X-H1 battery grip
WITH a larger footprint than the X-T2, Fujifilm has had to design an all- new battery grip (technically called a Vertical Power Booster) for the X- H1. Much like the X-T2’s vertical power booster, the VPB-XH1 battery grip for the X- H1 accepts two NP-W126S batteries in addition to the one battery inside the camera. It offers many performance- enhancing benefits while giving the camera a brawny feel and better access to key buttons when it’s used in the portrait orientation.
Without the VPB-XH1 attached, the X- H1 can shoot 310 shots from a single battery – slightly fewer than the X-T2, which can manage 340 shots. Fit the battery grip to the underside of the camera and the battery life soars to 900 shots. Interestingly, the start- up time of the X-T1 is not as quick as that of the X-T2 (0.4sec as opposed to 0.3sec), but with the camera set to its performanceenhancing boost mode and the battery grip attached, the continuous shooting speed rises from a healthy 8fps to a brisk 11fps using the mechanical shutter. The fastest the X- H1 can shoot at with the grip is 14fps, but like the X-T2, this is only when the electronic shutter is used.
Other performance benefits
Other benefits see the viewfinder blackout time reduce from 130ms to 114ms with the grip attached and the frame rate of the EVF increase from 60fps to 100fps. The maximum duration of 4K recording time without the VPB-XH1 attached is 10 minutes, but this also extends to 30 minutes when it’s fitted.
The battery grip is built to the same dust-and-splash resistant standard as the camera body and can be used at temperatures down to -10°C. The controls include the shutter-release button, focus lever, AE- L button, AF- ON button, thumbwheel, Q button, and Fn button. It has a headphone jack to monitor sound during recordings, and rather like the X-T2’s vertical power booster the two batteries in the grip can be charged via a power supply (AC-9VS) within a couple of hours. The only thing to note is that like the X-T2, the third battery inside the camera cannot be charged via the battery grip.
The VPB-XH1 battery grip will cost £299 with no batteries; however at the time of launch Fujifilm is going to make a battery grip kit available, comprising an X- H1, VPB-XH1 and two spare batteries for £1,949.