Fujifilm X-M1 Review
Introduction
The Fujifilm X-M1 is a lightweight compact system camera featuring a retro design that bears more than a passing resemblance to its bigger brothers, the X-E1 and the X-Pro1. At the heart of the X-M1 is the same 16.3 megapixel APS-C sized “X-Trans” CMOS sensor, which has a colour filter array that mimics film grain and no optical low-pass filter for higher resolution images. The X-M1 has a 920K dot tiltable 3-inch LCD screen, 5.6fps burst shooting, built-in wi-fi, new EXR Processor II, a pop-up flash and external hotshoe, a range of film simulation modes and creative effects, and Full HD video recording capabilities at 30 frames per second. A new standard XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS zoom is available as a kit lens which is more compact and lighter than the existing 18-55mm zoom. The Fujifilm X-M1 is available in three colours - Black, Silver and Brown - priced at £599.99 / $699.99 body only or £679.99 / $799.99 with the XC 16-50mm lens.
Ease of Use
The new X-M1 further expands Fujifilm's X-series of premium digital cameras, which includes the range-topping X-Pro1, X-E1 and the popular X100/S, amongst others. The X-M1 is a more mass-market camera, smaller and lighter than the other models and for-going a viewfinder, but adding a tilting LCD screen and wi-fi connectivity.
As with the X-Pro1 and X-E1, the Fujifilm X-M1 is a classically styled interchangeable lens camera that recalls film rangefinders from the past, with a lovely retro design that draws admiring glances from everyone that sees it. At the same time Fujifilm have once again incorporated modern technologies that help ensure that the X-M1 isn't simply a blast from the past.
Smaller, lighter and less expensive than the X-E1, the X-M1 dispenses with any kind of viewfinder, either optical or electronic, and it doesn't accept a hotshoe mounted viewfinder either, making image composition a hold-at-arms length affair. While this is perhaps inevitable given the significant decrease in size and weight, and is in-line with the X-M1's main competitors, it does feel rather strange using a Fujifilm X camera that you can't hold up to your eye, especially when Fujifilm have made such a big play of their innovative viewfinder technologies.
The X-M1's rear LCD screen attempts to redress the balance by offering the ability to tilt it up or down from a high 85° angle to a low 90° angle, perfect for both overhead and low-down shooting. With a resolution of 920K dots, it's twice as detailed as the screen on the X-E1, but sometimes proved to be a little hard to see in the unusually bright British sunlight that we predominantly tested the camera in.
The X-M1 is the first X-series camera to feature built-in wi-fi connectivity, although it's rather restricted in use as it has to be paired with a smartphone. Install the FUJIFILM Camera App and you can transfer your pictures immediately to a smartphone or tablet PC and then edit and share them as you wish, transfer stills and video onto the camera, and embed GPS information in your shots from your smartphone. Note that you can't control the camera remotely, only transfer images. The FUJIFILM PC AutoSave software provides a simple means to back up your photos to your home PC.
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| Front | Rear |
Despite its significantly lower price on launch, the Fujifilm X-M1 is another well-built X-series camera, with very little no flex or movement in its chassis, despite having more plastic in its construction. Iit's actually much lighter than a first glance might suggest, weighing in at 330g body only with the battery and memory card fitted, although that's only 20g lighter than the X-E1. Measuring 116.9mm (W) x 66.5mm (H) x 39.0mm (D), it is quite a lot smaller though.
There are quite a few plastic buttons and controls on the X-M1, most notably the memory card / battery compartment door and the flap for the HDMI port, both of which wouldn't look or feel out of place on a cheap compact, and the rear controls, especially the second thumb-operated control dial. Otherwise the X-M1 is very well constructed.
The X-M1 has a subtle but fairly effective hand-grip at the front and a dotted space at the rear for your thumb, with your grip helped in no small part by the textured faux-leather surface that runs around the full width of the camera. Two small metal eyelets on either side of the body are used for connecting the supplied shoulder strap, which isn't quite as luxurious as the rest of the package. A metal tripod mount is positioned slightly off-centre from the lens and next to the memory card / battery compartment, so you'll have to remove the camera from the tripod to change either of them.
