I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I purchased a used Fujifilm X-T1 for only $300. The condition of the camera said “low shutter count” and “in like-new condition.” When you’re purchasing things off the internet, my experience is that it’s rarely exactly as described. Oftentimes the condition is overstated. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find when the package arrived. Well, the packaged was delivered a couple days ago; I opened up the box with anxious curiosity and found inside…
…a near mint Fujifilm X-T1. Yea! It looked brand new except it was missing the sync cap. It really did appear unused! It even had the original firmware installed. I don’t know the story behind it, but it seems like maybe someone used it a couple of times and didn’t like it, so they boxed it up and it sat on a shelf for four or five years. It’s very difficult for me to believe that I snagged this beauty for only $300. This was a $1,300 camera not very long ago. I remember seeing the X-T1 on sale for “only” $1,000 and that was considered a bargain at the time. At $300, the camera’s a steal!
Unfortunately, digital is disposable. People buy cameras and use them for a year or two or maybe three, and then they move on to whatever is new. It’s a byproduct of technology that advances quickly, and also habits formed when digital photography was new and not especially good. There were significant leaps when new camera models came out. There are still big leaps happening today, but we’ve reached a point of diminishing returns, and those leaps don’t mean as much in practical application.
My first SLR was a 20-year-old Canon AE-1, which I purchased over 20 years ago when I was in Photography 101 in college. I used the camera for a number of years. Can you imagine someone buying a 20-year-old digital camera today to use as their main camera? And using that camera for five or more years? That’s unheard of, but it used to be normal in the days of film. Roughly 10 years ago digital camera technology reached a point where people could keep it and use it for years to come because the quality was there. There’s no reason that a five-year-old camera can’t have 15 or more years of life in it as long as the mechanical components continue to work. People often don’t keep them around long enough to find out.
The Fujifilm X-T1 is downright fantastic! It’s plenty quick. The image quality is great. The camera is weather sealed and feels very solid. It’s a little smaller than the X-T2 and X-T3 and not all that much bigger and heavier than my X-T30. I do wish it had the focus joystick and some of the JPEG options that the newer cameras have, but it’s not a big deal that the camera lacks those things. It’s still a very good camera capable of capturing beautiful pictures.
The photographs below are the first images captured with my new Fujifilm X-T1. These are camera-made JPEGs. I don’t have any recipes yet, but you can rest assured that I will be creating some, and when I do I will share them on Fuji X Weekly. Even though the camera is five-years-old, I’m very excited to go out and shoot with the brand-new-to-me X-T1.
Hardware Carts – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 & Fujinon 35mm f/2
Americana Neighborhood – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 & Fujinon 35mm f/2
Equal Rights – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 & Fujinon 35mm f/2
Coffee Beans – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 & Fujinon 35mm f/2
Selfie – Unitah, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 & Fujinon 35mm f/2
I still have and love mine. It’s my go to when I go out for hikes.
It seems like a great camera to have if you think it might rain or be dusty, thanks to the weather sealing. I’ve been carrying it everywhere since it arrived.
The X-T1 is my main camera since I bought it when it went on the market and I sold my X-E1, because I thought the change was worth it.
That while using my precious X100 (the first, the original, with which I started my passion Fuji).
I watch new versions of them every year and understand that I miss some interesting improvements, but at the moment I have no interest in changing them.
If it works for you, there’s absolutely no need to upgrade. Dance with the one who brought you, as the saying goes. Enjoy what you already own.
I did change from the XT1 to the XT2, but the 1 was well used, the leathery stuff had to be superglued back on as I wore it off, and when I went to part x it to get my 100f they didn’t want it 🤣. Will be staying with the 2 and the F til they fall apart!
Those are such excellent cameras! Use them until they break! Hopefully they last a long time for you.
Happy shooting with the new gear. I can’t wait for another great image.
Thank you!
That is definitely a bargain! Where I am all I see are offers of out-of-date equipment at prices higher than you can buy something new for. It’s ridiculous. If something is priced right it’s from outside the country and the import costs make it unaffordable anyway.
That’s too bad. Where are you at?
Canada: land of low-value currency, high shipping costs, massive import duties, and taxes on top of it all!
Well, that’s really too bad. Where in Canada, if you don’t mind me asking?
The Cariboo, where it’s about to get really cold!
Wow, seems like a great place for photography. But very cold.
Hi Ritchie, I’m happy it worked. You seem happy with the camera and the photos look great.
I’m pretty stoked about it. It’s essentially brand new. Can’t wait to use it more.
Looking forward to reading your XT1 recipes. Oh, it also looks great with a silver lens. Exactly the look I want.
I wasn’t sure if the silver lens would look good on the black body, but it sure does!
what a deal! I’m after for a new camera because my X-E2 is having problem and I’ve to remove the battery because it randomnly switches on and off. I too have found a X-T1 for 320€ w/ about 15000 shots declared (who knows…) but I’m bit perplexed because of its generous size… WR intrigues me though…
best,
The X-T1 is a little bigger and heavier than the X-E2. I was surprised how similar it was to the X-T30, so it won’t be a huge increase for you, but an increase nonetheless. The weather sealing is nice, took it out into a snowstorm with confidence.
I also bought “obsolete” X-T1 back in May 2018 for half of its initial price here in Poland. It had been my object of desire since its launch and I managed to buy, I believe, one of the last two brand new copies in my country. At least according to the Internet 😉
It is the copy which was resting on the shop’s display and visitors could take it in their hands, but I got standard warranty when buying it. It proved useful, as my poor X-T1 had to go on trip to the UK, because one day its motherboard just broke and the camera didn’t want to turn on.
I have been trying to adjust your receipes for the older JPG options, so I also am among those, who cannot wait for you to create “the proper ones”! I’m really glad you’ve got the same camera now 🙂
And yes, although newer, better, more modern cameras tempt heavily, I bought consciously the Fuji X-T1 besides having Canon EOS 6d with few lenses. I truly like the little one!
I’m hoping that the first X-T1 recipe will be published before the end of the month, so stay tuned!
I still use my X-T1 as well. It is a great camera, also in 2020 (and beyond). Apart from the Acros film simulation, I miss really nothing (I don’t care much about the joystick).
You got one at a great price! Enjoy 🙂
I do enjoy it immensely! I especially appreciate pairing it with vintage lenses. There’s something magical about the X-T1 paired with a Asahi-Pentax 110 50mm, that’s my favorite, I think.
https://fujixweekly.com/2020/05/20/worlds-smallest-slr-pentax-auto-110-adapting-tiny-lenses-to-fujifilm-x-cameras/
Hello Ritchie. What do you think of the X-T1 as a budget option this 2021? How’s the AF speed if shooting some kind of action like kids running around? Thank you very much.
The X-T1 is still an excellent camera. Is it as good as the X-T4 or X-T3? No, but it’s still a solid option. I especially enjoy pairing my X-T1 with vintage lenses.