The truth revealed: Fujifilm is crap
You know that in the past I worked with Fujifilm cameras. And now I am working with Canon cameras and I am so happy with this choice. In this post I reveal some things because I can see how Fujifilm it enjoys a popularity (not even that which they want us to believe) based on an excess of inflating a brand which in reality is not much. And boy, they had fooled me too.
BEFORE TO START
First of all, a clarification: what happened to me in my experience as an ambassador has nothing to do with the experience that today I want to tell and that you want to focus on cameras and everything that Fujifilm produces. Anyway, I share here what Fujifilm Mexico did to me, just in the case you are not aware:
If you think I am doing this out of resentment you are misunderstood. If it hadn't just happened, imagine now. I also think I have to thank them because it is one of the best things that happened to my photography from a purely technical point of view of using tools that satisfy me with the transition to Canon. In any case I would have left that program and explain it in the video. And after almost a year has passed since my exclusion I can see all the issues they have (with only a camera produced in 2021) with the loss of the autofocus race, confused ideas in general about what to do with both the ambassador program (full of amateurs and that is one of the reason I am happy not to be confused with that huge list), the vaccine that had to be distributed and that the pharmaceutical market has never really allowed to do so. I could say more but this is not the point with this post.
A USER'S LOOK
If you think I am the only photographer to have a negative idea about the Fujifilm cameras, I share just the first feedback from another photographer here: CLICK HERE
If you follow me in this post I will tell you why and we have all been fooled. And, again, please don’t think I am a hater now. I think the simple fact to be a hater is ridiculous, even more to be a hater of a brand. I just talk about my user experience. And yes, I used to be an ambassador and that time I believed things that i don’t believe anymore because I opened my eyes.
POINT BY POINT
Let’s start from the first things I discovered by using Fujifilm because a camera shouldn’t have these issues:
Too easy the camera turns on even when is in your bag
The battery life last like a fart
It makes the special not accepting many SDHC
The first point made me swear often, especially when busy with news coverage or during my expeditions. This is one of the worst things I've ever experienced with cameras and neither in the past nor now has it ever happened to me. It only happens with Fujifilm's proposed crappy cameras.
The second point is something that all Fujifilm photographers know. There are ways to save battery life but this means to turn off the most of the features for which the camera is meant. This means a Fujifilm user has an average of 5 spare batteries in the bag.
The last one (for the moment) is a real pain in the ass. It makes the cameras a sort of divas when they are not.
THE DESIGN PAID OUT
I don’t hide this. Like most of photographers getting close to the brand Fujifilm was successfull because the cameras they release have emotional appeal. The cameras are a sort of vintage camera mostly that attract many hipsters who want to have cameras that look like old film cameras in their hands or dangling from their shoulder. I think is cool. In fact is one of the coolest things they propose: a sort of Leica camera and it looks a film camera to the point that people thinks is really a film camera. This helps sometimes, especially in certain places. But…please don’t call Fujifilm the Leica of the poor ones, the Leica of poor ones is Panasonic.
But if you stop and think you discover the truth. They are cameras that they would like to be but aim too much at the market of aficionados who often never picked up a film camera. The plastic is well camouflaged but it is there. I mean: a bunch of plastic in the camera components. Or do you think that the fact that they are decidedly cheaper than the Leica is only due to a choice of strategic positioning?
THE TRUTH TO BE TOLD
My Fujifilm X100S is died for the simple fact of having connected it once to my mac. I avoid connecting cameras with cables to the computer and I advise against doing so, but it is not possible that it has completely burned out and short-circuited. And the worst is that when I told Fujifilm they didn't even give me assistance, they told me there was nothing to do.
And here we come to the embarrassing evidence they exhibited with me. One day I was in the street with the X70 and suddenly without anything black screen had happened and it seemed dead. It appeared that it depended on the lens system, in particular on its motor. Although I was an ambassador, I decide to contact assistance to find out how much the repair cost: The cost exceeded twice the value of the camera. I immediately thought to a bad taste joke and I figured out a regular user of Fujifilm cameras. They accepted then to repair with no cost for me, but only for a time and because I was ambassador. This happening made me think a lot about what it means to own a Fujifilm camera and have problems. Better then throw it away and buy a new one!
