Fujifilm X10 and X20 Leather Case and Hood Accessories Review

One of the great thing about buying a popular camera is the number of third party accessories you can find for it. The X10 has been such as success that you can find a lot of accessories such as cases, hoods, batteries and even shutter buttons to complement your camera. And because the X20 has the exact the same exterior as the X10, whatever is made for the X10 is also made for the X20! I will review two of these accessories for today's blog.

LC-X10 Leather Case

I got this as part of my packaged deal when I bought my X20. I have asked around, and it seems like every retailer in Malaysia is bundling this leather case as part of their sales package. I've checked around online and BHphoto is selling it at USD99.95, which is pretty expensive to me. This is one of those rare times I am happy to have bought my camera from Malaysia, which not only is cheaper than in the US, but comes with additional freebies like this! I assume I got the real deal, since I did get the case from an authorized Fujifilm retailer and the box had the Fujifilm logo on it. 

To be honest, when I first took out the casing, I was a little disappointed. I do not like the design of the case which when closed makes the camera look like it has a huge forehead (you know, like Frankenstein). I can't really tell if it's real leather or faux, but the quality is nothing to complain about. The strap however is a little let down and had a big X10 marked on the strap. I have a feeling these cases are leftover stock which Fujifilm was trying to dispose off here. Hmmm.. Also, the strap feels cheap compared to the case. Inside the case is velvet padding which is nice elegant touch.

Once you have your camera placed inside, there is a little magnet which keeps the lid closed.

There are two little buttons at the bottom which you can remove the top of the cover and just have the front cover. I like this configuration much better as it looks really classy and i just keep my lens cap on and drop my camera in another small bag instead of having the top cover.

One thing bad about this case is that there is no easy way to reach your battery and SD Card slot. You have to remove everything before you can reach it. A bummer since the battery needs recharge often.

LH-X10 Hood

Another popular accessory for the X20 would be the lens hood. The original hood goes for USD39.46 in the BHPhoto. I decided it's too much for me, so I sought my favorite source of all cheap imitation goods - eBay.

On ebay, I got mine for USD5.80 shipped from a store called "sonovel-wolesale" and I received it from Hong Kong to Malaysia in 15 days (which is quick!). Always buy from Hong Kong instead of China if you can. You will get you item about a week quicker.

Below are some pictures of the item. Notice the imperfections on the black paint of the inner side of the hood.

The quality of the hood is surprisingly good, especially the outer silver coating. The silver coating is not exactly the same color as the X20's silver, but it's actually close enough not to see any difference unless you look really hard. The inner black coating however is prone to scratches and can be distracting especially with your flawless X20. The hood comes in two pieces, the first being screwed to the lens and is used to fit standard 52mm filters. The second is the actual hood to block stray light and that is screwed directly onto the first piece.

After the first piece is screwed, you can then screw in your filter. In this case, i screwed in my CPL. Please note that if you tried to screw in your CPL filter after assembling the two piece hood, you will have a very hard time doing so.

In the below picture, we have the fully assembled hood with the CPL inside. Now, you will immediately see I have a problem. It is very difficult to turn my CPL! Not a problem with a UV filter, but CPL and neutral grad filters will be a challenge.

Here is a picture of the hood on the camera with the lens fully extended.

When you have the hood on, your viewfinder will be partially blocked at the wider angles. I thought initially that the holes in the hood will help allow me to see through but alas, it doesn't.

Another challenge I found with the X20 and a CPL filter is that it is not easy to see the effects of the CPL in a bright sunny day due to the LCD screen being overpowered by the sun. So then, use the viewfinder you say! Right, only problem is the viewfinder is not TTL so I cannot see the effects of the CPL there either. I've yet to find a good solution to this problem though. Perhaps someone can enlighten me here.

Third party clip-on lens caps

Finally, one very good reason to buy a hood for your X20 is because you simply do not want to lose your beautiful metal lens cap! There are two sizes of lens cap you can choose from, either a 52mm or a 58mm, depending on your preference. I have taken a liberty to take a couple of shots on how the caps look like on the X20.

With a 52mm lens cap on a filter. You can also remove the filter and place the cap on the hood filter thread.

With a 58mm lens cap

Next accessory in my shopping list

The next item that I plan to buy will be the NP-50 battery. An original one costs about USD40 here in Malaysia, but on eBay, I see that some Hong Kong sellers are selling original ones (or so they claim) at about USD15. And there are those dirt cheap at USD2.50 or so. I'm so far ok with the battery it came with, but when I do get a second one from eBay, I will be sure to let you know!