Fujifilm X-E1 User’s Experience

Review Date: August 12, 2013

Category: Serious to Advanced Amateur

Photoxels Gold Award – Enthusiast Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera

Executive SummaryImage QualityPhoto GalleryHandling & FeelUser’s ExperienceQuickFact Sheet / Buy

USER’S EXPERIENCE

Here’s what you can expect in the box:

• FinePix X-E1 (Black & Silver)
• Li-ion Battery NP-W126 7.2V 1260mAh 8.7Wh (same as in the X-PRO1)
• BC-W126 Battery Charger
• Neck Strap
• USB Cable
• Body Cap
• Metal strap clip with protective covers and a Clip attaching tool
• Documentation: Owner’s Manual
• Software CDs: Viewer software, RAW File Converter

I tested the X-E1 with the following two lenses:

• FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 [41mm equiv.]
• FUJINON XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS [84-305mm equiv.]

Outstanding! The Fujifilm X-E1 is an outstanding enthusiast camera that seems to be “Made for photography.” Basically, take the X-PRO1 and switch out the hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder for an all electronic high resolution OLED viewfinder. It has the same 16.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS image sensor and no optical low-pass filter for capturing extremely sharp images.

Note: I tested the X-E1 with Firmware Version 2.0.

I own the Fujifilm X-PRO1 with the excellent XF35mmF1.4 lens, but was curious as to how the cheaper and smaller X-E1 would fare compared to its bigger brother. I took along my XF35mmF1.4 lens, plus the XF27mmF2.8 and XF55-200mmF3.5-5.6 lenses. I had set myself the grandiose goal of capturing (photographically) a blue egret before Summer was gone and it flew off to warmer climates, so I was pretty excited to especially try out the tele zoom lens.

Handling & Build
The X-E1 is a beautiful camera and I especially love the two tone black/silver version. Build is excellent with its magnesium die-cast top and front. On paper, the X-E1 is only about 100g lighter and a few mm smaller all around, but it definitely feels lighter and smaller. Size-wise, I much prefer the X-E1 to the X-PRO1. The X-E1 still handles very well even with the small handgrip. When the XF55-200mm lens is attached, you would of course want to hold and carry the whole thing by the lens.

The look is classy and retro, yet thoroughly modern. When it comes to setting exposure, there are no extra buttons or control dials: a Shutter Speed dial to set the shutter speed (or set it to “A” to let the camera select the shutter speed), a marked Aperture Ring (on XF primes, except the XF27mmF2.8) to select the aperture (or set it to “A” to let the camera select the aperture), and an Exposure Compensation dial to override the camera’s meter. No need to remember which button to press, which front, top or back dial to rotate. It’s elegant, direct, and allows the photographer to directly control the two most important exposure settings.

I wear glasses and I am so glad that I can see the whole screen on the 2.36 million dots OLED viewfinder. Unlike the X-PRO1, the X-E1 has a proper diopter adjustment dial. The EVF is one of the best available but, as expected with an EVF, it can sometimes be quite difficult to use it in very bright sunny conditions.

TIP: Note that when you shoot with the EVF, you won’t be able to see the immediate 1 or 3 sec. preview on the LCD when you remove your eye from the EVF; the preview will continue to display on the EVF. However, if you set the preview to Continuous [MENU – SET-UP 2 – IMAGE DISP. – CONTINUOUS], the display will switch to the LCD when you remove your eye from the EVF.

I have no complaint with startup speed; it is about 1.5 sec. with sensor cleaning and less than 1 sec. without sensor cleaning. I set sensor cleaning to when I power off the camera. [MENU – SET-UP MENU 2 – SENSOR CLEANING – WHEN SWITCHED OFF – ON]. Shot to shot times are about 1 sec. (@ 10 shots in 10 sec. in M mode, 1/125sec.). When you turn the camera off, it enters “sleep” mode for the next 24 minutes. Turn the camera ON during that time and the camera wakes up almost instantly.

All the control dials have a positive click stop and, as it should, need some force to rotate to prevent them from moving inadvertently. However, I did notice at times that the Exposure Compensation dial had rotated from the zero mark. It is easily shifted during handling of the camera while putting it away and taking it from a camera bag or backpack, so watch out for this.

Unlike the X-PRO1, the X-E1 has a built-in pop-up flash. There is a flash release button on the back of the camera; press it and the flash pops up with a sudden explosion. It moves quite freely up and down, so theoretically you can aim it upwards to use as a bounce flash (though it won’t stay pointing up so you will have to manually hold it up with a finger). There is also a hot shoe so you can use a more powerful external flash unit.

It is important to bear in mind here that the X-E1 (as the X-PRO1) cannot sync at a shutter speed higher than 1/180 second, so high speed sync flash photography is not possible.

On the bottom of the camera, the tripod mount is not inline with the center of the lens mount (similar to the X-PRO1). It is right beside the battery compartment, which means you will not be able to change battery or memory card when the camera is on a tripod. Also, the battery compartment door is hinged at the back which does not give you much space to get your fingers at the very back to remove the memory card.

