Hands on with the Fujifilm XA-7 Entry Level Mirrorless Camera

Fujifilm has just announced the release of their entry-level Mirrorless camera, the X-A7. This is a replacement for the X-A5, which was warmly received, but didn’t exactly set the world on fire!

So, is the XA-7 any better? Well, on paper, it certainly seems to have addressed many of the criticisms of its predecessor. There’s a new 24MP sensor with some interesting improvements to the AF, including 8.5x more detection points, but still using the existing phase-detection system. There is also the inclusion of face detection AF which will please many users.

The 4K video has now upped from 4K/15p to 4K/30p which makes it considerably more useable and is a welcome change. The camera itself is designed to be fairly minimalistic with relatively few buttons and switches.

Fujifilm has included a few interesting modes, including a ‘Bright Mode’ which will utilize HDR to create more balanced pictures. There is also a ‘Light Trail’ mode which will enable users to create light trail images; once again with little user input.

The new camera is clearly aimed at ‘new’ photographers; or those who find that their smartphone is just a little limited.

The camera’s  3.5” screen is especially large and bright and is fully articulated. The camera provides an easy to navigate menu and a very user intuitive touch operation and will allow you to access many of the camera’s features, including brightness levels, bokeh level, Film Simulation effect, aspect ratio and much more very quickly (it also lets the user demo how different effects will look).

The new huge articulated touch monitor of the Fujifilm X-A7

The Fujifilm X-A7 will be shipping as of October 24th and will include the company’s 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS power zoom lens and the retail price will be around $699.

It’s worth noting that some complained about the zoom speed of the 15-45mm on the X-A5. Hopefully, Fujifilm will have improved things for this model.

Here are some specs from the X-A7:

  • Sensor: a new 24MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor
  • AF system: Phase detection AF with 425 focus points
  • Screen: Vari-Angle 3.5” screen with 2,760,000 screen dots
  • Video: UHD 4K @30p
  • Connectivity: Built-in Wi-Fi &Bluetooth with USB 2.0, mic and mini HDMI
  • Shooting speed: 6 fps burst mode
  • Storage: Single SD card slot SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I supported)
  • Extra features – Bright Mode, Light Trail setting
  • Battery – NP-W126S lithium-ion battery with 440 shots per charge (CIPA).
  • Weight: 320g / 11.29 oz with battery
  • Pricing: the X-A7 will sell for $699.95 with the 15-45mm F3.5-5.6.

You can find many more photography gear announcements and new products on our photography gear section here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.

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