It’s been some time since I switched from Sony to Fuji. At this level, I’m prepared to provide you my causes for the change and the way I examine Fujifilm vs Sony crop sensor cameras.
I have to first admit that the Fujifilm was not what I anticipated in any respect. It really turned out to be fully the alternative of my expectations. I received considering Fujifilm due to the necessity for a greater person expertise, however I stayed with it due to picture high quality, and stellar Fuji lenses.
Let me clarify.
I switched from Canon to Sony 4 years in the past, I had a really totally different motivation. I used to be not solely dissatisfied with Canon however with DSLR know-how typically. I used to be desperate to discover the mirrorless realm and didn’t have a specific digital camera model in thoughts. The rationale I picked Sony was due to the standard of digital recordsdata it produced in comparison with Canon.
Sony vs Fujifilm. Causes for Switching
As I thought-about the change this time, I had just one model in thoughts and that was Fujifilm. Listed here are the principle causes:
1. Person Expertise
While you mature as a photographer, you develop a novel pictures routine and habits. You realize precisely what you wish to see in a digital camera that’s intently aligned together with your pictures workflow. With Sony, I felt that I couldn’t customise my picture tools how I wished. I hoped the mix of the streamlined Fuji menu system with the mechanical dials and customizable buttons would provide extra flexibility.
After I determined to change to Fujifilm, I solely thought-about the highest of the road XT2 mannequin, however I had issue discovering dependable evaluations. