But Fujifilm says that the center-mounted viewfinder hump is not only there to improve handling; it wouldn’t be physically possible to fit anywhere else. The viewfinder uses a tiny 0.7-inch OLED display behind three pieces of glass, including one large element that’s aspherical on both sides. This is what gives the striking magnification effect, akin to putting a cinema screen inside the Tardis and peering in from the outside. "We really wanted to break through the barrier of the viewfinder," says Iida. "The EVF is always regarded as something inferior to the OVF, but we really wanted to change that perception."

"The photographer can control the camera, the camera doesn't control the photographer"

For that to happen, Fujifilm had to improve the function of the electronic viewfinder as well as the form, tasking GUI designer Nanae Sakuma with making the most of the X-T1’s large display. She showed me some wild designs, like one that projected distance markings in 3D and another that simulated the focus screen on a film SLR, but ultimately the two major innovations are simple additions that anyone who uses an X-T1 will soon find hard to live without. The first is a mode that rotates the display and settings when the camera is held in portrait orientation, and the second uses the viewfinder’s size to place a smaller manual-focusing aid next to the larger display. Sakuma says she also used the viewfinder space to keep the main image as clutter-free as possible, placing exposure information outside the frame. While there are some for whom nothing less than a traditional optical viewfinder will suffice, the X-T1’s electronic unit is the most convincing yet.

One area where Fujifilm didn’t budge is the classic, dial-heavy control scheme, which the company believes is a more efficient and enjoyable way to shoot than the abstracted, context-sensitive wheels used by nearly all its competitors. Imai traces the shift back to Minolta’s 1985 Alpha 7000 camera, the first to use autofocus and automatic film advance, and the designers compare this movement to the rise of automatic transmission in cars. "The X series is a new combination, the dials and digital," says Imai. "At first, film cameras with dials were common, then it changed to PASM with automatic cameras. Next came digital cameras with PASM that were also automatic. But now, we should be coming back to the standard."

These are cameras designed to be used manually by people who know what each physical control is for; there are no automatic sports or portrait modes as found on almost all competing models. "Nowadays we don't need special technique, the camera does everything," says Iida. "We think we should go back to basics. The photographer can control the camera, the camera doesn't control the photographer." We were speaking before Leica revealed its touch-controlled T mirrorless system — it’s ironic that Fujifilm, whose cameras are so often compared to Leica, are now making products that have more in common with the German manufacturer’s typical output.