Good Sport FUJIFILM X-H1
Sports photography in particular has been the exclusive domain of the high-speed D-SLRs, either ‘APS-C’ or full-35mm, and 35mm film reflexes before this. There has never been a viable alternative… until now. It’s taken a while, but now that competitive autofocusing systems are a reality, mirrorless cameras are ready to exploit their potential for high-speed shooting derived from doing away with the reflex mirror.
All of a sudden we’re spoiled for choice… the Sony A9 (or even the A7R III), Panasonic’s Lumix G9 and now Fujifilm’s X-H1. The Fujifilm X-T2 had already attracted the attention of some sports/action shooters, but the X-H1 goes a whole lot further, particularly in terms of its potential durability, a very D-SLR-like design (no doubt deliberate) and important new features such as in-body image stabilisation.
Like the Lumix G9 in the M43 format, the X-H1 is bigger and heavier than any previous ‘APS-C’ X mount camera, Fujifilm no doubt figuring there’s some room to move here given the comparative sizes of the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and Nikon D5. It’s still a whole lot more compact than either, and the mirrorless camera makers are now realising that, at least in terms of professional users, a bit of bulk is no bad thing.
The X-H1 has a much stronger bodyshell – Fujifilm says its magnesium alloy covers are 25 percent thicker than those on the X-T2 – with a hardened, scratch-resistant coating, a stiffer chassis with a reinforced lens mount structure and additional shock resistance measures for the internals. The weather protection measures comprise sealing at all the various joints and junctions (68 in all) plus insulation where it’s needed to enable shooting to continue in sub-zero temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius. The increase in external dimensions is partly due to the adoption of the top-panel info display from the GFX 50S which isn’t exactly small, even on the medium format camera’s body. It’s the first time that an X mount camera has had a top panel display, but obviously it’s a standard feature on any high-end D-SLR so very much a case of maintaining a higher degree of familiarity for these users.
The X-H1 can be beefed up even further by the addition of the VPB-XH1 power grip which is no longer an optional accessory, but comes bundled with the camera. With the grip attached, the X-H1 does a very convincing looking imitation of a pro-level D-SLR.
As with the X-T2’s optional grip, this one not only adds more battery capacity and a set of key controls in the vertical orientation (plus the provision of a stereo audio output), but also boosts a number of specifications, including the maximum 4K video clip duration (increased from 15 minutes to 30 minutes) and the fastest continuous shooting speed when using the camera’s focal plane shutter (up from 8.0 fps to 11 fps). Additionally, the grip’s two ‘spare’ battery packs are also included in the kit which is handy in itself. When used in the grip (which means there’s a total of three batteries on duty), they extend the
