{"id":1803,"date":"2013-04-17T17:38:30","date_gmt":"2013-04-17T22:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=1803"},"modified":"2014-08-05T05:33:13","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T10:33:13","slug":"review-fujifilm-x-e1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-x-e1\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fujifilm X-E1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-E1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fuji is a relative newcomer to the mirrorless game, and they’ve taken a different strategy than the other players in this market. Fuji has eschewed the entire low-end market and decided to focus on prosumer and professional users exclusively.<\/p>\n

Last year, they introduced the X-Pro 1, a relatively large body with a hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder, along with three solid prime lenses. A few months later, the Fujifilm X-E1 was announced, featuring the exact same 16 megapixel X-Trans sensor in a smaller package with a better electronic viewfinder, at the expense of the optical finder.<\/p>\n

So, let’s take a look at how this rangefinder style mirrorless body stacks up with the growing competition in this market segment.<\/p>\n

Note: this review was originally written after reviewing the camera with Firmware 1.05.\u00a0 Updates have been made when newer firmware versions have added features or improved camera operation.\u00a0 These notes will be in italics following the original text of the review.\u00a0 Substantial portions of the conclusion were revised after release of firmware v. 2.0.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. You won\u2019t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. There are plenty of other sites that cover those. I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool. I am not a videographer, so my reviews concentrate on the still imaging capabilities of a camera.<\/em><\/p>\n

Body and Ergonomics<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The rear of the Fujifilm X-E1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fujifilm X-E1 follows the rest of Fuji’s recent offerings with a distinctly retro style. The camera looks an awful lot like a classic rangefinder, minus the rangefinder window and optical viewfinder. It comes in silver or black and the main body is wrapped in a black leatherette, recalling SLRs and rangefinders of the 1960s and 1970s.<\/p>\n

The main body is made of a thin-walled metal, and while the leatherette itself isn’t very grippy, Fuji has included an extra rubber grip on the front edge that makes the grip on the camera secure. The camera looks quite boxy and appears larger than it really is, even when you’re holding it. It’s very similar in size to the Olympus OM-D, being just a little wider, but also shorter due to the lack of a viewfinder hump. I find the camera rather comfortable to hold for the most part, and controls are very easily accessible. The only odd ergonomic item is the positioning of the AF button, which is a little awkwardly placed at the left edge. I’d have preferred a top plate or thumb accessible button for this, so that it was easier to change the focus point while the viewfinder is up to your eye.<\/p>\n

Update: With firmware v.1.06, Fuji has added the ability for the down arrow on the four-way controller to act as a programmable function button.\u00a0 By default, this is set to control focus area selection.\u00a0 The Fn button can also now be programmed to allow for focus area selection.\u00a0 Having AF point selection on the down arrow makes selecting the focus point tremendously easier when shooting.\u00a0 Thanks, Fuji!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The X-E1 exhibits what I’ve started referring to as “Fuji Faux Build Quality.” That makes it sound worse than it is, but with the X-E1 as well as most of the lenses, they are generally quite well-built, but there’s always at least something<\/i> that keeps it from being impeccably built. With the 14mm f\/2.8, it’s the slightly loose hood and loose aperture ring, with the 18-55mm f\/2.8-4, it’s the plastic zoom barrel (while everything else is metal), with the X-E1, it’s the misalignment of seams.<\/p>\n

\"Misaligned<\/a>
Misaligned seam on bottom of Fujifilm X-E1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overall, the build quality of the X-E1 is on a relatively high level, but there are little tiny annoyances that let you know that they cut corners a bit. First, the metal used is very thin-walled. This was likely a design choice, as the X-E1 is surprisingly lightweight (and lighter than most of its competitors), but it makes it feel a little cheaper than it would otherwise. But the biggest annoyance with the build is the fact that several seams on the bottom (and one on the top left) aren’t lined up properly, and there are some other minor niggles. For instance, the leatherette on the front of mine is very slightly lower than it should be, which exposes a tab that holds the top plate on. There is a horribly placed seam on the rear of the camera, just above the battery door, that looks like a crack on the silver version, but it’s just a visible seam. Also, when attaching the optional hand grip, the tightening of the screw actually causes the rear of the body to flex out a bit, and when you squeeze, you can then hear creaks from the flexed body. Still, it’s held up well, but I expect better tolerances in this area. Eventually, I forgot about 99% of these items as I used the camera, but it’s still worth noting.<\/p>\n

The shutter button sits inside the camera’s on\/off switch, and both are very easily operated. The shutter button is also old-school, featuring a threaded button that takes any manual cable release. It makes it cheap and easy to use a remote release, and pretty simple to find one in any town too.<\/p>\n

As a quick note, the Fuji X-E1 has a pretty understated shutter sound. \u00a0It’s rather quiet and has a very pleasing and discreet sound. \u00a0It’s about the same volume as the Olympus OM-D’s shutter, but has a more pleasing click, rather than the ‘whirr-thunk’ of the OM-D.<\/p>\n

Viewfinder and Screen<\/h3>\n

The Fujifilm X-E1 features a 2.4 million dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) that sits on the left corner of the camera, and adds no bulk to the camera at all. Due to the size of the camera, the corner position doesn’t bother me on the X-E1 like it did on the Sony NEX-7. In good light, the X-E1 viewfinder is extremely high-resolution and has a good contrast curve, leading to a nice clear view. In some cases, it’s the best EVF I’ve used…however, ideal conditions don’t always exist, and in less than ideal conditions, the EVF loses that edge. In good light, it’s not quite bright enough. While still definitely quite usable, it is noticeably dim in bright sunlight. In dim light, it gets quite laggy (though thankfully it doesn’t get noisy as well). This is especially noticeable when using a slower lens. In some cases, it can make it difficult to manually focus in dimmer light because of the pronounced lag. If the lag and brightness are improved in the next generation, it’ll be a beautiful finder.<\/p>\n

The X-E1 doesn’t feature focus peaking, but is generally clear enough to allow for accurate manual focus.\u00a0Update: With firmware version 2.0, Fujifilm has added focus peaking to the X-E1.\u00a0 In-focus areas are now outlined in high contrast white to facilitate easier manual focus.\u00a0 It works rather well, though the addition of other colors would be welcome.\u00a0 Fujifilm has promised additional peaking colors in a future update. Also, Fuji made a rather brilliant usability addition with focus peaking.\u00a0 If you press and hold the rear command dial for a second when in manual focus mode, it will change between Focus Peaking and Standard manual focus modes, allowing you to turn on and off focus peaking without ever going into a menu.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

It is also easy to enter a magnified view by clicking on the secondary dial on the rear of the camera. This is great, except that for some reason, you can’t magnify the view when the camera is writing to the memory card. This is a critical, and frankly quite stupid, flaw. The sensor is obviously accessible, as more photos can be taken, and the EVF itself still operates just fine, but you can’t magnify until the files are finished writing, and this can lead to a very annoying delay and the missing of some shots when using manual lenses. I have to imagine this can be fixed with a firmware update, but I can’t understand why it hasn’t been done yet.<\/p>\n

The rear screen is a 460k dot unit that is generally clear, but is a little behind the times with its current spec. It’s just fine overall, but in harsh sunlight, it’s just not bright enough and gets completely washed out, making it essentially a requirement to use the EVF.<\/p>\n

Next: Operation and Menus<\/a>:<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Operation and Menus<\/h3>\n
\"Top<\/a>
Top dials – Fujifilm X-E1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ‘retro’ look is very ‘in’ nowadays, with the success of the Olympus OM-D being a notable example. Fuji, however, takes the retro theme all the way to the controls. While there are certainly a nice array of digital controls and menus to customize the experience, the X-E1 (and the X system as a whole) uses the same control scheme as those cameras that it apes aesthetically.<\/p>\n

Namely, the main controls are an aperture ring that is on each lens and a dedicated shutter speed dial. The shutter speed settings are in one stop increments, but 1\/3 stop settings can be accessed if desired by pressing left or right on the 4-way buttons to go faster or slower from the speed on the dial. \u00a0All aperture rings on all Fuji lenses operate in 1\/3 stops. \u00a0Both the aperture rings and shutter speed dial have an ‘A’ designation to set that parameter to automatic. As a result, there is no need for a mode dial. To use Aperture priority, set the shutter speed dial to ‘A’ and select the aperture you want. Shutter priority works the opposite way. Set both to ‘A’ for program mode and select both parameters for full manual. The one update to this paradigm is the addition of a dedicated exposure compensation dial that is easily accessible by the right thumb.<\/p>\n

