My experience with the X-H1 so far

[Batdude]

Is APS-C "just as good" as FF? No way Jose.

I just finished PP some RAW photos that I took at a school open house, indoor no flash which is how I usually shoot and I shot at this same place a few months ago with the pentax K1. To make this really really short, I got noise very quickly with my new X-H1 and it is very noticeable. I'm actually very surprised at this.

Having said that, with a noise reduction touch up in LR is good to go and the images look pleasant of course, but man, the K1 I just sold simply SMOKES my new X-H1 when it comes to detail and cleaner IQ when boosting shadows and exposure in low light. You simply cannot compare the performance of a FF sensor.

Whoever doesn't like noise and if your priority are cleaner images at higher ISO don't even bother with APS-C. A new modern FF simply outperforms the smaller sensor, and honestly, by a lot. The "technical" term of an advantage difference is "one stop" or whatever, and let me tell you something, that's just a number, because when you actually see the difference with your own eyes it sure looks like more than one stop difference.

Having said that, I'm okay with this because my shooting requirements have changed drastically since I have invested In lights. One thing that has blown me away about the X-H1 is the crisp and BUTTERY colors from the X-H1. Oh my lord! The stage I shot was lit with a yellow background and those colors look drop dead gorgeous. Just fabulous. I'm glad I'm back with Fuji and It was a pure delight to use the 16 and 35 1.4 lenses once again. What a joy and what a HUGE difference to shoot with these prime lenses once again coming from shooting only a 24-70 for around 6 months. What a difference and Fuji lenses are simply unbeatable and pure magic.

Jesus, having used the K1 for many months the XH1 feels three quarters lighter with the 16mm on it. It really feels like a feather and a major relief. AF performance is like day and night compared to the K1. The XH1 totally smokes the pentax and Fuji prime lenses never disappoint. Another major relief. I'm really surprised at how fast and snappy the 35mm 1.4 AF has turned out to be on a new Fuji body and it is like day and night compared to the XT1.

At first the grip felt really weird but after only a few hours of using it I'm already getting completely used to it and the camera is just awesome. This weekend I have a photoshoot and will continue to pay more attention to other details, bad or good.

 

[tomO2013]

K1 is an awesome image maker. I had one myself for a while. Loved the detailed images it could put out, frustrated by lens lineup and AF.
You should try running your Fuji files through Iridient - you will probably find that there is much more detail there that you were not aware about if you are using ACR in isolation right now. While it won't match the detail levels of the K1 you may find that the gap is closer after running through Iridient than through ACR.

 

[atoniolin]

Is APS-C "just as good" as FF? No way Jose.

I just finished PP some RAW photos that I took at a school open house, indoor no flash which is how I usually shoot and I shot at this same place a few months ago with the pentax K1. To make this really really short, I got noise very quickly with my new X-H1 and it is very noticeable. I'm actually very surprised at this.

Having said that, with a noise reduction touch up in LR is good to go and the images look pleasant of course, but man, the K1 I just sold simply SMOKES my new X-H1 when it comes to detail and cleaner IQ when boosting shadows and exposure in low light. You simply cannot compare the performance of a FF sensor.

Whoever doesn't like noise and if your priority are cleaner images at higher ISO don't even bother with APS-C. A new modern FF simply outperforms the smaller sensor, and honestly, by a lot. The "technical" term of an advantage difference is "one stop" or whatever, and let me tell you something, that's just a number, because when you actually see the difference with your own eyes it sure looks like more than one stop difference.

Having said that, I'm okay with this because my shooting requirements have changed drastically since I have invested In lights. One thing that has blown me away about the X-H1 is the crisp and BUTTERY colors from the X-H1. Oh my lord! The stage I shot was lit with a yellow background and those colors look drop dead gorgeous. Just fabulous. I'm glad I'm back with Fuji and It was a pure delight to use the 16 and 35 1.4 lenses once again. What a joy and what a HUGE difference to shoot with these prime lenses once again coming from shooting only a 24-70 for around 6 months. What a difference and Fuji lenses are simply unbeatable and pure magic.