And speaking of X70, a discontinuous camera despite the great respect earned by many street photographers, because fujifilm is indifferent to what its audience asks, the hand grip is done with the butt, and tends to come unstuck.
About the last camera I did have: the Fujifilm XPro2 that I received as payment (because with pandemic Fujifilm went down in sales and they couldn’t pay anymore with money their photographers) was an exhibition camera. must have been stocking up for a long, long time: but they paid me with a camera which reset every time I changed the battery and when i said that to the executives they didn’t think of solving this problem which had to be ascribed to the internal battery. Guys, this is lack of professionalism, in my opinion.
THEY FOOL PHOTOGRAPHERS ALL THE TIME
I know they are presenting themselves like the future of photography. Any camera manufacturer makes this. But they in particular are not.
They are maybe selling cameras that sometimes are cheaper than others but hey, don’t make a comparison with Leica because at most they are a bad copy and certainly of low quality. I mean: have you ever held a Leica in your hand? So let's not joke guys…
Do you want to talk about lenses? OK, let’s talk about lenses. The 18mm lens seems to have been found inside the easter egg: crappy plastic with a ridicolus aperture ring that after a while he moves where it wants. Why fujifilm you present yourself as a camera for photojournalists and you don’t make real lenses? Shitty lenses offered at crazy prices!!! Yes, because they sell cheap cameras and then they have their lenses that are super expensive! And this is where they fool you!
Lenses that would be for photojournalism and street photographers and without a distance scale seems scam to me. But I am perfectly sure that is not a real issue for your aficionados fake street photographers that think to photograph very close at 20 meters from the subject. Camera testers (not photographers) is your regular basis, Fuji, accept it.
THE MEDIUM FORMAT BY FUJIFILM…REALLY?
Hasselblad is medium format. Stop.
SMART BUT…PLASTIC LOOK
Consider this speech a speech of a total JPG photographer. But if you are so famous for the film simulations I can say my thing: Fujifilm created a standardized way to look at images that so many, me too for a long time, think is sooo cool and the truth is: NO WAY. It seems the manufactures aim to a fashionista aspect, but you know what? It is a plastic look, it seems with no life. I don’t know if they wanted in that way but…photography feeling is pretty distant from their proposal in terms of JPG. And i discovered this only when I started to use Canon cameras and this is the reason why I decided at a certain pointot buy a 7Artisans lens to recover a more filmy and natural look to use with the last Fujifilm camera I owned.
A FUJIFILM CAMERA IS GOOD FOR BEGINNERS BUT NOT MORE THAN THAT
After my experience with Fujifilm I can say it, and I say this as a photographer who made experience with film and digital, with the most of the brands on the market.
I say this after comparison of files produced by Leica and Canon. Fujifilm can be good for a beginner, and it can represent a transition phase or a compromise for those who dream of a Leica. But for street photographers I recommend Canon, Sony and Panasonic. Both in color and in black and white the quality of the files (JPG) produced is infinitely better and more organic. Then guys, you see, if you like that plastic look then choose the one that I currently strongly discourage.
A CLARIFICATION TO CONCLUDE
I am perfectly aware that many photographers will be annoyed by this post. I only express thoughts related to my experience. I was also a Fujifilm enthusiast, but I was simply deceived. I repeat: this has nothing to do with my professional relationship which, although negative in the end, has nothing to do with the facts I have examined today.This is not a post made three days after my expulsion: this is something meditated on the basis of an observation after many months of switching to another system. And it is based on events that also occurred to my detriment, certainly, as a user.
And a last thing: I am talking to my friends. Don’t buy Fujifilm cameras because there is a lot of crap in their proposal as you read here. I am open to discuss with anyone if it is a constructive dialogue.
