Fuji X-T1 on the right. Panasonic FZ1000 used for comparison on the left. |
This
review follows my usual schedule for evaluating,
describing and scoring camera ergonomics.
You can read about it here.
At several points I compare operation of the X-T1 with the FZ1000 shown in the photo above. The main purpose of this is to highlight the differences between the hybrid/traditional control system on the X-T1 with the modern [Mode Dial+Control Dial] system on the FZ1000.
Setup
Phase
The menu system is clearly laid out and easy to use. Navigating
around the menus is easy.
There are no deal breaker problems but the scope of adjustments available is a bit limited for a flagship product.
For instance the EVF is ‘viewfinder style’ with camera
data beneath the preview image and the monitor is ‘monitor style’ with the data
overlaid on the lower part of the image, but I could not find an option to
configure them both the same. Options
for adjusting both the monitor and EVF are limited compared to some other
cameras. There are limited options for
AF area size and configuration.
There is no ‘My Menu’.
There is only limited opportunity (with Firmware
Ver3.0) for user configuration of the Q
Menu.
Menu Resume works for Shooting Menu but not Setup
Menu.
The PDF Owners Manual is reasonably well written but
offers olde worlde functionality with page thumbnails but no page jumps forward
or back. This makes navigating the Manual a tedious business.
Setup
Phase Score 10/15
Prepare
Phase
The Q Menu is readily accessible. Compared to a recent
Samsung or Panasonic camera the user interface is inflexible, offers limited
user input, carries a tiled list of functions which many users may never want
yet lacks others which you might want.
Drive Mode and Exposure Mode each have a dedicated set and see dial, in each case set
beneath another set and see dial for
use in Capture Phase of use. The Drive Mode dial is easy to access and use. The
Metering Mode dial is awkward to use with the lever hemmed in by the EVF
housing on one side and the shutter button housing on the other side.
A typical modern camera control system has a Main
Shooting Mode Dial allowing quick access to 10 or so functions.
On the X-T1 there is no Main Mode Dial. This means
switching from one Shooting Mode to another requires workarounds of various
kinds depending on the task. Custom Modes cannot be accessed directly.
The Focus mode lever is located on the front of the
body. It is small and the lever is fiddly to operate.
Even with practice I
found myself having to turn the camera around so I could actually see the lever
and its three positions to be sure of setting the correct one. This is a clumsy implementation which could easily have been improved with a
different design.
The [Wi-Fi] Fn button is difficult to reach.
Conversely the un-named Fn button on the front of the camera is too easily
bumped accidentally, something which I did almost every time I picked up the
camera.
Many of the Prepare Phase issues with this camera are
due to the top of camera real estate being occupied by set and see dials which control Capture Phase functions. But in
Capture Phase the user is looking through the viewfinder and cannot see those
dials anyway.
I will run through a few tasks of Prepare Phase with the
X-T1.
* Change from
Program AE Mode to Aperture Priority AE Mode. This is the easiest mode switch for the X-T1
but there are still complications depending on the lens fitted.
With a prime lens or constant aperture zoom, the left
hand turns the aperture ring on the lens. Easy.
But there is no option to preset an aperture. At least you can see the selected aperture
indicated on the lens.
On a variable aperture zoom lens it is first necessary
for the left fingers to find the little lever near the back of the lens barrel and move it off the [A]
setting, then turn the aperture ring, which does not have markings. So you can’t tell the aperture by looking at
the lens. You have to look in the viewfinder, just as you would with a modern
style control system.
Some lenses, designated XC, for the Fuji X system don’t have an aperture
ring at all. These are intended for use
on one of the budget X models like the X-A1 which has a Mode Dial and control
dial system. I have not had the
opportunity to check, but presumably these lenses will also work on the X-T1
using the front/rear control dials.
* Change from
Program AE Mode to Shutter Priority AE Mode. This requires the left hand to support the
mass of the camera and lens while the right hand leaves the handgrip to apply
the thumb, index finger and third finger to the Shutter Speed dial, press the
center lock button and turn the dial to the desired shutter speed. There
is no shutter speed preset option. This
can be done while looking through the viewfinder but is easier with the camera
brought down so the dial is visible.
