{"id":2143,"date":"2013-08-13T12:39:43","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T17:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=2143"},"modified":"2014-02-06T20:55:20","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T01:55:20","slug":"review-fujifilm-x-m1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-x-m1\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fujifilm X-M1"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Fujifilm X-Series mirrorless system grows, Fuji has seen fit to diversify a bit from what was previously a system that catered entirely to enthusiasts and professionals. Recently, Fuji has released its latest X-Series camera: the X-M1. While the X-Pro 1 and X-E1 were targeted distinctly at the high-end, the X-M1 seeks to court a slightly different demographic. However, it still offers the same excellent sensor as its older brothers, and includes a few improvements on those bodies as well as a few new features. It’s available in three colors: Silver (with black leatherette), Black, or Silver (with brown leatherette). The camera retails for $699 for the body only and $799 in a kit with the new XC 16-50mm f\/3.5-5.6 OIS (reviewed here<\/a><\/em>). Is this just a cheap low-end body to court the average photographer, or is it more than that?<\/p>\n

\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-M1 with Fujinon XC 16-50mm f\/3.5-5.6 OIS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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
\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-M1 with Fujinon 35mm f\/1.4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I first saw the X-M1 in person, I was struck by its graceful design. It is a very attractive camera, a combination of retro and modern. It’s also a very small camera. When the X-Pro 1 was first released, it packed some unique features in a rather large body for a mirrorless camera. The X-E1 that followed last year reduced that size a fair bit. The X-M1 is significantly smaller than both, and is actually about the size of some of the smallest mirrorless cameras in production. It’s almost exactly the same size as the Panasonic GX1<\/a> for Micro 4\/3. It’s nice to have a Fuji body this small, though the size reduction comes at the expense of a viewfinder.<\/p>\n

The second thing that strikes you about the X-M1 is that it feels pretty cheap. The body, aside from the lens mount and the two top dials, is entirely finished with plastic and is extremely lightweight. Due to the choice of a smooth plastic and a very smooth plastic feel on the black leatherette, it feels less than expensive. The good news is that while the materials feel<\/em> cheap, the actual construction seems quite solid. There is no flexing, the buttons have good tactile feel, the dials operate with positive clicks and without wobbling. Unlike my X-E1, all the seams are properly aligned and everything seems quite tightly assembled.<\/p>\n

\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-M1 – Rear<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The X-M1, due to its smaller size, features a modified interface from its brother cameras. Fuji has removed the shutter speed dial and replaced it with a standard mode dial like the ones found on nearly every digital camera in existence. The exposure compensation dial has simply become an unmarked command dial that generally still serves as an Exposure compensation dial (in Program, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes), and acts as the shutter speed dial in Manual mode. Also on top of the camera is the shutter release and power switch, along with one programmable function button.<\/p>\n

The bottom of the camera has the door for the battery and SD card compartment, and the tripod mount is located off-center of the lens, extremely close to the door. Thus you won’t be able to access the battery or card door if the camera is mounted on a tripod.<\/p>\n

All the rear camera controls except for the flash release have been moved to the right side of the camera, with the four-way controller now taking direct access controls. There is a second command dial that sits vertically behind the thumb rest, and is a particularly brilliant implementation for a rear dial, as it is extremely easy to access and operate, but is positioned in a way that makes it quite difficult to accidentally operate. Like the command dial on the back of the X-Pro 1 and X-E1, the rear dial on the X-M1 can be pushed down to activate magnification of the live view during manual focusing or magnify the image during image review.<\/p>\n

While this concentration of controls makes the right side of the camera more crowded, the X-M1 fits comfortably in your hand. The front grip is subtle, but provides a decent hold on the camera, at least with most of the Fuji prime lenses and the 16-50mm kit zoom. There is easy access to all the controls just by using your right thumb. The movie record button (a first on the Fuji X-series mirrorless cameras) sits inside a recessed rim, making it difficult to engage accidentally. Overall, the X-M1 feels good to hold and operate.<\/p>\n

