REVIEW: Shooting Rugby with the Fujifilm X-T1

While the Fujifilm X-System cameras have changed how I work by replacing my Nikon DSLRs, I will be the first to admit that for sports and wildlife photography the DSLR is still king.  This is mainly down to the fact that Fuji haven't yet added a fast telephoto lens.  

However the doesn't mean that the X-T1 and the current lens line up isn't capable of taking images in this genre, it means that a photographer has more flexibility using a DSLR.  I've already proven that in the right conditions the X-T1 / X-Pro1 are capable in getting wildlife shots (see blog HERE) and also for sports photography (see blog HERE).

Anyway I had another opportunity to put the X-T1 and 55-200mm through its paces yesterday at to level rugby match.  I attended the friendly match between Leicester Tigers and Edinburgh at Melrose and while I was there as a spectator, not a member of the press, I managed to get myself at the front, just 2 metres from the touchline.  

I put the X-T1 on 8 frames per second, set the autofocus to AF-C (continuous) and went about capturing some images of the match.  Once again the X-T1 acquitted itself very well and I managed to get a good hit rate of sharp images.

The weather was typically Scottish, ie sunny one minute and raining the next.  With the camera set to either 400 or 800 ISO the shutter speed was high enough to capture the action. I also set the camera to JPEG only, not my normal JPEG + RAW setting, with film simulation set to 'Velvia' to saturate the colours.

While the camera was good, the AF-C setting wasn't 100%.  It would sometimes lose the lock but with a 80-85% hit rate, I think this is pretty good. My Nikons were about this level when I used them for sport, so I can't complain.  

One thing that I did like and that was when the AF-C was locked on it wasn't upset by someone walking in front of the camera.  A couple of times the touch judge or ball boy ran in front of me during a sequence of shots.  The X-T1 kept the focus lock on the player I was following - twice!

For me the limiting factor for sports photography is the 200mm (300mm Full Frame equivalent) at the long end of the zoom and the f4.8 maximum aperture.  In bright light the f4.8 setting isn't a problem but once the light started to drop off during the match the ISO had to adjusted upwards. An f2.8 aperture would have improved things dramatically and I can't wait to try the 50-140mm f2.8 when Fuji unveils it later this year.  

However a longer focal length would also be welcome and I also wait to see what the 'super zoom' that is in the Fuji road map will be when it is unveiled.  

A fixed focal length telephoto would also be a good idea if you are listening Fuji.  Something in the range of a 300mm f4, which would be 420mm f4 on a crop framed sensor like the X-T1. Coupled with OIS this would be perfect for sport and wildlife.  How about it Fujifilm?

All in all the Fuji X-T1 + 55-200mm is a capable combination for sports photography.  Would I want to use it if this had been a paying job?  Not sure on that one, but if I was still a pro sports photographer I wouldn't have sold my Nikon gear just yet.  I'm sure that in the near future Fuji will address this as well.

Here are some more of the images that I captured during the match -

Leicester won the match 11-10 with a penalty kick in the final seconds of the game. 

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