The Fuji X-T1 has been one of the hottest camera releases so far of 2014. Everyone is ranting and raving about this little slr styled mirrorless camera. Not one to miss out on cool new toys, I just got the X-T1 in for review and today, I am here to share my initial thoughts on Fuji’s latest X-Series camera.

As is always the case with these initial thoughts posts, this is not meant to be any sort of comprehensive review. A full Fuji X-T1 review will of course be coming within the next month or so.

Fuji X-T1 Unboxing & Initial Thoughts Video

My Full Initial Thoughts

As I mentioned in the video, the first thing that really struck me about this camera was the weight. The X-T1 has got to be one of the lightest interchangeable lens cameras that I have ever held in my hand. I could be wrong here, but my impression is that it feels lighter than both my EOS-M and Nikon J1. The weight is deceptive, gives you the impression that the X-T1 is made of low quality materials, and could easily break or fall apart on you. But, fear not, that is about as far from the truth as you can get.

Moving on from the weight, the next thing that struck me was how this camera felt in my hands. It felt very good. I was comfortable with it my hands – not something that can be said of my EOS-M or Nikon J1 (Not that those are in any way benchmarks for mirrorless cameras). In addition to that, the dials feel solid, and I really like having the physical dials on the top of the camera. I sort of feel like this is what the Nikon DF *should* have been…

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Anyways, since I literally just opened this and have not had a chance to shoot extensively with it I will refrain from commenting too much on the actual image quality and other photo/video related aspects of this camera . All I will say is that from the limited use that I have given it, I have been happy with what I was able to produce. That said, there is a bit of a learning curve to navigating this camera coming from Canon/Nikon background.

[REWIND: Latest Fuji Rumors]

Finally, the EVF on this camera is huge and very responsive. I have been very happy with it, more so even than I was with the Sony RX10’s EVF. I am still a fan of, and definitely prefer when possible, an OVF. But this is one of the nicest EVFs that I have had the pleasure of using.

Initial Thoughts Recap

  • Light but high quality construction
  • Physical dials and buttons feel well made
  • Feels good in the hands, largely thanks to the “slr style” design
  • Large Viewfinder (EVF) is very responsive, one of the best I have used to date.

Overall my initial impressions of this Fuji X-T1 are very positive. I am excited to continue to playing with it for the next couple weeks and can’t wait to share my results in my final review.

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What are you curious about with the Fuji X-T1? Leave a comment below and I will make an effort to answer your questions in my full review.