If the premium X-T1 Graphite Silver Edition ($1,499.95, body only) had been released by a company other than Fujifilm, it might have angered shooters who had already invested in the original X-T1 ($318.00 at Amazon) . The special edition camera initially offered features that were missing from the X-T1, including a fully electronic shutter option and reduced EVF lag time. But Fujifilm is committed to supporting its products via free firmware updates, and as it stands today there's no functional difference between the black and silver versions of the camera. The Graphite Silver version does cost more—it carries a $200 premium—and it's up to you if the shimmering finish is worth the extra money. We're rating the X-T1 Graphite Silver just a little bit lower than the X-T1, partly because of the price and partly because the high-end mirrorless camera space has gotten much more competitive since we evaluated the original X-T1.

Our current Editors' Choice in this category is the Samsung NX1 ($2,729.74 at Amazon) , a 28-megapixel camera that can fire off shots at 15fps and is built for capturing fast-moving action. Not every photographer needs that type of speed or resolution, though. If you're interested in the unique design of the 16-megapixel X-Trans image sensor and wide-aperture prime lens system that forms the foundation of Fuji's X camera line, read on.

Design and Firmware Enhancements

If you want to know about the buttons, dials, controls, and dimensions of the X-T1 Graphite Silver Edition ($379.99 at Amazon) , refer to our review of the X-T1. The review also covers image quality and autofocus performance. Here we're going to talk about the camera's finish and the enhanced functionality brought by firmware updates that weren't available when we reviewed the X-T1 last year.

The camera's finish comes from a three-step process. The outer shell is first painted with a black undercoat, then with silver, and finally with a glossy topcoat. This gives the body a textured look that can shimmer and change a bit, depending on the lighting. Photos of the camera don't do it justice; it is really quite stunning. But if you don't love the look, the $200 premium that it carries is likely a turn off.

The X-T1 now supports a fully electronic shutter. It can fire as quickly as 1/32,000-second, much quicker than the 1/4,000-second that the mechanical shutter can manage. It's completely silent, a plus when you don't want to add noise pollution to your environment, and is also a boon for shooting with an f/1.2 or f/1.4 lens on a bright, sunny day—you can keep the aperture wide open for shallow depth of field, without having to use a physical neutral density filter with the lens. That's a boon for the X-T1 especially as its base ISO sensitivity is 200. It does have an extended mode setting of ISO 100, but you won't be able to shoot Raw if you set the camera that low, only JPG. Flash is disabled when using the electronic shutter, so you'll still need to reach for an ND filter if you want to add some fill flash on bright days.

Fujifilm has long included film simulation modes in its cameras. Generally they're designed to mimic one of the company's own films—Provia, Astia, and Velvia have all been included in past models. The X-T1 includes the latest recipe, Classic Chrome, which is more like Kodak's famous Kodachrome than any stock that Fujifilm developed. It gives colors a muted, but faithful, look, and is really quite lovely.

But there are times when you want to shoot images with a film simulation, but not see it in the viewfinder. There's a Natural EVF mode now that does that. It allows you to capture punchy Velvia photos while still seeing a more lifelike view of the world in the EVF. It doesn't work for all modes—if you're shooting in black-and-white, the EVF still shows a monochrome image and art filters still show a heavily filtered image in the viewfinder. It can help you see details in the shadows when shooting in a high-contrast shooting mode that would hide them, but my preference is to disable this—I'd rather see an image closer to what the camera will record using the selected picture settings.

There are a few other minor updates. You can now adjust manual focus after autofocus is locked, you'll just need to enable AF+MF in the menu and set the focus mode to AF-S. Once focus is locked by half-pressing the shutter button, you can make manual adjustments by turning the lens focus ring; depressing the shutter fully will fire the shot.

The AE-L and AF-L buttons can now be customized, as can the Q.Menu. Video recording has been enhanced, with 24p, 25p, and 50p frame rates added to the recording settings. And you can connect the X-T1 to a computer and shoot tethered, but you'll need the HS-V5 software. It's not yet available in the US; Fujifilm states that details by mid-March.

Conclusion

Fujifilm deserves praise for continuing to update the X-T1's functionality via firmware enhancements. And it's not the only camera that has received such treatment—the original X100 received firmware that updated it performance even after the successor model, the X100S was released. That the enhancements introduced in the Graphite Silver Edition came quickly to the original X-T1 is no surprise. Whether you buy the standard black or the Graphite Silver version you'll be getting a camera that's one of the best in its class. But, as good as the finish on this special edition looks, it's not quite worth the $200 premium in this reviewer's mind.

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