The Very Best Camera Deal In the Entire Universe Right at This Moment

Beat this

Submitted for your approval: my candidate for the best all-around bang-for-buck bargain in the entire camera universe right now, the Fujifilm X-H1 with battery grip for $1,299.

Big investment
The X-H1 appears to be an example of the "928 paradigm." The Porsche 928 was introduced in 1978 to replace the aging and technologically questionable 911, which had been very popular as a status symbol during the 1960s and early '70s. But sales had declined as the '70s wore on. Flush with cash, Porsche invested heavily in what it imagined would be the 911 successor—a luxury grand touring car with a front-mounted V8 instead of a rear-mounted air-cooled flat 6. I remember reading various superlatives in the car magazines about the large amounts of money that were invested in the development of the new car.

But all that R&D money didn't result in much of a return. Sales weren't miserable, but the Porsche faithful remained loyal to the 911. The 928 lasted till 1995 but only 61,000 cars were sold over its lifespan. And the 911 outlived it.

That big investment / small return thing seems to be what's playing out with the X-H1 too. Unabashedly aimed at pros, it's got shortcomings in a few areas compared to more established professional workhorses, and rumor has it that it's not selling well. But Fuji sunk a lavish amount of R&D into its development, and the X-H1 is built (in Japan) to exceedingly high standards and extremely tight tolerances—not just for any Fuji, but for any camera out there.

Pros might not be flocking to it, and Fuji's advanced-amateur fan base seem to feel it doesn't have quite the right gestalt, but the fact remains: it's a superb machine for stills and an extremely well made camera. At $1,900 it might actually have been underpriced, or at least it might have had less margin than its development costs would naturally have called for. Its smaller APS-C sensor in the face of FF popularity might have constrained Fuji from pricing it at $2,300 or even $2,700.

Gimme a do-over pleez!
When I tried one, it cost $1,650, and I assumed all of the "post introduction" discounts had already taken place. It was still too dear for cheapskate me, so, to replace my aging X-T1, I bought the G9 on sale for $1,213 instead. (That was a brief sale at the time, when the regular price was $1,299. The G9 is now $1,200 every day, with a nice bunch of extras thrown in.)

Then, right after it was too late for me to return the G9, the price of the X-H1 plummeted again. And I immediately got a tenacious case of buyer's remorse that's been hard to shake. On top of that, to add insult to my injury, B&H threw the VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip into the mix for a big dose of additional sweetening. The VPB-XH1 sells separately for $329.

Finally—the last straw!—with the new Payboo card, you can even get reimbursed for the tax, which would have saved me another $103.92.

Augh. It's killing me, I tell ya. Killing me.

If anybody feels there is a better deal out there in the camera universe right now, do tell. I can't find one that beats this.

Mike
(Thanks to S.S.)

Original contents copyright 2019 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo • Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Kirk Tuck: "Hi Mike, As you know I switched from Panasonic G9s to the Fuji X series. When confronted with the price drop I bought three. I'm not hard on cameras but when I find one I really like I want backups and redundant backups.

"I had the reverse emotion though, I really miss a lot of what is great about the G9 (and the Olympus 12–100mm miracle lens). Some days I wish I had both...."

hugh crawford: "I don’t know but this seems like a pretty good deal to me. The accessory I most want is something that would keep saying 'slow down and don’t screw things up again!', so maybe my point of view is a bit outside the normal distribution, but that’s a lot of camera for $898."

Mike replies: Oh...well...yes...that's definitely a contender for the title. Very definitely. Might even take the crown from the Fuji....

Jim R: "After fondling this camera at B&H I bought it when they ran the same handgrip discount deal. I really like its ergonomics. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Fuji—I started with the original X100, and then tried the X-E2 and several lenses. Love the lenses, hated the viewfinder size / eye relief and autofocus. The XH-1 finder and eye relief are outstanding, and autofocus is so much better than the other Fujis. I think it’s a better camera than the X-T1/2/3 given its in-body IBIS. Looking forward to trying my hand at some Milky Way landscape photos this summer as the articulating LCD and added batteries in the grip will definitely be a step up from my Canon 6D."

