Fujifilm XP130 review

Summary

The Fujifilm XP130 is middle-priced rugged waterproofed compact that combines ease of use with approximately advanced features all wrapped up in a stylishly designed body. An update to the twelvemonth-old XP120, it adds Bluetooth to the existing WiF connection allowing automatic wireless downloading of images to a telephone, tablet or computer while you shoot. In practice, though, the Bluetooth is more than a little clunky and a insufficient forward to Nikon's Snapbridge, which does the same matter on its COOLPIX W300 and W100 models, solely better. Other improvements include longer battery life, a other physical science point gauge and eye-detect autofocus. The XP130 inherits it predecessor's wealthiness of shooting modes and is tight to a depth of 20 metres - deeper than you'atomic number 75 likely to want to cash in one's chips without specialist diving equipment. It's freezeproof to -10C and can resist a drop from 1.75m. All-in-all IT's a capable rainproof compact, but until Fujifilm makes a better job of the Bluetooth connectivity, the older XP120 offers so much the same capabilities at a lour terms. It's likewise worth considering the budget Nikon COOLPIX W100, or, if you want to spend a little more, the Nikon COOLPIX W300 and Olympus Tough TG-5.

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Check prices on the Fujifilm FinePix XP130 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, or Wex. Or els arrive yourself a copy of my In Camera Word of God or do by Maine to a coffee! Thanks!

Fujifilm XP130 recap

19th February 2018

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The Fujifilm XP130 is a rugged waterproof compact with a 5x surg lens system and a 3 inch fixed LCD screen. Launched in January 2018 it supercedes the twelvemonth-darkened XP120, the main update existence a Bluetooth connection which streams photos to your phone, pad, or computer spell you shoot. Fujifilm's XP updates typically take small stairs and there's non much else that's new. That same, the new XP130 enjoys slightly longer battery living with 240 shots from a congested charge compared with 210 connected the XP120; thither's also a new electronic level expose and eye detect autofocus.

Corresponding the XP120 in front it, the XP130 has a 16.4 Megapixel sensor and can shoot up continuously at full firmness of purpose up to ten frames per second for a one-second flare-up. It can shoot full HD video at 1080 / 60p resolution and has a mountain range of interval shot and time-lapse features. As well as the Bluetooth connection information technology has WiFi, allowing manual transfer of photos and video from the camera to your smartphone besides as remote shooting victimisation the Fujifilm Camera Remote app.

The XP130 is Raincoat to a depth of 20 metres, freezeproof to -10C and can withstand a drop from tallness of 1.75 metres. That's 5 metres deeper then the more expensive Olympus Tough TG-5; if you deprivation to turn deeper than 20 metres you'll need the Nikon COOLPIX W300 which will come you down to 30 metres.

Record on to discover how the XP130 performs in and knocked out of the water and how it compares with other popular rough waterproof compacts like the Olympus Gristly TG-5 and the Nikon COOLPIX W300.

The XP130 is virtually identical in appearance to the early XP120. It's available in white, dark silver, yellow, sky blue and lime and looks modern and stylish in any of those colours. The body shape – with the genus Lens mounted top left and a moulded grapple along the right – makes for a bad secure spellbind whether you're using one hand or both.

On top there's a big shutter button with a knurled opencast; a raised pregnant chad between the on/hit and movie record book buttons helps you locate them by touch alone. The shutter button could be a little more responsive, the difference 'tween a half and full press, especially when your hands are cold and/or gloved, isn't a great deal, so disagreeable to lock in stress can Be tricky. Though to atomic number 4 fair that's a criticism you could work of many of the XP130's competitors.

I managed to operate the XP130's other controls beautiful well in cold piddle wearying neoprene gloves – I could zoom, shoot stills and movies, and modify settings, just the playback controls well-tried a little too fiddly. The supplied strap isn't real suited for use in the water or rugged environments soh you power want to thiink about getting one you can tighten up around your wrist.

The XP130 inherits its predecessor's 5x zoom which has a 35mm equivalent grade of 28-140mm. That's a good range to have at your electric pig but not quite all-inclusive enough for action selfies in entirely circumstances. When I attached the XP130 to the front of my surfboard, I couldn't capture my full height. That said, the Action Camera mode combined with interval shooting generally works well for this kind of thing. If you're looking at for a robust packed with a wider playing field of position the Olympus Tough TG-5 with its 25-100mm zoom is a better option, though it's 4x zoom tops out at 100mm, well short of the XP130's 140mm.

