A year with the Fuji X-H1 [long term review]
A Really Good Camera
Almost a year with one of the most underrated camera on the market!
Read the review here.
I can’t believe that my Fuji X-H1 still works, a year later. I carried the damn thing to Brazil’s wettest jungle and largest deserts… it ate dirt, every day, for seven months. Never failed! But is it the ultimate around-the-world camera? Is it more than simply “good”?
Let’s find it out!
Driving in Argentina!
The Fuji X-H1, when it was new.
I bought the X-H1 last August, and got it delivered to me in September (I was working in a very remote camp in Northern Canada. Thank you to The Camera Store in Calgary for their excellent service!). I took about 10 000 pictures with it, mostly in South America. Never glitched! Never failed! I love testing my gear to the max, a sort of permanent torture test. The Fuji X-H1 passed the test. It is a robust camera. I brought it with me through Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and back to Canada.
In central western Argentina, exploring the ruins of an old German hotel (built during WW2)
In central brazil! Chapada Diamante!
In Esquel, Argentina.
In Northern Brazil, near Atin.
In Japaratinga, near Maceio, Brazil
F/22! I need to clean my sensor! In the Patagonia.
A few observations
The battery’s life is good, much better than the X-Pro2 (as long as you don’t do videos, of course). I’ve got the battery grip as part of a deal: battery life was never an issue! I just plugged the camera in the Jeep’s inverter once in a while and it charged two batteries at the same time. Easy peasy.
The Fuji X-H1 is a workhorse: it works all the time, in every possible scenario. It’s certainly one of the best cameras on the market. The IBIS is superb; the image quality is amazing (for an APS-C), the JPG rendering engine is my favorite on the market, the ergonomic works.
But despite all of that, it was never my go-to camera. My Canon 1D Mark IV has a soul that the X-H1 simply doesn’t have. There is no satisfaction in shooting the X-H1: it’s too easy, too good, too simple. I know, I know, I know: but isn’t exactly what you want out of the camera? Yes – if I’d be a wedding photographer, the X-H1 would be my first choice (well, not anymore actually: I’d go for 2 Canon R6s with a 24-70mm f/2.0 and 85mm f/1.2: that’s the dream team combo right there). But I am not doing weddings these days. I simply take photos for fun and as a hobby. And the X-H1 isn’t satisfying. Get an X-Pro2 if you want satisfaction! Despite that I only have two lenses for my Canon, I still grab my Canon 1D Mark IV more than the X-H1!
I bought both cameras 11 months ago: And the Canon is the clear winner. Better image quality (mind you, the Mark IV is 10 years old!), better ergonomics, better shutter, but more importantly… SATISFYING.
This is why some spend a fortune to get a Leica. It’s all about the experience of being a photographer in the scene, connected to it. And mirrorless still doesn’t provide that analog feedback, sadly. I’m an old school? Absolutely, and I am not ashamed of it!
ISO 51 200 with the X-H1
A fisherman fishing!
Acros with the X-H1!
Falling asleep in my little DIY camper built at the back of my truck!
Taken with the 16mm f/1.4, Lake Moraine, Alberta
In Gaspesie!
Things that worked:
The sensor: a notch above the X-Pro2 (same sensor, but different algoritm);
The weather sealing: never had issues;
The battery life (for a mirrorless); impressive. One last multiple days! Long gone are the days of the X-Pro1 hahaha
The IBIS! Phenomenal!
Things that DID NOT worked:
That little eyecup piece: got tore apart after three months;
The sensor ultrasonic cleaner: it just doesn’t work, compared to Canon.
The wifi transfer to an iPhone: doesn’t work 60% of the time, despite every single updates and uninstall/reinstall bs waste of time;
Just a snapshot. Hiding in a field in Argentina for a quiet night of sleep.
None of the Fuji, outside of the X-Pro series and X-E series, offer a rewarding shooting experience in my opinion. I dislike every XT models. The X-H1 is a notch above, but I still don’t think it is that great of a camera. It does everything very well and never had a glitch with it, which is great for a modern camera, but it’s just need a camera that I feel in love with, unlike the Nikon D300 or D3s or Fuji X-Pro2 or Canon 1D Mark IV.
Should you buy a X-H1 in 2020? Yes, it is still a terrific camera, if you want to dip your toes in the Fuji universe. But make no mistake: there is a world of difference between a full frame sensor and Fuji APS-C. There are times that a 1.3x sensor developed in 2008 outperforms Fuji 1.5x sensor developed in 2016. That tells you everything you need to know about Fuji. They are perfect travel cameras, but they are not that satisfying.
That’s why a Canon 1D is a 1D is a 1D. Fujis are great, and I have two of them. Will I buy another one? No. Maybe a X-Pro1, if I can find a good deal. But I did my time with the Fuji and I reached its limits. Time for me to move to a full-frame sensor.
Cheers,
JP