Becoming An Ex Fujifilm X-Photographer

On the 1st January 2023 I stopped being an official Fujifilm X-Photographer after nearly 8 years in the programme.  All good things must come to an end but I now look to the future as an Ex X-Photographer.

Since April 2015 I have had the immense pleasure of being associated with Fujifilm, working with the most forward thinking camera company in the world as they developed the X-Series and GFX medium format systems.  

For seven years I have been able to give the Japanese manufacturer my thoughts on new cameras and lenses and test them before launch.  I have also been asked by Fujifilm to be part of some launches, with the 100-400mm and X-Pro2 in Tokyo, the launch of the X-T2 in Paris and at Le Mans both in 2016.  I was also part of the test team for the X-H1 in 2017, filming at the WEC race in Bahrain (see video at the bottom of this blog post).

I also remember sitting in a meeting room in Tokyo in October 2015 with four fellow X Photographers and asking for a long telephoto prime lens. In 2018 we finally got the superb XF200mm F2 and I was the first photographer in the UK to buy one.  

There were also suggestions I, and other X Photographers, have put forward, such as the locks on the dials on the X-T2 onwards and the inclusion of RAW as well on JPEG on the 'L' setting on the ISO dial. The feedback that we provided by using the cameras for our work meant that these ideas could be incorporated in the later generation of cameras. As a professional photographer and enthusiast this is extremely gratifying.

A year ago I was informed, along with most of the other UK X Photographers, that 2022 would be my last an a Fujifilm X Photographer and on the 1st January, after over 7 years and 8 months, my official status as a Fujifilm ambassador came to a conclusion.  They wanted to refresh the current line up and bring in some new faces. 

I have no issue with this move on Fujifilm's part and, to be honest, I had expected to be an X Photographer for no more than three years.  The fact it lasted nearly 8 years was amazing.  I have always tried to be relevant to what ever marketing strategy Fujifilm has had over the years and the fact that my contract was renewed must've meant I had something to offer them.  

I have also tried to be accessible to any photographer who had questions about the Fujifilm system and tried to answer those questions and offer help where I could either on social media or via email.

THE FUTURE

So what happens now I hear you ask? Well I am now free to choose which ever camera system I like now. 

However, I have no intention of ditching Fujifilm for one of the rival companies, they still provide me with all the kit I need for my photography and video business.  

In 2022 I bought the new X-H2 and X-H2S camera bodies, along with the XF18-120mm f4 video lens and these, in my professional opinion, are the ultimate X-Series cameras and go head to head with the mirrorless offerings from Sony, Canon, Nikon and Panasonic.  

For the past few years my work has been heavily tilted towards video.  In fact, in 2022 it was 70:30 in favour of video over stills photography. The X-H2 and X-H2S are brilliant video and stills cameras, and certainly perform at the highest level in both areas.

I will still have a relationship with Fujifilm, both here in the UK and in Japan, and will still be hosting workshops, providing feedback on cameras and writing the odd feature / providing images for social media.  I just won't have the Official X Photographer tag anymore, I will be an Ex X Photographer.  

I am extremely proud of the (very) small input I have had in the development of the X-Series system which has gone from a standing start 10-years ago to the current range of cameras and lenses that can hold their own against anything that the other major camera manufacturers can produce. 

Thank you Fujifilm for including in me in your journey and I hope I can still contribute something in the future.