What I don’t like about Fuji X-T1

Few things before you read any further:
- This is not a review of X-T1. This is just a list of things I don’t like about it;
- I absolutely love my X-E2;
- I am not a professional photographer. I shoot for work and for fun, but I would not call myself a professional.

Before I got X-T1, I used X-E2 for six months. There are few tiny aspects I don’t like about it, but mostly I love it. Recently I got X-T1. Just as the new “awesome” v4 firmware came out. So basically I have almost no experience with X-T1 with original firmware.

Mostly I knew what I was getting. I have read and watched many, many reviews. I knew people complained about the recessed buttons and praised the viewfinder. I know people loved the v4 autofocus.

Ok, the buttons. I know they are recessed because of the weather sealing. I was worried about them, but actually I found I have no problem with them. Yes, on X-E2 they are nicer, but they are not bad and not that hard to use. What turned out problematic for me were the dials — front and back. They are way too shallow and offer very little grip. Using them absolutely always is awkward, and I have to think about how I hold the camera, so I can firmly turn the dials. Again, I know that’s because of weather sealing, but Fuji should find a way to make them more usable.

As difficult it is to use those dials on purpose, it turns out they can mess up things accidentally. Sometimes I find that simply by handling the camera from shot to shot, I accidentally hit — and don’t notice — the front dial, which changes shutterspeed. Luckily it can only dial a little bit, but still, that’s annoying if I have set the camera to get a specific effect.

The front facing Fn button is another accident waiting to happen. Often I press it unintentionally just by holding the camera. I know I can turn it off, but still — every time I hit it with my finger, for a split second I have to think — did I just change something?

Memory card and side input covers feel quite flimsy, I seriously doubt they can protect the insides from rain drops. Memory card cover is another thing I tend to hit accidentally — few times I found it open in the middle of the shoot.

I know pro cameras have them separate, but actually I prefer the X-E2 layout where memory card is under the same cover as battery.

Screen is nice. It tilts up and down. I never cared for it, I use it rarely, but have nothing to complain about.

Viewfinder… Its gorgeous. But dare I say — maybe a little too big? To see it perfectly you really have to plant your eye in there. But if you keep it a little bit away from your eye, you notice optical distortion in corners.

Flash. I love that I can tilt up the little pop-up flash on my X-E2. I can’t understand why Fuji didn’t build the X-T1s little add-on flash with tilting mechanism to allow some bouncing. The hinge is right there, just make it move a little more and add some spring to it.

Top dials. Very mixed feelings about those. I absolutely love the idea of direct access dials that you can switch and move directly even when camera is off. But the choices Fuji made for these are puzzling me.

The Photometry dial — under the shutter speed dial — I personally don’t change that setting often, but its nice to have it, but the problem is — this dial also can move accidentally! Which can drive you crazy trying to guess why the exposure is all “wrong”. It should be much stiffer — harder to move.

Shutterspeed dial — I don’t understand that locking mechanism. Why does it lock on Auto, but nothing else? Or why does it lock at all? I can’t understand why is Fuji protecting the Auto setting. Either lock all or none.

ISO dial mostly is ok, but I would change the H1 and H2 options to a customizable ISO range. Like 200–800; 200–1600. H1 and H2 just let you set the super high extended ISOs, which you shouldn’t use anyway.

Drive dial. I love, love, love the idea of direct access drive dial. I really miss it on my X-E2, where I have to use the screen to change S, CL, CH. It so often helps to quickly switch from single to continuous.

X-T1s drive dial tends to not move accidentally. Which is nice. I also like, that it has bracketing option on the far left. What I don’t understand is why does it have Multiple exposure, Advanced (artsy) filters and Panorama mode right next to S. Why? Who uses multiple exposure so often that they need to access it just as easily as switching to continuous shoot? Advanced filters… what is this? Instagram app? Who buys X-T1 to shoot silly filter JPEGs?

I wouldn’t mind these options, if they were on the other side of the dial. But as it is now, the most needed CH, CL, S are in the middle — where you can’t move the dial without looking. You always have to check how far you moved it. It would be so, so, so much better, if the S (single shot) was on the far right side. So wherever you are, just move the dial blindly all the way to the right side and you know you’re in S. Or, also without looking, just dial it back a little to CL or CH. Easy. And stuff all those silly options all the way on the left side.

That new v4 firmware. I tired out those new focusing options for a bit. I don’t think I will use them. I almost always use the single focus point. Mostly in the center, but I move it around when needed.

I found the tracking not very reliable. Also, its most effective in the center part, which kinda makes little sense. Zone setting… in continuous AF mode it just keeps hunting back and forth constantly and every other picture is blurry because the focus was moving. In single shot AF mode it worked quite ok, but since those phase detection AF points are only in the center part of the image, there is little difference in using Zone or just Single point autofocus. If Fuji had those nice phase detection points all over the sensor, that would be a completely different story.

(Yes, I have the camera in high performance mode)

Please don’t think I hate my X-T1. Its a gorgeous and powerful camera that makes amazing pictures. This post was only about things I don't like or understand about it.

Update a few weeks later

I discovered (remebered) the beauty of electronic shutter. It gives me two amazing options — shoot completely silently in calm indoor events; and shoot wide open in bright sunlight with ridiculous shutter speed. Of course, only static or slow moving subjects, as rolling shutter is a real and bad issue.

That photometry dial is just pure evil. I accidentaly hit it constantly, and then wonder why everything is so insanely under or over exposed. It always switches to Spot, which ruins everything. Just insane. I think i will glue it or make it stuck some other way.

Fuji should add an option to disable that dial in software.