The New Fuji Your DSLR Will Love To Hate

The New Fuji Your DSLR Will Love To Hate

The new Fuji XT1 is Fuji’s best designed, highest performing X Series camera yet. It's the young buck on the block, a DSLR-styled body that’s turning heads left and right. It’s tiny, packs a huge punch and there is no doubt in my mind that it will be delivering a TKO to more than a few DSLRs. But is it really that good? I pushed this thing hard for a solid month to bring you the review, read on to find out.

So - Is The DSLR Dead?

The answer, on the one hand, is a resounding "no". On the other, its "maybe". Buying this thing might consign your DSLR to the scrap heap. It all depends on what you need from your camera. So much hype has surrounded mirrorless cameras ushering in the death of the DSLR, but I think we still have a little ways to go. What the XT1 will undoubtably do is be the transition camera. More serious, amateur and semi-pro's will probably look at it as a means to get great images without ever buying a DSLR. Professionals will look at it as a seriously good second body or travel/everyday camera.

For many professional photographers, and I include those that shoot events, sports, fashion, lifestyle, weddings, commercials and travel, there is no doubt in my mind you can shoot professional high end, quality work on the XT1.

Before we kick off, while this is a gear review, I don’t really do gear reviews. If you want a traditional gear review, to pore over charts and technical stats, please skip this review and head elsewhere because you won't find that here. I tried to push this camera in different scenarios to see how it performed in the real world, on real shoots and client jobs and while moving quickly around the city. I base my above statement on what I’ve shot with this camera in the last few weeks. To really test this thing, to really understand how much of a "replacement" it could be for a DSLR, I decided to test it across as many different scenarios as I could, including:

 

-       low light nightlife events

ISO 5000 ISO 5000

ISO 2000 and no noise ISO 2000 and almost no noise

 

-       available light, day time private events

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-       behind the scenes candids (thanks to Lindsay Adler for the letting me test while on set)

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fstoppers_davidgeffin_fuji_xt1_review_32 Photobombing Lindsay's shoot

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-       studio strobe fashion shots (thanks to Jeff Rojas for sharing his set with me to get these shots)

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More 3 light studio set ups, with Jeff Rojas More 3 light studio set ups, with Jeff Rojas

 

-       headshots (available light and strobe)

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-       street photography and candid portraits

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Articulated flip out screen comes in handy for low angle shots Articulated flip out screen comes in handy for low angle shots

fstoppers_davidgeffin_fuji_xt1_review_27 More tilt screen action helps keep you under the radar to grab candid moments like these

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-       urban landscape and buildings

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But...It’s Not Even Full Frame!

The fact the X-Series runs on APS-C sensors just doesn’t matter, for me at least. My “day job” camera is a 5D Mk3. If you’re worried about the depth of field and bokeh, low light capability or lack of “full frame look”, then by all means stick to what you have but it’s quite possible to use this camera for your professional work.

I shot low light event work with this thing (ISO sensitivity at 5000 and 6400 was just fine, I was actually adding grain in before delivering files as they looked too clean coming out of camera).

I shot the new 56mm (85mm full frame equivalent) wide open and the bokeh looks gorgeous and the depth of field is razor thin (review coming shortly).

From my experience, clients generally don’t seem to care what you use, as long as we can get the shot (and obviously for certain shots, a high performing DSLR is a necessity, but at others times, it simply isn’t).

Getting The Shot

The XT1 is currently at the top of the Fuji X Series food chain and it’s easy to see why.  While it has a few annoying niggles (we’ll come to those) the XT1 is the best designed X Series camera yet. -       It has a small form factor, almost as small as the XE2, is light but with good weight to it, and feels incredibly natural to hold, much more so than the XE-2 which feels a little too small in comparison. It is a little heavier than the XE2 but for weightier lenses like the 56mm 1.2, this isn’t a bad thing, helping balance the load. I can’t emphasize enough how light it is though, especially in comparison to a full frame DSLR and lens. Working with the 5D and 70-200 on one shoulder and this on the other felt totally bizarre and unbalanced, but it was an interesting experience to see how much smaller and lighter you get with a small mirrorless APS-C camera.

