Fujifilm X-M1 Review - Upgrading from the Fujifilm X20 & Using Manual Lenses with the X-M1

Not Another X-M1 Review?

There are a lot of reviews out there about the Fujifilm X-M1, about how great the X-Trans sensor is, the features of the X-M1, how it compares with the X-Pro1 and X-E1, and comparing it with other mirrorless competitors such as the Olympus E-PL5. But so far, I've not found one that deals with the experience of upgrading from the Fujifilm X20 compact camera to the X-M1. Also, since I own a fair bit of legacy lenses from Pentax, I bought a Pentax K mount adapter for it and will be reviewing the experience of using it here too. If that's you, you have come to the right place!

Read on to see how the X-M1 works in real life with full manual lenses!

The Upgrade

The Fujifilm X20 is a really lovely camera, awesome for a compact camera. After I have had a taste of what the X-Trans sensor can do, I really wanted more. Photography has been a hobby for me for 5 years, being Pentax DSLR user when I began. However, I've really been tired of lugging a DSLR around and I decided to search for a mirrorless camera. I was seriously considering the X-E1 but decided to wait due to the limitations of the X-E1 and got a X20 in the interim (to understand the Fujifilm system a little better first) while I waited for the X-E2. Alas, I just couldn't wait any longer, and when I stumbled upon a superb deal on the X-M1 I sold my X20 to fund it and grabbed it immediately!

Silver or Black?

A very important question indeed. See when I had my X20, I found the silver version really attractive, and indeed it is. The finishing on the X20 is superb and all the icons, words and branding on the top were etched. I have heard of people having the silver on the X-E1 coming off after use, but I never had this problem with my X20 after 6 months of usage. So I was hoping to have a similar finish for the X-M1, but it was not to be so. The silver finishing on the X-M1 is painted differently from the X20 and unfortunately it just feels cheap. So I decided to take the black version. The black finishing on the top of the X-M1 has a matte feel to it, making it very handsome indeed.

Looks just right with my black PR100 Tissot

Handsome Little Thing

The first thing that struck me with the X-M1 is how small the camera body is. Just to give you a feel of how small the camera is, here is a Canon 60D which I borrowed from my brother which is used to take all the shots of the X-M1 camera here. Sorry for the crappy shot coz it was done with my only other camera - the iPhone4.

It is in fact, a little smaller than the X20. The reason is because the X20 has a viewfinder which makes it a wee bigger, but apart from that the Fn button, mode dial and exposure dial is practically the same size and location.

Matte black just looks better than the silver paint.

Everything is painted unlike the X20, except for the X-M1 logo which is etched.

Because the X-M1 does not have a viewfinder, there is space for a better pop-up flash similar to the X-E1 which I can hold and tilt upwards for a simple bounce flash. Note that this is not an "official" feature. The power output of the flash is pretty low, so don't expect too much from it. Also, because you will need one hand to hold the flash upwards, it is only practical to use with AF lenses. The X-M1 comes with a complimentary half faux leather case here in Malaysia which I'm really appreciative of. The design is made to suit the black X-M1 body, with black leather and white threads. The inside is made of cloth material with crimson red color, making the whole setup oozing with sexiness! It even has a compartment to remove the battery and the SD Card, unlike the X20's complementary case. However, one gripe I have about it is how they make a great matching strap for it but cut corners on using less durable material for the strap to camera holder. I am really afraid it may just break one day as it's really quite thin.

The camera is made in Thailand, as opposed to Japan as is with the X20. But it doesn't bother me as it feels very solid. Unlike the X20, there is no rotary dial on the menu area, instead the exposure compensation dial has now become a multipurpose dial to replace it.

Photo Quality

When I first took a shot with this camera and the Fujinon lenses, it blew me away. I knew that the X20 was good, but man, this little guy really beats everything I've ever tried. On the X20, the maximum ISO I dare to use is ISO1600, but photos straight from the X-M1 come out superb even ISO6400, and beats the beast called Canon 60D and the smaller Pentax k-5 I used to own!

What's even more amazing is that the 16-50mm kit lens is really good. As good as the Tamron 17-50mm I used to own, except for fact that the Tammy is a faster constant aperture lens. Below are two photos I took with the same settings, and you can see how much sharper and cleaner the photo comes out. Now bear in mind, I review my equipments by how I use them (mainly JPEG shooter), so if you disagree with me, I'm open to your opinions.

