Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm: autofocus speed

DPReview posted the first look (preview) on Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens based on pre-production camera. It seems that the autofocus speed is very good. Quote: "... it feels really, genuinely quick (perhaps the first time we'd use that description for an X system camera)". The new lens does not have linear motors (LM), but apparently it does not resulted in slow autofocus. Maybe the moving part is smaller and lighter. Anyway, the camera looks very interesting. 

Fuji X-M1 is announced

Fuji X-M1, Fujinon XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS and XF27mm F2.8 lenses are announced. The details including sample images are available on Fujifilm site. If the new products are not showing up, reload the page.

The camera specs say "X-Trans CMOS", not "X-Trans CMOS II" as on Fuji X100S. If true, the new camera did not use the latest hybrid autofocus available in Fuji X100S. Several sample images are available for XC16-50mm.

Fuji X-M1 is available for pre-order in places like B&H for ~$700 (body only) and ~$800 with the new zoom. The 27mm pancake lens can be preordered for ~$450. In the same shop Fuji X-E1 body is selling for ~$800, and X-E1 with excellent XF18-55mm OIS is priced at ~$1200.

Unexpected and very positive news: Fuji X-E1 and X-Pro1 will get a focus peaking through the firmware update at the end of July. This might be handy for FX60mm Macro lens…

####
Very interesting comment on Fuji X-M1 and new lenses from Thom Hogan on his Sans Mirror site. His comments reflect view of a professional, a person who need to back up the top body with the cheaper model. Well, I bet many people use just one camera, so while consistency in UI is important, it might not be an issue. After all, Fuji X-E1 body is just $100 higher than X-M1.

Specs of Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm lens

The specs of Fuji X-M1 and XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens appeared on the web (link to Photo Rumors).  The camera and XF21mm F2.8 pancake are expected to be available at the end of July. The XC16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS lens is a bit smaller than XF18-55mm (diameter x length, 62.6mm x 65.2mm compared to 65mm x 70.4mm) and lighter (195g vs 310g). The new zoom is expected only in September.

The X-M1 gets a 3" high-res LCD screen, bigger than on Fuji X-E1.  It is a tad lighter than X-E1, 330g agains 350g. Fuji XM1 dimensions: 116.9 x 66.5 x 39.0mm, and Fuji X-E1: 129 x 74.9 x 38.3mm.  Focus peaking is available. Sensor: X-Trans APS-C CMOS active. Hopefully, it is the same sensor as in Fuji X100S.

Here we go: Fuji X-M1!

Some images of rumored Fuji X-M1 appeared on the web, as well as a new zoom lens, XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. It is still a rumor, and I cannot figure out if those are renderings or photographs. The camera has X-M1 engraved on the front panel and it has a nice tiltable screen.

The traditional Fuji exposure compensation dial is replaced with a non-marked dial. The camera also got a second non-convetional dial at the rear. The screen looks big, so the camera has very few buttons clustered on the right side. It got the red button! There is no "Launch!" word written nearby, so it is probably a dedicated movie button. Obviously, Q button is there. A pop-up flash is present, as well as "Wi-Fi" word on the top. This is year 2013, so wi-fi is must to have feature in any camera.

New zoom, XC16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. If true, it is not XF, it is XC. C probably means Consumer or something similar. The lens has two rings, for zoom and probably manual focus. Aperture apparently will be controlled through the body / dials. Finally, the rear plastic dial on Fuji X-E1 might get some work to do. It is also possible that the ring is programmable for either aperture control or manual focus. This will be really handy for people who despise manual focus :) The lens has an optical image stabilisation / OIS and takes 58mm filters. Fujinon XF18-55mm takes the same size. The new zoom looks a bit shorter than the XF18-55mm, but not very small. It starts at 16mm, and 16mm should give the same angle as 24mm-25mm on full-frame cameras. This might be very handy. No LM labelling (linear motor). The linear motors contribute to a fast autofocus.

The new 27mm pancake is small, with just one ring. Hopefully, it is a programmable ring.