-       The dials are more than just aesthetically pleasing retro styled throw backs to please your inner hipster. By having access to drive, metering modes and a better designed Exposure Comp dial (up to +/- 3EV on the XT1 now, compared to only 2 on the XE2 and XPro 1) you can access what you need to without having to root around in menus or pressing all sorts of buttons. When you see what you want and need to shoot it, the time saved here can mean the difference between getting the shot or not.

 

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-       In principle, the weather sealing is great. Now Fuji needs to provide proper weather sealed primed lenses (current line up for weather sealed zooms includes the 16-55 f/2.8, 50-140 f/2.8 and 18-135 f/3.5-5.6). fstoppers_davidgeffin_fuji_xt1_review_23

Weather sealing is a great addition. Now we just need prime weather sealed lenses Weather sealing is a great addition. Now we just need prime weather sealed lenses

-        The EVF is insanely good. As someone who personally hated the idea of EVF-only cameras 6 months ago, I am can honestly say I’d be happy to shoot with an EVF-only camera like the one on the XT1 full time. The refresh rate, size, magnification and night vision-like capability you get from it is insane. I remember walking down a dark street with it up to my eye not wanting to put it down because this thing sees way more than my eyes could. Very, very impressed with the EVF. -        Other cool design features I liked included the articulating screen (actually came in useful for some shots where I didn’t want to be detected), the quick AF, dual screens for aiding manual focus and focus assist button to quick zoom in to see what you’re focusing on. Choice of color for focus peaking is nice, as is the option to use WiFi for transferring files (when it works – the Fuji app seemed to never want to connect from my phone).

Styling

The retro styled design is probably what Nikon seemed to be wanting to capture with their Df. Over the last month, at least half a dozen people asked if it was a film camera. If you care about retro styling, the XT1 gets it right where the Df got it wrong. People like the look of this thing, and I can’t really say I blame them. “Svelte”, is the word I’d use to sum up the styling.

Performance

This is where the camera just comes into it’s own. The performance of the camera, the sensor and the ability to shoot what I want when I want also leaves a palpable sense of intense satisfaction. Coupled with some nice Fuji glass and Fuji have knocked it out the park again. Personally I am past the point of being happy to carry a heavy full frame camera with me and a bunch of glass on my back for fun.

This camera, for it’s foibles, allows me to head out with a few lenses, or even just the 18-55mm zoom, and be set for the most part for the day. These are lenses you can just tuck into your pocket. For those of us having to walk, take public transport, get on planes and travel more than to and from their car to their office each day, the XT1 represents quite possibly the ultimate travel camera. The small size, weight count as huge pro’s and doesn’t compromise on image quality. The streets of New York was my testing ground for the last month, where fast reactions, quick wits and a faster eye are what are required.

For many of us, the ability to go unobserved when we travel and shoot is critical and the XT1 does a good job of helping us go undetected to capture candid street shots.fstoppers_davidgeffin_fuji_xt1_review_24

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Not All Peaches And Cream

So that’s the good, what about the bad? The D pad has been a cause for concern for some. Apparently some early D pads suffered from light leak issues (none on the unit I tested). The problem I have is that the D pad buttons feel incredibly mushy. No satisfying click of the X Pro 1 or XE2. I’m not sure if this is due to weather sealing but for such a well designed and ergonomically sound camera, these feel like an after thought. I unintentionally hit the up arrow from time to time too. Could just be me but I never seemed to have that issue when testing the XE2. The card slot door is too thin and too easy to open accidentally (happened on one occasion). My data is too precious to have a card slot door like that on this camera that you can accidentally open.

Availability

The XT1 is in high demand but you can pick up a body only version for $1299 at B&H, with the kit version (with the 18-55mm lens) available for preorder at $1699.

 

Final Thoughts

If you are prepared to over look the few minor issues, this thing will knock the socks off of many other cameras on the market right now, DSLR or otherwise.

Fuji’s commitment to expanding the range of lenses it puts out, constant firmware updates to improve focus issues, as well as the great quality of the glass is enough to persuade many to move over entirely. While many of us might consider dropping our Nikon or Canon to move completely to Fuji, there is no denying that both of these manufacturers could learn a thing or two from the design principles and constant updates that Fuji have become known for with the XT1 in particular and their X Series line up as a whole.

