Fuji X-M1 Review: First look at the affordable X-Trans mirrorless for the rest of us

by Mike Tomkins

posted Monday, June 24, 2013 at 9:01 PM EDT

Since their debut in early 2012, Fujifilm's X-series mirrorless cameras have proven rather popular with experienced shooters by pairing Fuji X-Trans image quality with a photographer-friendly, rangefinder-like design. Unfortunately, their size and price have kept them out of the hands of many aspiring amateurs and less deep-pocketed enthusiasts. But with the debut of the new Fuji X-M1, the company aims to change all that.

Compared to earlier X-series models, the Fuji X-M1 is smaller, lighter and more affordable. The X-M1 also brings a couple of notable firsts to the Fuji X-mount mirrorless line. To date, it's the only X-mount camera with a tilting LCD display, and it's the only X-mount model to include built-in Wi-Fi networking connectivity. It also bucks the trend in another area, matching its X-Trans CMOS image sensor with an EXR Processor II image processor -- as seen in Fuji's recent fixed-lens cameras -- rather than the EXR Processor Pro used in past compact system cameras.

The Fuji X-M1 is smaller, lighter and more affordable than its X-Mount mirrorless predecessors.

Available in July or August 2013 depending on your chosen color -- black, silver and brown options will be available -- the Fuji X-M1 is priced at US$700 body-only. A kit with a new stabilized 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens will ship for US$800.

Want to know more about the mirrorless camera that aims to make the Fuji X-mount a mainstream hit? Read our first look Fuji X-M1 review for a peek at the smallest, lightest, and most reasonably priced X-mount camera on the market.