Practical
advantages
As we have pointed out above, Fujifilm’s
excellent processing means that the X-E1’s JPEGs do not lose anything in terms
of detail in comparison with RAW. First, overall, the white balance of the
camera is reliable and color temperature is attractive (especially in the Soft/
Astia mode), which means that for many purposes it creates perfect feeling to
shoot JPEG images, with the full purpose of using them. Furthermore, if you
shoot RAW beside, you are able to use the in-camera processing to apply many of
the changes that make capturing RAW valuable, for example, to fix the white
balance errors, adjust image brightness, or adjust colors.
White Balance
The following example below was taken in
the Standard mode on a cloudy day and the automatic white balance of the camera
rendered it pretty nice. By adjusting the RAW file with a Cloudy white balance
pre-set in ACR, we made it a little warmer.
Original
JPEG
RAW
file reconverted in Adobe Camera Raw
High ISO
Like the X-Pro1, the XE1 provides excellent
JPEGs at high ISO sensitivity settings, to expand you do not really need to
capture in Raw from the angle of applied-noise reduction or sharpening
adjustment. It's actually quite difficult to console better image quality out
of the RAW files of the X-E1 than you will escape from the camera’s JPEG
engine. However, once again, capturing raw allows you to make changes to
distribute colors and color tones of the images, which can be useful at high
ISO settings. In the example below, we handled this ISO 6400 image with the
purpose of reducing the yellow color aspects, and raising the shadows.
Original
JPEG, ISO 6400
100%
crop
RAW
file reconverted in Adobe Camera Raw
100%
crop
In general, the excellent quality of the
X-E1’s in-camera JPEG processing means that for many purposes it creates
perfect feeling to shoot RAW + JPEG with the full intention to use as the JPEG
by default, and only re-arranging to the RAWs when you want to pay special
attention to a single image. You can also use the process of the camera to create
global tweaks to white balance and exposure for images that just need
insignificant changes. Of course the best is to use RAW for larger
manipulations.
Noise and Noise Reduction
ISO
accuracy
The real sensitivity of each indicated ISO
is measured by the same shots as are used to measure ISO noise levels, we
simply compare the exposure for each shot to measure the light level (using a
adjusted Sekonic L-358), middle gray combined. We estimate the accuracy of
these results to be +/- 1/6 EV (the margin of errors is given in the ISO
specifications). It should be taken notice that these tests are based on the
RGB JPEG output of the cameras, which suits to the Standard Output Sensitivity
method defined in the ISO 12232:2006, the standard used by camera manufacturers.
In our tests, the measured sensitivities of
the X-E1 are at around 1/3 to ½ stop lower than marked, this is not normal for
a modern camera. This means that for any given level of light, shutter speed
and aperture on the X-E1 must use a higher ISO to get an image with the same
brightness as a camera that is accurately assessed.
Noise
and Noise Reduction (JPEG)
Note that: This page highlights our
interactive noise comparison utility. By default, we express the default noise
reduction settings of the camera tested, and three models of the same range.
You are able to select from all available NR options and from the other
cameras. The patches of "three colors" are under the familiar
gray/black/portrait images taken from the same test ranking, and show the
effects of noise on blue, green and red areas of a scene.
Comparing
our interactive noise
The X-E1 works well with noise balance and
soft detail in its JPEG output, even considering its generous ISO proportion.
Small detail remains impressed at higher ISOs where the other cameras in its
range clearly have problems; even at ISO 3200 images still look transparent,
but detailed. Low contrast detail drops down a bit at 6400 but the images are
completely usable.
At the two highest settings (12800 and
25600), which are available only in JPEG mode, reducing detail visibly. These
modes should be possible to be reserved for smaller output sizes.
The X-E1 provides five noise reduction
settings, covering a good scope of options between reducing noise and maintaining
detail. If you want to be more intrepid, more detailed output, you can set NR
to "(-2) Low", while if you are pursuing the smoothest output, you
are likely to set "(+2) High". There is a little difference up to ISO
400, but at a higher setting, so the noise variation and detail levels become
clearer.
Raw
noise (ACR 7.4 RC noise reduction set to zero)
Chroma
noise is prominently low, and retaining detail is impressively high.
As for the X-Pro1 Adobe Camera Raw’s
processing of the X-E1’s files that seems to have a significant difference
compared with the output from normal Bayer sensor cameras. Chroma noise is
prominently low, and retaining detail is impressively high - very similar to
the camera's JPEG images, in practice. Because of this, direct comparisons must
be treated with the level of caution - that's best to claim that the demosaicing
process of the X-Trans CMOS sensor behaves as if it was making significant
noise reduction compared to the ACR’s standard treatment of the Bayer sensors.
Again we also include the camera’s over-rating of its ISOs.
That is supposed that the output from the
X-E1 is surprisingly good at high ISOs, and it is hard to find APS-C sensor
Bayer cameras that fit it at ISO 6400 even with powerful noise reduction
applied.