*
Change from Program AE Mode to Manual Exposure Mode. This requires both the procedures above.
So with the X-T1 changing shooting mode involves
different actions depending on which change is wanted and what type of lens is
fitted.
By way of comparison consider carrying out the same
tasks with the FZ1000. On this camera you always do the same thing to change
shooting Mode. Shift up grip with the right hand. Apply the thumb and index
finger to turn the Mode Dial. Retain grip on the handle with the other three
fingers of the right hand.
This can be done with the camera down from the eye but
is just as easy with the camera to the eye.
All changes are indicated by an
icon in the viewfinder. With a little practice changing modes can be done
quickly and smoothly without having to think about what must be done.
When shifting to a new Mode the setting will be that
which was last used. This makes it easy to preset Aperture and Shutter speed or
both in M Mode for immediate readiness.
Prepare
Phase Score 9/15
X-T1 in hand. There is nothing 'wrong' with this hold and some users prefer it. |
Capture Phase – Holding
Some users report they like holding the X-T1 and that
is perfectly fine.
However I make two points:
1. There are four varieties of accessory handle
available from Fuji and several more from independent suppliers indicating that
more than a few users are looking to improve their holding experience.
2. My studies of handle ergonomics indicate that the
shutter button location and handle type used on the basic X-T1 are not optimal
for relaxed, strong holding. I don’t wish to labour the point, you can readmore about it here.
Quite by chance I happened to have on my desk a Canon
SX60 super/travel zoom camera at the same time as the X-T1. This camera is to a
couple of millimetres exactly the same size as the X-T1.
It has an inverted L type handle, forward/left shutter
button location and a moderately deep, angled type thumb support.
The SX60 provides a much more comfortable, natural
holding experience right out of the box without resort to any accessories. You
can get some idea of this in the photos but you really have to hold each camera
to fully appreciate the difference.
I will report in due course about other aspects of the
SX60 user experience which are, unfortunately rather less enjoyable.
Holding
Score 9/20
Capture
Phase—Viewing
* EVF: The EVF
is large, clear and sharp although I found that on the FZ1000 slightly
sharper.
Color rendition is generally a
little warm and saturation slightly overdone in some conditions. Highlight and shadow detail is good. Responsiveness is good. Options for adjustment are limited for a
flagship camera.
In Portrait orientation camera data can be configured
to appear on the lower part of the preview image but not beneath the image.
Modern EVFs like this one make the argument for an
optical viewfinder look very weak. The optical viewfinders of DSLRs with 28mm
diagonal sensors are by comparison small, dim, unsharp and almost impossible to
use for manual focussing.
The camera tested was fitted with a Fuji Long eyecup
EC-XTL. This is a considerable
improvement on the standard small round eyecup which allows excess stray light
to enter. So, why, I kept thinking, does
Fuji not fit the better eyecup at the factory ???
* Monitor: This
is of the swing up/down type which is more useful than a fixed type but less
versatile than the fully articulated type.
Since consumer models like the Canon SX60 have a fully articulated
monitor I think it reasonable to expect a flagship model like the X-T1 to have
this also.
Monitor sharpness, color, highlight/shadow detail and responsiveness are very good.
The monitor display cannot be set to ‘viewfinder
style’ match the EVF.
There are good information displays in both the EVF
and monitor.
When the camera is mounted on a tripod the monitor
will not swing open so this has to be done before the camera is secured.
Viewing
score 13/20
Capture
Phase—Operating
At this point I need to re-iterate that I make a clear
distinction between a user’s likes and preferences on the one
hand and the results of ergonomic analysis by time and motion study
on the other hand.
Each expresses an aspect of the user experience but they are not the same thing.
It may also be worth reviewing the section on CapturePhase—Operating, in Ergonomic Scoring Schedules.