The AF frame can be manually moved to any of 7 x 7 = 49 AF points. Just press the AF button (no need to hold) and use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow buttons. Press OK to bring the AF frame back to center point.

Shutter-Speed Dial / Aperture Ring
The “A” marking on the Shutter Speed dial stands for “Automatic” as in “let the camera choose the shutter speed automatically.” [Some people like to think of the “A” setting on the Shutter Speed dial as “Aperture-Priority.”] If you attach a prime XF lens, there will also be an “A” marked on the Aperture Ring which again stands for “Automatic” as in “let the camera choose the aperture automatically.”

Many of you are still thinking Shooting Modes. So, how do you get the equivalent PASM shooting modes?

Program: Leave both the Shutter Speed dial and the Aperture Ring on “A.” The camera will “A”utomatically choose both the shutter speed and aperture for you.

Aperture-Priority (also Av): Simply rotate the Aperture Ring to the aperture you want. Leave the Shutter Speed dial on “A.” The camera will select the appropriate shutter speed for a correct exposure.

Shutter-Priority (also Tv): Simply rotate the Shutter Speed dial to the shutter speed you want. Leave the Aperture Ring on “A.” The camera will select the appropriate aperture for a correct exposure.

Manual: Rotate the Aperture Ring to the desired aperture. Rotate the Shutter Speed dial to the desired shutter speed.

I just love the Shutter Speed dial and Aperture Ring combo. There is a directness to them and no Shooting Mode dial to come between you and the camera. I wish more camera manufacturers would follow suite and also that Fujifilm would stick with them on all their X-series cameras.

Setting Aperture on XC Lenses
The XF27mmF2.8 lens and all the XC lenses do not feature an aperture ring. So, how do you control aperture when using them on the X-E1? Via Menu and using the Command Dial. Fortunately, you can program one of the two function buttons (the Fn button on the top plate or the DOWN arrow button) to be the Aperture Setting (aka “Mode Dial”). There are three settings you can select: AUTO+MANUAL, AUTO or MANUAL.

AUTO: Since we are talking about controlling the aperture, this is equivalent to leaving your aperture ring on the “A” setting. You are then telling the camera to select the aperture for you AUTOmatically. For those who are still thinking shooting mode, this is the equivalent of being in either Shutter-Priority or Program mode: if you select a shutter speed manually, you are then in Shutter-Priority mode; if you rotate the Shutter Speed dial to “A,” the camera would then be in Program mode.

MANUAL: this is equivalent to either Aperture-Priority or Manual mode. If you leave the Shutter Speed dial on “A” and rotate the Command dial to select an aperture, you are then effectively in Aperture-Priority mode. If you then also select a shutter speed, you would effectively be in Manaul mode.

AUTO+MANUAL: this is equivalent of putting PASM shotting modes on your “Mode Dial.” Here’s how it works:

• Program: Leave the Shutter Speed dial on “A” and rotate the Command Dial as far right as it will go until the shooting mode on the screen displays P (Program Mode).
• Aperture-Priority: Leave the Shutter Speed dial on “A” and rotate the Command Dial to select an aperture.
• Shutter-Priority: Dial in a shutter speed and rotate the Command Dial as far right as it will go until the shooting mode on the screen displays S (Shutter-Priority Mode).
• Manual: Dial in a shutter speed and rotate the Command Dial to select an aperture. The shooting mode on the screen displays M (Manual Mode)

It sounds more complicated than it is in actual use. However, if you stick solely with XC lenses, you get used to this. It’s when you frequently switch between XF primes, XF zooms and XC lenses that it can get confusing. More on that below.

FUJINON XF27mmF2.8
The XF27mmF2.8 lens is a ‘pancake’ lens. It is well built, compact and lightweight (78g). It was introduced with the X-M1. The other lens introduced with the X-M1 is the XC16-50mmF3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens.

The main operational difference between an “XF” and an “XC” lens is that, unlike XF lenses, XC lenses do not sport an aperture ring. The aperture is instead controlled via the Command Dial on the camera (as explained above).

The XF27mmF2.8 lens is different from the other XF lenses in that it is the only XF lens that does not have an aperture ring. The aperture is therefore also controlled via the Command Dial on the camera. [As such, it should have probably been labeled an XC.]

It has a field of view equivalent to 41mm [35mm format equivalent]. Aperture ranges from F2.8 to F16, with 7 rounded blades. You can set 16 aperture stops in 1/3 increments. It focuses as close as 34cm when the camera is put into Macro mode. It accepts filters with a diameter of 39mm.

If you need a wider coverage, there is the XF18mmF2 R [27mm equiv.] and XF14mmF2.8 R [21mm equiv.], though they are not as compact as the XF27mmF2.8. Both lenses focus as close as 18cm.

