The Fuji X-T line of mirrorless cameras are very popular, highly regarded and well known for their superb image quality and functionality.
Using mirrorless for bird photography is a relatively new phenomenon, but more and more people are doing it; and doing it well.
The question is: are the Fuji X-T1 and X-T2 ideal for bird photography? And if so, how far can you go with these bodies in terms of capturing action?
As with any interchangeable lens camera, the lens itself is of course going to significantly determine your capabilities of capturing birds.
You’ll need a telephoto lens regardless of which body you’re using, and with mirrorless systems these can often cost more than a seemingly equivalent focal length lens on DSLR cameras.
It’s not really that simple of a comparison though, with many factors coming into play.
The X-T1 is a 16mp crop sensor mirrorless camera, while the newer X-T2 contains a 24mp sensor.
One of the big positives about these two bodies when it comes to bird and nature photography is that they are weather sealed.
This puts them up there with the more expensive DSLR bodies that come with weather sealing; something which cheaper camera bodies often do not. If you’re intending to photograph wildlife in more remote places with unpredictable weather, or just like the peace of mind that your camera can withstand some level of poor weather, then the X-T1 and X-T2 tick those particular boxes.
Lenses
As with any camera, your lens will make or break your bird photography possibilities.
Without a doubt, the best birding lens you can get with a Fujifilm mirrorless is (is it the best? check) the XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6.
Pros and Cons of using these cameras for bird photography:
Either the X-T1 or X-T2 combined with an ideal lens for taking photos of birds such as the 100-400 can cost you as much as a mid range to high end DSLR set up. So you’ll want to be aware of the potential benefits adn downsides to these cameras….