X Series · 2016

Fujifilm X70

Name: FUJIFILM X70
Brand: Fujifilm
Availability: Discontinued

A pocket X100 with a 28mm lens, and a cult following to match.

Short answer

The X70 is an APS-C compact with a fixed 18.5mm f/2.8 lens giving a 28mm-equivalent view, a 180° tilting touchscreen and no viewfinder. It has 11 film simulations and is the smallest APS-C camera Fujifilm has made.

The X70 is the camera Fujifilm has never replaced, and used prices reflect it. It is genuinely pocketable, has the same sensor as an X100T and shoots a wider 28mm-equivalent view that suits street photography closer in.

Key specs

Sensor: 16.3 MP X-Trans CMOS II
Processor: EXR Processor II
In-body stabilisation: No
Viewfinder: None — optional external optical finder
Video: 1080/60p
Weight: 340 g
Launch price: $699

Specifications

Released: February 2016
Sensor: APS-C · 23.6 × 15.6 mm
ISO range: ISO 200–6400 (100–51200 extended)
Burst: 8 fps
Screen: 3.0-inch 180° tilting touchscreen, 1.04M dots
Lens mount: Fixed 18.5mm f/2.8 lens (28mm equivalent)
Card slots: 1× SD
Dimensions: 112.5 × 64.4 × 44.4 mm

Dimensions

112.5 mm wide
64.4 mm tall
44.4 mm deep

Body drawn to scale from the dimensions Fujifilm publishes. Depth is listed, not drawn.

The size argument

112.5 × 64.4 × 44.4mm and 340 grams, with an APS-C sensor inside. Nothing Fujifilm sells today is close: the X half is smaller but uses a 1-inch sensor, and the X100VI is considerably larger.

The 180° tilting touchscreen was also ahead of its time, and there is a hot shoe for the optional optical viewfinder if you want one.

Why used prices went up

Fujifilm discontinued it in 2018 and never made a successor. Every year that passes without an X80, the X70 gets more expensive, which is unusual for a nine-year-old 16-megapixel camera.

Buy one because it is the size it is, not because the specifications compete with anything modern.

What is good

Smallest APS-C camera Fujifilm has made
28mm-equivalent lens suits close street work
180° tilting touchscreen
Classic Chrome included

What is not

No viewfinder built in
No ACROS, 16MP, 1080p video
Used prices are high for the age

Verdict

The X70 is a cult camera and priced like one. If a pocketable APS-C compact is what you want, nothing else in Fujifilm’s catalogue does it.

Film simulations on this camera

11 film simulations

PROVIA / Standard The honest baseline every other look is measured against.

Velvia / VIVID Deep greens, hot reds and no apologies.

ASTIA / Soft Colour that stays rich while skin stays kind.

Classic Chrome Muted colour, hard shadows, magazine mood.

PRO Neg. Std The flattest colour profile Fujifilm makes.

PRO Neg. Hi Kind to skin, firm enough for real light.

Monochrome Plain black and white, harder and more graphic than ACROS.

Monochrome+Ye The everyday filter on the harder black and white.

Monochrome+R The hardest black and white Fujifilm will give you.

Monochrome+G Foliage that stays readable in a hard black and white.

Sepia The one almost nobody uses, and the reason it exists.

Common questions

Will Fujifilm make an X80?

It has been rumoured for years and has never appeared. Treat the X70 as the only option in this size class rather than waiting.

X70 or X100V?

The X70 is far smaller with a wider lens and no viewfinder. The X100V is a much better camera in every technical sense. It depends entirely on whether pocketability is the point.