Product Listing

Fujifilm XF1 - X Marks the Spot

By Hafeez Sim - 13 Mar 2013
Launch SRP: S$699

Image Quality and Performance

Image Quality and Performance

Autofocus with the XF1 is quite quick, and there's very little, if any, shutter lag. If you're upgrading from an entry-level compact, the XF1 will definitely feel fast to you. With the exception of the Sony RX100's large sensor, the XF1 has the largest sensor among the advanced compact camera segment. So despite having a modest 12-megapixel sensor, the XF1 does pretty well in terms of resolution, scoring 2200LPH both vertically and horizontally in our resolution test. Being an advanced compact, the XF1 is able to shoot at F1.8 if you want to have some background blur or bokeh. Of course, other factors come into play besides the width of the aperture for background blur, but being a compact camera, we must say the XF1 does reasonably well.

With the right conditions, the XF1 is also capable of producing some amount of bokeh effect.  

While the Sony RX100's large 1-inch sensor helps with low-light shooting, the XF1's smaller sensor puts it at a slight disadvantage, though shooting at F1.8 does help in controlling noise - at the expense of depth of field. The camera's noise control does get quite aggressive at ISO800, though this will only be visible if you zoom in to 'pixel peep'. Still, it's a pity considering that the XF1 has the largest sensor among its peers (minus Sony's RX100). We recommend not going over ISO1600 if you intend to crop and use images zoomed to 100%. It could get worse in the dark as we've shown below.

Shot at ISO200, images still look good at smaller sizes.

If the images are for web use, ISO800 is still acceptable.

A 100% crop of the shot at ISO800 does reveal the camera's aggressive noise control, which smudges detail.

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8.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8
  • Value 8.5
The Good
Slim and stylish body
Good image quality
The Bad
Aggressive noise reduction
Cumbersome power-on process
Manual zoom lens may not appeal to all
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