These dials make operating the Fujifilm X-E1 an absolute joy. All settings are instantly visible at a glance, even when the camera is off. It’s so intuitive, that I’m simply amazed that no other manufacturers have gone back to this paradigm after it first went away in the late 80s.<\/p>\n

\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-E1 Menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menus in the X-E1 are well-organized and easy to navigate. There are five sections of shooting parameters and three general camera setup sections. Because the interface is so intuitive, there isn’t a whole lot to customize, but that’s OK. There is one programmable function button that sits right next to the shutter button that can be set to change a number of different parameters, though I’d imagine most shooters will set it to change ISO. Holding that button down will bring you straight to the menu item to set what that button controls…this is a nice touch.<\/p>\n

The rear of the camera has a number of controls, with the AFL\/AEL button just to the right of the thumb rest and above the Q button, which brings you straight to the camera’s “Quick Menu,” which allows you to change a number of the most needed items, such as JPEG parameters, file quality and format and so on.<\/p>\n

The left side of the LCD contains the AF point selection button, which brings up the grid of 35 selectable focus points covering the entire frame. The size of the AF points can be quickly changed by using the secondary dial, which sits just to the left of the thumb rest.<\/p>\n

Also on the left is the Drive button, which allows you to switch from single shot, burst, bracketing and contains the switch into video mode. The fact that video is hidden here tells you how much this is a stills oriented camera.<\/p>\n

The front of the camera has the focus selection switch, allowing you to quickly switch between single shot and continuous autofocus as well as manual focus without taking your eye from the camera.<\/p>\n

Overall, the controls on the Fujifilm X-E1 are simply and fast to operate, and more than any other camera, I love picking up this camera and shooting with it for this reason alone. However, it’s not all roses in operation.<\/p>\n

Autofocus and Performance<\/h3>\n

If there’s one Achilles heel about the Fuji X-E1 it’s the autofocus system. While Fuji has made big strides in this area since the initial release of the X-Pro 1 (which had essentially unusable autofocus that actually locked up the live feed of the sensor during autofocus), the X-E1’s AF is well behind its two major competitors in Micro 4\/3 and Sony’s NEX.<\/p>\n

The autofocus speed of the X-E1 is fairly decent in good light, though it’s not going to break any records, especially with the 35mm f\/1.4. In dim light, AF can range from acceptable to downright awful. With lots of contrast and a fast lens, the AF is OK. When things are a little less contrasty, the AF speed becomes quite slow and will often fail to find focus at all, displaying a red AF box with “AF!” displayed. And by lower contrast, I mean a person’s eyeball that’s in partial shadow. While the camera trains the operator over time (I have learned subconsciously where to focus for optimal results, so over time, the number of AF failures I’ve had has decreased quite a bit), it’s still way, way behind something like the Olympus OM-D E-M5, which can lock nearly instantaneously and super accurately in the situations where the X-E1 throws up its hands. If I’ve been shooting with the X-E1 for a while and I pick up my OM-D, I am blown away by the absolute speed and responsiveness of the Olympus in comparison.<\/p>\n

Update, Firmware v2.0: Fujifilm has made great strides in Autofocus speed and low light accuracy with firmware version 2.0.\u00a0 While still not as fast as the autofocus present in modern Micro 4\/3 cameras or Sony NEX cameras, it’s not that far behind.\u00a0 Low light focusing has been dramatically improved with this latest firmware version and the camera is now able to lock focus in most any shooting situation.\u00a0 The frustrating AF failures of earlier firmware versions appear to be a thing of the past, and the Fuji X-E1 now sports a quite decent single shot autofocus system. <\/em><\/p>\n

The continuous autofocus of the X-E1 is also essentially unusable. Instead of acting like typical continuous AF and tracking a subject when pressing the shutter button, it continuously focuses, regardless of whether the shutter is half pressed or not. The speed here makes it more a feature in name than in actually usefulness.<\/p>\n

There is a little shutter lag with the X-E1, but it’s not generally a big deal. \u00a0The camera can shoot 6 frames per second in burst mode, and this works well if you are prefocusing and shooting a series of shots. \u00a0Don’t count on using the X-E1 as a sports camera in most situations. \u00a0It’s definitely a more deliberate camera, and performs well in this scope.<\/p>\n

