Fujifilm X-H1

Perfectly timed candid street style Fujigraph, liking this idea very much.

George
 
Great shot Nick, nice perspective. Hope you didn’t get stomped on....
 
Used my X-H1 with a combination of 100-400 and 40-150 at the Zoo with friends on Sunday, and have to say I was left feeling a little disappointing. Love the handling of this camera, but it, combined with the 100-400 in particular gave me no end of slightly soft shots.

It was overcast and slightly drizzly, but even so, the 100-400 hunted back and forth quite badly and in a continuous low burst of say 5 shots, only one would be tack sharp with the rest either slightly soft or really just out of focus. I've used long lenses for many years so I know my techniques not too bad, and despite the conditions and high ISO, my shutter speeds never dropped below 1/250" (with lens and body I/S set to on). Worst of all was when shooting animals though a fence, where the camera would continuously focus on the fence not the subject beyond, despite me manually focusing on the animal first (god it takes a lot of turning the focus ring to rack the focus back out manually). I tried pretty much all of the AF-C custom settings (1-5) and nothing seemed to be much better than the last ? Operator error ?

The 50-140 was slightly better but even that sometimes missed. Don't get me wrong, when it did nail focus, the SOOC Jpeg were fabulous, even at 6400 ISO.

I then swapped the camera out for my Olympus EM1X with the 300mm F4, and every (and i mean every) shot was tack sharp with instantaneous focus - just bang !. Obviously at the higher ISO's (e.g. 6400) the Z-H1 bested the Olympus for noise, but even so the Olympus jpegs were eminently usable. I've seen this behaviour before when shooting birds. In anything other than perfect light I find that long lens photography is quite frustrating compared to the little Olympus's, and my old Nikon D500 beat them all into submission.

I wish now I'd taken the X-T3 to give that a work out instead of the X-H1, as in my (albeit limited) experience, the AF is a fair bit quicker and more accurate.

For portraits and landscapes, the X-H1 is a superb beast, but I don't think I'll be using it anymore for anything wildlife related. Guess there's a limit to what Fuji can do via firmware to improve essentially the X-T2 AF system from over 2 years ago.
 
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Used my X-H1 with a combination of 100-400 and 40-150 at the Zoo with friends on Sunday, and have to say I was left feeling a little disappointing. Love the handling of this camera, but it, combined with the 100-400 in particular gave me no end of slightly soft shots.

It was overcast and slightly drizzly, but even so, the 100-400 hunted back and forth quite badly and in a continuous low burst of say 5 shots, only one would be tack sharp with the rest either slightly soft or really just out of focus. I've used long lenses for many years so I know my techniques not too bad, and despite the conditions and high ISO, my shutter speeds never dropped below 1/250" (with lens and body I/S set to on). Worst of all was when shooting animals though a fence, where the camera would continuously focus on the fence not the subject beyond, despite me manually focusing on the animal first (god it takes a lot of turning the focus ring to rack the focus back out manually). I tried pretty much all of the AF-C custom settings (1-5) and nothing seemed to be much better than the last ? Operator error ?

The 50-140 was slightly better but even that sometimes missed. Don't get me wrong, when it did nail focus, the SOOC Jpeg were fabulous, even at 6400 ISO.

I then swapped the camera out for my Olympus EM1X with the 300mm F4, and every (and i mean every) shot was tack sharp with instantaneous focus - just bang !. Obviously at the higher ISO's (e.g. 6400) the Z-H1 bested the Olympus for noise, but even so the Olympus jpegs were eminently usable. I've seen this behaviour before when shooting birds. In anything other than perfect light I find that long lens photography is quite frustrating compared to the little Olympus's, and my old Nikon D500 beat them all into submission.

I wish now I'd taken the X-T3 to give that a work out instead of the X-H1, as in my (albeit limited) experience, the AF is a fair bit quicker and more accurate.

For portraits and landscapes, the X-H1 is a superb beast, but I don't think I'll be using it anymore for anything wildlife related. Guess there's a limit to what Fuji can do via firmware to improve essentially the X-T2 AF system from over 2 years ago.
Why 1/250 ? Were they moving or static ?
 
Got an X-H1 from the Fuji refurb store yesterday, it came with battery grip and 3 batteries for £799 so I'm chuffed at the deal. I've bought a couple of refurbs from Fuji over the years, they've always been mint. The X-H1 though has a couple of blemishes on it, though I'm not that bothered considering what I paid.
First impressions are really good, the IBIS is amazing. I'm getting razor sharp lowlight shots with my 35mm F1.4 and my 23mm F2 right down to 1/4 of a second. I also love the handling, I always found the X-T2 (with out the grip) slightly too small.
Looking forward to getting out at the weekend and giving it a good try out.
 
