Pros & Cons of Fuji X-A1 vs Olympus E-PL7 or E-M10

I dipped my toe last year into Fuji's X-System by buying an X-A1; it's a fine little camera. But I'm a bit disappointed with the slow auto-focusing, and the poor video capability; an EVF would also be preferred (but I knew going in I would not have that). I'm an occasional RAW shooter, primarily shooting JPEG's, and love Fuji's OOC JPEG's. So, I've been considering the Olympus Pen E-PL7 or E-M10 as perhaps better for my needs. I realize I'll be losing out on sensor size, but perhaps gain better auto-focusing and video capabilities.

The big question is whether it's worth making the switch. I'm not interested in going up to a Fuji X-T1 or an Olympus E-M1. I'll stay at this entry level, and probably get a few primes (35, 50, 90 mm FF equivalents, and maybe 150mm) within the system in which I settle. I'd appreciate your thoughts on thinking through the benefits of going into either system. Thanks in advance.

The Silver Fox wrote:

I dipped my toe last year into Fuji's X-System by buying an X-A1; it's a fine little camera. But I'm a bit disappointed with the slow auto-focusing, and the poor video capability; an EVF would also be preferred (but I knew going in I would not have that). I'm an occasional RAW shooter, primarily shooting JPEG's, and love Fuji's OOC JPEG's. So, I've been considering the Olympus Pen E-PL7 or E-M10 as perhaps better for my needs. I realize I'll be losing out on sensor size, but perhaps gain better auto-focusing and video capabilities.

The big question is whether it's worth making the switch. I'm not interested in going up to a Fuji X-T1 or an Olympus E-M1. I'll stay at this entry level, and probably get a few primes (35, 50, 90 mm FF equivalents, and maybe 150mm) within the system in which I settle. I'd appreciate your thoughts on thinking through the benefits of going into either system. Thanks in advance.

All of my MFT gear was stolen, so I took the opportunity to switch to Fuji (X-T1).

My MFT gear was an E-M1, but my best friend owns an E-M10.

In terms of AF speed, it's not even close: the E-M10 is much faster than the X-T1. Pretty much all Olympus lenses focus extremely quickly and silently. Fuji AF is loud and slow in comparison (whatever the lens or what people say).

If you're shooting moving people (like kids), the difference is very noticeable. The face detection works also much much better on the Olympus.

In terms of IQ, Fuji jpegs are much better IMO (although this is very subjective).

Although I'm a bit frustrated with the AF, I like Fuji IQ better, because I shoot a lot of portraits and scenes with shallow depth of field (DOF). Shallow DOF is harder to get with MFT and I prefer Fuji colors. For landscape work I think MFT is better (I find the sensor captures more details).

If I were you, I'll get an E-M10 with the following f/1.8 lenses trio: 17, 25, 45. For the price, it cannot be beat!

The E-M10 and X-E2 are both great options if you are looking to add an EVF. I've used these 2 cameras extensively and the differences are minor. Oly AF is slightly faster and quieter. Fuji's APS-C sensor provides slightly better low-light performance. It really comes down to personal preference. Try them both if you can and keep the one you like best.

Hi,

I know IQ is subjective, but I have used a EP5 and owned/used two E-M10 bodies with a variety of Oly zoom and prime lenses. I now have an X-E1 with the 'kit lenses' (16-50 & 50-230) and consider the Fuji to be superior in the main criteria for me which is IQ. I love the ooc jpegs and the touched up raf's, to me just about every aspect is superior to the Oly ouput, but that is just my opinion and I know that others will disagree. Perhaps the E-M10 needs a bit more work and skill to get the best results and I am just a lazy snapper!

Thank you, all. Your advice has been quite helpful!

I'm on the other side of the fence. I find everything about the Olympus system better than Fuji. I owned the XM1 and sent it back and picked up the EM10 and fell in love. The EM10 has better build, touch screen controls, a good EVF, faster and more accurate focusing and of course IBS which means every lens is stabilized. I prefer the selection of Olympus and Panasonic primes, but that's relatively subjective. As far as IQ goes, I prefer the Olympus output (colors, details, dynamic range), I found Fuji color to be inconsistent (cyan skies, pink skin tones) and the metering was all over the place. At $499 I think the EM10 is hard to beat right now.