Adventures with the Fujifilm X-T1
The X-T1 was my first step into the Fuji X system and any interchangeable lens system. It first appeared on the scene in 2014 and quickly became a dream camera for me with it’s fully manual functionality, exceptional image quality, large viewfinder all in a beautiful compact weather-sealed design. Unlike DSLRs that remind me of over-inflated plastic blobs with lens mounts, or the more modern appearing mirrorless cameras that take on the shape of a relatively sleek shiny box with screen thrown on, the X-T1 was styled as a real proper camera with a magnesium body, sharp edges and dials, lovely tactile dials. I mean just look at it!
Late in 2016 my camera at the time, the fixed-lens compact Olympus XZ-1 was displaying hints of an upgrade, with batteries not connecting and regularly shutting off during shooting, not ideal when trying to cover events! It turns out I just needed to clean the contacts, but it seemed like enough of a reason for an upgrade at the time!
The X-T2 had been released a few months prior and while the higher resolution (24mp compared to 16mp), improved video, two card slots along with various other improvements was tempting, for me (A person who takes photos as a hobby, occasionally prints images and helps out with small photo requests) the X-T1 was more than enough at the time. It also meant the X-T1 prices had significantly dropped on the second hand market and so the decision was made, a little X-T1 made its journey from it’s first life in Sydney, down to Tasmania to continue its next chapter within my hands.
So does it live up to the dream-like status? Well yes, pretty much, the only downside of this camera mostly come from being the first generation model in the X-T line and the second of Fuji’s professional level bodies (following the X-Pro1), but even as a first generation camera Fujifilm has provided a mere 16 firmware updates since release (as of 2020) and has offered to make physical improvements too (Although I couldn’t take full advantage of these coming from the second hand market).
Physical Design
The physical design is likely the first thing most people notice about this camera, it’s pretty gorgeous (in my opinion) and just makes sense. Fuji has really focused on developing a photography experience for the user, steering away from shooting modes found on most, if not all other digital cameras on the market and going with a more traditional design similar to that of 35mm film SLR cameras.
The design includes separate ISO, shutterspeed and Exposure compensation dials, with shooting and metering mode collars beneath these dials, aperture rings are also around most fuji lenses and a focus mode switch is included on the front of the body. There’s a front and rear command wheels which can also be used for aperture and/or shutterspeed and an array of customisable buttons positioned around the body, a flippy screen on the back and a beautifully large SLR styled EVF centered on top.
In terms of usability there would be so many different ways to use this camera, but It has prompted me to shoot manual all the time, as the EVF/LCD provides a preview of the final exposure before taking the image, and because of this I see little benefit in letting the camera decide settings for the type of shooting I do.
I also have the shutterspeed dial set to ‘T’ for the majority of the time, this shifts the control of the shutterspeed to the command wheel (front wheel in my case) as this speeds up the operation and removes the need to move my finger from the shutter. I would of probably done the same with the ISO if it was possible, but I don’t adjust the ISO anywhere near as much as I do the shutterspeed, it doesn’t take long to lift my left hand to the camera or from the aperture ring to make the adjustment and it has become muscle memory anyway. This does not make the dials (particularly the shutterspeed dial) unnecessary for my needs though, as I still use them on occasions, for personal work they slow me down and provide the ability to adjust settings without bringing the camera to the eye. Over time my shutterspeed dial has become stiff with the metering mode collar beneath it, likely due to the lack of use, this is only a minor issue for me, but something to be noted.
A fault in the design to note from the initial batches of the X-T1, is that the rubber grip which has been known to expand over time (I believe due to absorbing moisture), fell off when subjected to certain conditions. This issue happened to my camera and while Fujifilm initially did offer a free replacement service to fit an improved rubber grip, I was late to this and my camera wasn’t covered (secondhand). I decided to send the camera back to Fujifilm in Sydney anyway and cover the costs myself, which was worth the expense.
Continuing with additional expenses, another worthwhile expense was the addition of the large eyecup (Fujifilm EC-XT L). The electronic viewfinder in the X-T1 is amazing, big, bright, large, incredible, fantastic, etc, the large eyecup just makes it a little bit better, sealing your eye into the large theater of a screen. The large version does extrude from the camera body which is no issue while shooting, but I’ve had to replace it once after the wear it gets sliding into camera bags.
Image Quality
When it comes to the images I only can compare with cameras that I’ve previously and continue to use. Initially I found the files that came out of the camera to be rather high in contrast, especially the jpegs, but once I started processing the raw (.raf) files I found all the information I needed to be there. Talking about jpegs, like all other digital cameras there’s a selection of profiles you can use to shoot in (often muted, saturated, etc), in the fuji world, these are film simulations, which as the name suggests simulates various film stocks (provia, astia, velvia, etc). Within these film simulations you can strengthen or weaken highlights, shadows, colour, sharpness, noise reduction, etc. I’ve always shot raw to get the most out of each image file, but I’ve noticed that I aim for a similar result to what the film simulations provide, making them a perfect starting point for processing my images.
Unlike the successors of the X-T1, video is not a strong point in this camera, limiting recordings to use film simulation profiles (Pro neg std or Provia appear most suitable due to their flatter profiles) with a higher than necessary in-camera sharpening. However I have noticed when processing video footage in Davinci Resolve I am able to pull detail from the blacks, but I would still be quite selective of the projects I use video functions for. I find the camera is slightly more suitable for tighter or detailed clips, where you can get away with the added sharpening and contrast.
Now back to stills and processing them, I started using Adobe Lightroom as my photo editor of choice and the majority of images below have been exported straight from the lightroom catalog in fact, but recently I made the switch to Capture One Pro for the apparently better processing of Fuji files (and the fact I could still buy it outright). Capture One certainly does a better job processing the Fuji files, but Adobe is still 95% there, a difference too small to notice on web platforms. To ensure I’m getting the most out of my images I would still reprocess any image in Capture One before printing.
In conclusion
I find the X-T1 to be a remarkable and solid stills camera. The 16mp resolution isn't a great difference to the newer 24 and 26mp sensors, only affecting printing at larger sizes. Unlike other earlier models in the Fuji X system, the X-T1 is surprisingly quick and snappy to focus after the numerous updates, although for fast pace subjects such as wildlife or sports the improvements of the later models in continuous autofocus and tracking would be beneficial. Video has also received major upgrades in the newer models, even the X-T20 which I purchased for this reason only shoots in the provided film simulations, but results in a much nicer file to work with (less sharpening and greater control over contrast), with the bonus addition of 4K for greater flexibility.
The downside of the X-T1, the X-T20. While I predominately shoot stills, I occasionally shoot video too and since picking up an X-T20 I’ve found that I’m choosing between packing the X-T1 for it’s environmental versatility (weathersealing and ruggedness) and comfortable operation, or the X-T20 for it’s functional versatility (improved video and photo capabilities). I usually end up taking both cameras which leads to swapping lenses between them depending on weather or particular shots and packing more gear.
Now this wouldn’t be complete without a bunch of photos, so here they are! I’ve tried to include a range of subjects and from various lenses, all processed with either Lightroom or Capture One.