Canon 60D with Tamron 17-50mm @ 35mm, 1/20, f5.0, ISO6400 AWB

Fujifilm X-M1 with Fujinon XC 16-55mm @ 35mm, 1/20, f5.0, ISO6400 AWB

Now I'm not going write too much more about photo quality, because there is already a ton of material out there from reviews of the X-Pro1 and X-E1, both sharing the same X-Trans sensor. But I have to say again, for the size of this camera, it is literally David vs Goliath and boy, he sure knows how to slay a giant!

What I Really Liked about the X-M1

Now that I am thoroughly satisfied with image quality, let me have a run down of all the features I love about the X-M1 and what you are missing if you are an X20 user.

What I Love

• Image quality - simply superb
• Tilt Screen - while the tilt screen doesn't allow you to do a selfie, it's really good for those difficult high and low angle shoots.
• WiFi - people complain about how we can't shoot tethered on WiFi. Well, I've used the Eye-Fi before and you oughta compare the pain of using that instead! WiFi on the Fujifilm is easy to setup and easy to use. I'm happy with it.
• Video quality - compared to the X20, this is heaven especially with the 35mm.
• Tilting Flash - as mentioned earlier, this can come in handy.
• Battery life - compared to the X20, the X-M1 lasts significantly longer. However, I did buy an extra set of battery just in case.

What I will Miss

• Panaroma mode - it's pretty useful actually. Had some great shots with this mode on my X20. Now I'll have to do it post production only. Hmph
• Level detector - another handy feature when required.
• Super Macro - the close up shots of the X20 is something else. I guess I can use the 35mm and crop the photo since it's so sharp.
• Dedicated AF switch - switching to manual focus to get focus peaking is a pain every time I mount a manual lens. However, I have learnt to overcome this by using the C - custom mode on the mode dial (more below).
• Faster Autofocus - I guess this may be subjective to lenses used, but the X20 seem to focus faster than my X-M1 on both lenses I used.
• Whisper quite shutter - the X20 is just so quite, it makes the X-M1 (and almost anything else) sound like a machine gun. I just learnt that mirrorless camera still has a shutter, and the so-called focal plane shutters are loud compared to leaf shutters like those on the X100.
• The shutter button - a minor thing, but the X20's shutter button is just oh-so-retro. The one on the X-M1 just looks like any other digital camera shutter. Meh. 

Apart from that, I do wish that Fujifilm would allow manual focus override by simply turning the focus ring during AF instead of having to go into the menu to change it. This is what Olympus Pen does. But I guess with lenses such as the 14mm which has a manual override clutch mechanism, this feature would be moot. Would be nice to add a touch screen for touch focus, but that would drive the cost up further.

Also, notice I didn't put viewfinder as what I will miss? That's because I hardly used it due to the parallax error I always get from it. I found that the LCD is just fine for composition. Yes, it makes me look a little more amateurish using it but who cares? What I am looking for is great pictures and not how good I look taking them! Nonetheless, I do agree that optical viewfinders have their merits and I will discuss them in the next section, using Manual lenses.

Good Ol' Manual Lenses

I have a good number of manual lenses, mostly Tamron Adaptalls, a couple of modern Samyangs and a pristine Pentax A 50mm f1.7. When I was using my Pentax, all of these lenses provide auto exposure (I have three Tamron Adaptall PKA mounts) and Pentax having sensor-based shake reduction made it great for those times for those lower shutter speeds.

But now that I have ditched Pentax, I have to rely on an adapter for my Fujifilm X-M1. For that, I went to eBay and brought one for USD15.99 (search for seller gadgetworldexports) and it arrived to my doorsteps within 2 weeks. (Tip: I normally buy from Hong Kong rather than China as the shipping is a bit quicker). Here's how my Samyang 85mm f1.4 looks like with the adapter on it. 

And here's how the camera looks like with the attached lens. To be honest, it looks pretty humongous, but the leather case helps make the camera a bit bigger and provides more grip to it.

This adapter that I bought has no electronic components on it, so the camera doesn't know it exists. However, you can turn on the feature "Shoot without lens" on the settings and you can start using it. To set the focal length go to "Mount Adapter Setting" and select your focal length (if not found, just use the last two settings to add your own). Now you are ready to shoot. Well, almost.

Easy as A - M - C

When using a manual lens, you can only use the A or M mode. When in A mode, set your aperture manually on your lens and the camera will set the shutter speed and ISO (if set to Auto ISO). In the M mode, you need to set both aperture and shutter speed, and ISO (if not set to Auto ISO). 

