Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
Back in early January, at CES in Las Vegas, Zack Arias and I met up with Billy from the Fuji Guys - our mission, was to get our hands on the secret new X camera.
Luckily, 'Fuji Guys' Billy is actually Billy Luong, manager of Product Training & Community Development at FUJIFILM Canada - and Billy had access to the goods!
After a lengthy conversation around current Fuji models, Zack's trip to Japan, and a round of 'selfies' with Zach's cellphone, and then my X-Pro1
View: original size
The time had come to mention... it...
Zach first asks about the 56mm f/1.2, but I come straight out with it, and hit up Billy with 'so do we get to see the new X camera then?'
Billy looks slightly furtive, scans the crowd around us to see if anyone has overheard - Zack pipes in with 'you know, the X-T1'.
So that's what it's called, the X-T1! I try to repeat it to myself to memorize it, but end up typing it into a text on my iPhone, so I've got it logged.
Billy asks us to come back in a while, as he has some meetings to do first - I try and find somewhere else to look around that's not too far from the Fuji stand.
After an hour I spot him coming out of a small meeting room at the back of the stand - he has a black camera bag in his hands.
I walk up and say 'is that it then?'
He nods, and points at one of the meeting rooms.
We head inside, and he closes and locks the door - there's a table and four chairs -and that big black camera bag.
Billy asks me to put my iPhone and X-Pro1 on the table - there are to be NO pictures.
He fumbles with the locks on the black bag - it has to be the most secure camera bag I've ever seen!
Eventually he gets it open - he reaches in and pulls out the X-T1 with the 56mm f/1.2 attached - and passes it to me.
I'm finally there, with the mystery camera - I try and memorize everything that occurs to me as I play with it.
View: original size
I've written my thoughts and observations down as best I can here:
http://f-sunny.com/hands-on-fuji-x-t1/
I'm happy to try and answer any questions you have after you've read the hands-on - and no, I don't have one to lend out to anyone!
Official Fuji press release here: http://www.fujifilm.com/news/n140128.html
Luckily, 'Fuji Guys' Billy is actually Billy Luong, manager of Product Training & Community Development at FUJIFILM Canada - and Billy had access to the goods!
After a lengthy conversation around current Fuji models, Zack's trip to Japan, and a round of 'selfies' with Zach's cellphone, and then my X-Pro1
View: original size
The time had come to mention... it...
Zach first asks about the 56mm f/1.2, but I come straight out with it, and hit up Billy with 'so do we get to see the new X camera then?'
Billy looks slightly furtive, scans the crowd around us to see if anyone has overheard - Zack pipes in with 'you know, the X-T1'.
So that's what it's called, the X-T1! I try to repeat it to myself to memorize it, but end up typing it into a text on my iPhone, so I've got it logged.
Billy asks us to come back in a while, as he has some meetings to do first - I try and find somewhere else to look around that's not too far from the Fuji stand.
After an hour I spot him coming out of a small meeting room at the back of the stand - he has a black camera bag in his hands.
I walk up and say 'is that it then?'
He nods, and points at one of the meeting rooms.
We head inside, and he closes and locks the door - there's a table and four chairs -and that big black camera bag.
Billy asks me to put my iPhone and X-Pro1 on the table - there are to be NO pictures.
He fumbles with the locks on the black bag - it has to be the most secure camera bag I've ever seen!
Eventually he gets it open - he reaches in and pulls out the X-T1 with the 56mm f/1.2 attached - and passes it to me.
I'm finally there, with the mystery camera - I try and memorize everything that occurs to me as I play with it.
View: original size
I've written my thoughts and observations down as best I can here:
http://f-sunny.com/hands-on-fuji-x-t1/
I'm happy to try and answer any questions you have after you've read the hands-on - and no, I don't have one to lend out to anyone!
Official Fuji press release here: http://www.fujifilm.com/news/n140128.html
was I feel a ground breaker. Likewise the X pro 1. Small, compact, rangefinder homage. The image quality superb. 