Some people have indicated that they like using the
X-T1 controls and user interface for their own reasons whatever those may be. It may be that each individual who likes the
X-T1 controls will have a different and personal reason for this.
Some might feel that the separate controls for
aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation help them better
understand how the camera operates.
Some say they like the ‘direct’ controls, although
that is something of a misunderstanding of the function of a modern electronic
camera on which almost every control except manual zoom is electronic and
remote. That aperture ring which seems ‘direct’ is just an electronic actuator
which could be anywhere on or off the camera. Still, people may very well like
the idea of direct controls.
Whatever the reason all these preference are perfectly
reasonable for each individual. It is
not for this blog to tell people what they should like.
This blog is about ergonomics which can be evaluated
by time and motion study and other means of direct observation.
It is possible, in fact easy if one is systematic and
prepared to record actions carefully, to note the number and complexity
of actions required to carry out each of the tasks required to drive the camera
in Capture Phase and to note any support actions (such as shifting grip with
the opposite hand) required to facilitate the primary actions.
Note that anybody with a camera and the willingness to observe what actually
happens when someone uses it can carry out these studies. Competence in quantum
mechanics is not required.
The Fuji X-T1 uses an amalgam of traditional set-and-see controls for primary
exposure variables together with a range of UIMs (user interface modules)
allowing modern inventions such as Modes and other settings and functions to be
set or operated.
I find, in summary, that a camera (such as the
Panasonic FZ1000 which I used for comparison) with a well designed modern
control system (there are plenty of suboptimal or badly designed ones like the
Canon SX60 featured in this post) based on Mode Dial+Control Dial allows most
of the tasks of Capture Phase to be carried out with fewer actions, each less
complex and requiring fewer support actions than the control system on the
X-T1.
The key criterion for ergonomic evaluation in Capture
Phase is as follows:
The
user is able to adjust primary and secondary exposure and focus parameters
while continuously looking through the viewfinder and without disrupting grip
with either hand
If I were to detail every action required for every
task relevant to the criterion this post would become over long so here
are a few examples.
*
Change aperture in A Mode
With an XF grade lens this is
straightforward. Just rotate the aperture ring on the lens with the left hand.
This can be done as easily with the camera in landscape or portrait
orientation.
With a fixed focal length lens the fingers can stay on
the aperture ring while in Capture Phase.
But with a zoom the fingers need to shift back and
forth from the zoom ring to the aperture ring.
Change
shutter speed in S Mode
The right hand must lift up to place the index finger and thumb on the
shutter speed dial and turn it. This
disrupts grip with the right hand. The left hand must carry the mass of the
camera/lens as a support action.
Intermediate shutter speeds require yet another action
as they are accessed by rotating the front or rear dial after making an initial
setting with the shutter speed dial.
Change
aperture and shutter speed in M Mode This requires both sets of actions detailed
above.
Change
ISO sensitivity
The left hand must be completely released from the lens and all the mass
transferred to the right hand. The left thumb, index finger and third finger
then work together to press the center lock button and rotate the dial. Any
subsequent turn of the dial also requires the lock button to be pressed.
I was unable to do this while continuing to look
through the viewfinder.
Change
exposure compensation
This requires the index finger and thumb of the right hand to turn the
dial which does not have a lock button. This in turn requires the right hand to
shift grip but not as much as is needed to change shutter speed.
With the FZ1000 each of these tasks is carried out
with fewer, less complex actions requiring fewer support actions and less
disruption to the capture flow.
Aperture in A Mode and shutter speed in S Mode are
changed by rotating the rear dial. In M Mode I have the rear dial change
shutter speed and the front lever change aperture. I have ISO on the Fn1 button
just behind the shutter button. To change the setting press the button then
turn the rear dial.
Exposure
compensation is obtained by nudging the lever in front of the shutter button.
All these actions can be performed without releasing
grip on the camera with either hand and without taking the eye from the
viewfinder.
