Sneak Peek at the Fujifilm FinePix X100’s Awesome Hybrid Viewfinder

When Fujifilm unveiled the upcoming FinePix X100 back in September, the sleek retro design was enough to cause many photo-enthusiasts to start drooling and saving up money. Now, more details about the technological advances incorporated into the camera are becoming available, undoubtedly causing more camera lust. One of the big features offered by the camera is a novel hybrid viewfinder that can toggle between optical and electronic modes with a single touch, which overlays even the optical view with a sweet “heads up display”.

Here’s a little diagram showing how the two modes work. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) mode is on the left, while the optical viewfinder (OVF) is on the right:

The digital overlay over the optical view allows the camera to provide all sorts of useful information to the photographer traditionally found only in electronic viewfinders. Aside from slick views showing basic information (e.g. aperture, shutter speed, ISO), the camera can also provide helpful dynamic information to assist in capturing the perfect shot. For example, there’s an electronic level feature that helps you keep things straight:

To learn more, check out this page dedicated to the viewfinder on the X100 website, or this page describing the story behind its development.

In case you need a reminder, here’s the beautiful camera itself:

Discussion