David Goldenberg: "Brett Weston owned a 928, said to be called the Silver Flounder, and his favorite among a huge number of cars that he owned. Maybe if I could see what he saw in the 928, I could have a tiny bit of what he could see in making photographs!"

Christopher Mark Perez: "True 928 story—I knew a fighter pilot who owned a 928 front-engined Porsche. One day he was going a bit too fast (somewhere near flat-out) and he led the police on a chase down the freeway and over sideroads that miraculously led to the airbase. The Porsche blasted by the guards (who obviously knew the pilot) and slid into a hangar. The pilot jumped out of his car and got the hangar doors slid shut just as the police arrived at the front gate. As you might imagine, the guards asked the police, 'Porsche? What Porsche??'"

SteveW: "I like this Nikon deal for $1,400. (Although I paid $1,750 for this in January. Sigh.) The D7500 body only for $800 is a killer deal."

Mike replies: This is just me, but here are the problems with the Sony mentioned by Hugh and SteveW's pick, the Nikon D7500.

Lenses.

I like a ~40mm prime and an ~85mm prime. I'm willing to fudge the focal lengths a bit, but a moderate wide and a moderate tele are basic for me (have been since my second year of photo school in 1983–4). Sony has a very nice 35mm ƒ/2.8, but I don't happen to like its look. And then there's that wonderful Zeiss 40mm, which would be perfect for me—I mean it's like it was made for me—but it costs $1,300, and after you plunk for it you still need to scrounge up an extra $77 for the hood! The matching 85mm, which is also perfect, is only another $1,200.

Gulp. That's $2,577 just for the two basic medium-speed primes, which makes it blatantly obvious I'm swimming in waters too deep for me. They could give me the A7II for free and it would still be too expensive for me. Don't think I don't envy people who can shoot these lenses, though.

Nikon, which has been recalcitrant about making APS-C primes for years—it's obviously corporate policy to ignore the people who want them—doesn't even make an APS-C prime in the vicinity of 24mm (about a 35mm angle-of-view equivalent), nor does it make a purpose-built medium tele. Yes, you can use the 24mm ƒ/1.8G lens, but it's not an elegant solution for the smaller sensor size. It's light enough, but it's huge (72mm filter size—even my medium-format film camera lenses only took 67mm filters!), and don't think you're not paying to have it cover the larger FF sensor. In any case, with the D7500 I'd have to make do with a 50mm, or a full-frame lens, or a micro lens, or a manual-focus lens, or a third-party lens. Granted, there's a truly legendary zoom for Nikon APS-C, one of Nikon's best and almost a reason in and of itself to shoot Nikon. It's very heavy, and very expensive, but it's fantastic. But zooms, although I'll use 'em, aren't where I live.

So, as Oren would say, "bah."

But all that's just me. Your mileage no doubt does vary. But as I always say, first you pick the lenses you want to use, then find a body to go with them.

James: "What does Stephen Scharf think about this X-H1 value?"

Stephen Scharf replies: If the X-H1 and battery grip were at this price when I bought mine in March 2018 for ~$2,300, I would have bought two of them. I may still pick up another one up as a backup, if or when the other body needs to be sent in to be serviced or repaired, or to have another one to shoot with when the first is worn-out from use.

One of the five best cameras I've ever used in 40 years of photography, along with my Olympus OM-1, any Canon 1D-series body, and the Fuji GFX50S and X100F.

That this camera didn't sell as well as expected I attribute not to any shortcomings of the camera (of which there are only a few), but to an ineffective and limited marketing effort as to exactly whom this camera was engineered for and why.

Which is a shame, as it has all the attributes, robustness, and engineering specification cited by Mike above, but most of all, because it has a wondrous and beautiful image quality that I personally prefer and find superior to the X-T1/T2/T3. While photographs don't have the 'technical specs' of files from a medium-format camera, e.g. the GFX, they look much like medium format files.

