Fujifilm X-E1 - A Retro Camera That Inspires (Part 18)

Optics

It is known that it was very significant that the X-E1, being the first "prosumer" provision in the X-series, could be paired with a magnifying lens, and fortunately the new 18-55mm F2.8-4 R lens performs very well. Although it was quite expensive when compared with the typical ‘kit’ options, the higher prices are adjusted by good optical performance and robust image stabilization, with a fast maximum aperture.

Besides the 18-55, the owners of the X-E1s can also attach any of Fujifilm’s high quality XF fixed lenses Fujifilm's high quality, the 18mm, 35mm, and 60mm, and now the new 14mm. After using all of them, we stabilized with the 35mm lens for most of our photos; the 53mm is equivalent that is only true for most of our favorite subjects.

The integrated flash, while easy to use, makes the typical harsh frontal illumination we want to avoid. However, we liked the ability (no documentation) to bend the flash light to the point of bounced illumination through the ceiling to have a more natural look, especially when shooting indoor portraits.

Image quality

Image quality is where the X-E1 shines, which turns out the JPEG images with greatly low noise, even at the highest ISO setting is 25,600. Contrast can be quite low in default JPEG formats, but this can be adjusted, although changing to Velvia film mode gets too much contrast and color in most cases.

Shooting in RAW mode supplies you a lot of brightness control and color adjustments after shooting (as well as noise and sharpness), but the X-E1 buyers should make sense that Silkypix, along with the X-E1, is one of the least interesting raw-conversion foundations, although the potential is there. Fortunately, after shaky beginnings, the third-party Raw support is finally fairly solid, with both Capture One and Adobe that provide good support, narrowing the gap between the X-E1 and its normal Bayer-type rival when it comes to capturing and processing raw files.

If you are a user of Adobe Photoshop Light room 4 or Photoshop CS6 and you have not downloaded the release candidate of Adobe Camera Raw 7.4, we suggest you do just that at once.

Also it’s noticeable that as we have expected from Fujifilm's X-series, the X-E1's integrated raw converter is great, providing all of the essential color adjustments that importantly make shooting raw very useful and providing JPEG images that fit the in-camera JPEG images in terms of quality. The recent appearance of robust third-party RAW support makes the X-E1 ​​even more appealing because it effectively makes it less than a risk. If you buy an X-E1, you do not need to concern that the raw files will not fit into your normal working process, which is basically proposing to change the value proposition of the camera, and in fact, that the system of X- series is very comprehensive. Both the significantly improved third party raw support and the development of the magnifying lenses like the new 18-55mm zoom is a signal of the maturity of the X-system for enthusiasts, and we cannot wait to see what happens next.

Shot by Fujifilm X-E1

The last word

Overall we really enjoyed shooting with the Fujifilm X-E1 and I was very pleased with the images that I got from it. The camera occasional had a problem (it would not be a new X- series camera if it did not have a few bugs), abandoning unresponsive buttons and focus and exposure sometimes offered unusual results, but turning off power usually eliminated the problem.

Finally, the Fujifilm X-E1 is a fascinating small camera with a unique, classic design, which works ​​with a slowly growing choice of impressive lenses, and brings up the images from both bright and dark places that confronted with some strong hitters. From the simple sided-control design to Fujifilm's enthusiast-friendly control logic, the X-E1 is adjusted for photographers who prefer simple controls and a no-nonsense emphasis on static photography. Thus, though the movie mode is only secondary and lower autofocus performance, it earns gold award as we’d expect by a whistle.

Fujifilm X-E1 is a fascinating small camera with a unique, classic design.

Scores are only relative to the other cameras in the same category.

Overall assessment

Fujifilm X-E1’s technical specifications and price

Price ·         $1,399.95 with 18-55mm lens, $999.95 body only   Body type      ·         Rangefinder-style mirrorless   Sensor ·         Maximum resolution: 4,896x3,264 ·         Other resolutions: 4,896x2,760, 3,264x3,264, 3,456x2,304, 3,456x1,944, 2,304×230, 2,496x1,664, 2,496x1,408, 1,664×1,664 ·         Image ratio w:h: 1:1, 3:2, 16:9 ·         Effective pixels: 16.3 megapixels ·         Sensor size: APS-C (23.6x15.6 mm) ·         Sensor type: CMOS ·         Processor: EXR Pro ·         Color filter array: Primary color filter   Image ·         ISO Auto (400), Auto (800), Auto (1600), Auto (3200), 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400 (100, 12800, 25600 with boost) ·         White balance presets: 7 ·         Custom white balance: Yes (1) ·         Image stabilization: No ·         Uncompressed format: RAW ·         JPEG quality levels: Fine, Normal ·         File format: JPEG (Exif 2.3); RAW (RAF format); RAW+JPEG   Optics & Focus ·         Focus: Contrast Detect (sensor); Multi-area; Center; Single; Continuous; Live View ·         Autofocus assist lamp: Yes ·         Digital zoom: No ·         Manual focus: Yes ·         Lens mount: Fujifilm X ·         Focal length multiplier: 1.5×   Screen / viewfinder ·         Articulated LCD: Fixed ·         Screen size: 2.8″ ·         Screen dots: 460,000 ·         Touch screen: No ·         Screen type: TFT color LCD monitor ·         Live view: Yes ·         Viewfinder type: Electronic ·         Viewfinder coverage: 100 % ·         Viewfinder resolution: 2,360,000   Photography features ·         Minimum shutter speed: 30 sec ·         Maximum shutter speed: 1/4000 sec ·         Exposure modes: Program AE; Shutter priority; Aperture priority; Manual exposure ·         Built-in flash: Yes (Pop-up) ·         External flash: Yes (via hot-shoe EF-X20, EF-20, EF-42) ·         Flash modes: Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear-curtain ·         Flash X sync speed: 1/180 sec ·         Drive modes: Single; Continuous; Self-timer ·         Continuous drive: Yes (6 fps) ·         Self-timer: Yes (2 or 10 sec) ·         Metering modes: Multi; Average; Spot ·         Exposure compensation: ±2 (at 1/3 EV steps) ·         AE Bracketing: (at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps) ·         WB Bracketing: No   Videography features ·         Format: H.264 ·         Microphone: Stereo ·         Speaker: Mono ·         Resolutions: 1,920x1,080 (24 fps), 1,280x720 (24 fps)   Storage ·         Storage types: SD/SDHC/SDXC   Connectivity ·         USB: USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) ·         HDMI: Yes (Mini connector) ·         Remote control: Yes ( Optional RR-80)   Physical ·         Environmentally sealed: No ·         Battery: Battery Pack ·         Battery description: Lithium-Ion NP-W126 rechargeable battery & charger ·         Battery Life (CIPA): 350 ·         Weight (inc. batteries): 350 g (0.77 lb / 12.35 oz) ·         Dimensions: 129x75x38 mm (5.08x2.95x1.5″)   Other features ·         Orientation sensor: Yes ·         Time-lapse recording: No ·         GPS: None