Jesus, having used the K1 for many months the XH1 feels three quarters lighter with the 16mm on it. It really feels like a feather and a major relief. AF performance is like day and night compared to the K1. The XH1 totally smokes the pentax and Fuji prime lenses never disappoint. Another major relief. I'm really surprised at how fast and snappy the 35mm 1.4 AF has turned out to be on a new Fuji body and it is like day and night compared to the XT1.

At first the grip felt really weird but after only a few hours of using it I'm already getting completely used to it and the camera is just awesome. This weekend I have a photoshoot and will continue to pay more attention to other details, bad or good.

Hey batdude,

Do you mean even with the Mighty 16 and XF35F1.4, the noise on X-H1 is still much higher when shooting indoor?

So far when I shoot with X-H1 + XF 16, it can handle low-light pretty well, but I set ISO to max out at 1600/3200 as beyond 6400, the image is pretty much useless, LOL, so I rarely have any issues.

 

[Canadianguy]

...

Having said that, I'm okay with this because my shooting requirements have changed drastically since I have invested In lights. One thing that has blown me away about the X-H1 is the crisp and BUTTERY colors from the X-H1. Oh my lord! The stage I shot was lit with a yellow background and those colors look drop dead gorgeous. Just fabulous. I'm glad I'm back with Fuji and It was a pure delight to use the 16 and 35 1.4 lenses once again. What a joy and what a HUGE difference to shoot with these prime lenses once again coming from shooting only a 24-70 for around 6 months. What a difference and Fuji lenses are simply unbeatable and pure magic.

Jesus, having used the K1 for many months the XH1 feels three quarters lighter with the 16mm on it. It really feels like a feather and a major relief. AF performance is like day and night compared to the K1. The XH1 totally smokes the pentax and Fuji prime lenses never disappoint. Another major relief. I'm really surprised at how fast and snappy the 35mm 1.4 AF has turned out to be on a new Fuji body and it is like day and night compared to the XT1.

At first the grip felt really weird but after only a few hours of using it I'm already getting completely used to it and the camera is just awesome. This weekend I have a photoshoot and will continue to pay more attention to other details, bad or good.

Never understand why people always compare using a heavy 24-70 F2.8 lens on 35mm camera against a 35mm or 50mm prime lens on APS-C camera?

Its like there are no primes available for 35mm sensor cameras - people can only shoot with F2.8 zooms when using 35mm sensor cameras and primes are only available on the APS-C cameras?

Of course, the APS-C cameras are so small and light if all you are using are short primes on them!

 

[Batdude]

...

Having said that, I'm okay with this because my shooting requirements have changed drastically since I have invested In lights. One thing that has blown me away about the X-H1 is the crisp and BUTTERY colors from the X-H1. Oh my lord! The stage I shot was lit with a yellow background and those colors look drop dead gorgeous. Just fabulous. I'm glad I'm back with Fuji and It was a pure delight to use the 16 and 35 1.4 lenses once again. What a joy and what a HUGE difference to shoot with these prime lenses once again coming from shooting only a 24-70 for around 6 months. What a difference and Fuji lenses are simply unbeatable and pure magic.

Jesus, having used the K1 for many months the XH1 feels three quarters lighter with the 16mm on it. It really feels like a feather and a major relief. AF performance is like day and night compared to the K1. The XH1 totally smokes the pentax and Fuji prime lenses never disappoint. Another major relief. I'm really surprised at how fast and snappy the 35mm 1.4 AF has turned out to be on a new Fuji body and it is like day and night compared to the XT1.

At first the grip felt really weird but after only a few hours of using it I'm already getting completely used to it and the camera is just awesome. This weekend I have a photoshoot and will continue to pay more attention to other details, bad or good.

Never understand why people always compare using a heavy 24-70 F2.8 lens on 35mm camera against a 35mm or 50mm prime lens on APS-C camera?

Its like there are no primes available for 35mm sensor cameras - people can only shoot with F2.8 zooms when using 35mm sensor cameras and primes are only available on the APS-C cameras?

The nikon 50 1.8 on my D4 is still heavier than the XH1 with 16mm. What I simply was trying to say is that the XH1 is not a heavy camera. That's all. A little heavier than xt2 yes, but it is still a light camera over all and it's weight is not gonna kill anybody. I just finished a four hour corporate event and I feel great with no stress.

