Second body for kit?

Jeff Biscuits wrote:

GMacF wrote:

I just wonder, while the M1 is clearly a competent camera are there any nuances that may make it a little frustrating to use for someone who is more familiar with the higher end bodies?

Yes, there are numerous differences that can potentially frustrate, though if you use the X-S10 then you’re already dealing with half of the stuff that bothers me, ie the lack of dedicated exposure dials.

Yep I made my peace with that on the X-S10. I find the dials great for more important shoots or for my work. When just shooting for myself I like to take my time so the lack of dials really won't be an issue.

Obviously there’s no viewfinder 😉

Again, for more relaxed shooting I tend to favour the screen anyway.

There are no custom settings (neither on the dial like the S10 not in the menus like most Fujis) so you can only set up one film recipe, and if you change it you have to change the individual settings one by one. If you always use raw files then this may not be an issue, but for JPEG shooters it probably is.

Did not know this so something to think about.

Ergonomically, they have a lot of buttons in quite a small space on the right side of the rear panel. I found that the heel of my thumb would often press buttons there. And if I recall, there are too few customisable buttons to be able to avoid this.

I think those are the notable differences… I’ve briefly had the X-A1 and A5 and really didn’t get on with them at all—they felt like they had none of the good stuff that I’ve loved in other Fujifilm bodies, but that won’t be true of everyone. The image quality, of course, is just fine. In fact, personally I really like the output from Fujifilm’s Bayer models, so I’d be inclined to avoid the premium that you pay for the M1 and get an Ax instead (and you if you don’t use flash then also consider the Axx models which are cheaper still).

Great, thanks for all the info! From what I've seen the M1 is the cheapest option, certainly compared to either the X-A5 or the X-A20. However the A20 looks like a decent shout as well if I can find one for the right price.