Excellent design, fashionable card, Fuji XF1 review

IT168 Review The cold wind of winter hit my face quietly, and the yellowed autumn leaves fell in twos and threes from the treetops. It was early winter when the editor got this camera. In such a season when everything is dying, the editor holds the retro red Fuji XF1 in hand and takes you into the world under the lens of this camera. Learn about this camera and how much shooting fun it can bring us.

As a consumer-grade card machine, the first thing that stands out to me is its appearance. There is no doubt that the appearance design of Fuji XF1 embodies the good intentions of product designers. Putting aside its functions, this camera is born with a certain aura? An aristocratic aura. The nostalgic retro style is reminiscent of the luxury of Western medieval aristocrats, making people feel full of dignity.

▲The beautiful handheld Fuji XF1 is perfect for MM

Part of the reason for buying a consumer card machine is whether it can be taken out and whether it will impress people. When taking pictures, take your camera out of your pocket and others will have the impulse to say to you, "Your camera is so handsome!" What brand? Only then will you feel that it is worth buying. This is the first impression of XF1. If you want this kind of face-saving feeling, then Fuji XF1 is worth it. Next, let me take you through various angles to understand the value of this camera!

▲Fuji XF1

Fashionable appearance

Fuji XF1 has been in the hands of the editor for half a month. Some people will first be attracted by its appearance at the digital booth in the mall, because the biggest feature of this machine is its unique appearance.

The retro style of the Fujifilm X series is very eye-catching. The classic old-fashioned appearance will make people feel unique among many digital cameras. Comparing the appearance with Canon, Nikon, Samsung and other card machines, I think the appearance of the Fuji X series is characterized by being stable yet gorgeous.

▲Front

The XF1 is considered to be the most fashionable and aristocratic model in this series, because it has three bodies with different textures and colors. Each model has its own temperament. The designers of this Fujifilm camera have really worked hard on the exterior design of the camera.

▲Side

In terms of appearance, I give it 9 points. Think about digital card cameras as a kind of fast-moving consumer goods, and they are updated very quickly. Fujifilm From the perspective of appearance design, I think the people that Fujifilm X series is targeting: men and women who pursue fashion, and middle-aged uncles and aunts who have nostalgia, I think they are all likely to fall in love with it. In a word, use it to save face!

▲The upper part of Fuji XF1

▲The back of Fuji XF1

The overall feeling of Fuji XF1 is that it is high-end and classy. The upper design is very simple with only the hidden flash, shutter and small Fn key. There is a battery/SD card compartment and a tripod bayonet at the lower part.

▲Upper details

▲Lower details

The battery used by Fuji XF1 is a 1000mA lithium battery. In the actual shooting process, for ordinary users, the power of Fuji XF1 is enough to meet the shooting needs of a day.

▲Fuji XF1 battery

▲Card compartment details

This time, the editor only got the red Fuji XF1. In fact, this camera has three colors to choose from. There is also a corresponding leather case. In terms of appearance design, I have to say that Fuji has really put a lot of effort into this time.

▲ Three colors to choose from

▲ Three colors of shell

Editor’s comment:

Retro appearance, highlighting fashion style Retro temperament

It has a solid retro appearance but a gorgeous fashionable atmosphere. It has a strong aristocratic style and will not go out of style after being held in your hand for several years. The unique boot method makes people feel very novel.

The red-grained leather texture will give people a strong visual sense in winter. In winter, the leaves are withered and the overall tone is white. It is really different to take pictures with such a retro-style camera. Of course, the winter scenery shot with the XF1 is also very beautiful. This camera will also match well in other seasons.

▲ The Fuji XF1 is suitable for people who like fashion

The winter scenery is deserted. Of course, when you take a photo with the Fuji XF1 in your hand, you will feel that the XF1 itself is a bright color in winter. .

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Controlability: Unique E-Fn design control performance of Fuji XF1

Comprehensive control introduction

▲Introduction to mode control (click to enlarge the image)

Just now, the editor introduced you to the appearance of the Fuji XF1. In this part, I will give you an in-depth understanding of the unique operation design of this camera. place.

XF1 design features:

1. The switch combined with the lens

The switch of this machine is very unique. The switch device is designed on the lens. There are 3 steps to open the camera, which may seem cumbersome at first. The 3-step opening process makes it confusing for people who are first exposed to this camera. After using it for a while, it will still feel more cumbersome. It is not as good as a The switch is on. But after using it for a long time, you will find that this design is reasonable, because the lens does not zoom automatically, and it also needs to be retracted into the body manually. In this case, it is more reasonable for the switch to be designed on the lens and turn on when the lens is opened.

▲The lens has a lens ring and the function of turning the camera on and off

▲The camera will only turn on when the lens is rotated to 25mm

2. Button design

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(1) Button layout

▲Rear button layout

▲Upper button

The buttons of Fuji XF1 are mainly concentrated on the rear screen Right side and upper part. Includes 2 dials, which can adjust aperture and shutter respectively in specific modes. It is very easy to use because there are operation prompts on the screen during use.

