Fujifilm XF1 - The Camera For Your Inner Michael Kelso

Got to play with a Fujifilm XF1 for a few days. Some quick thoughts. Considering that this camera is nearing the end of its product life cycle, this blog posting couldn't come a moment too soon.

[Pros]

• Solid construction. Lovely retro styling. Having one in your hand makes you feel like a Michael Kelso. (Though it must be said that Ashton Kutcher later went on to become a pitchman for Nikon)
• Very unobtrusive, the lens collapses all the way into the body
• Bright and hi-res screen
• Darn respectable image quality. ISO1600 is perfectly usable when the camera's tricky image processing features are enabled (EXR mode in Fujifilm lingo)
• Good spec lens (though max aperture drops fast as the zoom is extended)
• Excellent AF
• Comprehensive manual control, easy to use menu layout
• Class-leading image processor. Auto WB under artificial lighting is unbelievably good
• RAW mode supported, if you are into this sort of thing

[Cons]

• The "twist the lens to turn on/off" operation takes awhile to get use to. Word on the street is that this design may not be very durable.
• Optical quality is not great. Soft corners and purple fringing are clearly visible
• Smallish battery
• In Auto ISO mode, the camera has a bad tendency to choose ISO400, even though a lower ISO setting might be the more optimal choice
• Lacking dedicated AE and AF lock button (this borders on nit-picking)

[Conclusion]

Small cameras such as this have come a long way. It's amazing how much camera you can get for so little money these days. The Fujifilm XF1 does just about everything a photo enthusiast want out of a compact camera, and the best part is, everything comes in an extremely attractive package. I don't usually go on and on about styling, but take my word for it, when your fingers come in contact with that faux-leather body, you become a suave playboy who's transported back to 1976.

Image quality is more than adequate. Sure, a Sony A7 will eat it alive in a shootout. But when you put together the larger-than-average sensor (2/3"), tricky image processing, and bright lens, the XF1 is surprisingly good in low light. Add quick AF and good handling to the mix, the XF1 is sure to make the normal average photo enthusiast a very happy clam.

Here's what the camera looks like.

Below are some sample images. Click on the thumbnail to download the full-size original file. All images are hand-held shot JPEGs straight from the camera. Note that the 6 mpix files were shot using EXR mode to increase dynamic range at the expense of pixel count.