Review Date: February 24, 2014
Category: Serious to Advanced Amateur
Photoxels Editor’s Choice 2014 – Interchangeable Lens Camera
HANDLING & FEEL
The Fujifilm X-T1 is a superbly designed high-end mirrorless DSLR (or interchangeable lens camera). Build quality is excellent with a quality and precise feel to all the controls. The body is die-cast aluminum and approximately 80 points of weather sealing ensures that the camera body is dust-resistant and water-resistant. The X-T1 is also freezeproof to -10°C and the 3.0-in. LCD screen is made of tempered glass for additional outdoor protection.
The lens locks in place smoothly and positively. The retro control dials do not look gaudy and out of place, but are the right size for the camera. We tested the camera with the XF18-55mmF2.8-4 lens and we already know this is a top lens. As the X-T1 is weather-resistant, the kit lens that will be offered with it is the weather-sealed XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R OIS WR.
The Fujifilm X-T1 is about the same size as the X-E2 (and therefore smaller than the X-PRO1) but somehow the Fujifilm engineers have succeeded in making it look and feel sturdier and better tightly assembled than the other X-Series cameras. The weather-resistant requirement of the X-T1 probably accounts for the more solid feel of the camera. As I mentioned above, the controls are sized appropriately and even the viewfinder “prism” does not call undue attention to itself. There is not one button or dial that should not be there, though you might quibble with the placement of a couple of them.
Looking at the front of the camera, on the left side of the X-Mount, there’s the Front Command Dial just below the Shutter Release button, the AF-assist illuminator / Self-timer lamp, customizable Fn1 button, and Lens release button. On the right side of the X-Mount, there is the Sync terminal (with an incredibly difficult-to-remove and easy-to-misplace sync terminal cover), and Focus mode selector (Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual AF).
The X-T1 has just a hint of a handgrip but the latter works quite well. I definitely don’t like the feeling of the strap eyelet digging into the palm of my right hand. (Other camera manufacturers have already solved this annoyance with an eyelet that is inset into the body of the camera.)
TIP: For those with bigger hands, there is an optional and larger Hand Grip MHG-XT (B&H, Amazon.com
) and Vertical Battery Grip VG-XT1 (B&H, Amazon.com
).
Included with the X-T1 is a weather sealed external flash (EF-X8), designed to complement the X-T1, with a guide number of 11 (ISO 200).
The top of the camera bristles with dials but does not look confusing as on some other manufacturer’s attempts at retro styling.
Viewing from the back, on the right side of the viewfinder “prism” is the Shutter Release button with the expected Power ON/OFF Switch around it. The Shutter Release button is not threaded. To its left is the Shutter Speed Dial which goes from B, T, 1 sec., 1/2 sec. to 1/4000 sec., plus A. When the Shutter Speed Dial is on A, you need to depress the Shutter Dial lock release in the middle to manually select a shutter speed.
TIP: To access shutter speeds between 1 sec. and 2 sec., set the Shutter Speed Dial to 1, then use the Front Command Dial to select shutter speeds between 1/1.6 sec. to 1.5 sec.
TIP: To access shutter speeds lower than 1.5 sec., set the Shutter Speed Dial to Time (T), then use the Front Command Dial to select shutter speeds between 2 sec. to 30 sec.
TIP: Bulb (B) allows you to keep the shutter open for up to 60 minutes while the shutter button is pressed; however, if you set the aperture to A on the lens, B reverts to T 30 sec.
TIP: The X-T1 has Program Shift in P mode with the shutter speed range available from 1/4 sec. to 1/4000 sec. In P mode (set both the Shutter Speed dial and Aperture Ring to “A”), the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture for you, but you can shift the combination settings using Program Shift to use a faster/slower shutter speed or larger/smaller aperture. At all times, the camera maintains proper exposure. On the X-T1, you use the Front Command Dial to Program Shift. Note that an ISO value has to be selected, i.e. ISO cannot be left on A to Program Shift.