Rear Screen<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>
The X-M1’s rear tilting LCD. This position is at about 70% of maximum tilt. When tilting for shooting low to the ground, you can actually tilt the screen slightly past 90 degrees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of the size reduction of the X-M1, the camera contains no viewfinder. To compensate for this, they’ve added a much higher resolution rear screen to the X-M1, a 920,000 dot LCD panel that can tilt up over 90 degrees and down about 80 degrees. It’s got a wider range of travel than other tilt-only screens I’ve used, such as those on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 or E-P5. The rear screen is bright, clear and sharp, and composing images using the rear screen is quite easy. It took me a little while to get out of bringing the camera to my eye on certain shots, but eventually I became accustomed to it again. The tilting feature is extremely useful for capturing photos at waist level or close to the ground, as well as if you need to hold the camera well above your head.<\/p>\n

In bright sunlight, the screen on normal brightness can become a little difficult to see. Fuji includes a setting, however, that boosts the brightness for outdoor shooting in bright sunlight. This works well, allowing you to compose easily even in noon-day sun, at the expense of an accurate image preview. When the screen has this mode engaged, bright areas of the scene appear blown out on the LCD, though they are accurate in the final shot. It’s best to use the on-screen live histogram when shooting with the outdoor brightness setting in order to ensure proper exposure.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the rear screen is not touch sensitive. Touch capability would have made a lot of sense for a camera like this, as being able to move focus points or use touch shutter is wonderful when you’re not shooting with a viewfinder. I also would have like to have seen the option for a removable external EVF via hot shoe\/accessory port. Unfortunately, there is no such option, nor the capability for it in the future.<\/p>\n

Continue: Operation and Performance<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Operation and Menus<\/h3>\n

For most camera manufacturers, the small and\/or low-end cameras in the lineup generally tradeoff some physical control in exchange for the size. Luckily, Fuji seems to buck this trend, and they still provide the majority of the physical controls the larger X cameras have. The Fujifilm X-M1 has the major control functions largely laid out in the same manner on previous X-Series cameras with one big change:<\/p>\n

One of the more controversial aspects of the Fujifilm X-M1 is the change from the tried and true control scheme of using an aperture ring and shutter speed dial to select between Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual modes. Instead, the X-M1 changes just one thing, which moves it in line with most modern cameras as far as typical interface goes: The shutter speed dial has been replaced with a standard Mode dial.<\/p>\n

\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-M1 – Top Controls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a result of this change, what has been the dedicated Exposure Compensation dial on previous X-Series cameras becomes simply the top command dial, and sits on the back right edge of the top of the camera. While this change was widely criticized by many when the camera was announced, in reality, it’s not a big change at all. In fact, if you shoot mostly Aperture priority mode with the Fuji R lenses (with an aperture ring), the operation is essentially identical to that of the X-Pro 1 and the X-E1. The aperture ring on the lens will still control aperture, and the top right dial still controls exposure compensation. When using the XC 16-50mm kit lens or the new 27mm pancake, neither of which feature an aperture ring, aperture control moves to the rear command dial.<\/p>\n

The Manual and Program modes operate, in my opinion, better<\/em> on the X-M1 than on the earlier cameras. In Manual mode, the shutter speed operation moves to the top command dial, which is both easier to access than the shutter speed dials on other X cameras, and more functional, as the top command dial just increases shutter speeds in 1\/3 stops instead of the full stop increments of the previous X-series cameras. While those other cameras could access the 1\/3 stop increments by using the 4-way buttons, the simpler implementation on the X-M1 is far less fiddly than messing around with two separate controls. In Program mode, the program shift function has now been added to the rear command dial, making it easier to do program shift than using the arrow keys on the previous X-Series cameras.<\/p>\n

Only in Shutter Priority mode is there a slightly reduced feel to operation, as the shutter speed control moves to the rear command dial. This is easy to operate, but gives you a little less of that ‘old camera’ feel. The big negative consequence to replacing the shutter speed dial with a mode dial is that now you do lose the ability to see your settings at a glance with the camera off. This is a really nice feature on the X-Pro 1 and X-E1, and I missed it sometimes with the X-M1, but overall, this change wasn’t as big a deal to me as I thought it would be when the camera was first announced.<\/p>\n

