In this diminutive bag I can carry all I need for a days street shooting. Two bodies, three lenses and four spare batteries.

1. Fujifilm XE2 + 18mm f2 Fujicron sometimes replaced with my X Pro 1 or 2
2. Fujifilm XE1 + Fujicron 35mm f2
3. Fujicron 14mm f2.8

The essence of this kit is its lightweight but the capability to produce HQ images. It is also much less obvious and attracts less attention from those who may be in the shot. The APS-C sensor in the X-E1 helps this relatively small camera shoot serious DSLR-quality photographs. Even at ISOs as high as 6400, the photographs are usable. The colours are accurate, and I was initially surprised at how little noise there is in the frame relative to how high the sensitivity is. The X-E1 is in essence a slimmed-down X-Pro1, with the large, complex and expensive hybrid finder replaced by a purely electronic viewfinder. Not any old EVF though – it uses a 2.36M dot OLED unit, out-speccing the X-Pro1’s 1.44M dot LCD finder. The X-E2 is superficially very similar to the X-E1, with the same basic body design and control layout; at a quick glance, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart. It keeps the same top-plate layout, including analogue shutter speed and exposure compensation dials, and has the same 2.36M dot OLED electronic viewfinder. The rear of the camera is still covered in buttons in much the same places as the X-E1, but their functions have been rearranged. The X-E2 sports the same X-Trans CMOS II sensor as we first saw in the X100S, which includes on-chip phase detection elements for autofocus, and in concert with the EXR Processor II promises much-improved autofocus speed. It also gains Fujifilm’s rather basic but easy-to-use Wi-Fi system for sharing images. There’s also a much nicer rear screen: a 3″, 1.04M dot 3:2 aspect ratio unit, and a whole host of further tweaks and improvements. The net result is a camera that retains all the best bits of its predecessor, but has also been improved in many respects. The X-E2 – not revolutionary, but distinctly evolved. Two nice cameras to use.

Fujifilm X-E2 Specifications

1. Sensor: 16.3 MP (1.5x crop factor), 4.8µ pixel size, same as on X-E1
2. Sensor Size: 23.6 x 15.6mm
3. Resolution: 4896 x 3264
4. Native ISO Sensitivity: 200-6,400
5. Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 100
6. Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 12,800-25,600
7. Sensor Cleaning System: Yes
8. Lens mount: FUJIFILM X mount
9. Weather Sealing/Protection: No
10. Body Build: Magnesium Alloy, Top and Front covers
11. Shutter: Up to 1/4000 and 30-sec exposure
12. Shutter Control: Focal Plane Shutter
13. Storage: 1x SD slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible)
14. Viewfinder Type: 2,360,000-dot OLED color viewfinder
15. Speed: 6 FPS
16. Exposure Meter: TTL 256-zones metering
17. Built-in Flash: Yes
18. Autofocus: Yes
19. Manual Focus: Yes
20. LCD Screen: 3.0 inch, 1,040,000 dots, TFT color LCD monitor
21. Movie Modes: Full 1080p HD @ 60p, 30p
22. Movie Recording Limit: 14 minutes in 1080p, 27 minutes in 720p
23. Movie Output: MOV (H.264)
24. GPS: No
25. WiFi: Yes
26. Battery Type: NP-W126
27. Battery Life: 350 shots
28. USB Standard: 2.0
29. Weight: 300g (excluding battery and accessories)

Fujifilm X-E1 Specifications

1. Sensor: 16.3 MP (1.5x crop factor), 4.8µ pixel size, same as on X-Pro1
2. Sensor Size: 23.6 x 15.6mm
3. Resolution: 4896 x 3264
4. Native ISO Sensitivity: 200-6,400
5. Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 100
6. Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 12,800-25,600
7. Sensor Cleaning System: Yes
8. Lens mount: FUJIFILM X mount
9. Weather Sealing/Protection: No
10. Body Build: Magnesium Alloy, Top and Front covers
11. Shutter: Up to 1/4000 and 30-sec exposure
12. Shutter Control: Focal Plane Shutter
13. Storage: 1x SD slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible)
14. Viewfinder Type: 2,360,000-dot OLED color viewfinder
15. Speed: 6 FPS
16. Exposure Meter: TTL 256-zones metering
17. Built-in Flash: Yes
18. Autofocus: Yes
19. Manual Focus: Yes
20. LCD Screen: 2.8 inch, approx. 460,000-dot, TFT colour LCD monitor
21. Movie Modes: Full 1080p HD @ 24 fps max
22. Movie Recording Limit: 29 minutes
23. Movie Output: MOV (H.264)
24. GPS: No
25. Battery Type: NP-W126
26. Battery Life: 350 shots
27. USB Standard: 2.0
28. Weight: 300g (excluding battery and accessories)

Batteries are important (extra) as both these little beast can be power-hungry. Battery life is rated at 350 shots according to Fujifilm / CIPA test results, an improvement over the X-Pro1. The XE2 sports the same battery life around 350 per full battery. With a couple of spare batteries more than enough for me. Both cameras use the same batteries which is a plus.

My favourite lens, foe street shots, on the XE2 is the XF Fujicron 18mm f2, a vastly underrated lens but capable of excellent results for me with this camera. The XE2 is my primary camera, with the XE1 acting as a very good reserve. Both are very capable but the focus is a little snappier of the XE2 but not by much after upgrading the firmware.

The Fujifilm Fujicron XF 18mm F2 R has some marks in its favour. It’s quite small and light, covers a classic wide field of view, gathers a heck of a lot of light, and focuses close enough for most shots you want to capture with a 27mm equivalent lens.

All the above images were taken with either the XE2 with Fujicron 18mm f2 or the XE1 with the XF Fujicron 35mm f2.