What I Really Think Of Fujifilm After 3 Years Of Daily Use

I’ve been using the Fujifilm XT system much on a daily basis for my street photography, landscape photography, travel photography, client shoots and making YouTube videos. In that time I have broken 2 cameras, took photos in a variety of different climates and weather conditions. From intense heat in the Middle East, to freezing temperatures in mountains. From dry & dusty environments to full on rainstorms. These cameras and lenses are tools and they show it. They are covered in scratches, heavy wear and even salt from taking a full on wave when out in the sea. Finally after 3 years of this kind of abuse I am in a position where I can give some feedback on the overall ecosystem. 

Before going any further I want to make 3 things clear. First of all this post has nothing to do with Fujifilm and it is entirely my own opinion based on my experience. Matter of fact they have never reached out to me about anything. Secondly, I am not brand loyal at all. If Sony or Canon come out with a system tomorrow that fulfils a requirement while ticking all the boxes and not costing the earth, believe me I will jump over without hesitation. Finally this blog is not a review of any specific piece of gear. This is a high level overview of my experience with the whole ecosystem of cameras, lenses, customer service, etc. I’ve already made a ton of detailed reviews on my YouTube. 

Entry Cost

Compared to the full frame alternatives, the entry cost is very reasonable especially if shopping used. If you want brand new, then for under £1000 you can easily pick up a fantastic starter kit consisting of a small body like the XE4 or XT30 and a kit lens. If you shop used, you could even stretch to an XT3 with the 18-55 kit or a small prime like the 35mm f2. If you do want to take things more seriously or just have a larger budget, then for under £2000 you can get the XT4 with the 16-80 kit which will cover 90% of most photo and video needs. Of course you can spend a lot more but I started on the XT3 and the 18-55 kit and stayed with that set up for a good 6 months before upgrading to more expensive glass… and some of my favourite photos were taken with that set up.

Learning Curve

This depends on which camera you get as some like the XS10 has a traditional PSAM approach where’s cameras like the XT3 will have the more old school manual layout. Either way there will be a learning curve especially with the initial set up and assignment of buttons. These cameras are very customisable which is good but can also create an initial bit of confusion. However myself and many others have made videos on this to help and ultimately a few hours messing around with it will do the job. Furthermore there will be a learning curve with regards to how you shoot and edit the images. Given the different sensor to all other cameras, you will find that you might have to re-visit how you edit. For example many Sony users will heavily under-expose photos to then bring them back later in post where’s on this fuji I found that to not really give me the results I like… and at times even over-exposing the photo actually worked better. This is not a bad thing though and make you re-think how you have been editing your photos before. 

Ecosystem 

Out of all APSC cameras this is by far the one with the biggest lens selection with many primes, zooms and adaptors for any budget or requirement. From the small entry level XC35mm which is under £180 all the way to a pro wildlife and sports level 200mm f2 at over £5000. The best thing is that both use the exact same mount and will work with the same cameras. This means that you can own 1 or 2 lenses you use all the time and just rent in any specialist glass that you might need for a shoot. Also Fujifilm is now upgrading all their older primes and zooms which further instills confidence in this ecosystem. Finally Fujifilm have said many times that they are 100% committed to APSC format which further adds confidence. 

Build Quality & Reliability (Lenses)

The lenses are solid. To this day I have never had a single issue with any lens even if it was completely flooded with water both from heavy and sea water. A couple lenses did end up with one or two dust spots inside despite being weather sealed however this was an easy fix just by sending them to Fuji for a service. The 16-55 f2.8 did need the focus motors readjusted after 2 years however that is more than acceptable in my opinion. Although I have not personally experienced this, others have mentioned that some lenses can have variation between copies. A few people have complained that the 23mm f2 is too soft where’s to me it seems totally ok. Take this with a pinch of salt though as there are many people who expect a £6000 level of performance for 1/4 of the price just because £1500 is a lot of money to them personally. Also there are many people who zoom into photos at 1000% to judge image quality. From a cosmetic point of view I have never used any filters even when exposed to the elements and many times forget to even put the lens cap on. I even use my shirt to wipe the lenses most of the time. However not a single lens has any scratches or marks. I am not saying that being this careless is ok, but if it’s ok for me then it will be ok for most users who take care of their gear. The exterior of the lenses do have plenty of scuffs but again this is to be expected for the use case. 

Build Quality & Reliability (Bodies)

As for the camera bodies, I have had a slightly different experience. In the last 3 years I owned both the XT3 and the XT4 however they are the same. Overall I would say this camera is reliable however it does have some drawbacks and issues. Now and again the camera can completely freeze and you would need to do a battery reset in order to un-freeze it. Thankfully the frequency of these freeze ups is definitely reducing with every firmware update, but it can still happen. I would say on average it has happened to me once every 3 months or so. Also in my experience these freeze ups did not damage memory cards, photos or the camera. The biggest issue I’ve had with the reliability is the weather sealing. Both the XT3 and the XT4 have gone down in the rain for a total of 5 times. Two times the cameras switched on after drying without any visible side effects and worked as normal. One time some sand got into the shutter button and damaged the sealing around the top plate which was done under warranty. Two times when shooting in the rain, the cameras completely flooded and fried the logic board and the screen. One huge caveat to all of this, is that the conditions I was shooting in were not normal rain conditions and I did not have any protection with regards to a cover or even an umbrella. It was basically like standing in the shower for 30 minutes… or to put another way the last storm that killed the camera has a months worth of rain in an hour and flooded almost the entire tube network….  so there is definitely room for debate on whether it was acceptable that they failed. However i’ve shot 100s of times in what you’d call normal rain or while using some kind of protection like an umbrella and frequently drying the camera with a cloth and never had an issue. 

