Is There A Budget X-A1 X-Series Camera Coming From Fujifilm Soon?

For several days now rumors have been floating around the internet about an upcoming X-A1 entry-level X-mount camera that Fuji might present soon. Now it seems these rumors are no longer rumors, since the name has reportedly been registered with the South Korean Radio Research Agency. Fujifilm has only recently introduced the budget-friendly(er) X-M1, which is positioned below the X-E1, and a new XC 16-50mm kit lens that comes without a manual aperture ring, hinting at more entry-level X-series items to come.

This isn’t actually a bad move. digital compacts are hopelessly out of fashion these days, and most people step up to a mirrorless camera right away when they find their smartphone pictures don’t do the job anymore. By offering entry-level cameras and lenses for their X-system, Fuji automatically gains potential users of the more advanced lenses and cameras. Starting out with the X-A1 and the low-end kit lens, users will either step up to better lenses, more advanced bodies or both, but they need not change their entire system to do so.

Well played, Fuji, well played! (Btw, we’ve seen the same with Micro Four Thirds: both Olympus and Panasonic are offering entry-level cameras and lenses as well as higher-end products, so the idea itself isn’t actually new.)