Fujifilm XF1

The enthusiast compact sector has undergone a distinct revival in recent years, with every major manufacturer now producing a model or two that offers full manual control and RAW format recording, aimed as a second camera for enthusiasts who usually carry an SLR. These cameras have generally fallen into two distinct camps - those featuring either fast lenses or long zooms with lots of external controls, and smaller-bodied 'shirt pocket' cameras. The latter category was more-or-less owned by Canon for several years with its S-series compacts such as the Powershot S100, but has recently been shaken-up by the arrival of the Sony Cyber-Shot RX-100 with its relatively large 1"-type sensor. Now it welcomes a new contender - the .

The XF1 is the latest model in Fujifilm's premium X-series, that originated with the FinePix X100 and has since expanded upwards to the interchangeable lens XF system (including the recently-announced X-E1), and downwards to the X-S1 superzoom and fast-lensed X10 compact. The XF1 shares much of its innards with these last two models, including the larger-than-average 2/3" EXR-CMOS sensor and EXR processor. To these it adds an optically-stabilized 25-100mm equivalent lens with an impressively fast F1.8 maximum aperture at wideangle, but a somewhat more pedestrian F4.9 at telephoto.

Where the XF1 stands out from its main competitors is in its looks. The Canon S100 and Sony RX100 are both functionally-styled black-bodied cameras for photographers who wish to stay discreet; the XF1, in contrast, is positively designed to be noticed. With its two-tone body - silver-coloured top and base plates and lens barrel, and contrasting leatherette coating - it's a very attractive camera; indeed Fujifilm's advertising catch-phrase is 'Looks good enough to wear'. There's a choice of three colours - the deep red shown in this preview, alongside light tan and a relatively-sober black - each of which gets a matching slide-in leather case as an optional accessory for fashionistas.

The second stand-out feature of the XF1 is its lens mechanism - the zoom ring is mechanical, and like on the X10 doubles as the power switch. But there's a a further twist - it also collapses into the body in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of the iconic Rollei 35 film compact. This gives the XF1 the distinction of being the smallest camera to offer a mechanical zoom ring around the lens. The result is a camera that slips into a shirt pocket but offers a directness of compositional control that will appeal to stills photographers (although less so to video shooters).

Aside from this the XF1 offers a solid specification. It has plenty of external controls, including two dials on the back of the camera, a customisable Fn button on the top, and a clever new E-Fn button that effectively turns six of the rear buttons into additional user-configurable Fn buttons. It offers Fujifilm's 'Film Simulation' colour modes - JPEG colour rendition being one of the company's biggest strengths - and adds a selection of the now de rigueur processing filters such as 'Toy Camera' and 'Selective Colour'. Naturally you also get Full HD movie recording with stereo sound.

key features 12MP 2/3" EXR-CMOS sensor ISO 100-3200, ISO 4000-6400 at 6MP resolution, ISO 12800 at 3MP 25-100mm equivalent, F1.8-4.9 lens with optical image stabilization (4 stops benefit claimed) Manual zoom ring and lens retraction mechanism Full manual control, RAW format recording 3" 460k dot LCD Full HD movie recording with built-in stereo microphones Film simulation modes for different colour and monochrome 'looks' In-camera RAW conversion with all in-camera processing parameters adjustable 'Advanced Filters' image-processing controls, previewed live on-screen Fujifilm EXR-CMOS sensor

The XF1 shares the EXR-CMOS sensor that's used in the X10 and X-S1. This unconventional 12MP sensor can be used by the camera in three different ways - either to give a full-resolution 12MP image, or by pairing pixels, to give 6MP images with either lower noise or extended dynamic range. You can read more about this in our review of the X10 - we'd expect the image quality to be very similar.

Sensor sizes compared

The diagram below compares the size of the XF1's 2/3" sensor to those in its nearest competitors - in general larger sensors potentially offer better image quality. The XF1's sensor is half the size of that found in the (more expensive) Sony RX100, but it's about half as large again as the Canon S100's.

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