Fujifilm X-S1 - As Big And As Expensive As An SLR

Sublime ergonomics and impressive quality in low light, but struggles in brighter conditions.

The X-S1 is bigger than most consumer SLRs. This isn’t without good reason, though. Its sensor has twice the surface area of the 1/2.3in sensors used in most other ultrazoom cameras. That bodes well for image quality, but also means lens size must be scaled up accordingly.

Fujifilm X-S1

The camera’s ergonomics follow those of an SLR. Zoom and manual focus are adjusted using lens rings, and there are buttons and dials galore. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) leaves nothing to be desired. Its 1.44 million-dot resolution gives a pin-sharp image that’s bigger than any other ultrazoom camera’s EVF, and bigger than other consumer SLRs’ optical viewfinders, too. A sensor switches between the screen and EVF automatically when the camera is raised to the eye.

The strip of buttons down the left side of the screen works brilliantly in tandem with the command dial: just hold down a button and spin the dial to adjust. There’s rarely any need to visit the menu, which is fortunate, as it’s not well organized.

Performance was generally excellent

Performance was generally excellent, with 0.9 seconds between shots in normal use, including in raw mode. It’s not the quickest camera to switch on, though, taking around three seconds to the first shot.

Continuous mode was quick at 5.4fps, slowing to 1.9fps after six frames. Reducing resolution to six megapixels raised this to 7.4fps for 18 frames, slowing to 3.5fps. Sadly, there’s no option to autofocus between shots in continuous mode.

1080p videos are recorded at 30fps, but picture quality fell short. Autofocus was smooth and silent but it only updated when the front dial was set to AF-C.

1080p videos are recorded at 30fps, but picture quality fell short

The X-S1 is at its best in low light, where the physically larger sensor and modest 12-megapixel resolution did a superb job of keeping noise at bay. The unusual EXR sensor also has a 6-megapixel mode, which reduced noise even further.

The X-S1 didn’t fare so well outdoors. Its 26x zoom is unremarkable by today’s standards, and chromatic aberrations were a problem at the full zoom. Meanwhile, the ability to resolve fine detail fell short of the competition, particularly the SX50 HS and FZ200.

We still love the X-S1’s controls and viewfinder, but performance is mixed and photo and video quality can’t match that of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200.

We still love the X-S1’s controls and viewfinder

Specifications ·         Rating: 4/6 ·         Megapixels: 12 megapixels ·         Sensor size: in ·         Viewfinder: Electronic (1,440,000 dots) ·         LCD screen: 3in (460,000 dots) ·         Articulated: Yes ·         Touchscreen: No ·         Optical zoom: 26x (24-624mm) ·         Optical stabilization: Optical, lens based ·         Orientation sensor: Yes ·         Maximum resolution: 4000x3000 ·         File formats: JPEG, Raw; QuickTime (AVC) ·         Video resolutions: 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 30fps, VGA at 30fps ·         Slow motion video modes: VGA at 70fps (1/2.3x), 320x240 at 120fps (1/4x), 320x112 at 200fps (1/6.7x) ·         Maximum video clip length: 29m 0s Controls ·         Exposure modes: Program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual ·         Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 seconds ·         Aperture range: f/2.8-11 (wide), f/5.6-11 (Tele) ·         ISO speed range: 100to 3200 ·         Exposure compensation: +/-2 EV ·         White balance: Auto, 7 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin ·         Additional image controls: Dynamic range, film simulation, color, sharpness, highlight tone, shadow tone, noise reduction ·         Manual focus: Yes ·         Closest macro focus (wide): 1cm ·         Closest macro focus (Tele): 2m ·         Auto-focus modes: Multi, flexible spot, center, face detect, tracking ·         Metering modes: Multi, spot, average, face detect ·         Flash modes: Auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction, flash compensation ·         Drive modes: Single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, ISO bracket, Film simulation bracket, dynamic range bracket Physical ·         Card slot: SDXC ·         Memory supplied: 26MB internal ·         Battery type: Li-ion ·         Battery life (CIPA): 460 shots ·         Connectivity: USB, A/V, Mini HDMI, 3.5mm microphone input ·         Wireless: No ·         GPS: No ·         Hotshoe: Fujifilm TTL ·         Body material: Plastic ·         Accessories: USB cable, neck strap ·         Weight: 962g ·         Size (H x W x D): 107x136x155mm Buying information ·         Price: $700 ·         Supplier: www.fujifilm.com