If you are not shooting video (we’re still stuck with only 30 and 60fps, come on Fuji, what gives?), I can say the XT1 is more than capable of delivering shots that your clients will be happy with. Of course, it won't be producing billboard sized ads any time soon, but then i doubt you'll be shooting billboards with your DSLR either. This camera is not designed for that, obviously, but as a highly versatile tool, it is excellent.

Personally, I’m definitely picking up either this or the XE2 as a second body/travel/street camera for every day use. When you realize how the whole purpose of the XT1 is for it to just get out of the way, without compromising performance, to let you shoot what you want , when you want, and to allow you to do that in all sorts of weather conditions (weather sealed lenses permitting), you begin to see the possibilities of a new mirrorless world opening up before you.

Zack Arias, long time Fuji fan, spotted depositing checks on 42nd street. Zack Arias, long time Fuji fan, spotted depositing checks on 42nd street.

 

 

David Geffin's picture

David is a full time photographer, videographer and video editor based in New York City. Fashion, portraiture and street photography are his areas of focus. He enjoys stills and motion work in equal measure, with a firm belief that a strong photographic eye will continue to help inform and drive the world of motion work.

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Don't forget this Fuji is APS-C -> this means focal length x 1.5 -> 140 x 1.5 = 210 :) I think this is exactly what you want ;)

That 50-140mm 2.8 is going to be nuts for people shooting low light events. I cannot WAIT to sink my teeth into it and push that sucker into some low light situations.

How is it for "quiet"?

shush

I'm guessing it has the same shutter as the XE-2. It's very quiet. You can hear a click in a quiet setting but it goes unnoticed in settings. Similar level to the auto focus motor on a quite lens.

As Louis said, same shutter. Very quiet, very unobtrusive, positively great for street and venues where you need to be unobtrusive (churches and places for weddings and so on)

The thing that stops this camera being great is the prices there chargeing for there lenses,,,at what point do they think there lenses are better than canon/nikon ? they may be but seen on evidence of this just high prices...very high,great looking camera and seems to shoot well but to spend so much on this camera and buy a couple of lenses good ones thats is your talking mega money and will already be the price gap of the pro cameras

Go ahead and price out the Canon/Nikon equivalents of 24mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, and 50/85mm f/1.4. Read the reviews for any of the Fuji lenses and you'll find that they meet and often exceed their Canon/Nikon counterparts in terms of performance (especially sharpness when shot wide open) while being lighter, smaller, and having better build quality.

They might not make cheap lenses, but they certainly don't make overpriced lenses. :)

and they don't price gouge (Canon, with their new 24-70 MKII, for example) their loyal customers.

No good glass is cheap - but as for value for money, the Fuji glass punches way above it's price point.

but do you think the

Fuji 18-55mm f2.8-4 R LM OIS is over priced at £500 or am i just missing something

That is overpriced, but not by Fuji - it's $550 here in the US. Unfortunately Peter, as one Brit to another but who now lives in the US, that price has more to do with the UK consumer putting up with standard overpriced UK pricing differentiation than it does with Fuji overcharging on lenses.

haha this is true lol i went to SFS 2years ago and got a 2nd hand D700 $1200 ebay 12500actions so the money i saved was like the price of my flight lol almost a free holiday

Note that it isn't your typical kit lens. It's much faster and well built.

These Fuji lenes for x series are not made for full frame they are a crop censer lens if you could put them on a full frame camera what do you think the result would be? full frame needs better glass,but my point was price of lenses so i give you something to chew on........

Sigma 35mm F1.4=£650 full frame .....Fuji 23mm F1.4xr= £750 =17% more for crop lense

Canon 50mm F1.4=£295 Fuji 35mm F1.4=£420 =40% more for the fuji and all results show the fuji is not as good as the canon/sigma my point is not that fuji lenses are crap just there over priced compaired to there full frame counterparts and almost everytime you put full frame glass on crop cameras normaly better,I love this camera and would love to own it but if i did i'd shove my nikon lenes on it,would love to see a fuji lense as good as my nikon 85mm 1.4.....ps i own a fuji x100 and love it but still think these lenses are overpriced

I own an X-Pro1 and the three primes that came out when it was released. I'm still on the fence regarding the X-T1. My main concern is the rumors circulating that the X-Pro2 will be full frame. If that's the case, I'd rather wait.

