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Fuji XQ1 Review • Landscape Photography
• Wildlife Photography
Not worth its high price tag • Portraiture
BY NASIM MANSUROV | 22 COMMENTS
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LAST UPDATED ON APRIL 11, 2020
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This is not meant to be an in-depth review of the Fuji XQ1, because I normally do
not like spending time evaluating point and shoot cameras. First, there are too LEVEL
many of them and they recycle every year, sometimes even several times a year.
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Second, with the rise of the cell phone market with pretty impressive cameras, I
just do not see the future of the point and shoot market. And lastly, the XQ1
simply ended up in my hands in error and I did not want to send it back without
writing a few words about it.

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It has been a while since I have handled a point-and-shoot camera. Last time I • Best Cameras and Lenses

more or less frequently used one was when I owned the Sony Cybershot P50,
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back when I had no clue how to take pictures. It was a pretty decent camera at
the time and I owned it for many years until deciding to finally move up to a
DSLR. So my experience with point and shoots has been close to none for a
while now. When the XQ1 arrived, I thought it was an accessory to the X-E2 that
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was sitting in the same container – that’s how small the box was. At first, I BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY
thought about putting it back in the box and shipping it back, but then since I
was just about to leave to New Mexico and the camera was so tiny, I simply threw
it into my pocket and left.

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XQ1 @ 25.6mm, ISO 100, 1/1250, f/5.6

UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS
Fujifilm XQ1 Specifications
Sensor: 12 MP 2/3″ X-Trans CMOS II sensor
Resolution: 4000 x 3000
Native ISO Sensitivity: 100-12,800
Lens: 6.4-25.6 mm (35 mm equivalent: 25-100 mm)
Aperture: f/1.8 (W) – 4.9 (T) to f/11
Storage: 1x SD slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible)
Viewfinder: N/A
Built-in Flash: Yes
Autofocus / Manual Focus: Yes / Yes
LCD Screen: 3.0″, 920,000 dots
Movie Modes: Full 1080p HD @ 60p, 30p
GPS: No
WiFi: Yes
Weight: 206g
Price: $499 MSRP at launch

A detailed list of camera specifications is available at Fujifilm.com.

Camera Construction, Handling and Controls SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

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The camera is constructed pretty well and does not feel like cheap point and
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shoot cameras. While most of it is made of plastic (with the exception of the the link below:
metal top plate), the XQ1 feels like it would handle typical daily abuse pretty well.
Once you turn it on via the tiny On/Off button on the top, the lens extends out by Subscribe to our newsletter

a little over an inch and once fully zoomed in to 25.6mm, it extends to about an
inch and a half, becoming front-heavy. The zoom in/out dial that the shutter
release buttons sit on is easy to use, although I wish it was an On/Off switch
instead. The XQ1 sports a round PASM dial on the top that you normally see on
advanced cameras. So you can shoot the camera in a number of automated and
manual modes, including panorama and other preset modes.

The back of the camera reminds of other Fuji X-series cameras, with a typical
round multi-function dial and other useful buttons like Playback, Video
Recording, Function and Display / Back. Most of the back is taken by a large LCD
screen, with 920,000 dots to give clear and crisp images. Unfortunately, the
camera has no grip and the front is rather slippery for fingers, so it does have its
ergonomic weaknesses. There is a tiny rubber grip on the back for the thumb,
but it really does not help much with keeping the camera secure in hands.

XQ1 @ 6.4mm, ISO 800, 1/9, f/5.6

There is no electronic viewfinder (no option to add one) on the XQ1, no socket
for an external flash and no tilt screen for covering different angles. Personally, I
would not buy the XQ1 because of this and settle for something like the Sony
RX100 II instead (see more in the summary).

As for weather sealing, the XQ1 is obviously not weather-sealed, but it seems to
handle freezing temperatures fairly well. When I was taking the snow pictures
you see in this review, the temperatures in the morning started out at -5F and
gradually warmed up to about 10F. The XQ1 worked pretty well without hiccups,
although its battery drained fast, as expected.

Menu System
The nice thing about the XQ1 is that it comes with a similar menu system as other
modern Fuji cameras. If you have been shooting with any of the X-series
cameras, you will find the menu system to be very similar, divided to Shooting
Menu and Set-Up sections. There are some other graphic guides when choosing
between different camera modes and when pressing the E-Fn function button,
but those are specifically made for beginners to simplify camera operation.

XQ1 @ 9.7mm, ISO 100, 1/750, f/5.6

Image Sensor and Image Quality

The Fuji XQ1 comes with the same generation X-Trans CMOS II sensor that is
found on the Fuji X100S and X-E2 mirrorless cameras. The big difference is
obviously the size of the sensor, which at its 2/3″ size is twice smaller in sensor
area than the 1″ sensor found on the Nikon 1 and Sony RX100 series cameras.
With such a small sensor, there is obviously the issue of noise appearing in
images even at relatively low ISO values.

Another issue for me personally is Fuji’s choice of the 4:3 aspect ratio that is
used by Micro Four Thirds format cameras. Not sure why Fuji thought it was a
good idea – I personally prefer the 3:2 wide aspect ratio that is found on modern
DSLRs and most mirrorless cameras on the market. Considering the fact that the
mirrorless Fuji X series cameras have a wider 3:2 aspect ratio, it is certainly an
odd choice as far as I am concerned.

XQ1 @ 11.8mm, ISO 100, 1/950, f/5.6

The X-Trans sensor has a very different color filter array compared to the Bayer
pattern and thus allows Fuji to eliminate the anti-aliasing or “blur” filter for
sharper images. While the center of the image certainly shows lots of details, the
lens on the camera can sometimes be an issue in the far corners due to optical
aberrations and other problems. On top of that, you will have to use good RAW
processing software like Photo Ninja to get the best out of RAW images, since
Adobe still has RAW rendering issues with the X-Trans files, as we have
discussed many times on this site before. As always with Fuji cameras, JPEG
output looks superb, with Fuji’s excellent rendering of colors.

Autofocus Performance and Accuracy

The autofocus performance of the XQ1 seems to be pretty solid – it is fast and
snappy for a camera of this class. With such a small sensor though, depth of field
is so wide, that the margin for autofocus errors is already diminished, to begin
with. Although I did not use the XQ1 much, I did not see the same AF accuracy
issues that I encountered on the X100S and X-E2. But as I have already said at
the beginning of the review, I did not spend much time with the camera to fully
evaluate its AF capabilities. I took some pictures of my kids in a park and it
seemed to do fairly well for capturing slow-moving subjects.

XQ1 @ 11.8mm, ISO 100, 1/750, f/5.6

Metering, White Balance and Exposure

Metering and exposure accuracy seemed really good – very similar to what I was
getting from the X-E2. I photographed a number of shots against the sun and the
camera handled it well without overexposing or underexposing the shots. I rarely
had to adjust exposure compensation on the XQ1 and mostly did that when
shooting in indoor environments. White balance accuracy was also fairly spot-on
– none of the snow images that you see in this review had any WB adjustments
made in Lightroom. In comparison, Nikon and Olympus cameras added quite a
bit of blue tint to images, so I had to fix WB problems in post for those.

XQ1 @ 14.3mm, ISO 100, 1/1600, f/5.6

Video / Movie Recording

All modern cameras now come with HD video recording capabilities and the XQ1
is not an exception. It features full HD resolution of 1920×1080 at two different
speeds – 30p and 60p. And thanks to the dedicated video record button on the
back, shooting videos is pretty simple and straightforward. There is a separate
sub-menu item called “Movie Set-Up”, so you can change the movie mode from
the default full HD mode to as low as 320×112 resolution and a whopping 250fps
slow-motion mode. The Nikon 1 V1 and V2 cameras, for example, feature a
similar slow-motion video recording feature, but they can go much faster to 400
fps and 1200 fps at higher resolutions.

Summary
While the Fuji XQ1 is a very small and truly portable camera that fits even in very
tight pockets, it has a number of problems. The first one is its small 2/3″ image
sensor, which adds noise to images even at relatively low ISOs. For me
personally, anything smaller than 1″ in sensor size is not worth the money, since
at that point I might just switch to my phone, which can produce decent quality
photos.

As I have stated in the introduction of this review, the XQ1 is not the camera I
planned to review and one of the main reasons is my strong belief that the point
and shoot market will disappear in the near future, thanks to the high-quality
cameras that are found on modern smartphones. I just do not see the reason to
carry another small camera, when I always have my phone with me.

Another issue with the XQ1 is its high price of $500 (MSRP). For that kind of
money, I would much rather buy a Micro Four Thirds camera, a Nikon 1 mirrorless
or expand my budget and get something like the Sony RX II (which is an excellent
compact camera). It also does not make sense that Fuji wants to sell the XQ1 at
$450-500, while the low-end Fuji X-A1 mirrorless kit is currently priced at $499.