Why 1/250 ? Were they moving or static ?

Yes, either walking or moving in some sort of way (e.g. Tiger prowling, Wolves walking up and down, Elephants spraying mud and muck over themselves etc). For some of the more static reptile and invertebrates, I dropped the SS down to around 1/30 sec
 
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Got an X-H1 from the Fuji refurb store yesterday, it came with battery grip and 3 batteries for £799 so I'm chuffed at the deal. I've bought a couple of refurbs from Fuji over the years, they've always been mint. The X-H1 though has a couple of blemishes on it, though I'm not that bothered considering what I paid.
First impressions are really good, the IBIS is amazing. I'm getting razor sharp lowlight shots with my 35mm F1.4 and my 23mm F2 right down to 1/4 of a second. I also love the handling, I always found the X-T2 (with out the grip) slightly too small.
Looking forward to getting out at the weekend and giving it a good try out.


“Congrats” That’s a positive result in my book, “ENJOY”.

George.
 
Yeah as much as I love the Fuji X system, the depreciation is shocking.

The depreciation on all camera bodies on a two year refresh cycle is shocking!!

Fuji though really kicked early X-H1 adopters on the face, having said they couldn’t do IBIS (I even had this confirmed by someone very senior in Fuji UK), they then introduced the X-H1 at a premium price just months before the new sensor launch in the X-T3, and about a year later the new price has halved!!

The X-H1 is still a good camera, and I would suggest to Fuji that when the X-H2 is introduced (probably a handful of months before the X-T4), that a decent trade on offer is given. Given that Fiji cameras are date coded in the serial number surely something could be done
 
Yeah as much as I love the Fuji X system, the depreciation is shocking.

It’s something that is putting me off moving from Nikon. Mirrorless is still developing so new models do have more and better features. The beauty of the D750 is that it was great when it came out and I knew that it would be top notch for a good 5-7 years like the D700 was.
 
It’s something that is putting me off moving from Nikon. Mirrorless is still developing so new models do have more and better features. The beauty of the D750 is that it was great when it came out and I knew that it would be top notch for a good 5-7 years like the D700 was.

All half decent cameras are good for as long, it's the media shoving new models in our faces every 5 minutes makes year old models seem ancient is all. Tech is progressing so much quicker these days, but a LOT of it we really don't need - they just make us think we do. I honestly think it's a bad time to just be getting into photography - newcomers are instantly tuned to eye and face tracking, insane burst speeds, broadcast quality video, they don't even have to worry so much about shutter speeds as IBIS keeps improving to make that easier for them too, and camera AI has gotten so good you really can just slap them into Auto and get good results. Sounds great right? But what are they learning? There's people flocking to buy full frame mirrorless camera with all of these features who don't even understand the exposure triangle. Maybe they just don't need to anymore, as it's only going to get more advanced, even for budget gear.
 
All half decent cameras are good for as long, it's the media shoving new models in our faces every 5 minutes makes year old models seem ancient is all. Tech is progressing so much quicker these days, but a LOT of it we really don't need - they just make us think we do. I honestly think it's a bad time to just be getting into photography - newcomers are instantly tuned to eye and face tracking, insane burst speeds, broadcast quality video, they don't even have to worry so much about shutter speeds as IBIS keeps improving to make that easier for them too, and camera AI has gotten so good you really can just slap them into Auto and get good results. Sounds great right? But what are they learning? There's people flocking to buy full frame mirrorless camera with all of these features who don't even understand the exposure triangle. Maybe they just don't need to anymore, as it's only going to get more advanced, even for budget gear.



IBIS is great but not massively useful for moving subjects. I'm a big fan of it but having recently been shooting a lot with the xt2 I'm finding I'm not actually missing it. Don't get me wrong, I'd like it, but it's certainly not as beneficial as I once believed.

The best cameras in the world won't make you a good photographer - just look in the Sony thread for proof (joking guys).

I have friends who are starting out in photography and are just not interested in full frame purely due to the cost. I think a lot of us have become somewhat blind to what is a bloody expensive hobby. All the bells and whistles on the latest gear comes at an incredibly high cost. These are luxury items.

As a community we have to look at ourselves and shoulder some blame for the shorter life cycles. Many of us lust after the incremental updates and rush out to get them. We demand this and that when in reality we don't often need them.
 
Yeah as much as I love the Fuji X system, the depreciation is shocking.