At the heart of the X-M1 is the same 16.3 megapixel APS-C sized “X-Trans” CMOS sensor found in the X-Pro1 and X-E1, with APS-C being a size that's more commonly used by the majority of DSLR cameras than by compact system cameras - Sony's NEX range and Samsung's NX series are the others. Fujifilm actually claim that the X-M1's sensor will deliver image quality that surpasses most APS-C DSLRs and even some full-frame ones, and as our test photos and sample images on the next two pages show , the X-M1 actually does live up to those claims. We won't say any more at this point other than to recommend that you take a look at our Sample Images for yourself.
Helping to keep the image quality high is the new 16-50mm zoom lens. With a plastic mount, slower apertures and no aperture ring, at first glance it seems to be a poor alternative to the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS optic, but its low weight and compact size are better suited to the smaller X-M1. It still offers the added benefit of built-in optical image stabilisation to help keep your images sharp, and most importantly doesn't skimp on image quality, making it a cut above the kit lenses that ship with most interchangeable lens cameras.
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| Pop-up Flash | Side |
The 18-55mm lens' fairly fast maximum apertures in conjunction with the large APS-C sensor make it easy to throw the background out of focus and achieve some really nice bokeh effects. The combination of the fast apertures and the extensive ISO range of 100-25600 makes the X-M1 very well suited to low-light shooting, allowing you to hand-hold the camera in places where you'd usually be reaching for a tripod (if allowed) or other support. The clever ISO Auto Control setting allows you to set a maximum sensitivity (up to 3200) and a minimum shutter speed (1/30th is a good starting point), with the camera over-riding your ISO choice if it thinks you're being too ambitious whilst maintaining a shutter speed that won't introduce camera shake.
With its focal-plane shutter, the X-M1 has a very adaptable top shutter-speed limit of 1/4000th second in all shooting modes. Consequently there's no built-in ND filter as on the X100/S, so if you want to use, say, the excellent 35mm lens at F/1.4 in very bright sunlight, then it's a good idea to buy an actual glass ND filter (52mm), otherwise you'll have to stop down to achieve a correct exposure.
The Fujifilm X-M1's auto-focusing speed is quick, with a quoted fastest auto-focus time of 0.1 seconds, although it was slightly slower when using the 16-50mm kit zoom. DSLR owners accustomed to the quick reactions of their phase-detection cameras will likely find the still slightly perceptible delay of the X-M1 as it locks onto the subject mildly annoying, but it simply won't be an issue for the majority of owners. The X-M1 has 49 individual AF points laid out in a 7 x 7 grid, with the ability to change the size of the focus point via the rear command dial to achieve more precise focusing.
Manual focusing is activated via the Focus Mode main menu setting and then using the ring that encircles the lens to focus. The X-series lenses have an electronically coupled focus-by-wire manual focusing ring, rather than a physical one, which in practice is less responsive both in terms of feel and speed. We criticised the X-E1 for taking a lot of turns to change the focus from 0.1m to infinity. Fujifilm have cleverly made the focusing ring more sensitive to how you use it - turn it slowly and the focusing distance changes slowly, but turn it more quickly and the camera quickly moves through the distance scale. It now takes less than 2 full turns and a couple of seconds to jump from the closest focus distance to infinity, a big improvement on the X-E1.
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| Front | Tilting LCD Screen |
The X-M1 offers two ways of manually focusing. Firstly, there's a handy blue distance scale along the bottom of the LCD screen, with a red bar indicating the the focusing distance and a white bar showing the depth of field, which actually changes in line with the current aperture - very clever. The X-M1 has another trick up its manual focusing sleeve in the shape of the rear command control (the dial which sits under your right thumb). You can press this in to magnify the view, making it much easier to judge precise focusing. The second method is the Focus Peak Highlight function, which displays a white line around the subject when it's in focus, something that Sony NEX users in particular have been enjoying for a while. Both of these make manual focusing on the X-M1 more of a pleasure than a chore, although the revised fly-by-wire manual focusing ring operation is arguably more important.
To make the camera less obtrusive there's a clever Silent menu option which turns off the speaker, flash, AF-assist lamp and most importantly the artificially-created shutter-release sound, instantly making the X-M1 perfectly suited to more candid photography.