Sitting underneath the Shutter Speed dial is the Metering dial.
To the right of the Shutter Release button is the Movie-record button. The second function (Fn2) button is right there labelled Fn (doubles as Wi-Fi button in Playback).
To the right and behind the Shutter Release button is the Exposure Compensation Dial. The dial is easy enough to rotate with your thumb but stiff enough that you won’t inadvertently move it. It is however still a good idea to check it when you pick up the camera.
On top of the viewfinder “prism” is the hotshoe that will accept an external speedlight. On each side of the “prism” sits a pair of stereo microphones. Where is the speaker? On the bottom of the camera.
To the left of the viewfinder “prism” is the Sensitivity (ISO) dial which goes from A, L (100), 200 to 6400, H1 (12800) and H2 (25600). To set an ISO, you always need to press the ISO Dial lock release first.
Sitting underneath the ISO dial is the DRIVE dial.
There are two controls that are somewhat inconspicuous and are located on either side of the viewfinder “prism”: the Diopter adjustment control on the left side and the VIEW MODE button on the right. The VIEW MODE button gives you access to set the Eye Sensor (view switches from LCD to EVF when you bring your eye to the EVF), EVF only, LCD only and EVF only + Eye Sensor (EVF is OFF until you bring your eye to it).
On the back we have the built-in 0.5-in., 2.360K-dot OLED color viewfinder which is absolutely beautiful — and HUGE with a 0.77x magnification!!! No more peering through a dimly lit tunnel experience. It’s the largest EVF you’ll ever peer into and you may not miss your DSLR OVF anymore.
One neat feature of the EVF is that, if you set it in MENU – SET-UP 1 – SCREEN SET-UP – EVF AUTOROTATE DISPLAYS – ON, then the info display rotates to accomodate portrait shooting. Brillant! Note that this occurs only in the EVF, not on the LCD.
Both the EVF and LCD gain up extremely well in low light, so well in fact you’ll be glad you have an EVF to compose on.
The 3.0-in. LCD has a high 1040k-dot resolution. The LCD is not touchscreen. It can be conveniently tilted up and down. I was a little surprised to read the following warning concerning the tilting LCD in the Owner’s Manual: “be careful not to touch the wires or trap fingers or other objects behind the monitor. Touching the wires could cause camera malfunction.” I am hoping this is just a standard warning and does not apply to a dust and weather-resistant X-T1 which, when used in conditions of dust and water, will probably entail dust and “things” getting trapped behind the monitor and touching the ribbon “wire.”
Above the LCD are the Delete button, Playback button, AE-L (exposure lock) button, Rear Command Dial, and AF-L (focus lock) button. On the right of the LCD are the FOCUS ASSIST button, Q (quick menu) button (which doubles as the RAW conversion button in Playback), Selector / Fn3-Fn6 Function buttons with the MENU / OK button in the center, and the DISP (display) / BACK button.
TIP: On the X-PRO1 you could press and hold the DISP/BACK button for about 3 seconds to immediately switch to SILENT MODE. Unfortunately, on the X-T1, doing so just brings up the FUNCTION SETTING screen. To switch to SILENT MODE (and disable the speaker, flash and illuminator, but unfortunately not the shutter sound), you need to access the MENU – SET-UP 1 – SILENT MODE – ON.
There are six customizable Function buttons: we’ve already seen Fn1 which is on the front of the camera, just below the Front Command Dial; we’ve also seen Fn2 which is on the top of the camera behind the Shutter Release button (Wi-Fi button in Playback mode); Fn3 to Fn6 are respectively the UP, LEFT, RIGHT and DOWN buttons on the Selector. I customized them as follows: Fn1 = PREVIEW DEPTH OF FIELD, Fn2 = WIRELESS COMMUNICATION, Fn3 = MACRO, Fn4 = SELF-TIMER, Fn5 = WHITE BALANCE, Fn6 = FOCUS AREA.