The depreciation is only shocking because we as photographers think we have to have the next best thing, and now, immediately. If we had our camera’s for between 3-6 years and then decided we would quite like to upgrade our aging camera then we would all except depreciation due in large to the length of time we’ve had the said camera. Camera’s are like anything else, take them out for their first outing and there generally worth 1/3rd less than what you paid for it...... we are the fickle beast, not the manufacturer’s. As quoted above it will only get worse........
 
IBIS is great but not massively useful for moving subjects. I'm a big fan of it but having recently been shooting a lot with the xt2 I'm finding I'm not actually missing it. Don't get me wrong, I'd like it, but it's certainly not as beneficial as I once believed.

The best cameras in the world won't make you a good photographer - just look in the Sony thread for proof (joking guys).

I have friends who are starting out in photography and are just not interested in full frame purely due to the cost. I think a lot of us have become somewhat blind to what is a bloody expensive hobby. All the bells and whistles on the latest gear comes at an incredibly high cost. These are luxury items.

As a community we have to look at ourselves and shoulder some blame for the shorter life cycles. Many of us lust after the incremental updates and rush out to get them. We demand this and that when in reality we don't often need them.

Of course, it's all about the eye ... but it helps a lot when you can just whip out a camera and nail the shot with the help of all these technical aids in one. The whole process has changed, but, it changed a lot too with the change over from film to digital. I think you're right though, the general hobbyist who never frequents forums doesn't care about the latest £3K camera or £2K lens, they just want something that works! And gets them out there shooting. Of course even they are slaves to commercialism, and will want a 'Nikon' or 'Fuji' because they saw an advert or were told by some pro they talk to every 6 months that's what they should go for.

The manufacturers will churn new models out as quick as people will flock to buy them, I'm sure they have whole departments dedicated to conjure up more unnecessary features we'll barely ever make use of but market it like a must! As ever, these new models are only worth what people are willing to pay for them.

If I run a check list of things I 'need' from a camera, it won't include eye-tracking AF or 20fps bursts and I certainly couldn't give a stuff about 8K video - which is something that will plague us next round.

As for falling prices, I guess you have to know this going in as an early adapter especially. That's why we see them going used after only a couple months, the must-haves will offload them after the honeymoon and will already be shifted to the next best, they get out as early as they bought in. Already the XT3 is losing a lot of value, the Oriental sites don't help matters much either.
 
I was a Canon user for many years, from the Canon A1 up until the 5D3, I never had any of my Canon gear depreciate as quickly as Fuji. When I bought my 5D2 I decide to keep my 5D as I loved that camera, then I sold my 5D2 to buy the 5D3 I lost probably 1/3 of the value, but this was after 3-4 years use.
The problem with Fuji is the number and diversity of their cameras,and the short life cycle, I've owned (and in some cases still do) pretty much all the Fuji X cameras. When the time comes to sell them it goes against the grain to let them go so cheaply, so I don't lol
I've decided now though to move some of them on as they don't get used, I've decided to keep my X70, probably my most used Fuji camera, my X-Pro 2, for me my favourite camera ever and the X-H1.
I still have my first camera which I bought in 1972/73 a Zorki 4K with Jupiter 8 lens !
 
I was a Canon user for many years, from the Canon A1 up until the 5D3, I never had any of my Canon gear depreciate as quickly as Fuji. When I bought my 5D2 I decide to keep my 5D as I loved that camera, then I sold my 5D2 to buy the 5D3 I lost probably 1/3 of the value, but this was after 3-4 years use.
The problem with Fuji is the number and diversity of their cameras,and the short life cycle, I've owned (and in some cases still do) pretty much all the Fuji X cameras. When the time comes to sell them it goes against the grain to let them go so cheaply, so I don't lol
I've decided now though to move some of them on as they don't get used, I've decided to keep my X70, probably my most used Fuji camera, my X-Pro 2, for me my favourite camera ever and the X-H1.
I still have my first camera which I bought in 1972/73 a Zorki 4K with Jupiter 8 lens !

The true solution is to get of the upgrade wheel. I considered the X-T3, but for my kind of shooting felt it didn't offer enough over the X-T2 to warrant an upgrade (If the DR had significantly improved that would have swung it, but its only a very small increase in DR). I still feel like my X-T2 is a new camera, so I'm going to carry on shooting with it!!
 