In terms of operational speed, the Fujifilm X-M1 is actually quicker in some ways than the more expensive X-E1 and X-Pro1 models, thanks to the new EXR Processor II. AT 0.05 secs shutter lag is virtually non-existent on this camera, so once you have set the focus, you'll never miss the moment because the camera can't fire the shutter quickly enough, and the start-up time is only 0.5 secs. The write speeds from pressing the shutter button to recording to the SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card are perfectly acceptable. Shooting a single RAW + Fine JPEG takes about 5 seconds to record to the card, but you can take another shot almost straight away.
Continuous shooting speeds are also good, with a top rate of 5.6fps for around 30 JPEGs or 10 RAW files, depending on the speed of your memory card, with a slower 3fps speed also available for around 50 JPEGs or 10 RAW files. Note that both the focus and the exposure are set according to the first frame in each series, so it's not a particularly good system for tracking fast-moving subjects in varied lighting conditions, Thankfully the camera no doesn't lock up completely for a long time if you shoot the maximum number of images in a burst, allowing you to continue shooting after just a few seconds.
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| Memory Card Slot | Battery Compartment |
Located on top of the X-M1 are a small but responsive shutter release button, encircled by the On/Off switch. Alongside is the Wi-Fi / Fn button, which by default during shooting provides quick access to the ISO speeds, but can be customised to suit your own needs from 12 different settings. Further customisation is available via the Custom Menu option, which lets you create, save and recall a set of user-defined settings. There's an external flash hotshoe for suitable dedicated external units, and the handy built-in pop-up flash which has a guide number of 7 at ISO 200. This is released via the Flash button on the rear of the camera, and its clever hinged design positions it above the lens and helps to reduce red-eye.
There's an unmarked tactile control dial for changing the exposure compensation (+-2EV) or the shutter speed, dependant upon the shooting mode, alongside the ridged dial for selecting one of the 12 different modes. As the X-M1 is a more consumer-focused camera, there's a smattering of scene modes alongside the beginner-focused Auto modes and more photographer-friendly P/A/S/M modes. The clever Advanced SR AUTO automatically optimizes the shutter speed, aperture and other settings, instantly recognizing 58 scene types and then choosing the most appropriate settings. Also new to the X-M1 is the Advanced mode, which offers a range of 13 different filter effects that can be previewed on the LCD screen (JPEG only).
The Fujifilm X-M1 can record full HD 1080p or 720p movies at 30fps with stereo sound, with a handy one-touch movie record button on the back of the camera. It's fair to say that the X-M1's movie mode isn't overly advanced. You can set the aperture and shutter speed before recording begins, but not during, and you can also set the Film Simulation mode, so black and white footage is possible. Continuous auto-focusing is possible, although it tends to hunt around a lot before locking onto the subject, and manual focusing is also available (with the same caveats as for stills). There is a HDMI port for connecting the X-M1 to a high-definition TV, although as usual there's no cable supplied in the box. Also missing is a paper copy of the otherwise helpful manual, which is supplied on CD-ROM instead, along with the consumer MyFinepix software the slow and rather unintuitive RAW converter (essentially a specially customised version of the commercial Silkypix application).
The X-M1 has a fairly logical rear control layout, with almost all the controls located to the right of the tilting LCD screen. Underneath the second control dial, there's a cluster of buttons for choosing image playback, one-touch movie record, the focus point, white balance, continuous shooting and focusing mode, plus a central button which accesses the Main Menu system. The Q button provides quick access to lots of frequently used shooting settings including the ISO speed, White Balance, File Size and File Quality, with the 4-way controller and control dial used to quickly change them. Finally the Disp/Back button is used for changing the LCD display or going back.
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.
The Fujifilm X-M1 produces images of outstanding quality. It recorded noise-free JPEG images at ISO 100 all the way up to 6400, with a little noise at ISO 12800 and more visible noise and slight colour desaturation at the fastest setting of ISO 25600, an amazing performance for a camera with an APS-C sensor. The RAW files were also excellent, with usable images throughout the entire range of ISO 200-6400.
The images were a little soft straight out of the Fujifilm X-M1 at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds being long enough for most after-dark shots, and the Bulb mode allowing much longer exposures if required. The Dynamic Range settings subtly improve detail in the shadows and highlights, while the Film Simulation modes hark back to a bygone era. The new Advanced Filters provide some creative control over your JPEGs.