Those rumors have been around forever. I highly doubt the XP2 will by full frame for the simple reason that they have no full frame lenses. Making a FF XP2 would not make sense to me. The whole time I've had my XP1, I've never once wished it was full frame, but that's just me. I think Fuji will stay with the APSC sensor. They do it so well. Of course, I could be wrong about all this. lol

If they do make it full frame, your lenses wouldn't work on it anyway.

That's the whole point. If the X-Pro2 is going to be full-frame, I'd rather save my money for the new body/glass vs. spending more on existing APC-C stuff.

What is failed to mention is that the camera unfortunately has DISMAL video quality. I sincerely hope this is repairable with a firmware update, but it is an unfortunate blemish on an otherwise spectacular camera.

Granted, this is a still camera, first and foremost, but it's present video quality output puts it on par with the Nikon Df's video capability. ;-)

I thought the sentence around:

"If you are not shooting video (we’re still stuck with only 30 and 60fps, come on Fuji, what gives?)..."

might have inferred I was giving a proverbial kick up the butt to Fuji to sort out the video side of things ;)

While it won't replace my DSLR for video anytime soon, being stuck at 30 and 60fps is kind of ridiculous.

Nikon being doing this for ages....I4t they were the slowest to shift with the times on there video...

Nikon (D90) DSLRs came out with video before Canon (5DII). They're behind now but I wouldn't call them the slowest to shift. Canon also came out with a full frame DSLR before Nikon but Team Yellow seem to be doing quite fine in that department now.

No, that's not what I meant. It's RATTY footage. Go have a look at the sample video over at DPREVIEW. It's BAD!

Totally agree. I was impressed at first. Then i realized that they are over sharpened images.

I'm not referring to the images, they are good. I'm referring to the video. Not good. Hopefully they will be able to fix that in firmware.

Yup. I shld have been clearer. I was referring to the footage too.

I dunno about over-sharpening, but the moiré and false color is painful, especially for a camera of this caliber. I really hope they sort this out:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x-t1/11

I tested it as part of our french photography podcast and I loved it. I had the chance to team it with the 56mm f/1.2 and god did that give me superb pictures. I was very impressed to say the least.

same Christian - many of the images on this review are actually shot with that 56mm. I have that review coming shortly...

A great photo review of a camera that I've been hearing a lot about in recent podcasts. That photo of the NYPD officer with a photograph of his child inside his hat really hit home. Excellent work!

thanks Chris, appreciate the nice words. I'm currently in the process of trying to track that officer down as i got a nice print for him of that image to give to him :)

All the arguments I read are the same rehashed opinions comparing one system against another. In the end, it's the ones paying for images that will determine what paid photographers will transition to or will your current platform be effective to ensure your business endures and not drive you under.

Trying to understand the article title. Love to hate?

I need manual dials to work well and therefore swayed between the Df and Xt1. Tried both in the shop but in the end I went with the Df for many reasons and after two months I'm very happy I did. The XT1 is a fine camera though in my opinion not even close to the Df on many levels. The price reflects that (although since I already owned a full set of manual Nikkors the XT1 would have been more expensive for me).

One thing the reviewer doesn't mention is how bad the battery life is in these smaller cameras compared to any dslr. My Df battery lasts forever.

These mirrorless cameras need a super battery: the sensor is always on and the viewfinder as well.

the battery issue is not specific to the XT1, it's a mirrorless/EVF/smaller battery/capacity issue as a whole. I actually found the battery in the XT1 to last longer than the XE2 i reviewed although this might be because the weather is now warmer too. Because it's not specific to this camera, i didn't feel it was pertinent to a camera-specific review.

Curious to know why (aside from the fact you have a full set of glass) the Df was the choice to go for?

I went with the Df because:

-The Nikkor manual lenses work wonderfully with my Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera. Metabones makes a dedicated Speed Booster adapter for manual Nikkor. Nikkor AI-s are popular with film makers and it's a lens mount which seems to be future proof. Nikkor adapters are always available for serious video cameras. The BM Pocket Camera is tiny and is invisible in my camera bag. I can shoot in pro res codec or Raw. Image quality is far far superior to any dslr (or XT1) and would have costed 10 000$ just a couple of years ago.
-I liked the controls on the Df better. I want the dials to have good locks and the Df dials are wonderfully executed. I much prefer the exposure compensation out of the way. On the XT1 it clutters upp the side where the shutter dial is (I'm a 100% manual guy and I never use exp. comp.).
-I often use short depth of field so the Df had the advantage there.