(2) The newly designed E-Fn key

The design of the E-Fn key is very reasonable. This key is similar in function to the shift key on the computer. After pressing it, the LCD A virtual XF1 physical keyboard will appear on the screen, and new functions are defined for each key on the screen. And the expanded physical key functions can be customized through the menu. Please see the key layout for the location of the E-Fn keys.

▲E-Fn key settings

Editor’s comment:

The XF1 with full manual function has a good creative experience

Little words I have been making small cards for several years. After I went to college, I got my first card machine, the Panasonic FX520, which was also a card machine with full manual functions. The reason I bought a camera with full manual functions at that time was because the salesperson said that such a camera with full manual functions was actually a "semi-professional" camera. I am also a photography enthusiast who wants to have fun, but at the same time I don’t want to buy an expensive and bulky SLR camera. Therefore, the selling point of being fully manual and portable card machine attracted me to buy the FX520.

▲The joy of shooting lies in recording life as you wish

Nowadays, the Panasonic FX520 that the editor bought 4 years ago is incomparable with the current fully manual Fuji XF1. The large aperture of F1.8, the maximum wide-angle end shooting of 25mm, and the application of Fuji's own unique lens technology? All-glass configuration of 7 elements in 6 groups, 4 aspherical lenses and 3 ultra-low dispersion lenses. Let’s compare the performance of the Fuji XF1 with current fully manual cameras of similar price. In terms of controllability.

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3. Average picture quality

(1) High-sensitivity performance (click on the series of pictures below to see the original pictures)< /p>

▲Shooting scene

▲Comparison of image quality under various ISO sensitivities of Fuji XF1

Judging from the actual slice screenshots taken, this camera , the best results can be achieved below ISO800. Ordinary users have no problem in daily shooting. In fact, the high sensitivity offered by this camera extends to ISO 12800. This means that if you urgently need to take a photo in very dark situations, you can take photos that are viewable. But the quality of the photos taken will be worse.

(2) Shooting with creative filters and film simulation in adv. mode

▲Fuji XF1 real shot adv. mode miniature landscape

▲adv. mode Toy Camera

A variety of creative filters can fully mobilize your passion for using this camera. Using specific filters in specific scenes can indeed get photos that are pleasing to the eye.

Film simulation mode

Let’s talk about Fujifilm’s unique film simulation mode. We know that Fujifilm used to be a film manufacturer, and Fujifilm was also well-known in China at that time. Here I want to correct some conceptual errors for some newbies. Many people think that digital cameras have replaced film cameras in the past because they can take better photos. This is not entirely true. Because film cameras have their advantages, in terms of image quality, film cameras have more advantages in expressiveness, and the colors of objects shown in photos are more vivid. Nowadays, digital cameras are in the limelight. The reason is mainly because they are low cost, suitable for mass consumption, and cater to the public psychology.

Closer to home, the XF1 is a digital card machine. Its advantages are that it is lightweight and easy to carry, and it is low-cost and convenient to store and save photos later. And it also offers a special feature for those enthusiasts who miss film cameras? Film Simulation. In fact, we can adjust the traditional film effect during post-production, but embedding this function in the camera really saves trouble. For beginners who know nothing about cameras, they don’t need to work hard on photo post-production. .

▲Fuji XF1 real-shot film simulation mode

▲Film simulation mode is bright

▲XF1 film simulation menu

This camera is more What’s exciting is that Fujifilm has integrated decades of film production experience into this camera. The price of 3,000 yuan actually buys the crystallization of Fujifilm’s decades of technology. From this perspective, I still highly approve of this camera.

(3) Talk about the impact of Fuji XF1’s F1.8 large aperture on shooting

I don’t know why, when buying a card camera, people always pay attention to the pixels of the camera first. How many, 12 million pixels, 16 million pixels? It's as if higher pixels alone can take better photos. Maybe it’s because various media and camera manufacturers themselves have emphasized how important pixels are for so many years. So as a rookie back then, when I bought a camera, I also considered pixels to be extremely important.

▲Photos with blurred background taken by Fuji XF1

In fact, in order to take good-looking photos, a camera needs to have many qualities. For example, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, focus speed, lens, etc. Among them, aperture is very important. The large aperture of F1.8 can let in more light when shooting. In this way, the shutter time can be shortened and the shutter speed can be increased, which is useful when shooting high-speed objects. Also, when shooting at night, the sensitivity can be lowered, so the picture quality will be better. Many people think that the larger the aperture, the better the background blur effect will be, but this is not the case. In addition to being related to the aperture size, background blur is also related to the focal length of the lens. Although the Fuji XF1 has a large aperture, its focal length is only 6mm. When taking photos with a blurred background, you have to get very close to take good-looking blurred photos.

