Fujifilm X-E1 Review

Fujifilm X-E1

The Fuji X-E1 is the second Fuji SLD and it aims directly at the high-end market with its unique 16 megapixels X-Trans CMOS sensor and very mechanical retro design. It uses an 1.5X crop sensor with a 3:2 aspect ratio, just like the majority of DSLRs, except that forgoes an anti-alias filter thanks to its unique color-filter-array which is not prone to Moire artifacts.

The X-E1 uses Fuji's own XF lens mount which has a very short flange distance. This makes it easier to design high-quality lenses and lens-mount adaptors, including one made by Fuji for the Leica M-mount. Fuji launched a total of five lenses so far, mostly bright prime lenses, rather than the usual zooms, reinforcing the X-E1 as a high-end offering with a small footprint. This is crucial for SLDs since they must provide a clear advantage over DSLRs which have an iron-grip on the high-end digital camera market.

This digital camera follows the X-Pro1 with the same amazing X-Trans sensor in a more compact body with a much improved all-electronic viewfinder, rather than the unique but mostly pointless hybrid one of its predecessor. There design and feature set remain the same yet Fuji managed to price the X-E1 a whole $700 USD.

Since the Fuji X-E1 is so similar to its predecessor, large parts of this review are taken from the Fuji X-Pro1 Review. Differences are highlighted below in green, just like this text.

This digital camera review analyses the usability, performance and image quality of the Fuji X-E1.

Fuji X-E1 Features

The Fuji X-E1 features a 16 megapixels sensor with a unique color-filter array which does not require an anti-alias filter. Normally, an anti-alias filter is placed right in front of the sensor to very slightly blur light reaching the sensor. This avoids the sensor trying to resolve details which are too fine and could result in Moire artifacts. The side-effect of this is that most camera sensors never get as much details as they can capture, assuming a high quality lens, of course. Incidentally this has been a selling point for cameras using Foveon sensors as well as the Pentax K-5 IIs
Pentax K-5 IIs DSLR which is the no-anti-alias-filter version of the K-5 II
Pentax K-5 II.

Having such a high-resolution sensor without an anti-alias filter makes the X-E1 suitable for large prints with extremely sharp details, as long as the lens in use is sufficiently sharp. This is probably why Fuji started the XF-mount with high-quality prime lenses. Otherwise, they might have wiped out the resolution advantage of the new X-Trans technology. Incidently, the review unit of the X-E1 camera with the only XF-mount zoom which appears to have done just that for the convenience of zooming.

The sensor in this Fuji is as large as is currently found in Sony SLDs and in the Pentax K-01
Pentax K-01 which gives it good resistance to image noise. With a standard ISO range reaching 6400, the Fuji X-E1 can work in rather low-light. Those shooting JPEG images also have access to expanded sensitivities up to 25600 and ISO 100.

Shutter-speeds from 1/4000 to 30s are available at any ISO. It is also possible to perform bulb exposures for up to one hour. For this, it is highly recommended to use a remote-release and the X-E1 supports both a traditional mechanical and an electronic cable.

This digital camera is built in a tough metal body with plenty of external controls including direct dials for shutter-speed, exposure-compensation and aperture (on the lens) for efficient access. Despite the high-end build, the X-E1 is not weather-sealed and neither are any current XF-mount lens. This makes it suitable for professional use but not in adverse weather conditions.

The Fuji X-E1 features a class-leading EVF with Eye-Start sensor. The EVF measures 0.5" and is made of an OLED panel with 2.4 megapixels of resolution, the highest resolution available today. The image is extremely detailed, bright and shows good contrast. Motion is quite fluid too but slows down a little in low-light.

The EVF, just like the rear LCD, shows 100% coverage. Sadly, this view is not Exposure-Priority, negating the most fundamental advantage of EVFs over OVFs. The optional Live-Histogram is of no help either since it is based on the display brightness.

A full complement of manual controls, including manual focus, choice of metering modes and custom white-balance gives photographers complete control over the creative process with the X-E1. There is also a RAW mode for those who with to process their images differently than the camera. This shortens the buffer-depth for 6 FPS continuous shooting from 20 to 12 which is still sufficient to capture the height of action with up to 2s of anticipation.

The Fuji X-E1 is suitable with most types of photography within the limitations of available lenses, which we discuss in the next section of this review. The lack of weather-sealing seems a curious choice by Fuji but should also be considered when deciding if the X-E1 fits your needs.