Of course, the APS-C cameras are so small and light if all you are using are short primes on them!

 

[Batdude]

Is APS-C "just as good" as FF? No way Jose.

I just finished PP some RAW photos that I took at a school open house, indoor no flash which is how I usually shoot and I shot at this same place a few months ago with the pentax K1. To make this really really short, I got noise very quickly with my new X-H1 and it is very noticeable. I'm actually very surprised at this.

Having said that, with a noise reduction touch up in LR is good to go and the images look pleasant of course, but man, the K1 I just sold simply SMOKES my new X-H1 when it comes to detail and cleaner IQ when boosting shadows and exposure in low light. You simply cannot compare the performance of a FF sensor.

Whoever doesn't like noise and if your priority are cleaner images at higher ISO don't even bother with APS-C. A new modern FF simply outperforms the smaller sensor, and honestly, by a lot. The "technical" term of an advantage difference is "one stop" or whatever, and let me tell you something, that's just a number, because when you actually see the difference with your own eyes it sure looks like more than one stop difference.

Having said that, I'm okay with this because my shooting requirements have changed drastically since I have invested In lights. One thing that has blown me away about the X-H1 is the crisp and BUTTERY colors from the X-H1. Oh my lord! The stage I shot was lit with a yellow background and those colors look drop dead gorgeous. Just fabulous. I'm glad I'm back with Fuji and It was a pure delight to use the 16 and 35 1.4 lenses once again. What a joy and what a HUGE difference to shoot with these prime lenses once again coming from shooting only a 24-70 for around 6 months. What a difference and Fuji lenses are simply unbeatable and pure magic.

Jesus, having used the K1 for many months the XH1 feels three quarters lighter with the 16mm on it. It really feels like a feather and a major relief. AF performance is like day and night compared to the K1. The XH1 totally smokes the pentax and Fuji prime lenses never disappoint. Another major relief. I'm really surprised at how fast and snappy the 35mm 1.4 AF has turned out to be on a new Fuji body and it is like day and night compared to the XT1.

At first the grip felt really weird but after only a few hours of using it I'm already getting completely used to it and the camera is just awesome. This weekend I have a photoshoot and will continue to pay more attention to other details, bad or good.

Hey batdude,

Do you mean even with the Mighty 16 and XF35F1.4, the noise on X-H1 is still much higher when shooting indoor?

So far when I shoot with X-H1 + XF 16, it can handle low-light pretty well, but I set ISO to max out at 1600/3200 as beyond 6400, the image is pretty much useless, LOL, so I rarely have any issues.

Yes when you increase shadows and exposure just a bit in low light, noise is easily seen and if you are not careful it can look pretty bad. Big difference from the K1 capability.

 

[zakaria]

Iam glad you like your new XH1.

Iam a 2 systems user .i have 2 Fuji cameras XT1 and XE2 s beside a Pentax k1.

To be honest the Pentax file is amazing no way to compare it with APS C file. Though I like XE2 s when photographing at the national light.

I like the Fuji blue colour and I like the Pentax green colour.

Both system have their strengthsand weakness.

 

[Batdude]

Iam glad you like your new XH1.

Iam a 2 systems user .i have 2 Fuji cameras XT1 and XE2 s beside a Pentax k1.

To be honest the Pentax file is amazing no way to compare it with APS C file. Though I like XE2 s when photographing at the national light.

I like the Fuji blue colour and I like the Pentax green colour.

Both system have their strengthsand weakness.

--
pentaxian .

Yes indeed. Both have major strengths and both have huge weaknesses too.

 

[tomO2013]

In terms of noise difference, I've owned both (K1) and XT2....

from K1:

https://flic.kr/p/NeW9io

https://flic.kr/p/RUJNCo

https://flic.kr/p/S5Kr4U

and also XT2:

https://flic.kr/p/WAqx6t

https://flic.kr/p/RFjWYY

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24434110@N05/31467328723/in/dateposted/

Without pre-determined bias for one system or the other, there is no question in my mind that the APSC Fuji XT2 is the superior camera for my use cases (portrait, travel, landscape, event work).

I have found that files run through ACR do not perform as well as other APSC cameras e.g. A6500.