Flash<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Pop-up flash on the Fujifilm X-E1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The X-E1 has a very nicely hidden pop-up flash that hides next to the standard ISO hotshoe on top of the camera. \u00a0A button on the rear of the camera pops the flash up and out of the body. \u00a0Like all built-in flashes, it’s not particularly powerful, but it does just fine for fill-in work or times when you don’t have an external flash handy. \u00a0Exposure with the fill-in flash is generally accurate. \u00a0The mechanism also allows you to hold the flash back to provide for bounce flash in the horizontal position, though you’ll need to up the ISO a bit if you’re using a slower lens when bouncing the built in flash.<\/p>\n

Next: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Image Quality: Resolution, Dynamic Range and Color<\/h3>\n

The X-E1 is an interesting character with regards to image quality, primarily due to some of the controversy about the X-Trans sensor that Fuji uses. \u00a0The X-Trans sensor uses a non-Bayer filter array to capture detail and color, and this has the supposed benefit of increased detail without moire due to the ability to eliminate the low pass filter that is found on most other digital cameras. \u00a0In my shooting, I haven’t found the X-E1 to have any greater detail than any other 16 megapixel camera. \u00a0With a sharp lens, it is certainly capable of resolving impressive amounts of detail, but no more than any other sensor I’ve used with similar resolution. \u00a0The downside to the X-Trans sensor is that it requires completely different demosaicing algorithms when processing RAW files, and there are some instances where this process results in odd painterly artifacts. \u00a0While recent versions of Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw as well as Phase One’s Capture One 7 have addressed this issue and minimized the effect, it can still crop up if you really look for it. \u00a0I don’t think with current situations, though, that it impacts most shots, and in the few shots where it is slightly visible, it wouldn’t show up in a print or screen reduction.<\/p>\n

\"Riding<\/a>
Riding Columbus – Fujifilm X-E1 with 18-55mm f\/2.8-4 OIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dynamic range of the Fujifilm X-E1 is absolutely stunning. \u00a0The RAW files of the X-E1 are calibrated a little to the right, so you do need to watch your highlights a little when you’re picking your exposure, but the shadow well is deep…there is a tremendous amount of detail in the shadows of RAW files, and if you use the gentle highlight and shadow settings in JPEG, you get a lot of this dynamic range in the JPEG files as well. \u00a0The shot to the right is taken near noon, shooting towards the sun. \u00a0While I wanted to maintain a balance between shadow and highlight in the final image, I can bring up the shadows enough to see clear detail in the deepest shadows of the bike rack roof (even seeing threads on the bolts).<\/p>\n

Color on the X-E1 is quite good, though very muted in the RAW files by default. \u00a0Usually, I need to push saturation up quite a bit when shooting RAW, but the files hold up beautifully, and the files have a wealth of color data to use. \u00a0In JPEG modes, there are a\u00a0number of film simulations that produce really beautiful colors right out of camera.<\/p>\n

This all adds up to a real wonderful depth to the images, with great tonal response and very nice rolloff of the highlights. \u00a0I love the overall look of the images, and despite the quirks of the body, it’s the final file that keeps me shooting with this camera.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>
In the Sub – Fujifilm X-E1 with 35mm f\/1.4 @ ISO 3200 (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Image Quality: Noise<\/h3>\n

Overall, the Fujifilm X-E1 provides very good noise control for an APS-C camera. \u00a0Images are quite clean straight through ISO 800, and even 1600 and 3200 only have a little noise that’s pretty easy to clean up. \u00a0I find that ISO 6400 is eminently usable, though a little rougher. \u00a0ISO 12,800-25,600 are only accessible via JPEG shooting, but even these yield usable files for smaller prints and web use.<\/p>\n

At base ISO, the camera produces extremely clean images. \u00a0Skies are clear blue without noise and even shadows are nice and clean.<\/p>\n

One thing of note is that the ISO for the Fuji X-E1 is slightly under-rated. \u00a0The meter tends to expose a little brighter than most other cameras, so relying on the metering will yield slower shutter speeds in addition to the lower rated ISO, but I found the X-E1 to be about a 1\/3 stop darker at the same ISO, shutter speed and aperture than my other cameras. \u00a0Still, even accounting for the 1\/3 stop lower ISO rating, the X-E1 is about a full stop better in the noise department than my Olympus OM-D E-M5.<\/p>\n

