Introduction

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the big X-Pro1 announcement, Fujifilm's other new X-series camera made it's North American debut at CES.

The X-S1 is a premium superzoom, aimed at enthusiast photographers who like the idea of bridge cameras but have never quite been satisfied with typical image quality. It's based around the same oversized 2/3-inch EXR CMOS sensor as the X10 (which we reviewed a few weeks back), but with a huge 26x optical zoom lens strapped onto the front, and comfortable, DSLR-like handling. It's like a bigger, badder version of the HS30EXR (which also has a first impressions review on the way). Fujifilm thinks that it's the ideal all-in-one camera for nature photographers.

We spent some time with the X-S1 at CES 2012 and put together some initial thoughts on the design, handling, control scheme, and hardware. Read on for our first impressions review.