Fast
tele zooms Fuji wants the X system to become a tool for
professionals. To that end it has released some fast zooms such as the 50-140mm
f2.8. This is the APS-C version of the classic 70-200mm sport/action zoom. Its
mass with filter and hood is over 1000grams and it is quite large, sitting
between the f2.8 and f4 versions of full
frame 70-200mm lenses. I would think
anyone using this lens on the X-T1 will want the most secure accessory handle
available.
I find when using the FZ1000 that I frequently need to
switch between A Mode and S Mode as I zoom out. That is
quick and easy on the FZ1000 but slower and less streamlined on the X-T1.
Which
way is value up ? The process of operating a camera requires
the user to adjust up and down values of imaging parameters such as f stop,
shutter speed, exposure compensation and
ISO setting.
Smooth operation is aided if the fingers always do the
same thing to adjust value up and the opposite thing to adjust value down.
On the FZ1000 I push (the dial, lever or ring) right
for value up and left for value down. That works for f Stop,
shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation and focal length.
On the X-T1 the situation is more complicated and
further complexity is introduced dependent on how the user’s brain interprets
turning a dial.
If the dial is on a vertical axis (like the ones on top of the camera) is the front or the
rear of the dial used as the reference for turning direction ? It matters
because they are opposite. If you can see the dial while turning it that is not
much of an issue but if you are trying to turn a dial while looking through the
viewfinder it is very much a factor in the user experience.
On the X-T1 value
up is given by: aperture ring- right, rear of shutter speed dial- right (or
front of shutter speed dial- left), rear of
[+/-] dial- right and rear of ISO dial- left. There is no consistent direction.
As I used the X-T1 I never got into a rhythm about
what dial goes which way and found myself often having to look at the dials, thereby
disrupting the capture process.
For landscape and other static types of photography
that is not much of an issue. But for moving subjects/sport/action it is.
AF-L
button This is poorly located over the top of the
thumb support. To press the button the right hand must shift grip upwards
disrupting the capture flow.
Haptics The 4 Way buttons on the control panel (the
back of the camera to the right of the monitor) are recessed, making them
difficult to locate and operate by feel.
Many cameras have the optimal ‘rocking saucer’ type 4 way controller
with edges raised about 1mm. This works perfectly. I think Fuji should change
to this UIM type in mid production.
Other buttons in this area are also recessed, with the
same problem.
Operating
Score 10/25
Review
Phase The user can
readily enlarge an image, scroll around
and jump to the previous or next image at the same location on the frame and at
the same level of enlargement. I
deducted a point because the front and rear dials are recessed, making them a
bit awkward to use.
Review
Score 4/5
Total
Ergonomic Score 55/100.
Concluding
remarks
When the X-T1 was introduced it generated many
positive reviews and comments not all necessarily related to its presumed role as a picture taking device.
One reviewer said it has “chic hipster charm”. Another
was effusive about the “real metal
engraved dials”.
One wrote that he “really enjoyed using these physical
controls and the fast access they provide”.
Several remarked favourably on the camera’s looks and
style. Some were pleased it has a magnesium alloy body.
I found that in practice it works well with a fixed
focal length lens mounted and P or A shooting mode. But in S or M Modes it becomes more awkward
to use and I think the design is not well suited to operating a big, wide
aperture sport zoom lens.
In any mode the ISO dial is frustratingly difficult to
operate and the haptics need a serious upgrade.
I think that if Fuji wants the X series to convince
professionals to come on board they need a model which looks and operates more
like a modern DSLR with a full handle and modern [mode dial+ control dial] control sytstem. And better continuous AF and a sensor with
standard Bayer filter pattern.
In a recent interview with Fujifilm’s senior sales and marketing manager Mr
Toshihisa Iida, Digital Photography
Review staff asked “Are there any
particular competitive cameras in the market that you really admire ?”
Mr Iida replied “One
of the most interesting cameras in the past six months or so was the Canon EOS
7D II…………The focussing system is very good.”
You rarely encounter an executive from one camera company endorsing a competitor’s product but
there it is. He said it.
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