I am really, really hoping Fujiflm continues the X-H line, with the X-H2 and successors, etc., because it's just a superb professional tool that produces singularly beautiful photographs. My guess is Kirk Tuck would agree.

HSlav: "No offense, but buying based on deals for a camera, in particular, is not wise, in my humble opinion. If you're going to own the camera for, say three years minimum, assuming you get a long with it, then an extra $300 is about $8 and change per month. I'd much rather have the exact camera I want (within my general budget). The same is true, but even more so, for lenses, given that I own them for five to 10 years on average."

James: "Mike, as you have Fujifilm and Porsche related in the same post, we can add snooker—Steve Davis used to drive a 928.

Mike replies: Alas, I can never write about snooker again, because people are now telling me the outcomes of matches before I get a chance to watch them on YouTube. From now on, the fewer people know I like snooker, the better.

Comments

[Peter Gilbert]

I looked into a used 928 back in the day. I was told a water pump cost $600 or so (about 10x the cost of a Chevy water pump). Mechanics soon dubbed the 928 the "world's fastest pizza oven" because that large expanse of glass at the rear made the parcel shelf red hot. (I wound up with a used 1979 911SC).

[Dave]

B&H's Payboo card, while interesting for the return/rebate of sales tax amounts, carries a nasty 29.99% interest rate for those dim enough to use it and carry any kind of a balance on it...

that's where the money comes in for the bank/lender....

[Steve Biro]

Sorry, Mike. The best camera deal in the entire universe was when I picked up a brand-new X-H1 with grip from Popflash Photo for $1239. Flaws or not, the X-H1 is a great piece. I use my XF 16-50 f/2.8 and XF 90mm f/2.0 almost exclusively on that body. I also have a G9 for other photo work. If you can swing it, it’s worth having both.

[Michael Perini]

I always think that when I believe I've made a mistake and bought the wrong thing, it is better to bite the bullet and buy what I really wanted.

In your case, It is not that the G9 is deficient, but it is a case where Cameras are subjective choices and feeling you have what you really want, is part of the enjoyment. I also think that comfort and satisfaction contribute to better pictures.
Life is short, Photography is a big part of your life, bite the bullet, get what you really wanted.
I'm sure B&H would find a way to help you out.....

[Dennis]

That's a pretty solid bargain. I recently bought a refurb Nikon D7500 for $699, though (only to have brand new ones go on sale for $799 a month later). I'm not kicking myself over that (though I'd probably opt for new for the extra $100). But I am kicking myself for not holding off, because it's available with the excellent 16-80/2.8-4 for only $1399.
So that's my vote.

[Ray Hunter]

I agree with your appraisal of this fine camera, Mike. However, in the digital camera era, where almost every product depreciates rapidly and is technologically out-of-date in 18-24 months, it's hard to buy a product that hasn't sold well. Their value drops even faster after purchase and they are "yesterday's story" even faster. I have been salivating for one of these for a while, but this little voice in the back of my mind cautions me. I may still go for it. If it was a film camera, its tech life cycle would be measured in decades and not months, and this would be a different decision.

[Edwin]

Yes, it's heck of a deal, but here in the little corner of the universe -- Hong Kong, you can walk into a camera store and pay US$1070 for the combo, no sales tax. I got a 3-months "old" 2nd hand one at US$920!! Really sorry to bust your claim.... really. The price has no meaning for anyone living in the US.

[Yonatan K]

All that... and two additional (Fuji) batteries!

[Bill La Via]

Couldn’t live with those slippery command dials which were difficult to turn without also pressing them enough to actuate their respective functions. A real shame since I otherwise liked it. The D7500 can be had for just under $800 but is a different beast and lacks IBIS.

[SteveW]

I like this Nikon deal for $1,400.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1350390-REG/nikon_13535_d7500_dx_format_digital_slr.html

(Although I paid $1,750 for this in January. Sigh)

D7500 body only for $800 is a killer deal.

