Fuji XE1 Revisited

Everything you need in a travel camera.

Is the Fuji X-E1 still worth buying? Yes! 8 years since its debut, the all-metal X-E1 still rocks!

I love my Fuji XE1. The pictures are amazing. The autofocus is slow, but much more useable than the X-Pro1 (which is why I recommend the Xe1 over the X-Pro1: the autofocus on the X-Pro1 is SLOW). The only con to the X-E1 is the poor battery life, but it isn’t too dramatic neither. The EVF is also vastly superior to the X-Pro1: the X-E1 has a 2.36M dot OLED unit, more than double than the X-Pro1 (stuck at a 1.44 million).

The X-E1 also has its own diopter adjustment built-in, contrary to the X-Pro1 that needs a screw-on lens for the OVF/EVF (something that Fuji charges $50 CAD for!). Oh, and it has a built-in flash, thing that the X-Pro1 misses. Both shoots at 6 FPS, but the X-E1 feels snappier. The only superior thing on the X-Pro1 is the rear screen: it’s a bit bigger, but it’s high resolution, contrary to the cheap LCD panel of the X-E1.

As you can tell… my X-E1 was well used! I went through Africa, Asia, the Americas with it. It’s my backup’s backup: it’s the third wheel of my relationship between my Canon 1D and my Fuji X-H1. It’s always there, ready to snap a quick pic if need be. I just like the X-E1: the velvia or high neg color modes are unparalleled. The colors are unique. None of the newer fuji will give you those tones. None of em.

And therefore that’s reason enough to pick one up! They are cheap these days… around $200 USD. Pick up a nice 35mm f/1.4 or 23mm f/2 (reviewed here!) and you’re good to go!

Set the sharpness to +2, the shadow tone at +1, the colors at +1, and the color profile at Neg Hi, and you’re laughing. That’s a sort of Classic Chrome profile, and I love it.

The highlights are well managed, and the files are super sharp. Below are some snapshots… nothing crazy!

Although the X-Trans 1 sensor is only 16 megapixel (oh, and if you didn’t know, it only goes up to ISO 6400 in normal mode), it’s all you would ever need: the quality of the pixel and the tonality/dynamic range is stellar.

Yes, it’s an old camera. Yes, it isn’t the fastest. But does it deliver decadent file? Yes. Does it work, years after years of abuse? Yes it does. And so for these reasons, I just recommend it to anyone starting in photography to get one of these little beast, while you still can! It’s cheap and awesome, and it is built for life.

Cheers,

JP