Fujifilm XF1 review

When there’s plenty of light and not too much contrast in a scene, the camera will switch to 12-megapixels. This revealed crisp focus from the lens, but details weren’t quite as sharp as we’d hope for from a 12-megapixel camera – the EXR sensor’s unusual pixel array seems likely to be to blame. Still, the 6-megapixel mode gives more than enough detail for most purposes, and the 12-megapixel photos capture a little more detail for when enlargements or heavy cropping is on the cards.

Brightly lit shots are pleasantly exposed but fine details are a little vague in 12-megapixel shots

Another big boost to low-light photography comes from the wide-aperture lens. At f/1.8 for wide-angle shots, it gathers four times as much light as a typical f/3.5 lens. This helps to keep the ISO speed down, reducing noise still further, and allowed us to capture some incredibly clean photos at night.

The combination of the big sensor, modest 6-megapixel resolution, f/1.8 aperture and optical stabilisation to avoid blur at 1/8s produced some stunning night photos

The lens closes down to f/4.9 at the other end of the zoom, so low-light photography suffers when you zoom in. The X10 maintains a wide aperture throughout its zoom range, giving it a slight advantage for low-light shooting.

Noise reduction is generally well judged but it inevitably takes its tolls on fine details, and can look a little syrupy on skin textures. The EXR Auto mode gave reliable results, but in program and priority modes it’s worth disabling dynamic range optimisation or managing it carefully to avoid smeared skin textures even in brightly lit conditions.

Skin, hair and fur textures are handled well in this brightly lit shot…

…but with the resolution set to 12-megapixels and dynamic range optimisation set to Auto, the camera has boosted the dynamic range by under-exposing the shot and then brightening shadows and mid-tones. This then requires heavier noise reduction

Video capture isn’t the XF1’s strong point. Its 1080p clips look great at first glance, but sharp diagonal lines look blocky – a tell-tale sign of poor anti-aliasing that also diminishes detail levels and can make motion look a little odd. The lens ring allows for slow manual zoom adjustments, but autofocus is a little skittish and optical stabilisation appears to be disabled while recording. It’s OK for casual clips, at a push.

The XF1 doesn’t appear to apply anti-aliasing when resizing its 12-megapixel sensor output to the 1080p video resolution, resulting in blocky details, most visible on diagonal lines

The Fujifilm X10 is an excellent alternative, and currently available for around £310. It has better controls, an optical viewfinder and a brighter aperture at the long end of the zoom. Then there’s the forthcoming Fujifilm X20 with the promise of sharper detail, and the Panasonic LX7 with its superior videos, faster performance and even brighter lens. However, we’d be tempted to trade all of this for the XF1’s slimmer design and integrated lens cap, which makes it much easier to slip in and out of a pocket. With its lower price and gorgeous design, the XF1 is at least as good as the LX7, and fully deserves our Best Buy award.