[Igor]

Maybe I am wrong but I get the impression that during the last year everyone is in a frenzy of chasing never ending deals on the latest and the greatest (:

[Ernest Zarate]

I’m getting my old LF set up going after many years of neglect. A Toyo 45CF, disparaged by some, adored by others. Looking forward to taking it down a few notches and interested in the results that a change in the creative process might produce. All that brought to mind a simple song from long ago...

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

Hello lamppost, what'cha knowing
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain't you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you, all is groovy

Songwriters: Paul Simon
59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

[Daniel]

No optical finder. Some of us don't get along with electronic finders.

[David Raboin]

I would've bought this camera already if it had the x-t3's sensor. I'm waiting for the update.

[Paulo Bizarro]

I am just glad that Fuji made this camera.

[Gaspar Heurtley]

Five years ago, I bought an Olympus EM5 with a crappy 17mm f2.8 for $1100. I still love it, great little camera even by today standards.

Both the Fuji and the Sony are the deals of a lifetime, if you ask me.

[Ken Bennett]

Dang, Mike, I had looked at that and decided that I would wait. I have a pair of XT2 bodies that I use at work -- almost three years old, thousands of shots a week, never had any problems with them. But I know I'll need to buy one more set of cameras to get me to retirement. So do I get a couple (or three) of these or wait a year and pay twice that for an XH2, or an XT4? Hmmmmm.

Given that the cameras are sooooo good these days, it might make sense to grab the bargain.

[Peter Wright]

Unfortunately, this bargain is not for me. I'm sitting at the other end of the value spectrum as I wait for the Leica Q2 to get beyond the level of unicorn sightings. I do wish it cost somewhere in the same region as the Fuji, but the Q2 will bring my photography to new levels and make me take pictures previously impossible. Well I know that's not true, but this is what I have my heart set on, and I look forward to a very long relationship when I finally get mine.

[Matthew]

"Beat This"? Done!
I love my X-H1, and it's far more satisfying than my X-T2. But our "minimum advertised price" in Canada is $1700, which would convert to $1236.81 in American dollars. So we're getting just as much bang for fewer bucks, grip and extras included.
(And yes, the camera is underpriced, but as a late adopter I'm not complaining.)

[Canadians are like Americans only better. --Mike]

[David Zivic]

Semantics....After 5 Nikons, I decided to make the move to Mirrorless.
I looked at Fujifilm and it seems great, and it obviously is. But, I went to Sony and moved through my 5th of them. It was an issue to be named FujiFILM.....Even Mike and Tuck refer to the Camera as FUJI in this post and featured comment. They should put the FUJI on the camera.

[Christopher May]

While I've been trying a lot of new gear recently, I'm really getting to a point of realizing that the best camera deal right now is to just keep going with my aging D800.

My printer is an Epson P800 so I can't make a non-panoramic print larger than 17x22 unless I send it elsewhere for printing (something I've been loath to do since I discovered the joy of printing my own work). The D800 has more than enough megapixels for the P800 so I don't need the upgrade in that department.

The D850 has a lot of refinements that make for a better camera. The AF and frame rate are probably chief among those. I'm usually photographing things like grain elevators or landscapes where those advantages aren't a necessary gain to better my work, though.

While I like the Z7, I'm slightly miffed that my old D series lenses won't AF with the FTZ adapter. I'll either have to add a lot of newer glass to go with a $3K camera or live with manually focusing autofocus lenses. (Admittedly, this latter point is somewhat negated by the very good focus peaking system of the Z7; still, it feels like a let-down that several of my lenses have lost an ability that they once had).

I also feel like I've been on a bit of a film kick recently. I recently found good deals on a Busch Pressman Model C and a Kodak Retina IIa. I'm eager to spend more time with both cameras (which combined cost less than what I'd have to pay for an XQD card for the Z7) and also want to spend more time shooting my 8x10 and learning to make better contact prints with it.

If I'm being really, truly honest with myself, I just don't need any upgrades in the digital camera realm at the moment. Rather, I'd be better off looking to invest time in shooting rather than investing money in a camera.