Noise
There are 9 ISO settings available on the Fujifilm X-M1 for JPEGs, and 6 for RAW files. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW files.
| JPEG | RAW |
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 12800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 25600 (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft and ideally benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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File Quality
The Fujifilm X-M1 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
| 16M Fine (4.56Mb) (100% Crop) | 16M Normal (2.88Mb) (100% Crop) |
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| 16M RAW (24.9Mb) (100% Crop) | |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Fujifilm FinePix X-M1 are Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash and Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Suppressed Flash - Wide Angle (24mm) |
Forced Flash - Wide Angle (24mm) |
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Suppressed Flash - Telephoto (75mm) |
Forced Flash - Telephoto (75mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Forced Flash setting or the Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash option caused any red-eye.
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Forced Flash |
Forced Flash (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash |
Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Fujifilm X-M1's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds in the Time shutter speed mode, and there's a Bulb mode which allows exposures up to 60 minutes long, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 25 seconds at ISO 200.
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Night |
Night (100% Crop) |
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Dynamic Range
The Fujifilm X-M1 has three dynamic range settings - 100% (on by default), 200%, and 400% - and an Auto setting if you want to let the camera take control. These settings gradually increase the amount of detail visible in the shadow and highlight areas, with the side-effect of more noise appearing in the image. Note that you can't actually turn this feature off.
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100% |
200% |
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400% |
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Film Simulation
The Fujifilm X-M1 offers 5 different film simulation modes to help replitace the look of your favourite film stock from the past.
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Provia / Standard |
Velvia / Vivid |
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Astia / Soft |
B&W |
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Sepia |
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Advanced Filter
The Fujifilm Finepix X-M1 offers 13 different filter effects which can be previewed on the LCD screen.
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Toy Camera |
Miniature |
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Pop Color |
High-Key |
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Low-Key |
Dynamic Tone |
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Soft Focus |
Partial Color (Red) |
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Partial Color (Orange) |
Partial Color (Yellow) |
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Partial Color (Green) |
Partial Color (Blue) |
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Partial Color (Purple) |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm X-M1 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
1/5s · f/8 · ISO 200
24mm
Download Original
1/10s · f/8 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/20s · f/8 · ISO 800
24mm
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1/40s · f/8 · ISO 1600
24mm
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1/80s · f/8 · ISO 3200
24mm
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1/160s · f/8 · ISO 6400
24mm
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1/320s · f/8 · ISO 12800
24mm
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1/640s · f/8 · ISO 25600
24mm
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1/60s · f/3.5 · ISO 320
24mm
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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 640
75mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 800
24mm
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1/400s · f/11 · ISO 400
30mm
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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
53mm
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1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/52s · f/8 · ISO 6400
24mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 1600
75mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 1000
41mm
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1/180s · f/8 · ISO 400
41mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 4000
41mm
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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 800
41mm
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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 200
41mm
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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 1000
41mm
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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 400
41mm
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1/85s · f/3.5 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/85s · f/4.5 · ISO 200
38mm
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1/350s · f/8 · ISO 200
24mm
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1/250s · f/8 · ISO 200
36mm
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1/350s · f/11 · ISO 400
56mm
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1/120s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/240s · f/11 · ISO 400
33mm
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1/450s · f/11 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/400s · f/11 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/100s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 640
75mm
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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/60s · f/11 · ISO 1250
24mm
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1/450s · f/11 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/550s · f/11 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/160s · f/8 · ISO 400
35mm
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1/160s · f/11 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/80s · f/11 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/60s · f/11 · ISO 400
41mm
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1/3000s · f/2.8 · ISO 200
41mm
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1/2200s · f/2.8 · ISO 400
41mm
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1/150s · f/11 · ISO 400
41mm