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This page provides sample photos taken in various modes for everyone to intuitively experience the image quality of Fuji XF1 (click to view a larger image)< /p>

▲Fully automatic mode shooting ISO 100 1/309 s f/4

▲Creative filter dynamic tone ISO 200 1/481 s f/4.4

▲adv. Mode enhanced subject focus ISO 400 1/37 s f/4.1

▲Auto mode ISO 400 1/400 s f/4.4

▲adv. mode toy camera ISO 800 1/58 s f/ 3.9

▲EXR mode ISO 400 1/36 s f/2.8

▲Creative filter miniature landscape ISO 250 1/160 s f/4.9

▲Fully automatic Mode ISO 400 1/320 s f/1.8

▲Film simulation black and white ISO 400 1/50 s f/4.9

▲Film simulation ISO 400 1/45 s f/4.9

▲Film Simulation Vivid Color ISO 100 1/20 s f/4.9

The overall image captured in Film Simulation Vivid mode feels bright and colorful.

▲adv. mode macro ISO 100 1/50 s f/4.9

▲adv. mode toy camera ISO 250 1/160 s f/1.8

▲ Auto mode ISO 100 1/180 s f/4.9

▲Film simulation black and white ISO 160 1/160 s f/2.5

▲Auto mode ISO 400 1/58 s f/4.9

▲Film simulation ISO 200 1/160 s f/4.9

▲Film simulation ISO 100 1/6 s f/6.4

The nostalgic feeling captured by film simulation.

▲adv. Mode Macro ISO 320 1/15 s f/3.4

The detail of objects shot in macro mode is still satisfactory.

▲Auto mode ISO 400 1/12 s f/3.6

▲Manual mode ISO 200 1/450 s f/3.4

▲Manual mode ISO 100 1/ 180 s f/4.9

▲Manual mode ISO 800 1/15 s f/4

▲Manual mode ISO 1600 1/10 s f/3.4

In manual mode The light and shade of the night scene can be adjusted at will to produce the desired effect.

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Who is Fuji XF1 suitable for?

▲Holding Fuji XF1 to shoot winter photos

As a fully manual card camera, it really takes some time to get to know it. Based on the design characteristics of Fuji XF1, I think it is mainly suitable for three types of people for different purposes.

▲XF1 function overview (click to view the larger image)

First, entry-level users can meet the needs of daily play and shooting with the Fuji XF1

As a As a consumer camera, ease of operation is often the most important issue that people who don’t know how to use cameras consider most. One of the questions I am concerned about is whether I can get decent photos by just pressing the shutter button at parties or at night. Because most photographers who use compact cameras are not professional photographers. See if you belong to the group mentioned by the editor. If so, XF1 is completely suitable for you in terms of control. Specifically, it provides a variety of point-and-shoot automatic shooting modes. I feel that after using it for more than a month, these automatic shooting modes will make it easy for me to take high-quality photos. After all, my photography skills are average, and I am sometimes lazy. I like to get good photos with just one click of the shutter.

▲Fully automatic and EXR modes

▲Specific functions of fully automatic and EXR modes

The EXR mode also includes two modes: automatic EXR and semi-automatic EXR model. Semi-automatic EXR provides 3 modes to deal with special shooting environments, which are mainly suitable for shooting object details, night shooting, etc.

The second is users who are learning advanced photography (adv. mode, SP mode to take artistic pictures)

▲adv. mode and SP mode

▲The specific contents of adv. mode and SP mode

If you are the kind of person who is not willing to take photos with the effect of fully automatic mode and want to take artistic photos, this Fuji XF1 is completely can meet your needs.

▲The creative filters provided by Fuji XF1

Third, professional photographers can use it as a portable camera

Now, professional photographers will prepare small cards Take pictures at any time. Of course, the point-and-shoot card machines can no longer meet the needs of photographers. Adjustments such as aperture, shutter, ISO, focal length, etc. are all needed by professional photographers to take good photos. Coupled with skilled photography skills, good photos come into being.

▲Manual M gear and aperture priority gear

Of course we also need a good machine. The Fuji XF1 can meet the needs of photographers as "professional + portable", just like the editor As mentioned in the reasons for purchasing, the full manual M setting is essential for those who want to take good pictures. In addition, this XF1 provides P, S, and A files, as well as various filters and film simulation functions to choose from.

When to buy Fuji XF1?

▲What price is suitable for buying Fuji XF1?

The current domestic price of XF1 is about 3,400 yuan, which is already very high for a small card machine. Because at this price, there are entry-level SLR cameras like the Canon 1100D, and at this price, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and other brands have very attractive mirrorless cameras, such as the Samsung NX1000. Single, you can already buy it for just over 3,000.

The editor believes that this XF1 has been launched not long ago. If you have been attracted by its many functions and are pursuing the trend, you can take action now. Because owning it can really show off to your friends around you, and it will make you feel full of pride. If you are a conservative and are hesitant between a SLR and a small card, after all, there are SLRs like the Canon 1100D at the price of 3,000 yuan to choose from, as well as emerging mirrorless cameras. So if the price of this camera is reduced to about 2,200 yuan, I think it will be a great value.

Final Summary

This is the entire review of Fuji XF1. Overall, the editor likes this camera very much, both in terms of its design and use. Full manual functions and various filters add a lot of fun to my shooting. There is also Fujifilm’s unique film simulation function, which makes the photos I take more textured. However, due to the size of the Fuji XF1's photosensitive element, the imaging quality still needs to be improved.