 I've been looking for the perfect mirrorless camera for years. The perfect combination of image quality, control, and compact size in a no compromise package. I think I might have found it. This is Fujifilm's new X-T1 camera. The new $1300 X-T1 takes everything Fujifilm has learned from its earlier models and adds some new things to make it the company's most interesting camera yet. The X-T1 features an all new interchangeable lens design, complete with a litany of control dials and customizable function buttons. The X-T1 is Fujifilm's first weather sealed camera, and though it doesn't have the same heft and gravitas of a full frame DSLR, it is really well built and feels solid when you hold it. It's die cast metal like a real camera should be, and it's covered in a grippy rubber everywhere your fingers touch. The control dials, all five in total, have a more intuitive layout than Fujifilm's prior cameras, and there are six function buttons that are fully customizable, including one on the front of the camera that lands directly under my middle finger. I've got that set to change my focus points, but there's a half dozen other functions that it can be set to. There are many little things on the X-T1 that appeal to seasoned photographers, such as the physical switches to change metering or drive modes, or the dedicated dial for changing ISOs. All of them are designed to keep you out of on screen menus and focus on your subject. Other Fujifilm cameras have taken the look of a classic rangefinder, but the X-T1 looks more like a miniature SLR. That's because of the massive hump in the middle of the camera that houses its brand new electronic viewfinder. Electronic viewfinders have typically taken a backseat to traditional optical viewfinders, but one look at the X-T1s will change even the most diehard SLR shooter's opinion. It's positively massive, has an incredibly high resolution, and according to Fujifilm has one tenth the lag of prior viewfinders. There's also a high resolution tilting LCD panel on the back of the camera, which works great for viewing photos after the fact. You can shoot with it too, just like any other digital camera, but if you're passing up the opportunity to hold this camera up to your eye and peer into its viewfinder, you're really missing out. Auto focus on the X-T1 is lightning quick, it's easily one of the fastest mirrorless cameras I've ever used, and Fuji claims that its.08 second lock time is the world's fastest. And compared to other mirrorless cameras, the X-T1 hunts less in low light and finds focus more reliably. All of those things matter little if the X-T1 doesn't have great image quality, and fortunately it's really solid there as well. It's got the same 16 megapixel X-Trans APS-C sensor used in Fujifilm's X100S and X-E2, and it's just as impressive here. It's got great color reproduction, captures a lot of detail, and can be pushed to high ISOs without turning into a noisy mess. Fujifilm's color technology draws a lot from its years of experience producing films, and it shows in the way it's able to reproduce skin tones and other difficult colors in a pleasing and attractive way. It shoots 1080p video at 60 frames per second, but the video features are definitely taking a backseat to the stills. It's also the first Fujifilm camera to have remote shooting via smartphone, and that's actually really impressive. The X-T1's built-in WiFi lets you transfer images to your phone or use the Android or iOS apps to take photos with the camera, complete with full control over exposure and settings. It's really fast and responsive, and doesn't have the lag that I've seen on other camera remote apps. I tested the X-T1 with Fujifilm's 18-55mm kit lens and a couple of its faster primes, the 35mm 1.4 and the 27mm 2.8 Pancake. All of these lenses are made of metal and have a higher level of build quality than is typically found on mirrorless cameras. But that isn't to say there aren't some nagging things on the X-T1 that I'm really not a huge fan of. The 4-way buttons on the back of the camera are small and fiddly, and the rear control dial can be really hard to use when you have the camera up to your eye. It also suffers from pretty poor battery life, a common problem with mirrorless cameras. But when looked at as a whole in the grand scheme of things, those are pretty minor complaints, and they don't take away from the overall package. The Fujifilm X-T1 isn't a camera for everybody, it's a focused tool for experienced photographers that know the principles of photography. At $1300 for the body or $1700 with an 18-55mm lens, the X-T1 isn't really priced for the casual photographer either. It's like Fujifilm listened to what a lot of photographers were asking for and then included them in its camera without compromising on what it's set out to do with this series. Make a compact camera that offers great image quality. It doesn't have the wow factor of a full frame camera like Sony's A7, but it offers a better shooting experience and still has the image quality that demanding photographers look for. And really, at the end of the day, it's just a fun and rewarding camera to shoot with, and it makes it really hard for me to put down.