FUJIFILM X-A1 DIGITAL CAMERA REVIEW
It's the first model in Fujifilm's X-series to bear an entry level price tag, but does the X-A1 stand up to its bigger brothers?
While the X-A1 retains the 16MP CMOS sensor common to the Fujifilm X-series (though not the advanced X-Trans version), the X-A1 ditches a viewfinder in favour of a tilting LCD screen, making it a range-finder in appearance only.
The Controls are positioned sensibly for one handed operation. There;s a customisable function button toward the front of the top plate as well as a button on the back that activates a handy menu for quick adjustments to frequently used settings.
Manual exposure control is achieved via a large round dial on the top plate for exposure settings and a smaller recessed wheel above the thumb rest for exposure compensation.
Unfortunately the top plate dial causes a slight handling issue - it's quite easy to jog accidentally, resulting in a few over or under exposed shots.
The X-A1's monitor is good but conventional, being a 3in screen with 920k dots of resolution that tilts 90 up and down but doesn't offer touch-screen functionality. It's certainly sharp, and has an angle of view approaching 180, but it's very reflective and hard to use in bright sunlight. THe frame rate is also slow, with a distinct lag when panning.
A brisk performer, the X-A1 is able to start up and take a picture in a little over two seconds, and it shuts down again even quicker. Its shot to shot time in single-shot mode is consistent at every zoom setting and in every shooting more at 1.1 seconds per shot, and it appears to be able to keep that pace indefinitely.
One aspect that's worth singling out is the high ISO noise control, which is truly exemplary. At up to ISO 3200, images are effectively noise free, noise is just barely visible at ISO 6400, and even at the extended settings of ISO 12.00 and 25.600, what noise there is looks exactly like film grain, with virtually no colour distortion. It's a truly impressive performance, and one of the X-A1 main selling points.
Though we were a little pressed to find a true weak spot. with the X-A1 it would be the low light focusing. Shooting in near darkness it does sometimes fail to focus on some targets, though at least it always lets you know quickly. The camera does have a focus assist lamp , but this is positioned very close to the hand grip so you'll have to be careful not to block it with your finger.
With a 16.3 mega-pixel sensor the X-A1 perhaps seems rather tame resolution wise, but the superb sharpness of the lens and the excellent image processing makes the detail resolution appear much higher.
The X-A1 is capable of producing sharp, high contrast pictures and there;s a growing line of top quality lenses to go with it.
Verdict
The Fujifilm X-A1 is not only an excellent entry level model for the X-series, it's an outstanding camera in its own right, with the style. Performance and handling to appeal to ambitious casual photographers and budget conscious enthusiasts. Its superb high ISO noise control makes it arguably the best CSC in its price bracket.The Fujifilm X-A1 - Best For
Those hankering after the retro looks and sheer performance of the legendary X-series, High ISO shooting as noise is rendered as film like grain.Alternatives
Samsung NX300
Sony NEX-600
Fujifilm X-E1
Pros and Cons
Pros- Stylish
- Fast star up and shooting speeds
- Superiors ISO noise control
Cons
- Low light focusing lightly weak
- Exposure compensation dial easy to knock
- Reflective LCD
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FUJIFILM X-A1 DIGITAL CAMERA REVIEW It's the first model in Fujifilm's X-series to bear an entry level price tag, but does the X-A1 stand up to its bigger brothers? Andrian Manhatan FUJIFILM X-A1 DIGITAL CAMERA
4.5 / 5
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