Is X-H1 the right choice for me?

[SRFOTO]

I have just sold my D750 camera with 24-70 & 200-500.  I have been shooting wild animals and landscapes for 12 years.  most wildlife.  now I feel that I am stuck in a pattern.  I have always used the car in my photography to be as effective as possible in finding the wild animals.  it leads to a lot of gasoline money and the same usual roads.  now I have started hiking / hike a lot and visiting many nice places and want to focus more on nature and landscape with elements of wildlife and not just portraits of animals but more to get with the environment as well.  I am used to heavy equipment and in the past year it has also been the reason for leaving the equipment at home sometimes.  My idea is to go over to Fuji which I enjoy before.  I have owned x-t10 and x70.  I love the agility and image quality even though an aps-c sensor does not have as good a dynamic range and is not as clean in the image quality when using high ISO as a D750.

The two cameras I am interested in are X-H1 and X-T3.  In the past I have always struggled to buy the more expensive Fuji models and used a camera model that is really too small for my hands etc.  but this time I think differently.  I am writing for and disadvantages, as I think, about the two models that I mentioned.

 

X-H1 Pros:

solid construction.  weatherproof.  IBIS.  Top LCD.  3-way tilt screen.  eye-cup is deeper.  cheaper now.

X-T3 Pros:

pros: X-trans 4 ?, native ISO 80, smaller size than x-h1, weatherproof, better autofocus, 99% of coverage, better video, USB-C, better eye off, 11 fps without grip

 

Image stabilizer has always been important to me.  usually with larger optics with longer focal lengths.  but i am a bit unsure if ibis can motivate me not to choose x-t3.  in the future I will want to get long optics to photograph wild animals.  maybe a 100-400 but initially 50-230 that I previously owned and was impressed with.  even though x-h1 is a bit more robust, i think that an x-t3 in the future can handle heavier optics better than what eg x-t30 could do. even though i'm a bit sensitive with noise and know that ibis helps to lower ISO when shooting but how much can one expect to be able to lower ISO thanks to ibis?

Prices:

- 790 euros: a used X-H1 from a store with 6 months warranty.  B condition.  

- 1140 euros: new x-h1 with battery grip + 2 batteries

- 1385 euros: new X-t3 + 64 gb memory and 1 jupio extra battery

[Slalom]

I am struggling with a similar decision. I will keep my Nikon D800 - too much invested in lenses. But I am looking to upgrade my small camera. I have used an XE-2 for almost 6 years and I like it. I rarely have an excuse for leaving it behind and the battery life is good. Downside is the resolution. Any model that I buy will be better. Video is not critical to my needs. I never liked the video that I shot with any camera - without a gimbal it was always shaky, so I stayed with stills.  

[Kvitalij]

Hi All,

Not sure if its to late for a reply considering the post was created in July.

I Still want to share my story fro those who are still looking to make a move or buy into a new system.

But First a bit of introduction and transition into Fuji landia 
Coming from X-T1 and previously moving from Canon 5D MK2 . and lots of heavy lenses. 

I initially stated my photography journey from CANON. But after some good 5 years I realized I stopped taking my 5DMKII with me often due to weight. I realized that My Canon was outliving itself and I wanted a change something smaller and still keeping the quality of my previous system.

I Had a good run with first release of Fuji X100 (Loved the image quality, its aesthetic and ergonomics), then X-Pro1 jumped into my bag and when I seen X-T1 I was sold. (Canon was put on sale) My bag went from been 11 kg (Canon) to 4-5 kg (Fuji). With 2 cameras and 3 lenses and some accessories.

I was and still am in love with FUJI.  I kept shooting with Fuji (X100, Xpro1, and X-T1) Weddings, Portraits, street and I was very pleased with quality and ergonomics, size etc. 

After 4 years I was starting to realize it is time to upgrade (I sold X100 and X-Pro1) but paying almost 2k euro in Europe for X-T2 and later released X-H1 was out of the questions. As my photography moved back from been paid jobs to a hobby, I couldn't afford to lash out such big bucks' for it.

Some time passed, X-T3 popped out and made a big commotion between X-H1 and X-T3 fuji lovers. But for me it was a sign that prices are about to go down.

So there I was 2019, Reading all the blogs possible, watching all the videos out there about X-H1 and X-T3. 

I chose X-H1.

For me the IBIS, Bigger Grip, x2 sd card slots, New Processor, was the selling point and as a bonus for 999 EU I got a battery grip and two batteries. 

I have X-H1 for a bit more than 2 months now, and I Really do like the camera. Yes, it is slightly bigger that X-T1 and doesn't have the x-Trans4 processor that X-T3 but the IBIS, is such a amazing feature. Moreover I started learning video and X-H1 if amazing for it. Another thing people forgetting the mention are the soft shutter release and the sound of shutter.  The transition from X-T1 to X-H1 wasn't as easy as I thought. Although, it is understandable considering all the new features I missed since X-T1.

Evening Shots are so much easier to shoot now. My old prime lenses have a stabilization.  My 56mm F1.2 shooting is way easier now due to IBIS. 
18 mm and 35 mm are always with me in the bag. The grip of the camera feels way more natural than X-T1 for my big hands. Hands getting less fatigue now. Although my pinky still hangs. hence I ordered L Plate from Aliexpress to remedy this. 

I can't say anything about X-T3 as I never had a chance to properly shoot with it for good extended time. But for me X-H1 is way better. 

Waiting on gimbal and shooting in 4k, so much more new to learn with X-H1 - I love it.