However running the same files through Iridient and I've found the difference in final output is very close between XT2 and K1 (largely because most of the glass that I had for my K1 (24-70 2.8, 70-200 * 2.8, 16-35 2.8 and limited primes 31,43 and 77) were not nearly as sharp wide open as the Fuji glass. Also I find that Fuji's Xtrans , where rubber meets the road tends to upscale remarkably well. The squiggles at 200% inspection on screen look like small randomised grain in print. Of course the Pixel shift on the K1 kills the XT2 and most all other DSLR cameras currently available where you can make use of that capability. For field landscape work, I'd probably swing for the K1 for this particular use case.

However when it comes to low light performance, I cannot honest say that I see a huge difference at 6400 (even accounting for the fact that ACR doesn't handle greens well with Fuji in the studio scene) https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/im...=1&x=0.8845401174168296&y=-0.5063980137509547
Even downsampled to the same 24mp I'd reckon there would be at most 1/3 a stop in it if that at all.
More importantly is the nature of the noise that appears - the Fuji's noise tends to be more random in nature and as such perceptively/subjectively less offensive and in some situations even desirable (I also shoot film so like a little grain ).
Or course you could down-sample the K1 to 24mp and probably gain back a small improvement in noise. But at least in the studio scene samples I see a lot more color noise in the K1 scene.

Finally, in lower light the AF on the K1 was pretty bad in terms of both consistency and accuracy. The XT2 is the better low light shooter for me.



Of course YMMV, but just providing an alternative opinion.

 

[Terrence Miele]

It's a little bit of a price difference I mean I can get an xh1 for around 700 I can't touch it Pentax Q one mark one for less than probably 1200 I only have one autofocus lens for Fuji I want to use it primarily for manual focus older lenses have you messed around with older lenses on the xh1 how does the sensor do good with it sometimes I find it's a little bit and miss depending on the lense. I do own a lot of Pentax. K and m42 so the only thing I might buy The Limited 1 I'll see if I find one for cheap but I think I'm going to go with the xh1 even though I don't do a lot of filming also you hit the nail on the head too many photographers expect too much from available lights it's so easy the carrier Flash or small LED both of them have sync ports and I got a couple of nice mono lights.

 

[Phil1]

I use two X-H1s for event photography, often in extremely poor lighting conditions. I have the 2.8 zooms for when the lighting is a little better and I try to keep the ISO to 1,600 or less.

However, when the light levels drop to the 'OMG where is the subject' level I now use fast primes f1.4 (24 & 35mm) and f2(90mm) givimg a 1-2 stop ‘ISO’ advantage over the f2.8 zooms pros often use on FF systems. Because of the smaller sensor the DoF is roughly comparable, so no loss there.

While the fast lenses can compensate to a large extent for the smaller sensor size in terms of noise, of course, if you have a FF camera with fast primes that would be even better, but you'd have to be careful with the DoF which is less than with an APSC sensor.

One of the important things to keep in mind with APSC is that if you want the very best results it’s important to pay attention to the processing. I’ve found it is very helpful in optimising IQ to process using Iridient X-Transformer, followed by Enhanced Details in LR. I turn off LR sharpening and then batch process in Topaz Sharpen AI which can really make the most of the Fuji lenses, if it’s not overdone.

As you may know, DPR, in its camera reviews, has some excellent displays showing how cameras perform in terms of noise and, importantly, in terms of how far the different cameras can be pushed. These displays are interactive and you can choose which 4 cameras you want to compare. My reading of them (and it is subjective of course and YMMV) is that FF has around a 1 stop ISO advantage over the current Fujis but they can be pushed by 1-2 stops more to get similar appearing noise levels. But then how often do you need to push the shadows by 6 stops?

However, if someone offered me a couple of Z6s cameras with fast primes I’d find it very hard to refuse!

Exciting times & it’s great to have such a wide choice!

