Today I came across a very interesting article about using the Fujifilm X-T1 and XF 16-55mm f/2.8 for fight sports photography with some wonderful images to match. The author and photographer, Mathieu Marunczyn, shot the Muay Thai Fight Night with the combo, and was impressed by a number of the camera’s features such as the high ISO and autofocus performance.
He gives special mention to the X-T1’s tilting screen whose absence on the X-Pro2 is one of the reasons he hasn’t considered the new flagship camera for his work. He found the screen particularly useful:
… when keeping myself and the fighters safe because I could keep the angle of the camera where I wanted it under the ropes and easily pull back as fighters came near. It was also very useful for some of the low-angle shots of the fighters in their corners during rounds.
A wedding photographer by profession, this was the first time Mathieu had the chance to shoot an indoor sports event. He states at the end of the article that he would have no qualms about using the X-T1 and 16-55mm for this kind of photography.
You can read the full article and see some great shots from the event here!