For each Fn button, you can select from:
- BKT/Adv. SETTING
- MACRO
- PREVIEW DEPTH OF FIELD
- ISO AUTO SETTING
- SELF-TIMER
- IMAGE SIZE
- IMAGE QUALITY
- DYNAMIC RANGE
- FILM SIMULATION
- WHITE BALANCE
- AF MODE
- FOCUS AREA
- SELECT CUSTOM SETTING
- FACE DETECTION
- RAW
- APERTURE SETTING
- WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
Tip: Press and hold a function button for about 2 seconds to immediately enter the FUNCTION (Fn) SETTING screen for that function button.
Since I customized Fn6 as the FOCUS AREA, to select the focus point, I then press down the DOWN/Fn6 button on the Selector and use the arrow keys to navigate thru 7 x 7 = 49 focus points. The focus points do not extend all the way to the edges of the screen. You can scroll either the Front or Rear Command Dial to change the size of the focus frame; press the Focus Assist button to return to the default/original size.
If you do not want to dedicate a Function button to Focus-area selection, you can also select it via the MENU – SHOOTING MENU 1 – AUTOFOCUS SETTING – FOCUS AREA.
TIP: The camera remembers your AF area even when you turn it off so you may want to get into the habit of recentering it before switching the camera off. Press the FOCUS ASSIST button to quickly return to center.
The “Q” (Quick Menu) button on the back displays a Control Info screen with settings that you can quickly set using either of the Command Dials.
The placement of the Delete and Playback buttons above the LCD is unusual but not so much so than if they were located to the left of the LCD.
In manual focus mode, the AF-L button can be conveniently pressed for instant autofocus, then you can finetune using the focus ring.
In Manual AF, you can focus the standard way, using your trusty eyes. Or, you can turn on Focus Peak Highlight to assist. There is also a third and new focus mode: Digital Split Image (MENU – SHOOTING MENU 4 – MF ASSIST – choose from STANDARD, DIGITAL SPLIT IMAGE or FOCUS PEAK HIGHLIGHT). It displays a three-part split B&W image and you align the three parts to obtain correct focus. In theory it sounds great, harking back to the two parts split rangefinder focusing that allowed for lightning fast focus, but in practice it requires slow careful focusing. It works best when there are strong vertical lines. Give it a try but to make things easier, press DISP/BACK to switch to Standard display (i.e. do not choose DUAL display).
A welcome feature is that the Memory card compartment is located on the side of the camera and can therefore be easily accessed whether the camera is on a tripod or not.
The tripod mount at the bottom of the camera is not located in line with the camera’s optical axis and you won’t be able to change battery with the camera mounted on a tripod.
The optional Hand Grip MHG-XT has its own tripod mounting screw socket which is aligned with the camera’s optical axis. Also, a cutout in the bottom plate means that you can access the battery compartment without removing the grip. The bottom face is equipped with rails for use with a quick release plate.
Included in the box is a rechargeable Li-ion battery NP-W126 that can take about 350 shots with the LCD ON (CIPA standard) on a fresh charge. A battery charger BC-W126 comes with a power cord and recharges a depleted battery in approx. 150 min.
An optional dust and water-resistant Vertical Battery Grip VG-XT1 adds a second battery which, when combined with the rechargeable battery in the body, provides enough change for approximately 700 frames.
The Fujifilm X-T1 uses the SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card.
The Fujifilm X-T1 successfully blurs the lines between the traditional mirrored DSLR and the mirrorless DSLR with its pro feature set, fast performance and huge electronic viewfinder, setting it apart from entry-level DSLRs and elevating it to serious/pro use. Its compact size, weather-resistance build, superb handling and blend of retro design and modern digital electronics make it a delightful and intuitive camera to use.
Next: Fujifilm X-T1 User’s Experience
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