Here's the field of prospect at the Fujifilm XP130's upper limit 140mm telephoto. If you're intellection a 5x zoom sounds modest, because waterproof zooms need to be enclosed they have a shorter rove than not-waterproof mdels. The Nikon COOLPIX W300 also has a 5x roam, opening at a wider 24mm and extending to 120mm; and, as I've mentioned, the Olympus Tough TG-5 has a 4x 25-100mm tramp. The early thing to consider here is maximum aperture, which on the XP130 is f3.9, closing to f4.9 when fully zoomed in. Even the budget COOLPIX W100 has a wider f3.3 level bes aperture (though its 3x zoom closes to f5.9 when zoomed in). The COOLPIX W300 has a bright f2.8-4.9 lens and the Mt. Olympus Tough TG-5's is even brighter at f2-f4.9. A wider maximum aperture allows you to sprout with a quicker shutter speed to capture action, or select a lower ISO sensibility setting for meliorate prime photos.

The XP130 has a wide straddle of shot modes including plan machine and two underwater modes – Underwater and Underwater macro. The example above was shot in Program auto mode with macro focus selected. In shoal water I found I got better results in Program car mode where setting macro focus allowed ME to get closer than Subsurface macro mode.

The XP130 can shoot a one second burst of images at 10fps, making it jolly good for capturing action at law, though you have to time your burst carefully. The new middle detect AF mode is keen for portraits, but non more help for capturing subjects like this. The best method is to set the centre AF country and try to lock onto your subject in the middle of the frame before recomposing if necessary. Straight-grained in these overcast and raining conditions the XP130 did surprisingly well and always locked on when on that point was something in the AF area other than deep-sea or sky. Like just about other broken compacts, the exposure and focus is locked on the first frame.

Above: Download the groundbreaking file (Registered members of Vimeo exclusive). This clip, like the others below was shot exploitation the Fujifilm XP130's best quality 1080 /60p HD video musical mode. There's a 30p option at this quality as well arsenic 720 /60p. There are too three high speed (slow motion) modes that trade away resolution for slower playback. The high-grade quality is 640 x 480 and records at 120 fps for 1/4 speed playback at 30fps. There's also a 320 x240 /240fps and a 160 x 120 320fps mode for playback at 1/8th and around 1/10th speeds severally. The quality is unspoiled, the stabilisation is steady and the zoom motor is inaudible, though there's some noticeable stepping in the photograph,

Above: Download the original Indian file (Registered members of Vimeo only). For this second clip, I mounted the Fujifilm XP130 on a tripod and disabled the stabilisation. In the absence of environmental noise you buns just about hear the soar upwards motor; and the autofocus is a shrimpy jittery during the zoom, but the tone looks very nice and the XP130 makes a good job of the exposure.

Above: Download the original lodge (Registered members of Vimeo entirely). For this clip I set the XP130 to subaqueous macro mode. It does a unspoilt job in slightly murky conditions, though the microphone seems to cost quite aware to camera knocks when below the surface.

The XP130 has both Bluetooth and WiFi for connecting to a smartphone, tab or computer to download images or wirelessly maneuver and shoot. Auto download transfers photos in the background while you shoot providing the Tv camera Unaccessible app is running along your device. The Bluetooth connection is used to communicate, but the image download happens over Wireless fidelity, so you need both Blutooth and WiFi active and connected for this to workplace. In practice I found this almost impossibly tricky as the camera was prone to terminate the WiFi connecter at any opportunity and images only always downloaded when I switched it off at the end of a session – at which show the app happening my sound prompted me to switch the WiFi connection back to the camera. It's all just to overmuch hassle, Nikon's Snapbridge – which does a similar matter on the W300 and budget W100 works much better.

Fujifilm quotes a 9cm close focus outdistance for the XP130 in macro mode, but I was able to get sharp images within uncomplete that distance – every bit close as 4cm from the field of study. That's the distance the case in the above paradigm is from the XP130's lens which is solidifying to the 28mm maximum wide angle.

The XP 130 offers a good range of personal effects filters accessed from the shooting mode menu. This one is Toy Camera; you dismiss also choose from Toy, Pop colour, High-winder, Low-keyed, Dynamic Tone, Fish-eye, Soft-focus, Cross Silver screen, Sketch and a salmagundi of partial colour effects.

Check prices on the Fujifilm FinePix XP130 at Virago, B&ere;H, Adorama, or Wex. Alternatively experience yourself a copy of my In Camera book or treat ME to a coffee bean! Thanks!

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