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Thursday, 5 March 2015

Fuji X-T1 Review Part 2 Ergonomics



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.


Canon SX60 in hand.  This camera has the same width and height as the X-T1 above.  But the handle, shutter button location and thumb support are very different. This is an example of the 'inverted L' style handle. This allows the hand to adopt the optimal half closed relaxed position. This is both stronger and more relaxed than the 'scrunched up' hand/finger position required to hold the X-T1. In addition both the third finger on the right hand and the right thumb participate in supporting the mass of the camera without having to apply any squeezing force.


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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