Smile your on camera – Fujifilm FinePix XP130

Fujifilm kindly lent me their latest inexpensive waterproof camera Fujifilm FinePix XP130 to use on an experience which I had with HotTug UK.

Last time Fujifilm lent me their Fujifilm FinePix XP120 so I was excited to see how this one compared.  This time I was sent a white one rather than yellow.  There are five colours you can choose from in total white, yellow, black, blue and green.

Please bear in mind when reading my blog about this camera I am not a tech expert at all so my views are purely from an amateur photographer who only uses the basic controls.

Fujifilm XP130

My first impressions

The camera looked the same as the last one I borrowed which was good as it’s slick and stylish in look.  Plus with the size of the camera being small it fitted perfectly in my hand and with the weight being very light did not cause any issue in carrying it around with me.

Use of camera

This newer camera seems to not be that much difference compared to their older model XP120 which I borrowed last time but the images did seem to be slightly sharper I think the F3.9-4.9 stabilized lens really does do a good job.  Plus the extra added addition to the XP130 is some new feature settings and the Bluetooth option to transfer photos.

To change to any shooting functions the easy menu button and menu system made it very easy. There are such new features as an Electronic Level feature that is particularly useful if you are trying to capture horizontal subjects such as a landscape, scenery or architecture. There is also a new Eye Detection feature that is designed to focus on the eyes of the subject, enabling the user to capture portraits with ease. Additional features include Cinemagraph mode that produces still images with moving elements, the Time-Lapse Video function that automatically converts images to video format utilizing the interval timer, the Burst Mode that captures up to 10 fps and smooth HD video recording of 60 fps.

The 3.0-inch 920K-dot high definition LCD monitor with anti-reflective, made it easy to see what I was going to take a photo of and even made it easy to review them after.  Even when the screen misted up sometimes by the 38C heated water of the HotTug I could still easily see the shots I wanted to take.  The zoom function also worked really well with it’s Intelligent Digital Zoom technology, thus allowing the optical zoom range to be doubled to 10x, plus with it’s optical image stabilization, the XP130 minimizes the effects of camera shake even in low light conditions.

As I was in a HotTug sailing down the canals of Canary Wharf and not scuba diving I could not take the camera to it’s maximum depth.  However if you are wanting a waterproof camera to take diving then this camera can remain waterproof to depths of 20m/65ft, it can be dropped from 1.8m/5.7ft and is freezeproof to -10C/+14F.

With the XP130 having a built-in memory of 96MB plus an SD card slot and a battery that will last for around 240 shots makes it handy for anyone who does not have the time like an underwater diver to change a battery.

Plus with it being equipped with a FUJINON lens and four rugged protection features in this lightweight body, the new XP130 is durable and delivers higher quality images, making it the perfect companion for any kind of adventure.

I also used the camera to record with and it was very easy to use and no blurring occurred or wind noise interference when swinging it back and forth.  Here is the video which I took with it

I also took some normal shots at home with the camera to see how it performs out of water.

Here they are:

Which as you can see picks out the colours really well making them vivid in colour and sharp.

Once I finished with the XP130 it was easy to transfer the images as this camera is the first in the line to feature the latest Bluetooth technology making it easy to instantly transfer photos. So I paired the camera to my smartphone and transferred all images in a click.

My verdict

The XP130 after using is largely the same as the XP120 that I borrowed before the only changes seems to me to be the addition of some new settings, the Bluetooth and an electronic level however I do only tend to stick to using the basic settings.

With this camera being easy to use, size decent, great colours, nice feel, and the light weight would make me consider buying it.

So if you do a lot of water activities then I would highly recommend this nifty cute fun looking camera.

Discover more

Here is some tech info on the camera:

16.4 megapixel BSI-CMOS
3.0 inch 920K dot high definition LCD monitor with anti-reflective coating
FUJINON 5x optical zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle setting
Intelligent Digital Zoom function extends zoom range up to 10x
Waterproof up to 65 feet/20 meters
Shockproof to 5.7 feet/1.75 meters
Freeze proof to 14°F/ -10°C
Dust proof
Lightweight
Bluetooth Pairing and Wireless LAN connectivity

Find out more about FujiFilm cameras via www.fujifilm-x.com
and their social channels at Twitter https://twitter.com/FujifilmX_UK and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fujifilmx_uk/

Let’s get snap happy in water – FujiFilm Camera ‘FinePix XP120’