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Fujifilm's oddball XF10 fixed-lens APS-C camera costs only $500

It has an 18.5mm f/2.8 lens and 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor.

Fujifilm has proven again that it's not afraid to build unusual cameras by unveiling the XF10, a premium fixed-lens compact that will be the successor to the X70 compact. It's got a wide-angle 18.5mm f/2.8 fixed lens (equivalent to 27.8mm in full-frame terms) and a 24.2-megapixel APS-C (not X-Trans) sensor that has significantly higher resolution than the last model. It's very compact, weighing just 280 grams, or about the same as Sony's new RX100 VI, which has a smaller 1-inch sensor. However, there's no EVF on it, so you'll need to rely on the 3-inch touchscreen to compose and replay your photos and video.

The XF10 is essentially a 1080p 60fps camera, as it does shoot 4K but at a rather useless 15 fps. The ISO ranges from 200 to 12,800, expandable from ISO 100 - 51,200, and it supports Bluetooth 4.1 for smartphone transfers. There's a digital zoom available (essentially a sensor crop) that lets you shoot at 35mm and 50mm equivalent levels. As you'd expect, Fujifilm offers a number of filters, including monochrome and "rich and fine" for vivid color and a mild vignette effect. It's also touting the "square mode" that lets you switch to a 1:1, Instax-like format with a press of the touchscreen.

It's unusual that Fujifilm has fixed-lens APS-C cameras, as it also sells the X100F, though that model is over double the price. The XF10 seems to have the same guts as Fujifilm's entry level X-T100 mirrorless, including the 24.2-megapixel sensor and wonky 15fps 4K shooting speed. It might have been more interesting to bolt a zoom lens on the XF10 to make it more accessible for travel photography and give Canon's G1 X Mark III a run for its money.

That said, the XF10 is pretty inexpensive for a premium compact, making it ideal for street photography on the cheap. It costs $500 in the US and $650 in Canada, and arrives in North America in black or champagne gold in August 2018.