In fact, most of the control changes for the X-M1 are slightly superior to the cameras that came before it. It is much easier to access all the settings quickly on the X-M1, as they have been laid out for one-handed operation. Only in two instances do I feel that the controls have taken a step back. First, the elimination of the dedicated focus control switch, that sits on the front of the X-E1 and X-Pro 1. Now, switching between focus modes must be done through the Q menu or the main menu system. Second, since the autofocus point selection and size button has been moved to the top of the arrow buttons, you can no longer press ‘OK’ to immediately go to the center autofocus point, as OK now confirms the point position. Instead, using the Disp\/Back button while moving points will recenter the AF point. This can lead to a little confusion when switching between cameras, as the OK button does different things between the X-M1 and the other X bodies when pressing OK.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The ‘Q’ Menu on the Fuji X-M1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu system is very similar to its X brothers, and is laid out very logically. A few things that used to be in menus (such as multiple exposure) are now moved to a different mode on the mode dial, but all in all, if you are familiar with the X-E1 or X-Pro 1, you’ll fit right in here.<\/p>\n

The X-M1’s Q menu, accessible from a single button push, gives you quick access to JPEG parameters as well as many functions that are somewhat regularly changed. ISO, Focus Mode, Self Timer, File Mode, Film Simulation as well as IS mode (especially needed for the 16-50mm lens, which does not have a physical IS switch).<\/p>\n

Overall, I have found the X-M1 to be a quick and easy camera to use. Having two command dials on a camera this small is a relative rarity, especially in this price range, and it makes the X-M1 operate in a decidedly photographer friendly manner, rather than feeling like a dumbed down interface for the casual snapper.<\/p>\n

Focus Peaking<\/h3>\n
\"X-M1<\/a>
X-M1 with Canon FD 50mm f\/1.4, Focusing on a Canon AE-1. The focus peaking outlines the in-focus areas in white<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The X-M1 is the first Fujifilm interchangeable lens camera to feature focus peaking out of the box. The feature was added via firmware update to the X-Pro 1 and X-E1 in July, and that carries over to the X-M1 here. With focus peaking enabled, a high contrast white outline surrounds areas of the image that are in focus, thus allow for much faster and accurate manual focus. This is particularly useful when adapting manual focus lenses to the camera. Interestingly enough, while the peaking certainly helps the X-E1 and X-Pro 1, the implementation Fuji has chosen works extremely well on the X-M1. The high-resolution rear screen is perfect for this implementation, and I actually found focusing lenses on the X-M1 easier than manually focusing on the X-E1, even when using the EVF. Fuji has stated they will be adding more colors than white in a future firmware update, which may help the peaking stand out a bit more.<\/p>\n

Peaking can be turned on and off very quickly by pressing and holding down the rear command dial, a very nice usability touch. The only down side is that peaking only works when the camera is set to manual focus mode, so that change must be made in the Q menu prior to using the feature.<\/p>\n

Autofocus and Performance<\/h3>\n

The Achilles Heel of the Fujifilm X-Series cameras has historically been its autofocus performance. The original X-Pro 1 had absolutely abysmal autofocus at launch, that was progressively improved over the past two years. The X-E1 started with fair to poor autofocus, with both cameras getting a rather drastic improvement with the release of the latest firmware a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

As you might expect, the X-M1 benefits from these advancements, and the autofocus performance is essentially identical to the X-E1 on firmware version 2.0. That is, it’s acceptable in speed, accurate, and has no real problems locking on in most any lighting situation. It still lags the competition by a noticeable amount in pure speed, being outclassed by the NEX and especially Micro 4\/3 in that regard, but the X-M1 is able to find focus quickly enough to be usable for most photographic situations. Of course some of this is lens dependent, with the 60mm f\/2.4 being relatively slow, and the 16-50mm kit lens and 14mm f\/2.8 being relatively quick. You’re not going to shoot a lot of action with the X-M1, but it is a competent camera with regards to its AF performance.<\/p>\n

