Fujifilm X-T1 16MP Mirrorless Digital Camera...Hot or Not?

This new digital camera from Fujifilm is already making waves in the digital photography arena. I wanted to give you an in-depth preview of Fujifilm's latest offering so you know what you'll be getting when your ready to pull the trigger and pick up one of your own.

The X-T1 camera combines mechanical dials, weather resistance, compact size, and high-speed performance to make for a great digital camera, even for novices just getting into the industry, or for photography hobbyists. The LCD viewfinder's excellent display speed makes it very comparable to optical viewfinders on non-digital cameras. It also ensures that what you see is what you get when you take the picture.

Going mirrorless

The X-T1 camera also behaves similar to an SLR camera. SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras allow the picture that you see in the viewfinder to be the exact picture. Older cameras sometimes had the pictures off a little bit (which is why you often got photos with cut-off heads and other body parts) because the picture you saw in the viewfinder was not always the same picture that the camera lens was seeing.

This camera is technically not an SLR camera. Although the picture you see in the viewfinder is the picture that you will see when the photo is taken, it doesn't involve the use of any mirrors. Without mirrors, there is no reflex that occurs. You get the same picture in the viewfinder that you do in the lens with the X-T1 because the viewfinder is directly behind the lens that is capturing the picture. The viewfinder shows you exactly what the lens is seeing.

A mode for every occasion

The X-T1 camera has four different pre-set modes to help you take the best picture possible with a minimal amount of configuration. The first mode is the Full mode. In Full mode, the camera gives you the full field of vision available on the screen. The smallest amount of picture information is placed at the top and bottom of the screen so that it avoids blocking your view as much as possible.

Normal mode helps you frame your shot perfectly and also alerts you to how your picture conditions are changing. Normal is probably the best mode to use for action shots, so you know how the conditions are going to affect your picture.

Going vertical

Vertical mode is the classic "turn your camera sideways" mode to help you get a better angle for your photograph. When you turn your camera vertical and the camera goes into vertical mode, the information is automatically shifted to the sides of the screen for easy reading. Finally, Dual mode lets you see a split screen image showing you how the normal picture will turn out on one side of the screen and on the other side, it shows you how the picture would appear if taken using the focus-assist function of the camera.

Customize to your hearts content

The customization of this camera is unparalleled when compared to other compact digital cameras. The shooting information that's displayed on the LCD screen can be changed to help you confirm whatever setting you want, so it gives you ultimate control over your shot.

Another nice feature of this camera is that it can survive in extremely cold temperatures. Not only does it resist freezing temperatures, but with 80 points of the camera body being sealed, it is very resistant to water and dust. So if you're trying to get the perfect snow shot or are clicking away in a Kansas dust storm, this is the camera for you!

I mentioned digital SLR previously in the lens when comparing this camera to SLR cameras. If you're wanting to see exactly digital SLR cameras are like, then check out some of these videos below. Although the X-T1 is not an SLR, it has many similar features of the popular SLR cameras.