Hands on: Fuji X-E1 review

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Just a few months after the Fuji X-Pro1 launch, Fujifilm has managed to squeeze its class-leading tech into a smaller body.

Fuji has enjoyed great success with its X series of premium cameras. The Fuji X-Pro1 marked the company's return to interchangeable lens cameras ever since it bowed out of the DSLR market in 2006.

Widely praised by critics and the audience, the Fuji X-Pro1's sensor is comparable to some full-frame sensors in our lab tests, and the images it produces are fantastic.

But there's always been one huge drawback for the consumer audience - the price. The Fuji X-Pro1 currently stands at around £1,500/$1,700 for the body only, with each of the three prime optics retailing for around £500-£600/$600-$700 each.

By comparison, Fuji says that the X-E1 will retail for significantly less and will include the brand new premium 18-55 f/2.8 - f/4 Fujinon lens.

Another big criticism of the Fuji X-Pro1 was its autofocusing speed, which could be pretty sluggish at times. Fuji was well aware of this issue, and has now issued a firmware upgrade for the X-Pro1, which solves that problem.

This version of the firmware is found on the Fuji X-E1. Fuji claims that with the new 18-55mm lens this enables focusing speeds of 0.1 seconds.

Many of the specs of the Fuji X-E1 are shared with its older brother. Crucially, it has the same 16 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and the same processor. Image quality should, therefore, be exactly the same.

Technology adapted from analogue film has been used to create the sensor, which features a unique colour filter arrangement to produce low-noise images even at high ISO settings.

Unlike the Fuji X-Pro1, though, the Fuji X-E1 doesn't use a hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder, instead relying on an electronic device only. With 2.36 million dots, this is comparable to the Sony NEX-7, and is one of the brightest EVFs currently on the market.

Available in two colours, Fuji's designers say that the X-E1 has been designed with two different kinds of photographers in mind. The all-black version is thought to be appealing to discreet street shooters, while the silver and black version - with its retro-style body - is designed with more image-conscious users in mind.

With a lower price, the Fujifilm X-E1 is a more direct competitor of the Sony NEX-7 and Olympus OM-D.