Fujifilm X-E4 Review
Fuji X-E4 Review
This is the first Fujifilm X-E series camera I have owned or tested. I decided to get the Fujifilm X-E4 as I wanted to have a camera with the latest backside illuminated 26.1MP X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 sensor, and X-Processor 4. I basically wanted to take advantage of the latest and best tech for my upcoming lens reviews here at 5050 Travelog.
Being a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujifilm X-Pro2 photographer for a number of years I was slightly worried about the smaller size and performance of the Fujifilm X-E4 and in this review, I will focus on the differences between the X-Pro line more so than draw comparisons to the previous X-E models.
Introduction
The Fujifilm X-E4 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and was introduced in January 2021 alongside two new XF lenses, the compact XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR that pairs wonderfully with the Fujifilm X-E4 as a kit lens and the XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR zoom lens.
All eyes were on the new Fujifilm X-E4 with its very sleek design and parallels were drawn to the Fujifilm X100V right away. But will the overall experience be the same as with the X100V and is the Fujifilm X-E4 up to the same standard when it comes to built quality and design?
And can the X-E4 compete with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, a camera that costs more than double?
Handling and Specs
The overall feel is great and perhaps even better than I had expected. With that said I do have a few nagging issues. The joystick, menu OK, and display back buttons are unnecessarily small. They could easily have left these bigger and more recessed without ruining the design.
The tripod mount is placed off-center and it looks a bit odd when you mount the Fujifilm X-E4 on a tripod. The camera is so light though that I doubt it will cause things to be off-balance. The door to the battery and SD compartment feels a bit flimsy and is not a completely snug fit when closed.
The joystick is easily moved inadvertently and your focus point will move around the screen. This would not be a big issue if you could quickly double-tap the joystick to center it again but to my knowledge, this feature does not work on the Fujifilm X-E4.
You have to hit the display back button instead to recenter it again, which causes a delay before you are ready to shoot. I cross my fingers for a firmware fix.
I have no complaints about the shutter speed dial, and exposure compensation dial but will miss the rear control dial as the X-E4 does not have it.
Fujifilm X-E4, black
The 1.62m dot rear LCD, which has touch screen capability, feels sturdy, is nicely flushed with the body as we saw on the Fujifilm X100V, and the X-E4 is capable of a full 180 degrees flip for selfies or Vlogging.
The lug nuts are of a wide design and not a good fit for my usual leather straps. Instead, I used the strap that came with the camera. It is important to note the Fujifilm X-E4 does not have weather sealing and some care should be taken in dusty conditions or foul weather.
The tilted LCD on the Fujifilm X-E4
I had read complaints about the 2.36m dot OLED EVF being too small or hard to use but I found it to be excellent and designed in line with what we have seen on the Fujifilm X100V and Fujifilm X-Pro3. The diopter adjustment is off to the side and not easily bumped out of position inadvertently.
Setting Up the Fujifilm X-E4
There is a quick manual in the box and a full manual is available online in either PDF or HTML formats:
Fujifilm X-E4 manual PDF
Fujifilm X-E4 manual HTML
I flipped through the quick manual and was thrilled that I could set up a custom Q menu.
The lack of custom Fn buttons could be an issue for some but so far, with a customized Q menu, your key adjustments will not be far away. I kept the main Fn on top of the camera for ISO and changed the AEL/AFL to View Mode.
Fujifilm X-E4 In Action
I took the Fujifilm X-E4 out for some street photography in Vancouver and it felt just like I had a mini Fujifilm X-Pro3 in my hands. I am almost a 100% EVF shooter and with the striking rangefinder-style design, it is a wonder I had not paid closer attention to the X-E series until now.
With the latest quad-core X-Processor 4 the camera is fast in operation, quick to acquire focus, and with a determined shutter sound for a lack of a better word. It feels very responsive.
Being a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujifilm X-Pro2 user, it was very easy to adapt to the Fujifilm X-E4. I tried it out with the smaller prime lenses such as the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR, my XF 35mm f/1.4 R, XF, and TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2, mainly for street photography.
I also did a few frames with my XF 14mm f/2.8 R, XF 23mm f/1.4 R, and XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR.
The smaller lenses such as the XF 35mm f/1.4 R, XF 14mm f/2.8 R, and TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 are a suitable match for the Fujifilm X-E4 with a good size/weight balance on the camera.
The XF 23mm f/1.4 R and XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR look disproportionally big on the X-E4 but I was surprised that they were easy enough to handle on the smaller camera body without using an additional grip.
The Fujifilm TR-XE4 thumb rest and MHG-XE4 grip may be a good idea for better handling of the larger lenses.
Landscape Photography With the Fujifilm X-E4
At the end of March, we headed out for a quick one-night road trip in British Columbia, Canada. The main goal was to test the XF 70-300mm f/4 R LM OIS WR and I shot almost the whole trip on the Fujifilm X-E4.
It is important to highlight how light this setup is and although we traveled by car and did not do any hiking, I imagined how easy this combination would be on your back for a long hike.
For a full review of the XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR and more sample images from the Fujifilm X-E4 check this link:
Sports Photography With the Fujifilm X-E4
I will be the first to admit it was a very limited experiment but I also tried my hand with the Fujifilm X-E4 capturing skateboarders at the front steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery and was lucky a baseball game was in progress on our road trip as we came through Kamloops.