In general responsiveness, however, the X-M1 improves rather noticeably on the other two X-Series cameras. The X-M1 features the new EXR Processor II, which first debuted in the X100s. This image processor speeds up write times to the card, general image processing tasks such as in-camera RAW conversion and other general tasks. The camera has reduced shutter lag compared to the X-E1, with essentially no delay between pressing the shutter and image capture.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The X-M1’s Pop-Up Flash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest improvement for my shooting with this faster image processor is that finally<\/em>, you can magnify the live view while the camera is writing an image to the card. When I use adapted manual focus lenses on my X-E1, I have missed several shots due to the inability to zoom in to get critical focus while the camera is still writing to the card. If you’ve just fired off 3-4 frames, this can be a lengthy delay. With the X-M1, you can magnify at will, without regard to the image buffer. Since the camera writes faster, the buffer also clears much faster.<\/p>\n

All of these things combine to make the X-M1 the most responsive X-Series interchangeable lens camera yet.<\/p>\n

Flash<\/h3>\n

The X-M1 features a pop-up flash that is accessed by simply pressing the button on the rear of the camera. The flash extends up and forward. Like the X-E1, the X-M1’s pop up flash can be tilted back to provide bounce flash, though the limited power means this is only really useful for fast lenses or higher ISOs. Flash exposure is quite accurate. While a pop-up flash is generally not the best for great lighting, it certainly comes in useful in certain situations, so it’s a very nice thing to have.<\/p>\n

Continue: Key Features<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Key Features: Wi-Fi<\/h3>\n

As I mentioned in my review of the Olympus E-P5<\/a>, the new must-have feature on digital cameras is Wi-Fi capability, and the X-M1 is no different. It’s the first X-Series camera to feature Wi-Fi connectivity. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi capabilities are rather limited this time around. You can transfer images to a smartphone or tablet, transfer GPS location data to the camera for geotagging of images, and send images to your computer over your home’s wireless network. These are all very nice features, and they are certainly welcome.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The X-M1’s Wi-Fi, searching for a mobile device<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most used feature for me with any of these Wi-Fi enabled cameras is in transferring images to a mobile device, which allows me to quickly share images with people. The image transfer on the X-M1 works pretty well, though I have encountered some issues here and there. While I have had no problems at all connecting my iPhone 5 to the X-M1 and receiving images through the Fujifilm Camera Application, I have had a little less success with my iPad Mini. I can receive photos fine from the X-M1 when using the “Send Images” commands, but I haven’t been able to browse the camera with my iPad. Anyway, to transfer images to a mobile device, you simply activate the menu by pressing OK while reviewing an image. You can then scroll down to Wireless Transfer and send individual images, multiple images or browse images on your mobile device. The transfer works quite well and is relatively quick. One downside is that you can only transfer JPEG images. On the other hand, Fuji has outstanding RAW conversion capability built into the camera (see that section below).<\/p>\n

Geotagging works by manually having the camera request a location from your smartphone. The Fujifilm app then sends the current coordinates to the camera, and that data is used for all photos until you change the location data manually again. While this is helpful by not requiring your smartphone to constantly track location, thus burning battery, it’s also quite imprecise, as all your photos in an area will have the same coordinates, rather than moving with you as you go, unless you stop to feed new coordinates on every shot. It can also be somewhat inaccurate because it doesn’t allow your phone to get a really precise location lock before sending the coordinates…it often takes the quick first coordinates it gets, which can sometimes be off by a few thousand feet. It would be nice to see a map on the application, so you could see your location zero in, then choose when to send the coordinates to the camera.<\/p>\n

I played around a bit with the PC Wireless Transfer capability which uses a program on your computer to talk to the camera over your Wi-Fi network. The system works, and you can push images to your computer, but I found that this function doesn’t operate particularly quickly, making it relatively inefficient for sending data. There’s also no way to remotely specify where the files should be stored on the computer, as the storage folder is set on the computer program, rather than on the camera, which makes organizing files difficult remotely. Ultimately, I find it easier to just walk to my computer and offload my card directly.<\/p>\n