I like the compactness of the XF27mmF2.8. As the other XF lenses, it takes really sharp images (especially in the center of the frame). With its fast maximum aperture and compactness, the XF27mmF2.8 makes a great lens for unobstrusive street photography.

 

FUJINON XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
The XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS is well built and is relatively compact and light (580g) for a 9x tele zoom lens. It boasts an incredible 4.5-stop optical image stabilization and I find that I can effectively handhold it for most shots. In fact, I brought my tripod with me for a day out shooting at Edwards Garden, then figured it was just too much in the way and ended up not using it at all.

The XF55-200mm has a field of view equivalent to 84-305mm [35mm format equivalent]. Aperture ranges from F3.5(W)/F4.8(T) to F22, with 7 rounded blades. You can set 17 aperture stops in 1/3 increments. It focuses as close as 1.1m. It accepts filters with a diameter of 62mm. The filter won’t rotate as you zoom, which is great if you use a polarized or graduated filter.

At 55mm, sharpness in the center of the frame at maximum aperture is excellent. Stop down to around F5.6 for all around sharpness from center to edges. At 200mm, sharpness in the center of the frame at maximum aperture is very good. Stop down to around F8 for all around sharpness from center to edges.

The zoom ring is smooth and there is no zoom creep to worry about. Autofocus is fast in good light and about 1 sec. in low light. It is very quiet. Since the closest focus distance is 1.1m, you need to bear this in mind and not try to take pictures of subjects closer than 1.1m or the lens will simply not lock focus.

Manual focusing is also smooth and quick (unlike the many turns required in the first firmware of the lenses and now fixed with firmware updates). I select Continuous OIS [MENU – SHOOTING MENU 4 – IS MODE – CONTINUOUS] to make it easier to compose at full tele. To turn OIS ON/OFF, there is a switch on the lens barrel to quickly and conveniently do that.

There are 3 rings on this lens: at the very front, there is the manual focus ring, then the zoom ring and, closest to the body, the unmarked aperture ring. Because the latter is unmarked and free rotating, there is a switch to set it to “A”utomatic aperture or manual aperture (aperture blades symbol). If you turn the aperture ring when that switch is set to “A,” the aperture will not change; you have to move the switch to manual aperture first.

Fujifilm does not currently have a longer tele lens. The XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS [75-350mm equiv.] is slated for later this year. I don’t believe there are currently any teleconverters to boost the reach of these tele lenses. I have not yet seen any indication on their X Mount Lens Roadmap, but hopefully Fujifilm will consider adding some fast, high quality and image stabilized super tele lenses (500mm and beyond) to address the needs of sports and wildlife photographers.

At 305mm equiv. and opened all the way wide to F4.8, you can get some nice background blurring. It’s not bad as a general macro lens.

At 305mm equiv., the reach is just far enough for some wildlife photography.

Marked Aperture Ring
You can imagine how complicated it gets whenever I change from the XF35mm (with marked aperture ring: so just rotate the ring) to the XF55-200mm (with unmarked aperture ring: so need to set switch to manual aperture before rotating the ring) to the XF27mm (with no aperture ring: so press the function button, then rotate the Command Dial). Setting the aperture on each of these three XF lenses means a different way of operating each time. If you change among these lenses frequently, as I had to do for this review, it can get a little confusing. This is the unintended consequence of not standardizing with a marked aperture ring on all X-Mount lenses (or at least on all the XF lenses, primes and zooms).

What I like about the X-E1:

• Excellent image quality at ISO 200. Very good image quality up to ISO 1600. Very usable images up to ISO 3200.
• Very good build and design.
• Love the shutter speed dial and aperture ring.
• LCD/EVF gains up very well in low light.

No review is complete without a couple of improvement suggestions:

• Provide high speed flash synching.
• Provide ability to specify minimum shutter speed with AUTO ISO.
• Provide a larger, higher resolution LCD that features Touch AF and is tiltable.
• Add a built-in ND Filter.
• Make the Exposure Compensation Dial even stiffer than it is now, especially at the zero mark.
• Give us access to customize the LEFT and RIGHT arrow buttons (incl. self-timer and AF as options).
• Provide better movie quality (and frame rates) and a dedicated Movie button.
• Move the tripod mount to be inline with the center of the lens mount.

The Fujifilm X-E1 is smaller, lighter and cheaper than the X-PRO1 while providing essentially the same image quality and performance. What makes it an easy choice among mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras is not just its excellent build quality or the intuitiveness of the shutter speed dial/aperture ring combo (the X-PRO1 and X-E1 are the only players in town so far), but the high resolution images and exceptional lenses that are available for it. Highly pleasurable to use and Highly Recommended.

Executive SummaryImage QualityPhoto GalleryHandling & FeelUser’s ExperienceQuickFact Sheet / BuyNext: Fujifilm X-E1 QuickFact Sheet / Buy

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Related Links:

• Fujifilm X-E1 Press Release
• Fujifilm X-E1 Technical Specs