Losing faith in Fuji quality/service

This may seem dramatic, but my just over a year old X-t200 now apparently has the comp pwb/shutter issues that others have seen. The shutter button now feels very mushy and will not lock focus using any focus mode and multiple lenses. I will have to send it in for service at my cost since the warranty is up. This is a second camera that mainly stays in the bag. The batteries had run completely dead before I charged them up and found this problem. Less than 2k shots on the camera.

This is the third fuji camera I have had to have serviced. Both the x-e1 and x-e2 I had had major issues with the main board. The x-e1 I just scrapped because it was not worth the cost of fixing. The X-e2 I still use occasionally, but the lcd has failed, so it is EVF only now. Has anyone else had these kind of issues with Fuji? I really love the system, but I also treat my cameras with quite a bit of care and would not expect this to be happening repeatedly. My X-t3 is fine and I enjoy shooting with it.

I admit that I have recently found myself disappointed with x100v for the first time since I bought it 14 months ago. I am having (what sounds like) similar problems with my shutter button, which no longer seems to have any half-press functionality. I too will have to send it in, likely at my expense (though my credit card apparently doubles the warranty, so I am investigating that) to be repaired.

Until that moment, I have never had anything bad to say about my x100v. Now I worry I'll always have niggling doubts about its build quality.

Were all these cameras purchased new? Or used?

These were all new. I have bought used lenses, but generally try to buy bodies new.

Yes, my x100v was purchased new. I've only ever purchased one used camera, an Olympus EM5mkii (which is still functioning perfectly).

A relatively cursory search of google indicates the half-press shutter problem I am having is not extremely rare. A search of Facebook groups associated with the x100v also indicates others having similar problems. That said, I'm reluctant to draw any specific conclusions from that information, and instead can only really contemplate my own situation.

I do admit I am a bit disappointed right now, though cautiously optimistic that it can be repaired and I can get back to shooting with the camera, which I otherwise very much like.

Temna Zvezda wrote:

Yes, my x100v was purchased new. I've only ever purchased one used camera, an Olympus EM5mkii (which is still functioning perfectly).

A relatively cursory search of google indicates the half-press shutter problem I am having is not extremely rare. A search of Facebook groups associated with the x100v also indicates others having similar problems. That said, I'm reluctant to draw any specific conclusions from that information, and instead can only really contemplate my own situation.

I do admit I am a bit disappointed right now, though cautiously optimistic that it can be repaired and I can get back to shooting with the camera, which I otherwise very much like.

Facebook is a magnifying glass for anything controversial. It means that certain issues might appear larger than they are in real life.

4 likes for you saying that you never had a problem and 400K for you saying how this capitalist company has screwed you over ...

But it sounds like you knew that?

I am sure these things happen, I used Fuji since 2013 and had a lens issue with a second hand 23/2.

Google often finds the complainers, not the happy folk.

In my experience Fuji do have a bit of a problem with shutter buttons, which is a shame. I had an X-Pro2 button go bad after six months (it lost the distinction between half and full press), and more recently I had not one but two X-Pro3’s with dodgy buttons that intermittently didn’t fire. The first was very occasional and I sold it on thinking that was just how they were, but then the second got progressively worse, until again at six months old it was unusable.

Both the X-Pro2 and second XP3 were fixed by Fuji under warranty, with entire new top plates fitted. The X-Pro2 was fine for almost two years after that before I sold it, and the X-Pro3 I still have and has been fine for 7-8 months now, so in both cases there were obviously problems with the original manufacturing. Not great, but at least in my case Fuji resolved these issues free of charge.

Before anyone asks, no I didn’t use a soft release with any of these cameras, I’m not a fan of those at all.  These were all brand new cameras when I bought them, too.

I have X-E1, X-T3, X-H1 (3 of them), X-E3, and GFX50R, all purchased new. Only the GFX has been serviced. I have a ton of Fujinon lenses. None have ever needed service, but I did return a 75-300mm zoom for decentering. So, I'd say they're pretty reliable, but not perfect...same as my experience with other brands.

Nielk Mike wrote:

Did you by any chance use the little srew-in part for the shutter botton?

I presume you mean a "soft release button" for the shutter? I do not use one, but I am curious that you ask, since it seems so specific. Is there a known correlation between soft release buttons and shutter button failure on Fuji cameras? (I am asking this seriously, I hope it's coming across that way!)

Facebook is a magnifying glass for anything controversial. It means that certain issues might appear larger than they are in real life.

4 likes for you saying that you never had a problem and 400K for you saying how this capitalist company has screwed you over ...

But it sounds like you knew that?

Oh, it totally is. I wasn't looking for confirmation of a suspicion, mostly I was just looking to see if this was somehow user-error (did I accidentally change a setting somewhere?), but it doesn't seem to be.

I am sure these things happen, I used Fuji since 2013 and had a lens issue with a second hand 23/2.

I am sure it happens too, I was simply surprised by it, as I'm not what I would consider really prolific in terms of shooting or anything (shutter count on the x100v is less than 3000 over the year).

Google often finds the complainers, not the happy folk.

Yes, it can do. In this case I wasn't looking for confirmation of my grievance, I was simply looking for information about Fuji shutter buttons. This is my first Fuji camera experience, having shot Olympus exclusively for most of my digital photography life until last year (with the x100v), and Pentax with film (Spotmatic F, still a great camera!) for a couple decades before that. I've never had a shutter button physically fail, and I was simply surprised.

Nielk Mike wrote:

The reason I am asking is that I used the soft release also in the beginning (cause it looked "cool" ). Then one day on an x100v I somehow managed to snap it right off. Fortunately, the camera was fine afterwards. But it made me think and I didn't use soft relase buttons ever after. With a soft release button, it is well possible that the release button experiences a different kind of forces which makes it fail.

That makes total sense. I can see how the leverage of a soft-release button might change the equation with regards to forces on the physical button.

Anyway, after contacting Fuji Canada support, they've asked me to send the camera in, which sort of makes me sad, but the workaround I've had to engage in just to use it (basically back-button focusing) is really sapping the joy out of the camera for me, so I guess I'll be packing it up and losing access to it for a while until they tell me how much it's going to cost to repair.

I certainly have not had a flawless experience with Fuji.  My X-T20 had to be replaced 2 times because of motherboard issues, I’ve sent my 55-200mm back twice for electronic issues.  That said, my X-T30 and X-T1 have not given me problems, nor have my other 6 lenses.  We also own an X-E3.  I figure that some of these problems go with the territory, and since I enjoy shooting with my Fuji’s, as you do with your X-T3, I will continue to use them.  There’s always the possibility that other brands come with their own problems.

I've owned an X-E1, X-M1, X-T1, X-Pro2, and X-Pro3, plus many Fuji lenses.  No shutter issues. In fact, few issues at all.

This doesn't sound any different than unlucky threads I've read in Nikon, Canon, and Sony forums over the years too... Sorry this has happened to you, though! For my part. I've had 6 Fuji bodies (from the 1980s Fujica AX-3 to my current X-Pro3) with at least thirteen Fujinon lenses over the years without a single failure that wasn't caused by ballistic activities that exceeded design specifications (I'm looking forward to them adding a "GR" designation for lenses that have a higher resistance to gravity-related damage)

Hi,

Fuji shooter since 2011: X100, X-Pro1, X-T1, X-Pro2, X-H1, X100F, X-Pro3.

Beside the sticky aperture blade on the X100 I had zero issues. That includes also the lenses - no problems at all. But my main cameras were the X-Pros and the X-H1 and those are built like a tank.