The Fujifilm FinePix XF1 brings a striking difference to the suddenly popular pocket-sized professional compact class. Literally. In addition to its remarkable performance, it has a striking, expressive appearance that sets it apart from its competitors. This compact is not only functional, handy for experienced photographers and takes good pictures, but also clearly emphasizes the style and taste of its owner.
12MP 25-100 4×3″
The idea in this case is not without controversy. Serious pocket compacts differ restrained appearance not because of the lack of ideas from designers. Simply because of its limited offerings, the camera should suit photographers with a wide variety of tastes. And by virtue of the specific application such cameras are great for unplanned genre shots many owners prefer a device as inconspicuous as possible . The XF1 on the other hand literally screams its presence: shiny steel top and bottom, colored leather inset on the center of the body – all this looks great, but immediately catch the eye. The only way to minimize the effect is to use the black upholstery: against the background of the brown and red versions it is almost invisible.
One of the most interesting technical solutions in the camera – a folding zoom lens with a mechanical zoom drive. The lens folds out and in just a few steps into the body, noticeably reducing the size of the device when not in use. The aperture, customary in this class, increases from a fast f/1.8 at 25 mm to f/4.9 at 100 mm focal length maximum at f/11 . And the precise manual zoom control will appeal to conservative amateur photographers, although it’s worse for video shooting Full HD, 30 fps .
An important feature for professionals is the large 2/3-inch sensor based on the proprietary EXR technology. The area of the sensor is approximately twice as small as that of the leader Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 though the area of single pixels due to the difference in resolution is only twenty percent smaller , but it is larger than that of other competitors with 1/1.7 inch sensors. The XF1 promises picture quality that is very high for a compact camera, and EXR technology offers unique additional features such as reduced noise or a wider dynamic range due to the special “reconfiguration” of the sensor and reduced resolution.
The camera controls and software are designed for the most demanding photographers, but offer even more than what you need. Full manual control is complemented by demanded “expert” functions like in-camera RAW-file conversion and strictly amateur – though very interesting – toolkit like film simulation effects and popular digital filters.
The XF1 is perfect for the amateur looking for a small camera with good image quality. The stylish person or a fashionista will love the style and the possibility to get “stylish” pictures with trendy effects without any worries. With mirror-less compacts unit wins in size: quality and capabilities are certainly lower, but the camera is easy to fit in your pocket. The main competitor of the XF1 in terms of performance and image quality and for other tastes in design as well is the unique Sony RX100. But price will play a key role in this comparison. The Fujifilm XF1 is by no means a cheap camera, and you have to weigh your goals carefully to go with it. And the RX100, which is more powerful, costs a lot more.
Can anyone share their personal experience with the Fujifilm FinePix XF1 compact digital camera? I’m considering purchasing one and would love to hear your thoughts on its performance, image quality, and overall user-friendliness. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!