The Fujifilm XT1 Graphite Silver Edition is a new version of the existing XT1 mirrorless camera. Announced in September 2014, it gives the popular XT1 a new luxury multi-layered coating and debuts a new firmware edition with a number of key improvements. I’m pleased to report these improvements will also be available to existing XT1 owners with a firmware update in December 2014.

The new coating consists of three layers on top of the magnesium body: a matte black undercoat deepening the tones, followed by a graphite silver coating for a smooth finish and shine, and finally a clear top coat for a glossy finish. Superficially in photos the newly coated areas look silver, but the process allows the surface to catch the light in different ways that Fujifilm says ’emphasizes the camera’s shape and form’; I’ll be getting my grubby hands on it in a few days, so will update this description!

The new firmware is arguably most exciting as it’ll also be available to existing XT1 owners. Fujifilm divides the new features into two groups, the first being built-into the Graphite Silver Edition from day-one. Headlining the first group of improvements is an electronic shutter option, firing silently at speeds up to 1/32000. There’s a new Classic Chrome film simulation and a natural viewfinder display option. Then in December 2014, a firmware update for both the Graphite Silver Edition and the existing black model will add a direct selection of AF area, new 24, 25 and 50fps frame rates for movies, manual adjustment of shutter and aperture while filming, a customisable Q menu, the ability to lock spot metering to the selected AF area, slower shutter speeds in program shift and more. Sadly there’s no mention of RAW at 100 ISO, deeper AE bracketing or 4k video, but there’s still a lot to like here, especially if I’ve understood the press release correctly and that all of it, including the electronic shutter, will become available on the existing XT1 with the December firmware update. The Fujifilm XT1 Graphite Silver Edition body will be available from November 2014 at $1499 USD / 1199 GBP.

Announced on the same day as the XT1 Graphite Silver Edition are two lenses: the weather-resistant XF 50-140mm f2.8 (previously shown as a prototype) and a new version of the 56mm f1.2 with an Apodisation filter that’s said to smooth the edges of out-of-focus areas more than the original model for creamier bokeh.

The XF 50-140mm f2.8 and XF 56mm f1.2 R APD will both be available from November 2014 at 1249 GBP and 1099 GBP respectively.

You can find out all about the original XT1 in my Fujifilm XT1 review and the original 56mm in my Fujifilm 56mm f1.2 review!