XQ1 @ 6.4mm, ISO 100, 1/1600, f/5.6

The XQ1 is a good camera, but I believe that Fuji went completely off-board with
its pricing. All those bells and whistles like X-Trans and Lens Modulation
Optimizer do not matter at the end of the day if a low-end product is priced so
high. If the XQ1 was in the $250 range, then it would be a different story. And
even then, would it make sense to invest in a point and shoot camera with a small
sensor when your camera can produce decent images? The point and shoot
market will soon be dead. What’s the point?

More Image Samples

XQ1 @ 6.4mm, ISO 100, 1/600, f/5.6

XQ1 @ 9.4mm, ISO 100, 1/2000, f/5.6

XQ1 @ 6.4mm, ISO 100, 1/1700, f/5.6

All Images Copyright © Nasim Mansurov, All Rights Reserved. Copying or

reproduction is not permitted without written permission from the author.

Fuji XQ1

Optical Performance 

Features 

Build Quality 

Focus Speed and Accuracy 

Handling 

Value 

Image Quality 

High ISO Performance 

Size and Weight 

Metering and Exposure 

Movie Recording Features 

Dynamic Range 

Photography Life Overall Rating 3.3



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TAGGED WITH: CAMERA REVIEWS, FUJI XQ1, FUJIFILM, PRODUCT REVIEWS

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life,
based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the
leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops,
producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography
Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim
here.

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22 COMMENTS Newest

Joan Roig
August 18, 2023 1:03 pm

Hola. Para mi gusto, está prueba está algo sesgada. Cuando compro una cámara, me fijo en
4 aspectos de la misma: Nitidez de la imagen, ángulo distsncia focal mínimo, luminosidad del
objetivo y rango dinámico. No me interesa una cámara con una nitidez excepcional, pero que
cuando entro en una catedral no me pueda abarcar casi nada del recinto, o que cuando hay
poca luz, tenga que disparar con ISO 3200. Puedo aportar a esta prueba que esta cámara
dispone de un aceptable gran angular, con distancia focal de 24-100 (en 35 mm) y un
espectacular f:1.8 a 4.9. Sólo por eso, esta cámara ya vale la pena. Y en cuanto a la nitidez
de esta cámara con un teléfono móvil de gama media, la nitidez de la cámara supera
enormemente a la del móvil. Gracias y un saludo.

0 Reply

frank artale
November 13, 2021 12:04 pm

This was a hit piece on a very good pocket camera that is still valid today. 2021
I’m still testing it against my XF1 with exr processor. Amazing camera. Not in same class as
rx100. because that wont fit in a pocket.

0 Reply

Victor Bean
April 21, 2019 11:53 pm

Bought this camera’s successor six months ago. Found a brand new one 2 years after Fuji
stopped making them. Picture quality is stellar.
Better than 1″ Sony Rx100 or M43 Lumix LX100 and at lower ISO it’s equal to APS-C Fuji X-
T100. Really!
It’s just a matter of learning the camera. Fuji colors are sublime and this camera manages to
capture them.
By the way, I mostly shoot in manual, yes really, with a Fuji XQ2 :) :) :)
You should try it and be surprised.

0 Reply

Richard
March 17, 2017 2:18 am

I have this camera and I have to say that the image quality is not good at all. The images are
pretty soft. They are even softer than many other P&S with 1/2.3″ sensors

0 Reply

Sidewing
May 30, 2015 10:29 am

Thanks for the review & great picture! just bought a Fujifilm XQ1 at about $228. I think the
image is still much better than that from my iPhone 5s.

0 Reply

Dick Van
April 12, 2015 3:01 am

The sensor is small because it is a relatively small camera. I believe the Sony Rx 100 series is
somewhat bigger and much pricier. Mobile phones do price decent picture but I doubt it has
the same low light capability as the XQ1. I do understand your point regarding pricing. For
$399, Fujifilm needs to update this camera to compete batter with the Canon S120 (like flip
and touch screen, more accurate AF…etc. ) The XQ2 ain’t it. This is not even a prosumer
camera. It is a pocket-able p&s with decent low light capability.

0 Reply

simon
April 2, 2015 8:28 pm

Bought the qx1 for my wife who needed a simple lightweight camera for travel. The xq2 is out
so the xq1 price has dropped. Paid US$ 280. Good colors and happy w the Fuji colors

0 Reply

Caleb
October 5, 2014 8:14 pm

I bought this camera because you reviewed it.

I found it for 329 U$ dollars in Walmart from Brazil, normally everything here in Brazil is twice
the normal price abroad…