One thing the X-M1 is lacking that several competitors in the mirrorless space are not is a remote control function, where you can remotely take photos and view a live feed from the camera over the Wi-Fi network. This can be a really useful feature, and I’d love to see Fuji add the capability in a future firmware update.<\/p>\n

In-Camera RAW Conversion<\/h3>\n
\"Pulling<\/a>
Pulling an image 1\/3 stop using in-camera RAW conversion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One very useful feature on the Fuji X-M1 that it shares with the other X-Series cameras is the ability to shoot RAW, and at any point, make a JPEG from that RAW file, with whatever shooting parameters you like. For instance, you can shoot color, then go into the camera\u2019s 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. Select these conditions, press Q and your new JPEG is created. If 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. In any case, the RAW file remains untouched.<\/p>\n

When I first used this feature on the X-M1, I was slightly disappointed that Fuji had moved the RAW conversion selection to the second page on the Playback menu, thus making it harder to access. Then I found that they had actually made it easier to access: To go directly to the in-camera RAW conversion, simply press the ‘Q’ button while reviewing an image. In this way, you can very quickly create a JPEG from a RAW using the parameters in use when the image was captured by quickly pressing “Q”, “Q”, “OK”.<\/p>\n

The in-camera RAW conversion is even more useful on the X-M1 due to the ability to wirelessly transfer images to a mobile device. I can simply process a good image as a JPEG, even doing some RAW editing, and transfer that to my phone to edit further or upload.<\/p>\n

Film Simulations and Advanced Filters<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Selective<\/a>
Selective color using the advanced “Partial Color (Yellow)” filter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like Fuji’s other X-Cameras, the X-M1 has access to ‘Film Simulation’ modes such as Provia, Velvia and Black and White. In an odd decision, Fuji has not carried over all the film simulations from the X-Pro 1 and X-E1. The Pro Neg simulations are gone, as are the filtered black and white simulations. It’s a very odd omission. The simulations are already developed for the same sensor, so it’s simply a marketing decision. There’s really no need for it, and it’s disappointing.<\/p>\n

In place of some of the film simulations, however, are new ‘Advanced Filters’ which are only available in Auto mode by selecting the Adv. position on the Mode dial. These include filters like Toy Camera, ‘Miniature’ (a tilt-shift simulation) and multiple selective color modes among others. Many of these produce files that are majorly overprocessed, and serious photographers should really avoid them like the plague. A few may provide the right punch or look for certain situations. Among the choices, the selective color filters have the most appeal to me, though they’re not perfectly implemented. The camera does a good job selecting things of the chosen color, but the range of selection is rather tight and can’t be adjusted, so you have areas that abruptly clip to black and white rather than fading with decreasing saturation. The result can be good in some situations and really jarringly bad in others, depending on the actual colors in the photo.<\/p>\n

Other Items of Note<\/h3>\n

Like the other X-Series cameras, the X-M1 allows you to set the focal length for adapted lenses, which will record that information in the EXIF data of each image. This nice when you use cataloging such as Lightroom, which allows you to sort by metadata, including which lens you used for an image. The X-M1 also retains the expanded dynamic range settings, which give you a little extra highlight headroom by underexposing a higher ISO image and bringing it up after the fact. I tend to avoid that feature as it adds noise, and doesn’t seem to do much in the RAW files.<\/p>\n

Some of the same nitpicks I noted in my X-E1 review<\/a> are still present in the X-M1: namely, that images that have been autorotated to the vertical orientation don’t rotate when you orient the camera in playback, which makes review of vertical images a challenge, especially so because the magnification is less on vertical images than on horizontal images when checking for critical focus on RAW files.<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

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

Parts of this section are taken from my X-E1 review, as image quality between the two cameras is extremely similar.<\/em><\/p>\n

The X-M1 features the same 16 megapixel X-Trans sensor as the X-Pro 1 and X-E1. Usually, it would be a complaint to have a camera reuse a year and a half old sensor, but in this case, it’s not a bad thing. It finally brings the outstanding image quality of the Fuji X line to a more reasonable price point.<\/p>\n