So do I think the weather sealing is an issue….. for most people the answer is no. Do I think that these cameras are reliable, dependable and well built, the answer is yes.

User Experience & Ergonomics

This is by far the strongest aspect of this system and one of the main reasons I shoot with Fuji. To put simply these cameras and lenses are fun to use, they are engaging and they genuinely feel like you’re part of the photography and not just using a computer and pressing a button. There is something about the design, the ergonomics, how the buttons click, the shutter and many other small things that together add up to a very satisfying shooting experience. All the buttons and dials are well places and on the XT line of cameras you can literally change settings while the camera is switched off. The camera and lens package feels very tactile and at this point just feels like an extension of my arm. Even though full frame cameras are getting lighter and smaller, there is still an advantage of this system especially when you compare the lenses. Battery life depends on which system you have. The XT4 with the latest battery is fantastic. However all the other cameras which use the older battery are not great and 100% would suggest getting a few spares. 

Photography  

Personally I love the photos this system can take and I really like the Fujifilm look. However there are also people who would prefer a flatter image that you could get from other brands. The raw files have ample room for adjustment and in most cases do not require a huge amount of correction. This system is known for it’s outstanding JPEG quality and although I personally don’t shoot JPEGS there are tones of photographers who swear by them. The Fuji cameras and lenses are in my opinion best suited for street, travel and landscape photography. However for any high end commercial work, weddings, events or sports I would look at something in the full frame world. Noise performance is acceptable and anything under 3200 is great. 6400 is my limit personally so if you are going to be doing a lot of low light work, then a fast 1.4 prime is what I would suggest in order to keep that ISO down. Autofocus in great for the scenarios I mentioned, however if I was a pro wedding or sports photographer, I would be looking at a higher end Sony or Canon. The IBIS on the later cameras and OIS in lenses is fantastic for photos and many times has saved the day in low light or capturing some movement. All in all for photography you will not go wrong with any fuji camera unless you are a high end pro who shoots weddings or commercial work.

Video

The XT4 really pushed the video features and overall I am pleased with the results. To get the most out of it, you really need to be shooting with the later generation lenses like the 16-80, 16-55 or some of the small f2 primes. This is because of the latest focus motors in those lenses making video AF a lot more accurate. I did once use the 16 1.4 for video which had the older motors and the difference in performance was noticeable. The main benefit of this system for video is an image which requires almost no colour correction or grading. Just like the photos, you can shoot with all the film presets and get a very cinematic look straight out of camera. Personally I shoot everything in Eterna and maybe add a slight contrast boost in post if needed. The 4k image has a lot of room to move especially when shot at 400 mbs. However be prepared for huge file sizes. The autofocus although good can still hunt even with the best lenses and is definitely behind the likes of Canon and Sony. The IBIS works great if holding the camera still but as soon as any movement is introduced it can result in odd jerky movements. You can definitely work around it and most other cameras do it also, but still worth mentioning. To be honest if you want a video first system and you’re gonna shoot client work, then I would not recommend it. If you are gonna do video for fun or for YouTube and social media, then this is a no brainer given the fantastic picture straight out of camera. Also if you do both photo and video, then something like the XT4 with the 16-80 or 16-55 is very hard to compete with for the price and feature set. 

Customer Service

As well as the experience of using the camera, the Fujifilm customer service is another big reason why I am still using this brand. To be clear this heavily depends on where you are in the world… all of the following is based on me being in the UK. Here in London we have the flagship store in Covent Garden as well as the main European repair centre in Bedford, a short drive away. The first time my camera broke, I explained I needed it for a shoot and then I drove to Bedford and waited while they fixed it which in total took just over an hour. The last time I bricked the camera which was last week, I requested a repair on Tuesday, a return box arrived on Wednesday, they received the camera Thursday and it was back with me all fixed on Saturday… For someone who relies on their camera, this level of convenience is invaluable. Furthermore if you’re a pro and invested a lot into Fujifilm, you can apply for their FPS membership. Which gives quicker repair times, use of their facilities and other perks. However I do understand that for many people who are not in the UK the wait times for repairs can last weeks…. Also I understand that the service you get will heavily rely on who you deal with and I have heard that in some countries it is not as efficient…. But as I’ve said I can only comment on my experience which has been amazing. Oh and all the repairs on my cameras were totally free. 

Summary 

I think for the features, performance, build and image quality you do get good value for money. Although there are some quirks and many areas still left to be improved, I do think that overall the package is good. Sure you can get better image quality, better AF and even better build quality but you will also be sending double the money and have a bigger system. In terms of whether this Fuji system is right for you… well if you are a hobbyist or you just want a fun camera to use, then definitely without a doubt. If you want to take photography more seriously and try landscape, street or travel, then this system will be perfect. However for higher end commercial work, weddings, events, sports or professional wildlife I would probably look at full frame alternatives from Sony or Canon. All in all I am happy with this system and as long as Fuji continue to improve upon the existing bodies and lenses, then I can see myself staying around. I hope that overall this video has painted a picture of my general experience with this brand and what you might expect if you invest into it yourself.