The wonderful thing about the Fujifilm X-M1 is the ability to set your minimum shutter speed when using Auto ISO. So essentially, if using a longer focal length lens in the A mode, make sure that your minimum shutter speed is faster or you will experience camera shake (since there is no built in SR).

Also, since you need to focus manually, you will benefit from focus peaking. To do that you need to set your camera focus mode to manual focus. The camera will not automatically detect you have no lens on the body and change the mode intelligently (Fujifilm, if you are listening, maybe you can add this in?).

C for Manual

One tip I can share for all you manual lens lover out there is for you to to set your camera's C (custom) mode to:

• Aperture priority (A mode)
• Focus mode to Manual focus
• Change the minimum shutter speed in the Auto ISO
• Increase Sharpness to +2 

With these settings, save it to your Custom menu and next time whenever you have your manual lens on, you can simply switch to C and be done with it!

Fujifilm, meet Pentax. Taken with the Pentax A 50mm f1.7.

The LCD Refresh Lag

The greatest complain I have with the camera (and I think it is inherent to all mirrorless cameras) is the fact that when I use a longer focal length lens (from 85mm onwards) I find it extremely difficult to focus moving objects as the LCD refresh rate just cannot keep up with the movement. I believe this is compounded when using the camera in low light situations. Secondly, after hitting the shutter button, there is a significant lag (about 0.5 seconds I think) before the photo is actually captured. So that means even if you managed to get the perfect focus and the perfect smile, after pressing shoot, you may noticed that the smile and focus is no longer there! This is when I really want an optical viewfinder!

Hence because of these issues, using longer focal length manual lenses become a real pain when shooting moving subjects. Now, I have not tried it with Fujifilm's 55-200 or the upcoming 50-230 which I would really like to compare with. Perhaps the IS feature and auto focus practically eliminates the problems I am having. If you have experience with these lenses, drop me a comment coz I would love to know!

Summary

What can I say about this camera, except that I thoroughly enjoy it! Physically, it looks really good with a hint of classic camera design inherent in the X line of cameras. Yes, it doesn't have a viewfinder or a shutter dial like the other X-mount siblings, but it is balanced with a smaller size and smaller price. The camera is geared more towards prosumers but it has a more serious feel to this camera than to the Olympus E-PL5 I tried earlier.

It produces clean and beautiful colors even at low lights. This little guy is able to beat most DSLR in terms of image quality, especially when coupled with those wonderful Fujinon lenses. There is only one third party lens maker for the Fujifilm (i.e. Zeiss) which makes lens selection limited. There is also Samyang with the manual lenses made for the X-mount so no additional adapter (and added bulk) to the camera required. However from Fuji's track record, they are churning out lenses every few months and more importantly, the lenses Fujifilm churn out are of superb optical quality and priced very competitively when you compare it with other original lens manufacturer (especially the full frame lenses).

The WiFi feature is easy to use as compared to the EyeFi and the dedicated video button is also handy. Of course, video control is still poor, but I did hear that the X-E2 is going to solve that. I guess that means the X-M2 will too in the future. But it's good enough for my occasional video of my daughter, especially with the bright 35mm f1.4 lens.

Shooting with longer focal length manual lenses unfortunately, fell short of my expectations due to LCD refresh lag. This is the one time where I missed my DSLR optical viewfinder.

If you are upgrading from an X20, then you will feel very at home with the X-M1 and very I promise you'll be very happy with the camera. If you are looking for a small, high quality interchangeable lens camera, the X-M1 must be on your list to try. It will also make a good backup camera if you are a Fujifilm X-mount shooter. If you are interested to save a bit more money, then you may want to wait another month for the X-A1 which has all the same features of the X-M1 but just a different sensor.

Finally, after an hour of weight lifting with my brother's Canon 60D, I am so glad I made the decision to buy the Fujifilm X-M1!

Sample Photos

What's a review without sample photos? I plan to write a separate review for both lenses that I have (the 16-50 and the 35) later, so I will just give you just a taste of what this baby can do. Only minor brightness adjustments made, maybe small cropping and resizing.

Even an ordinary item like a TV remote control looks so good with the XF35mm f1.4 @f1.4

Taken with the XC16-50mm with Advanced filter (Partial color - Green)

Taken with XC16-50mm at 16mm f3.5.

Taken with XC16-50mm at 16mm f3.5.

Yummy durian cake... taken with the XF35mm f1.4 @f1.4

If you enjoyed these photos and review, I would love to hear your comment. Or if you need a photographer for your event, I would be happy to help you. Thanks for your visit!