The 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. In my shooting, I haven\u2019t found the X-M1 to have any greater detail than any other 16 megapixel camera. With a sharp lens, it is certainly capable of resolving impressive amounts of detail, but no more than any other sensor I\u2019ve used with similar resolution. The 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. While recent versions of Adobe Lightroom and Camera Raw as well as Phase One\u2019s Capture One 7 have addressed this issue and minimized the effect, it can still crop up occasionally if you really look for it.<\/p>\n

\"Fujifilm<\/a>
Fujifilm X-M1 with Fujinon XC 16-50mm f\/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm (click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like the other Fuji X cameras, the X-M1 has enormous dynamic range. High contrast scenes are rarely a problem, as the sensor stores gobs of data in the shadows and highlight recovery is excellent as well. Even in areas where bright sunlight causes deep shadows, the X-M1 can capture the whole range well in a single exposure. The shot to the right may look like an HDR, but it is, in fact, a single exposure from the X-M1, processed in Lightroom 5.2 RC…the base exposure was for the sky, which left the shadows near black straight out of camera, but as you can see, all the detail and color are still there and can be pulled out of the file.<\/p>\n

Color in the RAW files is muted out of camera, but takes saturation enhancements with ease. The X-M1 files have really beautiful tonal response and depth to the images. The JPEG engine has excellent color and contrast. Getting this level of image quality out of a tiny little body is remarkable.<\/p>\n

Noise<\/h3>\n

X-M1 has excellent control of image noise just like it’s X brethren. The files at base ISO (200) are very clean, with no visible noise in either the JPEG output or the RAW files. Noise is very well controlled up through ISO 1600, where a fine-grained noise is in the RAW files, and a slight mottling from the noise reduction in-camera appears in the JPEGs. I find the X-M1 completely usable up to ISO 6400 for most any situation. There is visible<\/p>\n

\"Ohio<\/a>
Ohio Statehouse – Fujifilm X-M1 with Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye @ ISO 2500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

noise at ISO 3200 and 6400, but it is not objectionable, and would still be relatively minor in a print or web reduction. Even ISO 12,800 and 25,600 (accessible directly only through JPEG, though you can achieve the same effect in RAW by underexposing one or two stops, then bringing it up in RAW) provide usable images for small prints or the web. There’s going to be plenty of visible noise at these settings, but a surprising amount of detail is retained, especially when push-processing the RAW files.<\/p>\n

Like the other X-Trans cameras, ISO for the Fuji X-M1 is slightly under-rated. I have found the X-M1 to be about a 1\/3 stop darker at the same ISO, shutter speed and aperture than my other cameras. Still, even accounting for the 1\/3 stop lower ISO rating, the X-M1 is about a full stop better in the noise department than the best Micro 4\/3 cameras and as good or better than the very best APS-C cameras on the market. In many cases, noise performance is very close to full frame quality.<\/p>\n

JPEG Quality<\/h3>\n

One thing Fuji does extremely well is JPEG processing. Among the cameras I’ve used, the Fuji X cameras are absolutely on top in the JPEG quality department. JPEG files are clean, have excellent dynamic range (and the camera allows you two adjust shadow and highlight contrast levels), good detail and outstanding color. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t shoot JPEG very often, but I do take advantage of the in-camera RAW conversion on certain images, and many times this JPEG is all I need to do. Excellent.<\/p>\n

Movie Mode<\/h3>\n

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I am not a videographer, so I rarely shoot video and am not an authority on video quality. I did test out the movie mode a bit on the X-M1. For the first time, Fuji has added a direct video button on the X-M1. I wish it could be reprogrammed to another function, but alas, it cannot.<\/p>\n

The X-M1, like the other X cameras, has very little control over video output. Exposure is completely automatic, focus is either continuous, fixed at the point of starting filming, or manual. You can shoot in 1080p or 720p, both at 30 fps. That’s pretty much it. Video quality is OK. There’s plenty of detail, but the bit rate isn’t exceptionally high, and the minor fluctuations in exposure from the autoexposure system can be visible and a little distracting at times. The Fuji cameras are built as still photography machines. The video mode is useful for capturing quick moments of life if you need to, but this isn’t your camera if you are after high-end video machine.<\/p>\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Pros<\/h4>\n