Fuji XT2 XT20 questions and advice?

Discussion in 'Photography and Cameras' started by purr1n, Mar 19, 2018.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Does anyone have experience with Fuji's XT2 and XT20?

    I used to have a Fuji X100. Loved the color, the controls, the grain, and almost everything else about it, except its AF sucked assin low light, or in any light. I then moved on to Nikon Df, but the Df is now sitting around not doing anything because I find the Pixel 2's camera good enough and much more portable - Df is simply too big to take on hikes. The only problem with these cell phone cameras is that everything is in focus - there is no DOF. And the fake DOF looks fake, and only works on faces.

    So basically, my questions are as follows?
    1. Does the AF on the XT2 and XT20 still suck ass like the X100 (even after firmware upgrade)? I don't need the AF to be like a good SLR (the Df AF is actually kind of gimped, but at least I can stop action) as I'm mostly taking landscapes and portraits.
    2. How does the size / handling compare between XT2 and XT20? I am tending toward the smaller XT20, but the weatherproofing of the XT2 would come in very handy (I've hiked in the rain and dealt with semi-sandstorms from high winds). I figure with a lens, the weight difference wouldn't be huge. And I'd probably hang the camera off my shoulder harness in the open. So maybe I've answered my own question.
    I'm open to comments from Google search warriors too. Just too lazy and not enough time to do research.

    No, I don't want a Sony. Unless Sony has Velvia mode - and full manual controls laid out.
     
  2. ald0s

    ald0s Facebook Friend

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    I've owned the XT2 and played with an XT20. Also borrowed at X100F

    XT2 is a good camera. Great viewfinder, nice build and easy to shoot. Primes are small for hiking. You'll need a spare battery. If you want to do the blurry background thing the 35/1.4 or 56/1.2 are the tickets. I personally prefer the F2 primes as they focus faster and are weather sealed. Handling with these lenses is well balanced. In terms of AF, I would say single shot is around D750 level, absolutely fine for everything that isn't fast paced tracking. That being said, im pretty sure the X100F has the same AF as the XT2 and if you liked that camera it could be perfect for you.

    XT20 is a good cam for the money but I feel the far inferior viewfinder lets it down. From memory cant recall any AF issues but its not going to be ultra speedy. All these new mirrorless offerings are accurate though.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I had the X100. The X100S and then X100F came out after. Dpreview said they had focus issues with the X20, so I wasn't sure what to believe. I don't exactly trust them. X100 (not S or F) AF was borderline defective: slow, constant hunting, inconsistent, not usable under clouds.

    I'll keep in mind the F2 lenses. I don't need super blurry bokeh. Just some control so where the branch two inches in front of me isn't in total sharp focus as the object 50 feet away that I am focusing on. Ah, the joys of cell phone cameras.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2018
  4. ald0s

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    F2s are the gems of the system no doubt. Funnily enough the 18-55 (24-85?) kit lens is agreat performer as well. I actually bought the XT2 for that lens.

    If you dont mind doing a quick bit of processing to get a film look (VSCO presets etc) id also be looking at Olympus. Great cameras, fantastic glass and indestructible. Pretty sure theres a picture of an EM1 mkII in 5cm of hot bath water while the shower head is on somewhere haha. I find the controls more practical as well but its a different kind of camera and won't give you that nostalgic feeling of a Nikon F3 that Fuji is trying to produce.
     
  5. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    I'd say X-T2. Or hell, X-Pro2 for size advantage if you don't mind the smaller viewfinder (it also gives you optical, which somewhat works better in bright light).

    I'd avoid X-T20 if I could afford anything better simply because weather sealing is that much more enticing. Everything else being equal.

    If you're used to Df AF speed, I think you'll feel right at home (with a slight advantage in good lighting) with the X-T2. Also, I'll second the f/2.0 lenses since they are smaller and lighter than the ones with brighter apertures.

    And yeah, don't get Sony if you don't have a month and a half to post-process the colors afterwards. Get a Fuji and be done with Velvia or Classic Chrome.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    LOL, I'm considering an XT-1 too because I'm cheap, don't need the resolution, and hate banging up new gear.
     
  7. ald0s

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    Try one first, autofocus is not great.
     
  8. firev1

    firev1 Friend

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    Have borrowed out the X-T2 for a long while. Also had the X-T1, X-E2 and X100 with me at various points of time.

    1. The AF on the X-T2 in my experience has been pretty spot on, better than the previous cameras I have handled. To me the X-T1 and X100 feels pretty equilvalent in AF, both miss like 50% of my AF shots when I did event reporting.

    The X-T1 is a fantastic manual only camera once you are used to it, also if you like shooting sun stars or bright lights, the X-T2 can't do that without the sensor going slightly wonky.