In both instances, I found the tracking and 8 frames per second adequate to get away with a few keepers. Using the electronic shutter you can capture up to 20 frames per second with the Fujifilm X-E4 and 30 fps. with a 1.25x crop.
This is impressive but I would imagine the buffer would fill up fairly quickly. Below, please see a couple of sports captures from the Fujifilm X-E4.
Baseball, Kamloops, Fujifilm X-E4, XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ f/5.6, 300 mm
Vancouver, Fujifilm X-E4, XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR @ f/2.8
Fujifilm X-E4 vs. X100V
Fujifilm has taken a page out of its own design book and the Fujifilm X-E4 is certainly reminiscent of a Fujifilm X100V. The minimalistic design is pleasing to the eye but I would say it is hard to top the X100V when it comes to design perfection.
At $1,399.00 for the Fujifilm X100V compared to $1,049.00 for the Fujifilm X-E4 and XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR combo, the X100V is a more premium product, and having tried both I believe the price difference reflects this accurately, as in you get what you pay for.
The Fujifilm X100V is weather-resistant and sports the OVF/EVF viewfinder with the EVF being a 3.69m dot version. The X-E4 is not weather-resistant and has the 2.36m dot EVF.
The Fujifilm X-E4 is still an excellent and comparable option and the all-important question would be if you can live with a fixed lens option in the X100V or if you would like to use your camera with more lenses as with the X-E4.
If interested, you can read my full Fujifilm X100V review here:
Fujifilm X-E4 vs. X-Pro3
After about four weeks of using the Fujifilm X-E4, I asked myself a question. Should I continue to use it for the summer or should I put it up for sale?
Last summer I purchased a Fujifilm X-Pro3 but had to return it due to an issue with the OVF/EVF. I chose not to get a replacement copy as there were other cameras I wanted to try at the time.
I felt that I never gave the Fujifilm X-Pro3 a proper run and having shot the X-Pro1 and X-Pro2 as my main Fujifilm cameras for years I knew something was left untried.
As it panned out I ended up making a trade with a local X-Pro3 owner and hence have replaced my X-E4 with the X-Pro3.
You may immediately translate that into the fact that the Fujifilm X-E4 is a dud of a camera. This is far from the truth. The image quality coming out of these two cameras will be exactly the same as they share the same sensor and processor and I really enjoyed shooting the Fujifilm X-E4.
The Fujifilm X-Pro3, at $1,799.00, is a more premium product and has better build quality with titanium top and bottom along with a list of ergonomic enhancements and features.
I am looking forward to testing the upcoming XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR and XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR and felt these lenses would be wonderfully matched with the X-Pro3.
You can read my X-Pro3, XF 18mm f/1.4, and XF 33mm f/1.4 reviews here:
Fujifilm X-Pro3 - Review
Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR - Review
Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR - Review
Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
I got the Fujifilm X-E4 bundled with the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR as I wanted to try out this focal length. The aperture ring is a new design from Fujifilm with an A-lock mechanism. A feature that is a bit overkill and it is placed right where my thumb goes which is slightly annoying. I am sure I will get used to it.
I am still torn on the 27mm focal length as I have shot a combination of 23mm and 35mm for so long. The small form factor of the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR certainly makes for a stealthy and very compact combination.
I have now posted my review of the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR here:
Fujifilm X-E4 Image Quality
As with other cameras in the Fujifilm X Series with the X-Trans 4 sensor, I have come to expect excellent image quality and with its native ISO 160, the Fujifilm X-E4 delivers just that and with good dynamic range.
The image above has become one of my most liked photos on Instagram and I like how the sensor handles the range from shadows to highlights. I could have pushed the shadows much more had I wanted to. In this particular photo, I used the Classic Neg. film simulation.
Conclusion
It felt as if a younger brother to my Fujifilm X-Pro2 had landed on my doorstep when I first received the Fujifilm X-E4. A younger sibling with fresh new legs, full of energy, speedy tech under the hood but also more settings to be fiddled with.
But once the settings were in place I could take advantage of the newer processor and sensor in a compact package and especially looked forward to having the Classic Neg. film simulation at my fingertips.
While I eventually ended up trading up to the Fujifilm X-Pro3 please do not let this fact discourage you from trying out a Fujifilm X-E4. It is an affordable package, you get a lot of punch for your dollar, and image quality will be as good as it gets for the APS-C-based Fujifilm X Series.
Pros
A powerful camera in a small package
Design
Classic Neg. film simulation
Fast processor and autofocus
Cons
Not weather resistant
Some ergonomic challenges
Please see more sample images below.
Price / Availability
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Fujifilm X-E4 Sample Images
Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Capture One and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos, especially Classic Neg. and Acros.
Please click to view larger photos.
Fujifilm X Series Camera Reviews
Fujifilm X-H2S
Fujifilm X-H2
Fujifilm X-H1
Fujifilm X-Pro3
Fujifilm X-Pro2
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Fujifilm X-T5
Fujifilm X-T4
Fujifilm X-T3
Fujifilm X-S20
Fujifilm X-S10
Fujifilm X-T30
See all of my reviews at a glance: Camera Reviews - Archives