The true solution is to get of the upgrade wheel. I considered the X-T3, but for my kind of shooting felt it didn't offer enough over the X-T2 to warrant an upgrade (If the DR had significantly improved that would have swung it, but its only a very small increase in DR). I still feel like my X-T2 is a new camera, so I'm going to carry on shooting with it!!
I made this decision when I caught myself posting on these pages that I didn't want my XH-1 as it was old tech and I returned it for an XT3. Didn't get on with the XT3 and bought another XH-1 and love it. It inspires me daily, and I suppose that can only be a good thing
 
I made this decision when I caught myself posting on these pages that I didn't want my XH-1 as it was old tech and I returned it for an XT3. Didn't get on with the XT3 and bought another XH-1 and love it. It inspires me daily, and I suppose that can only be a good thing
That's ultimately what it's all about, my X-Pro 2 still makes me want to pick it up and take photos.The reason (apart from the very good price) I bought an X-H1 was for the IBIS, not sure why, maybe because I'm now over 60, but I found I was getting a lot of softer shots which I attributed to camera shake. I'm hoping the IBIS will help. My X-pro 2 is still my go to travel camera, it's generally sunny when I use it (obviously not in Ireland !) so I can use faster shutter speeds.
 
That's ultimately what it's all about, my X-Pro 2 still makes me want to pick it up and take photos.The reason (apart from the very good price) I bought an X-H1 was for the IBIS, not sure why, maybe because I'm now over 60, but I found I was getting a lot of softer shots which I attributed to camera shake. I'm hoping the IBIS will help. My X-pro 2 is still my go to travel camera, it's generally sunny when I use it (obviously not in Ireland !) so I can use faster shutter speeds.

Sun's actually out here in the midlands this morn :D bit of a shocker in March!

IBIS is such a Godsend for people like me who mostly like to shoot close up stills. It's also great if you like to adopt old manual focus lenses, especially longer FL, just for framing the shot alone it's so helpful. The only down side to IBIS is that once you get used to it, it's very hard do without.
 
All half decent cameras are good for as long, it's the media shoving new models in our faces every 5 minutes makes year old models seem ancient is all. Tech is progressing so much quicker these days, but a LOT of it we really don't need - they just make us think we do. I honestly think it's a bad time to just be getting into photography - newcomers are instantly tuned to eye and face tracking, insane burst speeds, broadcast quality video, they don't even have to worry so much about shutter speeds as IBIS keeps improving to make that easier for them too, and camera AI has gotten so good you really can just slap them into Auto and get good results. Sounds great right? But what are they learning? There's people flocking to buy full frame mirrorless camera with all of these features who don't even understand the exposure triangle. Maybe they just don't need to anymore, as it's only going to get more advanced, even for budget gear.

Not in the DSLR market. From a users perspective the main differences between my D300 and D750 is the addition of video (irrelevant for me), more MP and better ISO performance. Fundamentally, the cameras are the same (yes, there are other tweaks and the AF is probably nano seconds faster) so if I was to upgrade to whatever replaces the D750 I would get only a very small benefit. Because mirrorless are newer the jumps are more advanced, like the AF between the XT1, 2 and 3. Or, as I know, the difference between the X100 and the S and the F. And some point this will level off but I know I can shoot my D750 for the next 5 years and be very happy with it, not so sure about the XT3.
 
Not in the DSLR market. From a users perspective the main differences between my D300 and D750 is the addition of video (irrelevant for me), more MP and better ISO performance. Fundamentally, the cameras are the same (yes, there are other tweaks and the AF is probably nano seconds faster) so if I was to upgrade to whatever replaces the D750 I would get only a very small benefit. Because mirrorless are newer the jumps are more advanced, like the AF between the XT1, 2 and 3. Or, as I know, the difference between the X100 and the S and the F. And some point this will level off but I know I can shoot my D750 for the next 5 years and be very happy with it, not so sure about the XT3.

I found similar with Nikon, shot with their cameras for a decade and in the end it got very stale for me. I went from a D80 and D200 to the D90 to the D800E and they all felt about the same. I know some people like that, they like the same menu system and controls, but when I upgrade I like a bit of a freshen up. The D800 was amazing at the time, but actual usage was no different to the D200 tbh bar size and weight.

The XT3 actually makes the T2 a bit of a bargain now IMO, I have no real need for the faster AF or better video functions. I'm not against switching to one I'm just too spoiled with touch screen and IBIS, but I do see some nice deals going for the T2 with grip and batteries
 
Yes, either walking or moving in some sort of way (e.g. Tiger prowling, Wolves walking up and down, Elephants spraying mud and muck over themselves etc). For some of the more static reptile and invertebrates, I dropped the SS down to around 1/30 sec
Just looked back through some of my old 100-400 moving subject shots with the XT-2 and 90% are tack sharp but don't have any above ISO 200. I would keep trying different settings as sharpness has never been an issue with any of my Fuji gear from T1, T2, T3 or XH-1 and we know the lenses are stellar.
 
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