Fujifilm X-T1 review

Video capture is perhaps the X-T1’s weakest area. There’s nothing much wrong with colour reproduction, and the 37Mbit/s AVC encoding at 1080-30p and 60p keeps compression artefacts at bay. However, videos exhibited the same blocky details and moiré that we’ve seen from various other Fujifilm cameras – most likely due to a lack of anti-alias filtering when converting the 16-megapixel sensor output down to 2-megapixel video frames. It’s good enough for casual use, though, and there’s a microphone input.

Fujifilm X-T1 Image Quality – click samples to enlarge

Photo quality is on a par with the cheaper Fujifilm X-M1 and X-E2 (review coming soon), since they share the same sensor (almost – the X-M1’s sensor doesn’t include the phase-detect points). That’s by no means a criticism, though. This is the best image quality we’ve seen from an APS-C sensor by quite some distance, with noise levels that are closer to full-frame cameras than other APS-C models. Then there’s the Fujifilm 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens, which is available as a kit with the X-T1 for £1,400 and is significantly brighter than the usual f/3.5-5.6 kit lenses. Add this to the equation and the X-T1 really is in a different league to other APS-C cameras for noise levels.

There’s just a subtle hint of noise in JPEGs at ISO 1600

Shaded skin tones still look pretty good at ISO 5000 – a fantastic result

ISO 12800 is perfectly respectable for casual snaps

Comparing the X-T1 with the full-frame Sony A7 at ISO 12800, we’re tempted to say that the Fujifilm’s JPEGs look better

Modern full-frame cameras offer even higher resolutions, but Fujifilm’s innovative X-Trans sensor gets a huge amount of detail from its 16 megapixels. Dense textures looked precise, and the 18-55mm lens delivered superb results right into the corners of frames.

Details in this shot are pixel sharp, and the dense, dark foliage is rendered well

This is the bottom-left corner of the frame – still extremely sharp, and with no sign of chromatic aberrations

Fujifilm X-T1 Conclusion

You’ve probably figured out that we really like this camera. Almost everything about it is top tier: cosmetic design, ergonomics, viewfinder, controls, image quality, performance. We particularly like having physical dials for exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed. This is exposure control in its purest, most direct form. The only notable weak points are video quality and the somewhat unsophisticated behaviour of its Auto ISO mode.

This isn’t a full-frame camera, though, and yet its price is only slightly less than the Sony A7. Add a kit zoom lens to each and there’s only £90 to separate them. However, the sensor size is only one contributing factor for image quality, and the X-T1 makes up for it in other ways. Its sensor performs incredibly well for its size, with noise levels that are only slightly higher than the A7’s larger sensor. Meanwhile, its superior noise reduction actually gives better results in JPEGs than the A7. Factor in the kit lens, which gives roughly an additional stop of brightness, and the X-T1 comes out squarely on top for image quality in low light. That’s an incredible achievement, and one that makes the premium price a lot easier to justify.

Those on a tighter budget should hold out for our X-E2 review, and the superb X-M1 is looking more tempting than ever with prices around £450. But for those who can afford it, it’s hard to imagine a better CSC than the X-T1. We certainly haven’t seen one.