Phil

 

[Terrence Miele]

Thanks for the feedback I've never tried the Irident X I'm assuming that's a program for editing is that the Fuji free one. To be honest I do most of my editing from a phone at this point later on I graduate to doing more work for a computer but right now mobile editing apps just allow me to keep shooting and the stuff looks fine on Instagram in social media I've actually even got some some decent 11 by 14 prints thanks

 

[Terrence Miele]

and like I said I think I can get an xh1 for about seven hundred bucks and then the grip will cost me I think another hundred and ten. I mean I see someone else selling a d610 Nikon a bit older but still full frame for 6:50 that's not too bad either I was checking out the K1 but I can't find it cheaper then like 12 or 1300 which is maybe doable if I don't eat for a while

 

[yayatosorus]

Hi,

I shoot fairly regularly with Pentax lenses on my X-H1. I'd advise you to get a good adapter, as some of the cheap ones have a little play on the camera mount. The Pentax K1 is great, but if you can't afford it don't buy it, it won't make you a better photographer. If you can get a decent X-H1 for $700, it's a steal. Also, if you want a free program that delivers good results, I recommend using Capture One Express. Here are some samples:


SMC Pentax-F 70-210mm f/4-5.6




SMC Pentax 135mm f/2.5




SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7

 

[21William]

Historically Pentax have been one of the worst performers on the market for AF. I’ve had a K10 and still have a K5. APSC is more than adequate for my needs. X-H1 is about the same size as my K5 but a little lighter. Ergonomics are just slightly better on the Pentax. Image quality and AF speed is (as expected) much better on the X-H1. I’ve not had any expensive Pentax primes but the built quality on the Fuji 18-55 and 10-24 are both much better than anything I’ve had for my Pentax cameras. The Fuji’s also seem sharper but maybe it’s just the AA filter on the K5 spoiling things? I’ve never owned any plastic mount lenses but even mounting a lens on the Fuji feels much better than the Pentax. Even if Pentax bring out a really nice DSLR next year I likely couldn’t afford it and I really like the features Fuji Mirrorless brings to my hobby. I wish Pentax well and hope they reduce the size of their FF DSLR’s and improve the AF.

 

[Phil1]

Iridient is a standalone photo-processing app for Apple.

However, if you use a PC, Iridient also sell 'X-Transformer' which turns the RAW files into dng files (de-mosaicing) and which avoids the 'worm' effects earlier versions of Lightroom sometimes produced. X-Transformer can be used as a standalone or as a Lightroom plugin. These dng files then need to be processed in Lightroom or Photoshop etc in the usual way.

Lightroom now has the Enhanced Detail option which works really well.

Look at the Lightroom and Iridient websites for more info or do a google search for review of their software.

I hope this is of some help.

Phil

 

[Terrence Miele]

Yes thank you I want with the xh1 750 bucks including the vertical grip I'm going to start messing with it today hopefully mine is okay it was still in a box. I definitely want to use my Pentax lenses that I'm having a real hard time finding an adapter that's not too expensive and available for pickup seems like I have to order online both B&H and Adorama have really dropped the ball with their adapters lately everything vast majority in a special order unless I lucked out finding something used. But I do have an m42 and Minolta to the start out with and I think I got an Exacta to.. a vintage stores selling some old Exacta or topcor lenses that don't have a aperture on them.. they seem really good old Nikon kogaku old zeiss . My work around will just be a hole punch paper saver on the back of the element I'll end up with a steadt F4. I've done this with old Pentax 110 lenses works out great

 

[Greg7579]

Hey Batdude, this is like old times! I can't believe I missed this thread two and a half years ago. Back then I was at the height of my Fuji X-shooting frenzy and I was always on the prowl to defend the honor of Fuji on posts like this. Hahaha.

I can't believe I missed it. Or maybe I responded to this thread back then and it got deleted. Or maybe I really got in serious trouble on this one. I can't remember.

LOL.

I had to smile reading this.

Are you getting out to shoot much? I have shot less in the last two months than anytime in the past 30 years. Man I want to get out there. But Teresa is renovating a bathroom, we can't travel, and I sort of hate shooting in San Antonio. Plus it is so hot outside that you get heat stroke venturing out to the Riverwalk or missions....

But I want to shoot some IR. I just bought a bunch or Hoya IR filters for my GFX lenses and I want to shoot some IR.

You ever shot IR? I'm a rookie there....

 

[Terrence Miele]

I'm interested in doing that too pretty new at it as well the filters are expensive