Beach Shoot in a ‘Pinch’: Fuji XF10 Performance Review

The itch has finally been scratched. I’ve mentioned before wanting to test out the Fuji XF10, especially to see how it would perform in a pinch for a session. When I put out a casting call for a quick, easy shoot, Oceane was the first to respond. We ended up doing an afternoon beach session in South Florida, and let me tell you, it was the only time that worked for both of us. The heat was scorching—not exactly the best conditions for a beach shoot—but the small, lightweight Fuji XF10 made it easy to move around without being weighed down by heavy gear. I brought along one of my lights to add a spotlight effect, but it needed to be so close to make a difference.

Despite the challenging conditions, the Fuji XF10 felt great in my hands. There were a few moments where the camera struggled to focus, especially since it seemed drawn to Oceane’s amazing hair. Given the nature of the shoot, I was tempted to stop down a couple of stops to capture more detail. To manage the intense light, I used an ND filter, aiming to shoot between f/3.2 and f/4. Just a reminder, the shutter speed maxes out at 1/1000s at f/2.8 and gets faster as you stop down, so an ND filter is essential for bright situations when shooting wide open.

Overall, the shoot went very smoothly. We managed to do two looks and kept it within an hour. For the short amount of time we had, we got some fantastic shots! These shots below are retouched through CaptureOne, inspired by Fujifilm Classic Chrome Recipe.

FUJI XF10 | FUJINON 18.5mm f/2.8 Lens | ISO 200 – 1/600 – f/4