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1/220s · f/11 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/210s · f/11 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/200s · f/8 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/280s · f/8 · ISO 400
29mm
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1/900s · f/3.5 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/1300s · f/5 · ISO 400
49mm
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1/3800s · f/3.5 · ISO 6400
24mm
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1/340s · f/8 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/105s · f/8 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/25s · f/8 · ISO 1600
24mm
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1/1400s · f/2.8 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/1400s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/500s · f/8 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/1800s · f/8 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/1600s · f/5 · ISO 200
41mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 500
41mm
Download Original
Sample RAW Images
The Fujifilm X-M1 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Fujifilm RAW (RAF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
1/5s · f/8 · ISO 200
24mm
Download original
1/10s · f/8 · ISO 400
24mm
Download original
1/20s · f/8 · ISO 800
24mm
Download original
1/40s · f/8 · ISO 1600
24mm
Download original
1/80s · f/8 · ISO 3200
24mm
Download original
1/160s · f/8 · ISO 6400
24mm
Download original
1/60s · f/8 · ISO 800
24mm
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1/52s · f/8 · ISO 6400
24mm
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1/60s · f/8 · ISO 4000
41mm
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1/60s · f/2.8 · ISO 800
41mm
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1/85s · f/4.5 · ISO 200
38mm
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1/350s · f/8 · ISO 200
24mm
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1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
75mm
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1/220s · f/11 · ISO 400
24mm
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1/3800s · f/3.5 · ISO 6400
24mm
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1/42s · f/8 · ISO 3200
24mm
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1/25s · f/8 · ISO 1600
24mm
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1/1400s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/500s · f/8 · ISO 1600
41mm
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1/1600s · f/5 · ISO 200
41mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 91.9Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Front of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Pop-up Flash |
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Front of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Turned On |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Main Menu |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Quick Menu |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Function Menu |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Fujifilm X-M1 / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Top of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Bottom of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Side of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Front of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Front of the Fujifilm X-M1 |
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Memory Card Slot |
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Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
The Fujifilm X-M1 successfully brings the X-system to a wider audience, being smaller, lighter and significantly cheaper than the X-E1 whilst offering a newer processor, built-in wireless connectivity and a tilting LCD screen. The main sacrifice is the lack of any kind of viewfinder, not even via an optional accessory, making the user reliant on the tilting rear screen and arms-length composition. Although this is something that compact camera owners looking to upgrade will be more than familiar with, it does prevent us from recommending the X-M1 even more highly to more advanced photographers.
The X-M1 delivers the same excellent image quality as its big and more expensive brothers. Noise is noticeable only by its almost complete absence throughout the ISO range of 100-25,600, while the Dynamic Range function helps to boost contrast and detail. The new 16-50mm lens is also worthy of mention, as although it has a cheaper build quality, it still offers sharp results throughout the focal range. The X-M1 is certainly right up there with the best APS-C sensor cameras on the market, and some full-frame models too, so if image quality at an affordable price is paramount, the X-M1 certainly fits the bill.
It's also a very well-made camera despite the lower cost and more reliance on plastic, as well as successfully continuing the stylish retro look of the X-series family. The overall handling experience isn't quite as good though. As well as missing the rear screen, we found the two control dials to be tricky to use in unison in the Manual shooting mode - you really need a more forward dial for this - while the second plastic dial feels cheap and out-of-place on what is still a premium camera. The tilting LCD screen is a great addition, but the wi-fi options are limited to transferring images from the camera to a smartphone and back again, and syncing to a PC - there's no remote control options or direct connection to a wi-fi network, as on some rival models.
Ultimately, while we actually preferred the X-E1 to its big brother, the X-Pro1, the same can't be said about the X-M1, despite it being significantly cheaper and shipping with a good kit lens. The lack of a viewfinder is the main problem - for us, it just feels wrong to pick-up an X-series camera and not be able to hold it up to your eye. The X-M1 does offer the same fantastic image quality as the other two X models, though, so if you prefer to compose your images at arms length, then the Fujifilm X-M1 will more than meet your needs.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 4 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 5 |
| Value for money | 4.5 |
Main Rivals
Listed below are some of the rivals of the Fujifilm X-M1.
Canon EOS M
The Canon EOS M is a new compact system camera that boasts 18 megapixels, full 1080p high-definition videos with continuous auto-focusing, and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the EOS M include a 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, and a flash hotshoe. Is Canon's new mirrorless model a real contender? Read our Canon EOS M review to find out...
Fujifilm X-E1
The Fujifilm X-E1 is a new premium compact system camera. The retro, rangefinder-styled X-E1 offers the same image sensor and lens mount as the flagship X-Pro in a smaller, lighter body, with a new electronic viewfinder, built-in flash, 18-55m kit lens and more affordable price tag. Read our Fujifilm X-E1 review to find out if it's a viable alternative to the X-Pro1...
