A tough and versatile ILC for out-of-doors and in
While Fujifilm’s X-Series cameras first won attention for
their retro rangefinder styling, its new X-T1 resembles a diminutive DSLR. And with
its rugged weather-sealed body, outstanding electronic viewfinder, plethora of
dials and wheels, and extremely high image quality up to ISO 400, this flagship
interchangeable-lens compact packs DSLR-style capabilities too.
Fujifilm X-T1 on the front
The X-T1 uses the same 16.3-megapixel, APSC-sized X-Trans
CMOS sensor that Fujifilm put in its recent X-E2, but the sensitivity reaches
an extra stop to ISO 51,200—a setting hidden in menus and not evident on the
camera’s otherwise well-marked dials. Like its siblings, the X-T1 permits only
JPEG capture, not RAW, at the extremes of sensitivity (in this case ISO 100 and
ISO 12,800 and above).
Our sister magazine’s report from the Popular Photography
Test Lab rated overall image quality extremely high through ISO 400, with solid
noise control to that point and only moderate noise at ISO 800. After this,
noise turns unacceptable—not surprising in a camera this small. Some
false-color aliasing was detected in diagonal line arrays, though JPEGs from
the camera showed little of this effect.
The camera features five mechanical dials on the top-plate, aluminium
dials on the top for shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, metering and
drive modes. The two function buttons are customisable,
and there are two command-dials. The 4-way controller can also be customised, so that you can assign functions to each
direction.
Solid in the hand, the magnesium-alloy body has a
comfortable grip. ISO, shutter speed, drive mode, metering mode, and exposure
compensation all have dedicated dials; the drive and metering dials are stacked
underneath those for ISO and shutter speed, respectively, and can be adjusted
using a tab. There’s a PC sync terminal to trigger studio strobes. The X-T1’s
new EVF offers a vast improvement.
This 0.5-inch, 2.36 million–dot OLED has 0.77X magnification
and an extremely brief display lag—billed as 0.005 second. The image feels
enormous, and users can choose between an immersive “full” setting and a
smaller “normal” that pushes most data outside the image frame.
Technical-minded photographers can even see a histogram while framing the shot.
Under the ISO speed dial, is the drive mode dial, which includes
advanced shooting modes, as well as sweep Panoramic.
Action shooters will enjoy the X-T1’s continuous drive of 8
frames per second for up to 47 JPEGs (23 in RAW) before the buffer fills; in
slower 3 fps mode, bursts can continue until the memory card is full. And the
EVF’s short lag time affords a view of what’s happening during bursts, unusual
in ILCs. Wi-Fi, sensibly, is built in. Fujifilm’s Camera Remote app works with iOS and Android devices for viewing, controls, and capture,
users can select auto focus points and remotely adjust any major camera
setting, including flash mode, white balance, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and
exposure compensation; there’s even a battery-level indicator.
Video should be good enough for most casual shooting: It
showed a pleasing amount of detail and well-saturated colors, but also more
artifacts than we get from other ILCs. These minor gripes aside, the X-T1 is a
wonderful camera with plenty to offer outdoor and indoor location photographers
alike.
Specifications: · SENSOR
16.3MP APS-C-format X-Trans CMOS II · SENSITIVITY
ISO 200–6400 (RAW and JPEG); ISO 100 and 12,800–51,200 (JPEG only) · AUTOFOCUS
TTL contrast and phase detection with 49 selectable focus areas · SHUTTER
1/4000–30 sec plus · Bulb
in 1/3-EV steps · VIEWFINDER
Eye-level 2.36 million-dot 0.5" OLED with 0.77X magnification · BURSTS
8 fps up to 47 shots (full-size JPEG); 8 fps up to 23 shots (RAW) · LCD
Tilting 3-inch TFT LCD with 1.04 million-dot resolution · DIMENSIONS
5.0 x 3.5 x 1.8 in. · WEIGHT
1.0 lb with battery and memory card · BUY
IT $1,300 body only; $1,700 with 18–55mm f/2.8–4 Fujinon
XF · R
OIS lens;
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