Today we have two additional articles that show the potential of Fujifilm cameras for sports photography.
Back in early 2015, sports and events photographer Graham Carruthers used the Fuji X-T1 and XF 55-200mm / XF 14mm to photograph the Dusi Canoe Marathon in South Africa. Even though the camera hadn’t yet received its new AF system via firmware update 4.0 when this article came out, Graham found the autofocus reliable enough for this kind of sports photography, though not up to the standard of an equivalent Nikon DSLR. He blames most of his missed shots in AF-C mode on the mediocre AF performance of the XF 55-200mm lens, mentioning that the XF 50-140mm is the better choice for those who shoots sports professionally.
Now, a year later, he has written a short follow-up about the same event, except this time, he used the XF 50-140mm with firmware update 4.0 installed on the X-T1. Needless to say, his impressions are much more positive this time around. To quote his article:
Initially I thought that the 55-200 was mostly to blame, but I think that the firmware alone would have made a big difference, but coupled with the 50-140, which is in another league to the 55-200, I was shooting with way more confidence. I also wasn’t having to shoot as many bursts of images. Instead I was able to pick off shots knowing that the camera was tracking much more accurately.
You can see Graham’s X-T1 article and some sample images from the event here!
The second article is by MacLean Photographic who used the new Fuji X-Pro2 and the XF 50-140mm, 90mm and 100-400mm to shoot the Snowman Rally near Inverness. His goal was to see whether the camera, despite not being aimed at sports photographers, could cope with the difficult conditions – namely, the speed of the cars, the inclement weather and the lack of natural light. His conclusion is as follows:
The X-Pro2 produced some great images in some very challenging light and weather conditions. I ran the X-T1 alongside the X-Pro2 and I have to report that the AF on the X-Pro2 did a better job of following the cars.
You can read the full article and see some sample images from the race here!
