Wi-Fi
The Fuji X-T1 is the fourth Fujifilm X-Series camera to feature Wi-Fi connectivity, but it’s the first one to allow for remote shooting. The X-T1 sets up similarly to the way the other Fuji cameras do…a wireless network is created, and you simply need to connect your smartphone or tablet to the network and open the Fujifilm Remote App. The previous Camera App will not work with the X-T1 (and frustratingly, the new app won’t work with the older cameras). The new app provides all the same functionality as the old, with the ability to perform geotagging of images and transfer images from the camera to your mobile device.
The new app’s biggest feature, though, is the ability to remotely control the camera. Despite this being Fuji’s first attempt at remote camera control, they’ve done a great job. All the major functions of the camera can be changed from the app, including ISO, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, focus point, and even film simulation, macro mode, flash mode and self timer. Continuous bursts aren’t possible, but for regular shooting, it does a really nice job. The delay between the camera and the view on your phone is relatively short, but there is a small lag. While there’s still room for some added capabilities, Fuji has done well in this initial implementation. It would be nice to see this capability filter down to the X-E2, X-M1 and X-A1 in future firmware updates, given they share the same processor and have Wi-Fi capabilities.
Intervalometer
The X-T1 is the first Fuji camera to have a built-in intervalometer (though Fuji has said they will add it to the X-E2 with a future firmware update). The intervalometer can be accessed through the menu and allows you to set a time interval as short as 1 second and as long as 24 hours. You can set the number of frames to be captured (from 1 to 999). The shooting can start immediately or at a time up to 24 hours later. One nice touch to the interval shooting is a countdown timer, which shows in the upper left corner of the screen to let you know how much time is remaining until the next shot. You can cancel shooting at any time.
While multi-day time-lapse shoots with mirrorless cameras typically require either multiple batteries or an AC connection, Fuji has done its best to maximize battery life when shooting with intervals longer than 30 seconds. In these situations, the camera actually shuts itself down between shots. The camera turns itself on 5 seconds before a shot and stays on 5-7 seconds after the shot before shutting down again. Presumably, only the timer is running in the background, saving tremendous amounts of power. While the savings are somewhat minimal with a 30 second interval, the energy savings will be huge for longer intervals.
Other Notable Features
- I’ve written at length about the excellent In-Camera RAW conversion on Fuji bodies, but as its been a staple of the Fuji X series for some time, I won’t spend a significant amount of time on it here. The full capabilities of this conversion feature are still present and still just as powerful on the X-T1. Any RAW file can be pushed, pulled, adjusted for color, white balance, film simulation, highlight and shadow rolloff and more. It’s very useful for JPEG conversions when sharing with a mobile device over WiFi, or simply when you like the in-camera JPEG engine.
- The X-T1 is the first X-Series camera since the X-Pro 1 to feature a PC sync port for external flash strobes, which is found under a screw in cover on the front of the body.
- Like the other X-Series bodies, the X-T1 has eight ‘Advanced Filter’ modes such as Toy Camera, Miniature and multiple Selective Color modes that isolate a single color. These work decently, though many of them are pretty heavy-handed. I’d imagine the target demographic for the X-T1 is unlikely to use these often.
- Other modes like multiple exposure and panorama stitching are also present and work relatively well, but the panorama stitching is better done with a more deliberate setup and external stitching software.
- It is worth noting that exposure bracketing is still limited to +/- one stop for 3 frames. Why Fuji continues to have this limit is baffling given the rest of the evolution of these cameras. Hopefully this is finally addressed via firmware update soon.
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