14 DAY TRIAL // Mirrorless cameras are commonly weaker at everything than standard ones, especially the models made to be small, but that doesn't totally apply to the Fujifilm X-A1 that has just started selling. Then again, if this were just another average, run-off-the-mill camera, it wouldn't be worth noting in the news.
That said, the X-A1 combines the benefits of a 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor with those of a 3-inch tilting LCD screen, pop-up flash and Wi-Fi.
There's mention of shallow depth-of-field and low-light capability too, but these are traits inherent in the sensor itself, not anything else.
Fujifilm's X-A1 also supports interchangeable lenses. It's actually the lowest-end of this sort.
Buyers will get to play around with multiple-exposure mode, film simulation and other image modification software tools.
The price of the newcomer is $599 / €599, largely due to the bundled 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS kit lens, although that, too, is made to be cheap before anything else.
There are other options, but their cost defeats the purpose of a low-end mirrorless camera in the first place. Mirrorless cameras have a hard enough time competing against DSLR cameras as it is.
For those that want to know more specifics, the Fujifilm X0A1 possesses a 920,000-dot LCD screen, an ISO range of 100 – 25,600, and a lag of only 0.05 seconds between shots.
On the video side, 1080p can be recorded at 30 FPS, with stereo audio via a built-in microphone, of course. The only thing lacking is the viewfinder, so you'll have to make do with the LCD when aiming the thing.
As for the alternative lenses, XC 50-230mm F/4.5-6.7 zoom lens comes to mind, but it will cost $399.95 / €299.54 all on its own when it debuts in November, hence our small note about it not being worth it to get unless you're willing to buy a better camera too.