JPEG Quality<\/h3>\n

I normally don’t cover JPEG quality all that much, but Fuji deserves special mention here. \u00a0The out of camera JPEGs are utterly fantastic from the X-E1. \u00a0If it weren’t for my desire for absolute control over my images, I could shoot JPEG all day long and not give it a second thought. \u00a0Images have very low compression, look clean and detailed and the film simulation modes give great options from a softer, more muted Astia simulation, to the bold and vibrant Velvia simulation, you can get a look and adjust the parameters to work how you want.<\/p>\n

I actually use JPEGs out of camera a fair bit, though usually not shooting in JPEG mode, but rather as in-camera conversions using the in-camera RAW conversion capabilities, which I’ll discuss next.<\/p>\n

Video<\/h3>\n

As I noted at the beginning of the review, I’m not a videographer, so I’m not really qualified to discuss the\u00a0intricacies of the video quality. \u00a0I have used the video features a bit, and the X-E1 can shoot 1080p video, though control is limited to pre-shooting settings. \u00a0Once you start recording, you can’t change aperture or exposure compensation. \u00a0Video quality is pretty good, though not on the level of the best cams in this area. \u00a0The X-E1 is geared towards stills use, and the video mode is nice to have when you want to shoot relatively high quality video when your’e out, but if you plan on shooting high quality video as a main feature, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Next: Additional Features and Notes<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

In-Camera RAW Conversion<\/h3>\n
\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-E1’s in-camera RAW conversion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One very useful feature on the Fuji X-E1 is the ability to shoot RAW, and at any point, make a JPEG from that RAW file, with whatever shooting parameters you like. \u00a0For instance, you can shoot color, then go into the camera’s RAW conversion (simply by pressing Menu during review), and do such things as pull the exposure 2\/3 of a stop, increase shadow contrast and process in black and white with a yellow filter. \u00a0Select these conditions, press Q and your new JPEG is created. \u00a0IF you like the look, you can confirm, and it will save it, or you can go back and make changes before saving the final image. \u00a0In any case, the RAW file remains untouched.<\/p>\n

I find myself using this feature if I’m going to be away from my computer for a while, as I can simply process a good image as a JPEG and transfer that to my iPad to edit further or upload. \u00a0It’s less of a hassle than developing RAW files on a tablet. \u00a0Plus, the in-camera JPEG engine is so good that sometimes you just want to let the camera do it and not worry about it any more.<\/p>\n

Other Features<\/h3>\n

There are some other features that are worth a mention, but not real in-depth discussion: \u00a0First, the X-E1 has a built-in panorama mode that will take a slow burst of images while you pan and stitch them into a single image. \u00a0For those who don’t have or don’t know how to use any image stitching software, this might be useful, but it requires that you’re using a fast shutter speed so you don’t get any camera shake in the images, and it’s somewhat awkward and can make even the Fuji’s quiet shutter feel loud when you are using the panorama for interior shooting.<\/p>\n

There’s a ‘Dynamic Range’ setting that will allow you to essentially underexpose a shot at higher ISO and then bring the shot up in camera, thus getting more highlight room and pulling the RAW info out of the shadows. \u00a0It might be useful for some and it can expand JPEG dynamic range at the expense of noise. \u00a0I fooled around with it for a while, but have ended up ignoring it, as I shoot RAW 99% of the time and just take care to preserve the highlights, since I know how much I can bring up shadows on the X-E1.<\/p>\n

One other nice feature is the ability to set the focal length in the menus for adapted lenses. \u00a0In this way, the focal length is recorded in the EXIF data, which makes it nice for keeping track of shots with various non-native lenses. \u00a0Unfortunately, it won’t let you set a maximum aperture for that data, nor is the focal length for adapted lenses taken into account when the camera calculates the shutter speed required with Auto ISO, instead defaulting to 1\/30 sec regardless of the lens used.<\/p>\n

Various Nitpicks<\/h3>\n

There are a few nitpicks with the camera that don’t really fit in anywhere that I just need to make sure I mention.<\/p>\n