It has some instances of cramming really saturated reds into JPEG, but otherwise, the X-Pro1 produces extremely sharp, vibrant photos with an excellent noise profile.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
The X-Pro1 has an excellent midrange noise profile and intelligent JPEG processing, which means that under the right circumstances you can shoot as high as ISO 1600 with relatively little loss of image detail and without having to process the raw files.
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Detail, ISO 200 JPEG
A combination of a light touch on the processing, an extremely sharp lens, and the new sensor results in exceptionally fine detail rendering for an APS-C-sized sensor.
(1/250 sec, f3.2, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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ISO 250 JPEG, indoors
The bright, fast lens plus sensitive sensor meant that I actually had trouble finding things to shoot at midrange ISO sensitivities; this shot would normally require at least ISO 400, for example.
(1/125 sec, f1.4, ISO 2050, spot metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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ISO 800 JPEG
Shots like this show almost no noise, processing or compression artifacts in the area of focus, and there's just a tiny bit of grain in the out-of-focus areas (plus some chromatic aberration, which is common).
(1/60 sec, f2, ISO 800, spot metering, AWB, 18mm lens)
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ISO 6400 JPEG, indoors
While you can see some mushiness in the flat areas from the noise and consequent noise-reduction algorithms, there's very little loss of sharpness. This is really good for an ISO 6400 JPEG in a camera less than $2,000 (at least for now).
(1/60 sec, f5.6, ISO 6400, spot metering, AWB, 18mm lens)
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ISO 6400 JPEG, night
In very low light you do start to see more traditional artifacts at higher ISO sensitivities in JPEGs, including hot pixels and loss of detail from noise suppression. That said, I was able to get nearly the same exposure at ISO 250 (albeit at a much slower shutter speed) which was exceptionally clean.
(1/2200 sec, f1.4, ISO 6400, spot metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Video artifacts
That which makes the X-Trans sensor amenable to sharp still photos and which reduces the need for a low-pass filter makes it more susceptible to moiré in video. That, plus you can see some block artifacts from the video compression.
(frame grab)
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Color
Fujifilm pushes the saturation a little, but for the most part the camera renders accurate colors without shifting the hues.
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Bright, saturated reds, JPEG
While there's a slight bit of orange in these flowers, it's nowhere near as pronounced as rendered in this photo; the inset, a different shot, more accurately depicts what the flowers look like to the eye. This seems to be a problem with the JPEG algorithm, since the raws look fine (see next slide).
(1/250 sec, f2.8, ISO 200, spot metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Bright, saturated reds, raw vs. JPEG
This shows the huge difference in accuracy and quality of shooting JPEG vs. raw with the new Fujifilm sensor. The bottom raw is corrected to allow for the greater dynamic range necessary to accurately render the extreme reds and recover detail in this shot (the inset is the JPEG).
(1/280 sec, f5.6, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 18mm lens)
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Film simulations
These are your color preset options for the X-Pro1. The default option delivers a nice compromise between saturation/contrast boosting and accuracy.
(1/250 sec, f10, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Sharpness, 18mm lens
The 18mm lens, while faster at focusing than the 35mm lens, wasn't as sharp. Still, it's pretty good.
(1/250 sec, f2.5, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Sharpness, 35mm lens
The 35mm lens proved to be exceptionally sharp.
(1/250 sec, f4.5, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Sharpness, 35mm lens midrange detail
Most lenses can get a sharp photo for close-ups; the 35mm XF and X-Pro1 together do an estimable job of resolving midrange details.
(1/250 sec, f5, ISO 200, spot metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Speed
While the X-Pro1's autofocus system is generally sluggish and the 35mm slow, with the 18mm lens it operates quickly enough for candids.
(1/30 sec, f2, ISO 640, spot metering, AWB, 18mm lens)
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Bokeh, 35mm lens
The 35mm lens renders nice, soft out-of-focus highlights.
(1/250 sec, f3.6, ISO 200, spot metering, AWB, 35mm lens)
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Bokeh, 18mm lens
The 18mm lens handles out-of-focus highlights very gracefully.
(1/280 sec, f5.6, ISO 200, multi metering, AWB, 18mm lens)
