Fuji XT-1: A Considerable Test

It's been a couple weeks since I first recieved my Fuji XT-1, and I've been enjoying photography more than I have in quite a while. I relish the fact I can carry an entire camera system without feeling weighed down, in a small shoulder bag with room to spare for daily carry items.

My camera is now becoming an essential item wherever I go, and that's something I couldn't do very well with my heavy, large Canon system. That's one of the reasons I bought a Panasonic GF1 when I first came out, and it was a great camera for it's time. My 7D put it's quality to shame, but now I have a small camera who's quality has been compared to full frame cameras.

The real test comes this weekend, when I attend round 5 of Formula Drift at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. I've been an avid drift photographer in the past and evergreen is very familiar turf. This will be the first time I've shot drifting without a Canon SLR in tow.

Panning will be a piece of cake with this camera, I'm curious to see if the autofocus can keep up in the infield, when you have cars coming at you sideways at 60+ mph. It will be a fun and informative weekend and I can't wait to share. I'll be writing an article for drifted.com and you'll be able to check out my select photographs there.

Fuji XT-1 - First Impressions

Out of the box the camera itself looks fantastic, and the size is perfect, add the optional battery grip and it feels even better. I've always been a fan of bringing back the popular retro look of cameras, and the XT1 does that very well without sacrificing usability. I also bought a Gariz half leather case for it which adds to the look and gives you a bit more grip to hold. the case screws on, has a flush tripod mount, and you can still change the battery with it on.

​One of the issues I had read about was how the directional buttons on the back were "spongy" I'm not sure if the model I got was refined, but I can see what people meant by that. Personally, I had no issue with how they felt, I have cameras that have a definite click to its buttons, and sure, they could have made a more clickly waterproof button, but it's really not that bad and shouldn't be a deciding factor in the cameras itself. The SD card door is also a bit flimsy as people have said, but again, it’s really not that bad of an issue.

I haven't shot a whole lot with the camera yet, but initial photos show me exactly what I had come to expect after reading the countless reviews and articles I found over the past few weeks leading up to the purchase. It shoots great, fast autofocus, sharp images. And that viewfinder. Wow. Bright, huge, sharp, and there's literally no lag. Once I have some more photos to share, I’ll write another article. As someone who's shot a lot of motorsports in the past, I’m interested how far I can push this thing.

New Camera System -Goodbye Canon

For now at least. Part of me felt like It was a burden holding me back at times, in the past year I've been hiking in the mountains a lot and it very apparent how having a large camera holds you back. 

What lens should I bring, the trusty and cheap 18-50 f2.8? But I want the best quality, so maybe throw in the 50 f1.2 as well, but what about those long shots? Bring the 70-200 as well? And then I realize I don't have the room with all the climbing gear I'm carrying as well. I always end up just bringing my waterproof Nikon AW110, which does produce a great image for its size, but I'm always wanting more quality.

 Canon as a system was great when I was doing more Motorsports work, but lately I've felt I've been not shooting for myself enough. And that's why the Fuji XT-1 really peaked my interest, both for it's size and lens system. Camera arrives this week and I'm excited to get back out and shooting without lugging around an overly large camera bag. 

I've researched plenty on the camera and it's hitting many marks, and photographers around the world love it. I also own a Panasonic GF1, which was my first mirrorless camera and the technology has vastly improved since that came out. Looking foward to shooting with the XT-1 and showing the images it produces.