-The Df lenses are smaller than the Fuji options and the selection of glass for the Df is enormous. I can buy lenses for specific projects cheaply by picking up old manual Nikkors. Some of those 60's lenses have incredibly beautiful artefacts which aren't present with later coatings.
-These older lenses (of which I already have many) also feel amazing to use, much better than the Fuji ones.
-The optical viewfinder. Call me conservative but this was a big plus for the Df and a minus for the XT1. I love the X100 series.

- When I handled the cameras in store the build quality of the Df was better. Notably all buttons where of higher quality and felt better in use. Specifically the shutter release of the Df is perhaps the best I ever felt on every camera ever.
-That shutter release takes the same cable release as my Hasselblad. Bliss, now I don't have to carry two different ones.
- I have an FM2 which I use for slide film. Unlike the XT1 the FM2 uses the same lenses as the Df, same ergonomics.
-Df shares image ratio with my body of work. I usually never crop. The pictures I print from the Df shares ratio with earlier 35mm work. Fits the frames and window mounts I have. Works with all sorts of templates et c. Consistency.
-The Nikon flash system. I have a set of old Metz flashes but look forward to getting some SB-700's and SB-800's and work with Nikons CLS system and i-TTL.
-The light meter switch on the Df is wonderful. Just under your right thumb. I often switch between Matrix and Spot modes.
-I never have to think about battery with the Df. It lasts forever.
-Lastly, the Df sensor is simply amazing. Really. It's ridiculously good and I have to do far less post work than with any other digital camera I ever used. Colours and the general "feel" of the pictures are very sumptuous and great.

The only thing the XT1 had going for it was its slightly smaller form but coming from medium format the Df is more than small enough. It's actually a very good size which I love the more I use it. The Df is kind of like an F3, which is very easy to hold and work with. The FM2 (about the same as XT1) is more "fiddly". I like the way Fuji solves the automatic modes, but since I am always in M that didn't matter much to me. Also, the much debated MASP-dial works just as well when you get used to it. It's a total non-issue. I got the black Df which I much preferred over the silver, more subtle and timeless. Can't remember anymore reasons right now but I can say that I am very satisfied, happy and inspired with the Nikon Df. Thank you.

thanks, good break down there, liked it

We're onboard. Arriving Saturday. ;)

i can't decide..i already got 3 analogue nikons, a Nikon D5100 & D70 but i want something new. mostly i shoot street art, low light and long exposure..so i wanted to buy a D610 and go FF..but the Fuji X-T1 makes me think about it..A Nikon D610 is really heavy to always have with me. But on the other hand, the IQ is amazing and i have my Nikkor Lenses..but the IQ of the Fuji is also really good and when you think about the weight and that you can always have it with you and the possibilities with the iphone App..i just can't decide! someone here wo can help me with this choice?

David, great article, really enjoyed your take on the XT-1.
Msionh, you seem to be a little bit of a camera snob and I am wondering judging by your comments who you actually work for or are supplied your equipment by. Now to start with I am not a professional photographer who makes a living from photos, but I am a 44 year old who has been actively involved with cameras since the age of 16. I have had the pleasure of owning everything from medium format to pro grade DSLR's such as the D1 series. I have nothing to prove to anyone and simply love photography for the joy it gives me along with the joy of being able to share this passion with my daughter who also loves photography. For the past few years I have been shooting with a Canon 5D MkII and a collection of L series lenses. As I travel quite a lot and as carrying a bucket load of cameras gets a little annoying I recently picked up a Fujifilm XT-1 along with a XF23mm 1.4 lens and took it with me to Italy for 3 weeks along with my 5D and L series lenses. I shot a selection of lenses against the single 23mm lens throughout the 3 weeks where the situation was appropriate and I have been blown away by the result. Frankly in most cases the images I kept came from the XT-1. The sharpness, colour range and just pure quality of the images are outstanding.
Right now I am actually considering getting rid of the Canon and spending the money on a nice collection of XF lenses.
When you decide to keep making your empty, with little substance comments, please consider that not everyone is a camera snob and some respect peoples views as we all should.

Thanks Steven, glad you enjoyed the article and sounds like you had a fantastic trip to Italy! (was there last month, always such a wonderful place to visit and shoot)