Nikon 1 V2
The Nikon 1 V2 is a second-generation compact system camera that's clearly been redesigned to appeal to the serious enthusiast. In addition to a more direct control layout with shooting mode and control dials, a chunky hand-grip and built-in pop-up flash, the Nikon V2 also sports a new 14 megapixel sensor, faster 15fps burst shooting with continuous focusing, and improved Best Moment Capture and Motion Snapshot Modes. Read the World's first Nikon 1 V2 review to find out if this new mirrorless model can capture the attention of the more discerning photographer...
Olympus E-P5
The Olympus E-P5 is a new compact system camera that's both old-fashioned and cutting-edge, with a gorgeous retro design that harks back to the 1950s and the very latest digital technologies. Read our expert Olympus E-P5 review to find out if this is the best PEN camera yet...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is a tiny compact system camera that still manages to offer a built-in viewfinder and a free-angle LCD screen. Other key features of the brand new G3 include a new 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, intuitive touchscreen control system, almost instant auto-focus system, 1080i AVCHD movies with stereo sound, 4fps burst shooting and a range of creative effects. Read the World's first Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 review now...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 is a new compact system camera for enthusiast photographers. With a 16 megapixel sensor, 3 inch LCD screen, built-in flash, 1080i high-definition video, new power-zoom kit lens and a wealth of shooting modes, is the GX1 the best portable interchangeable lens camera? Read our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 review to find out....
Ricoh GXR
The new Ricoh GXR is a camera unlike any other - it's not very often that we get to say that! Ricoh have created a truly innovative modular system, where you swap both the lens and the image sensor at the same time, not just the lens as with a conventional DSLR camera. The GXR is also smaller than either a DSLR or the recent Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. Can Ricoh succeed with their GXR interchangeable camera unit system? Read the World's first in-depth review to find out...
Samsung NX300
The Samsung NX300 is a new mid-range compact system camera featuring a 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, hybrid AF system, 3.3-inch tilting AMOLED touchscreen, 8.6fps continuous shooting, Wi-fi and NFC connectivity, full 1080p video, and an ISO range 100-25,600. Read our in-depth Samsung NX300 review now...
Sony NEX-6
The NEX-6 is the latest compact system camera from Sony, slotting in between the mid-level NEX-5R and the top-of-the range NEX-7. With a 16 megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movies, high-res 3 inch OLED screen and built-in flash, the Sony NEX-6 also features 10fps burst shooting, wi-fi connectivity and downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps. Read our full Sony NEX-6 review, complete with sample JPEGs, RAW files, and movies, to find out if it's the best Sony NEX camera yet...
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Fujifilm X-M1 from around the web.
neocamera.com »
The Fuji X-M1 is the baseline Fuji mirrorless, featuring their own unique X-Trans CMOS sensor paired with a second-generation EXR II processor. Its 16 megapixels APS-C sensor with a 6x6 color-filter array requires no anti-alias filter for maximum sharpness without being subject to moire artifacts.
Read the full review »
Specifications
| Model | FUJIFILM X-M1 |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 16.3 million pixels |
| Sensor type | 23.6mm x 15.6mm (APS-C) X-Trans CMOS with primary color filter Total number of pixels: 16.5 million pixels
|
| Storage media | SD memory card / SDHC memory card / SDXC (UHS-I) memory card*1 |
| File format |
|
