Fujifilm X-E1: great photos, great experience
Fujifilm X-E1: great photos, great experience
2:14

Fujifilm X-E1: great photos, great experience

Cameras
Like its less expensive sibling, XM1, the Fujifilm X-E1 delivers pretty excellent photo quality, just not as cheaply. The camera incorporates Fujifilm's APS-C sized X-Trans sensor. The sensor uses a non-standard color filter array layout. So, it can drop the softening anti-aliasing filter. That combined with really good JPEG processing results in excellent photos as high as ISO 1600 and really usable one through ISO 6400. It's also got great dynamic range and good color too. Flip side, however, is relatively poor video quality. With a lot of edge artifacts that the anti-aliasing filter usually deals with. It also has pretty severe rolling shutter artifacts. The camera has a really nice design though with an excellent electronic view finder and photographer friendly physical controls. While I wish the LCD could tilt or articulate, the EVF is probably a solid tradeoff. It has a more analog feel than other cameras with a manual shutter speed dial, exposure compensation dial and a kit lens that has a manual aperture ring. There are physical controls for all the frequently needed settings, plus a programmable function button and a threaded remote socket in the shutter button. The surprisingly good on camera flash can be tilted back to balance or to reduce intensity easily. The grip is a lot shallower than I'd like but it's not bad. The one design drawback will affect tripod users. The tripod socket is right next to the battery and SD card compartment, which makes swapping hard. The feature says it's pretty unremarkable though there's almost everything here that most serious photographers might want. It just lack spells like connectivity, GPS, expensive bracketing controls, time laps and so on. The real downside is performance. It's okay but it lags its competitors and though it can burst to about 5.7 frames per second, it can only do it with fixed focus and exposure. If you're looking for great photo quality with a moderately analog-like shooting experience, the X-E1 is it. It's just not the most well-rounded option of class. I'm Lori Grunin and this is the Fujifilm X-E1.

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras
lumix-s5-mark-ii-and-mark-ii-x-revealed-00-02-06-08-still001

Up Next

Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials
gopro1

GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better
gopro-hero-10-creator-edition-2

GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120
yt-firstlook-gopro-hero-10-b

GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion
nic-insta360-2021-v2

Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price
goprohero9-fl

GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection
20200701-172136

Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras
se-vs-galaxya51-v2

iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming
mevo-start-thumb-3

The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses
spectacles-3-5

Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

Apple to Talk AI in June: This WWDC Is a Big Deal
240328-yt-omt-wwdc24-v07

Apple to Talk AI in June: This WWDC Is a Big Deal

New Xbox Leaked
240328-yt-xbox-leaked-image-v01

New Xbox Leaked

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro