Review: The Fuji X-Pro1 interchangeable lens camera

The Fuji X-Pro1: classic styling, modern features

Fujifilm took the photo enthusiast market by storm last year with the release of the retro-styled X100, then followed it up with the similarly styled X10. Their latest 1970s-inspired offering may be their best yet: the X-Pro1. Behind its classic looks, it's a thoroughly modern camera: it takes interchangeable lenses, carries over the X100's fantastic hybrid viewfinder, and brings back the joy of shooting with simpler cameras.

The X-Pro1: handsome, in a minimalist sort of way.

By "simpler cameras," I'm referring to cameras from the era the styling of the X-Pro1 evokes. These cameras were boxy and simplistic — there were dials for shutter speed, film speed (ISO), and little more. You would set the aperture on the lens, and you could do all this without taking your eye from the viewfinder, because no critical functions were buried in a menu system on the screen. The X-Pro1 brings that back, but it is most definitely a modern camera. It straddles these two worlds well.

Let's face it, looks do matter a little bit. At a glance, the X-Pro1 looks just like a 40-year-old rangefinder your father may have in a box in the attic. I find it to be beautiful in a form-follows-function sort of way — no fluff. The front is mostly black, without a garish camera logo staring you in the face (I black out logos with electrical tape on my SLRs). That's good, because it allows you to shoot more stealthily, or at least blend in with the crowd a little better.

Unobtrusive form factor

Due to its unassuming look, the X-Pro1 does not intimidate. I found this useful when I was wandering around New York's Central Park. Sometimes an SLR with a big lens kind of freaks people out, but no one seemed to notice when I had the X-Pro1 pointed in their general direction.

Fruit vendor, NYC

Horses and carriages, NYC

The X-Pro1's dials make it so much easier to shoot.

Shooting with the X-Pro1 is a breeze, thanks to its shutter speed dial on the camera, and aperture ring on the lens. No need for menu changes: leave the shutter speed set at "A," and switch the aperture on the lens — you're shooting in Aperture-Priority mode. Reverse that, and you're in Shutter-Priority mode. Leave them both at "A" for Program mode.

Leave the ISO on "Auto" and the X-Pro1 picks an appropriate setting — you can set the upper limit and minimum shutter speed. Or dial up exactly the ISO you need. I left it on auto most of the time.

Incredible hybrid viewfinder

The X-Pro1, like the X100, has a fantastic hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder. In bright light, I chose the optical viewfinder (OVF), which gave me frame lines and a focus point. It's easy to see in daylight and it's fun to shoot using just the framelines. In dim light, the electronic viewfinder (EVF) comes in handy because it pumps up the gain, making it easier to see. The EVF reads straight from the sensor, letting you frame precisely.

You can also shoot like a point-and-shoot by using the rear screen. I ended up activating the eye sensor that switches from screen to viewfinder mode automatically as your eye approaches, so I could have the option of shooting either way. If you want, you can toggle between optical and electronic with a flick of a little switch just to the right of the lens — curiously, it has been reversed from the one on the X100. But X100 owners should get used to that in no time, and like the X100, the viewfinder is excellent.

Lenses

Currently, there are three lenses available for the X-Pro1: an 18mm f/2, a 35mm f/1.4, and a 60mm f/2.4 macro. The sensor is APS-C sized, or about the same size as most DSLRs. That means there's a 1.5x crop factor with the lenses, so the three Fuji has released so far give you a field of view very similar to classic 28mm, 50mm, and 90mm focal lengths. The fact that Fuji released this camera with three primes, or fixed-focal-length lenses, lets me know they're serious about image quality — prime lenses give you the best quality. While I was testing the camera, I used the 35mm f/1.4 lens, and what a lens it is! It's fast and sharp. The background blur, or bokeh, is creamy and beautiful. The lens itself is fairly small and balances well on the camera body.

Image quality

In a word: incredible. Fuji's 16-megapixel sensor is state-of-the-art, and handles all lighting scenarios with ease. And you'll get extremely sharp shots, both because the lenses are fantastic, and because Fuji has done away with the typical anti-alias filter. Most interchangeable-lens cameras use that filter to deal with moiré in fine patterns (like screen doors, chain fences, etc.) by deliberately blurring the image slightly. Fuji has developed their own filter, and it leaves your images sharper. It's a subtle effect, but evident.

Sharp flower, nice smooth background blur (bokeh).

Again, nice sharp foreground and smooth background blur.

There wasn't much light in this restaurant, but the X-Pro1 let me capture this adorable moment.

The X-Pro1 shines in low light, too. Paired with a fast lens like the 35mm f/1.4, you can snap high-quality shots in situations where other camera and lens combinations can struggle. Noise, which can make your pictures look grainy, is minimal at high sensitivities, and the sensor has a knack for rendering detail in dimly lit situations.

I loved shooting with the X-Pro1. Its classic styling and fast prime lenses reminded me of what it's like to use old film cameras. The build quality is excellent, too; you get a metal camera with metal lenses. It's easy to grip and feels great in your hand, plus it's lightweight and easy to carry around all day.

But all that wouldn't add up to much if it didn't deliver beautiful images, and Fuji does not disappoint: this is a wonderful photographic tool that'll help you capture pretty shots and priceless family moments.

Image gallery (click on image to enlarge)