| Number of recorded pixels | L: (3:2) 4896 x 3264 / (16:9) 4896 x 2760 / (1:1) 3264 x 3264 M: (3:2) 3456 x 2304 / (16:9) 3456 x 1944 / (1:1) 2304 x 2304 S: (3:2) 2496 x 1664 / (16:9) 2496 x 1408 / (1:1) 1664 x 1664 |
| Lens mount | FUJIFILM X mount |
| Sensitivity | AUTO / Equivalent to ISO200 - 6400 (Standard Output Sensitivity) Extended output sensitivity: equivalent to ISO100 / 12800 / 25600 |
| Exposure control | TTL 256-zone metering, Multi / Spot / Average |
| Exposure mode | Programmed AE / Shutter priority AE / Aperture priority AE / Manual exposure |
| Exposure compensation | -2.0EV - +2.0EV, 1/3EV steps |
| Image stabilisation | Supported with OIS type lens |
| Face detection | Yes |
| Shutter type | Focal Plane Shutter |
| Shutter speed (with mechanical shutter) | Advanced SR AUTO mode: 1/4 sec. to 1/4000 sec. All other modes: 30 sec. to 1/4000 sec. Bulb: max. 60 min. Synchronized shutter speed for flash: 1/180 sec. or slower
|
| Continuous shooting | Approx. 5.6 fps (JPEG: max. 30 frames, RAW / RAW+JPEG: max. 10 frames) Approx. 3.0 fps (JPEG: max. 50 frames, RAW / RAW+JPEG: max. 10 frames)
|
| Auto bracketing | AE Bracketing (±1/3EV / ±2/3EV / ±1EV) Film Simulation Bracketing (3 types of film simulation selectable) Dynamic Range Bracketing (100% · 200% · 400%) ISO Sensitivity Bracketing (±1/3EV / ±2/3EV / ±1EV) |
| Focus |
|
| White balance | Auto / Custom / Preset (Fine / Shade / Fluorescent light (Daylight) / Fluorescent light (Warm White) / Fluorescent light (Cool White) / Incandescent light) |
| Self timer | 10 sec. / 2 sec. Delay |
| Flash | Manual pop-up flash (Super Intelligent Flash) Guide number: Approx. 7 (ISO200·m) |
| Flash modes |
|
| Hot shoe | YES (dedicated TTL Flash compatible) |
| LCD monitor | 3.0-inch, Aspect ratio 3:2, Approx. 920K-dot Tilt type TFT color LCD monitor (Approx. 100% coverage) |
| Movie recording | 1920 x 1080 30p, Continuous recording: up to approx. 14 min. 1280 x 720 30p, Continuous recording: up to approx. 27 min.
|
| Mode dial | Advanced SR AUTO / P / S / A / M / C / Portrait / Landscape / Sport / SP / Adv. / AUTO |
| Film Simulation mode | PROVIA (STANDARD) / Velvia (VIVID) / ASTIA (SOFT) / MONOCHROME / SEPIA |
| Dynamic range setting | AUTO (100-400%) / 100% / 200% / 400% |
| Advanced filter | Toy camera / Miniature / Pop color / High-key / Low-key / Dynamic tone / Soft focus / Partial color (Red / Orange / Yellow / Green / Blue / Purple) |
| Photography functions | Auto Red-eye Removal, Setting (Color, Sharpness, D-range, Gradation), Multiple exposure, Depth of Field display, Histogram display, Framing guideline, Frame No. memory, Monitor Sunlight mode, Focus Peak Highlight, Date stamp, Fn button setting |
| Wireless transmitter |
|
| Playback functions | RAW conversion, Image rotate, Auto image rotate, Red-eye reduction, Photobook assist, Erase selected frames, Image search, Multi-frame playback (with micro thumbnail), Slide show, Mark for upload, Protect, Crop, Resize, Favorites |
| Wireless functions | Geotagging setup, Image transfer (Individual image / Selected multiple images), View & Obtain Images, PC Autosave |
| Other functions | PictBridge, Exif Print, Language selection, Time difference, Quick start mode, Silent mode |
| Terminal |
|
| Power supply | NP-W126 Li-ion battery (included) |
| Dimensions | 116.9mm (W) x 66.5mm (H) x 39.0mm (D) / 4.6 in. (W) x 2.6 in. (H) x 1.5 in. (D) (Minimum depth: 32.1mm / 1.3 in.) |
| Weight | 116.9mm (W) x 66.5mm (H) x 39.0mm (D) / 4.6 in. (W) x 2.6 in. (H) x 1.5 in. (D) (Minimum depth: 32.1mm / 1.3 in.) |
| Operating temperature | 0 - 40°C / 32 - 104°F |
| Operating humidity | 10 - 80% (no condensation) |
| Battery life for still images | Approx. 350 frames (with XF35mmF1.4 R lens) |
| Start-up time | Approx. 0.5 sec., when QUICK START mode set to ON Approx. 1.0 sec., when QUICK START mode set to OFF
|
| Accessories included | Li-ion Battery NP-W126 Battery Charger BC-W126 Shoulder strap Body cap CD-ROM (Viewer software, RAW File Converter etc.*3 ) Owner's manual |
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