    2. I would also advise like the others to stay away from the X-T20 unless you are more video oriented. Controls wise for a smaller body, the X-E3 is superior. The X-T2 has nipple+dpad. The X-T20 only has dpad which kind sux. The X-E3 only has the nipple, a better compromise. I like nipples.

    The X-T2 handles well for travel, ain't too bulky since the nice fuji primes are also pretty heavy. I haven't found the need for the battery grip. I'm not hardup for weather sealing so I'm saving for the X-E3 which should be plenty good for me, need more time on it tho.
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Looks like X-T2 then, unless I go with manual focus lenses and the T1, which is tempting. Although this last approach will add weight and bulk.
     
  10. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    Have you handled an X-T2 yet? I loved the rendering and those f2 lenses (the AF was reasonably good too), but coming from an SLR I found the ergonomics to be shithouse and the extended grip didn’t really help either.

    Although I do have Viking sized hands...
     
  11. Lasollor

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    I had the original X100 and the AF was pretty slow, but got better with firmware updates.
    I now have an X-T1 and ai think it’s AF is much faster than the X100 was, but it depends on the lens. The 35mm F1.4 or 18mm F2 the two lenses I mostly use are on the slower side but for family photos or occasional street photo and travelling they are okay I don’t realy have any problem with them. The new F2 lenses focus faster.
    X-T2 is again faster and more accurate.
    I don’t really like the form factor of the X-T20.
    The company I work for has a camera store where I help them out one day every week. I’m in the store today and we have all Fuji cameras in here so I can check them if you have any questions.
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I've handled the XT100 and first X Pro. Not anything like a Nikon F100 which was one of my favorites. But overall better than my current Df, which was kind of a Nikon experiment that got some things right and some things wrong.

    I'm will to sacrifice a bit of handling for something less than the size of a SLR.
     
  13. ald0s

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    I find this with literally every camera I hold as I also have extremely large hands. Holding a 5D my bottom 2 fingers are off the grip.

    Out of the regular pro setups I find the D8xx Nikons passable. The Hasselblad HxD cameras have a wonderfully deep grip but aren't suited to travel and mine often required servicing. Still looking for something that feels truly great and delivers the resolution I need. A Nikon D5X would be splendid.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I heard the Fujis with the latest firmware have implemented a great system for manual focus. I generally eschew manual focus because modern cameras don't have the focus screens of say the ancient Canon AE-1 or Nikon FA. Would like commentary on Fuji's implementation.

    Also how well does the WiFi to phone thing work?
     
  15. ald0s

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    Manual focus with mirrorless has nothing to do with focussing screens and the Fuji has a large, bright EVF which makes it fairly breezy. They also provide focus confirmation, peaking (showing in bright color what elements are in focus) and if you want you can go into 10x magnification for precision.

    I too miss the snap of the old Canon SLR screens. The Olympus OM series was even better.
     
  16. Lasollor

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    I’ve just played a little with manual focus on the X-T2, X-Pro 2 and X-T20. They have digital split screen and the usual contrast highlight mode. The split screen is nowhere near as good as any old film camera. Too hard to see. I personally wouldn’t use it. The contrast highlight is better but low contrast scenes are problematic. You can set it up so that it will zoom in automatically when you turn the zoom ring so you can see the highlights better. But I’m not really convinced, I would rather use autofucos as it is very fast and accurate. Its much faster then my T1.

    The wifi to iphone is good I use that function with the X-T1 almost every day. But it was unusable (it seems not everyone was affected but I could only browse and the connection was lost when I tried to copy pictures o the phone) for about 4 months after an apple update, until about last December when Fuji finally updated their software.

    edit: I do use some rangefinder lenses and a Tamron 90mm macro lens with the X-T1 but mostly its a lit up portrait setting or for product photo, when I’m not in a hurry.

    edit2: The X-Pro 2’s finder is too small for manual focusing, the X-T2 is much better.
    My recommendation would be the X-T2, it’s not much bigger than the T20, much better button layout, better grip, its just a more mature camera.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2018
  17. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    What focal lengths do you shoot?

    f**k carrying extra glass. After getting the RX1R II I never want another camera (except the RX1R III).
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    18mm and 85mm effective. I have my eye on the Rokinon / Samyang 12mm and would probably just leave that on the camera. Most photos I take on the Pixel are panoramas stitched together from two or three shots which I'd rather not do because it takes time and holds up other people on the hike. It's also annoying to use the Pixel as a GPS tracker, phone (kids usually want something), and camera at the same time.
     

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  19. ald0s

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    Just have to carry the weight as extra batteries instead ;)

    God what id do for a Ricoh GR III though....
     
  20. Lasollor

    Lasollor Friend

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    There are some words on a new GR coming out this year.
     

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