Fujifilm X-A7
Compact and light — it’s the ideal travel companion
It’s the brand-new sensor under the hood that makes the X-A7 worth the upgrade
There’s something appealing about the X-A7: it somehow manages to exude plenty of old-school charm while offering pretty much everything a
photographer needs. It neatly picks up where the X-A5 left off, getting some physical tweaks to the body along with some impressive performance upgrades.
From the front, the X-A7 looks identical to its predecessor, using the same X-mount on which you can attach either the bundled Fujinon XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ kit lens (the same one that came with the X-A5) or use any of the better X-mount optics.
The rear display is now a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a 2,760k-dot resolution that’s fully articulating. It’s also wider, with an aspect ratio of 16:9, so that you get a bigger and sharper view of the world when compared to the X-A5’s 3-inch display that had a resolution of just 1,040K dots and an aspect ratio of 3:2.
However, it’s the brand-new sensor under the hood of the X-A7 that makes the new camera worth the upgrade. It might share the same 24.5MP pixel count from before but, according to Fujifilm, the new Bayerfilter sensor has copper wiring that significantly reduces noise levels and offers faster readouts too.
The X-A7’s sensor also has a lot more phase-detection autofocus pixels than before, with an extended ISO range of 100-51000, both of which are excellent for an entrylevel mirrorless camera.
Of course, 4K recording is the norm now, but thankfully it’s available at 30fps on the X-A7 as opposed to the rather disappointing 15fps on the X-A5. A microphone socket is available but, like the X-A5, it’s the non– standard 2.5mm type that needs an adapter – but you do get an adapter in the box.
Getting creative
All the usual creative modes from the X-A5 have made their way to the successor model, along with the addition of a new Bright Mode (to capture HDR images with a single shot) and a Light Trails option.
With top-notch image quality that will please the most expert of photographers, it’s an excellent little snapper. Autofocus performance is impressive for both stills and video, which even some enthusiast-level cameras have trouble with. Even the lack of a viewfinder didn’t bother us.
Our only complaints are about the ergonomics. There’s barely a grip to speak of, and it’s made of hard plastic, and the thoughtful addition of a navigational joystick at the back is rather negated by the fact that it isn’t within easy reach of the thumb. You have to support the weight of the camera by holding the lens every time you need to reach for it.