOT categorising it, as I understand it, stripping off EXIF data before uploading. Not sure why they would do that but some people do I know.

[Dennis]

@Bob "I can't see why this ordinary camera, which offers less than some other much cheaper digital cameras, is SO expensive."

What other much cheaper digital cameras offer an APS-C sensor and a nice f/2 prime lens ?

A 35/1.8 on an entry level DSLR would get you there, but a WA lens is going to be more expensive to begin with. Sigma DP-series is in the ballpark and lacks a VF of any kind. Canon G1X ? Maybe a Ricoh with the 28/2.5 unit, but again, no viewfinder.

Really, there's nothing else like it, and nothing that makes it seem particularly overpriced. (And no, I don't own one or any Fuji).