[PWL]

Sticking with the XPro2 for now. More my style.

[John Camp]

I've only really lusted after two cars, the 928 and the BMW Z-8. It was like lusting after Scarlett Johansson -- completely impractical and out of reach. I wanted the 1995 928 with the stick shift. I once ran into a guy who had a Z-8 sitting in his side yard, apparently collapsing into junk, half-covered with a tarp, leaves all over the exposed parts. I pushed him on it, why he'd do that to a great car, and he explained that his assets were being assessed by his wife's lawyers, before an impending divorce, and he didn't want them interested in a $140,000 car. He would, he said, get it all refurbished after the papers were signed.

[c.d.embrey]

Mike said: But as I always say, first you pick the lenses you want to use, then find a body to go with them.

That's why I shoot with Canon. Nothing is sharper than the old, non-L, 90mm f/2.8 TS-E. For my style of bokeh-less product/still life photography, nothing is better.

For me, size matters—smaller is better. The inexpensive Canon RP is almost as small/light as my 1935 Leica IIIa (which also doesn't have IBIS).

[Ken]

"That's $2,577 just for the two basic medium-speed primes ... They could give me the A7II for free and it would still be too expensive for me."

I think that's exactly why these 'deals' are in the eye of the beholder: If you already bought into a system and have the lenses you like, what is not to love about the discounted cameras? Otherwise, maybe it's not such a great deal and probably not of great interest to most people.

[Whitney Dunn]

Mike, but what would the X-H1 give you the G9 doesn’t? I’ve got an X100F and a G9 and not really feeling the pull of the X-H1. Actually, the operational quirks of the X100F remind me how much I like the Panasonic, fast, fluid and intuitive as it is. The X100F, in contrast, has controls scattered haphazardly around with nary a thought to usability or ergonomics and continuous autofocus that could charitably be described as useless. I tolerate those quirks because the little Fuji’s such a lovely and discreet people and travel camera, as long as you respect its limitations. Put them in a camera marketed to more demanding use, sports, say, and I’d be much less pleased.

Or is it the image quality drawing your eye? Surprisingly, I’m not sure I’d rate the Fuji as better than the Panasonic. Different, for sure, but not better.

[Rob L.]

I'm a fuji shooter because full frame lenses were both too heavy, and too expensive. I am really tempted to get X-H1 now, IBIS is really seductive and the grip is quite nice. But selling my XT-2 would be...disappointing, to say the least...ugh.

[hugh crawford]

Yeah new lenses for the Sony aren’t cheap, although the Zeiss 55mm 1.8 seems like a good value other than a very occasional onion ring artifact.

What is wonderful, and also a little bit of a problem, is that I have probably 60 lenses that I can use on it. A early Nikon 105mm f/2.8 when they were still using the Sonar design, and a Schneider-Kreuznach 35mm f2.8 Curtagon in Retina Deckel mount are what I use most of the time. They are both lovely things and I think I paid $20 for each. I also paid a couple thousand for a bunch of lenses I mostly don’t use which is how you find the ones you want to use.

For film geezers , I would be so delighted to have the digital equivalent of a Minolta Autocord or my old Hasselblad (why I like the Deckel lens) with the Rollie screen. And some verichrome pan.

Got to go chase the kids off of my metaphorical lawn.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Mike, a propos the 40 and 85 Zeiss Batis lenses for Sony, they have regular discounts. At least in Portugal, Zeiss were running a promotion until end of April recently, where you could get up to Euro 300 discount on lots of lenses.

[Nic M]

This reviewer really likes the X-H1.
https://photographylife.com/reviews/fuji-x-h1

[Hishimaru]

I bought an XH1 early in its release cycle and it was marred with bugs that should never have been on a production camera. 2 weeks in and it completely bricked itself. I’m on a second new replacement and even after all of the firmware updates it remains unreliable, at random times still locking up and requiring battery removals. Maybe I got unlucky, but 3 different bodies all being this unreliable have me questioning that. Sticking to my xpro2 and keeping the XH1 deep in the backup plan bag for now.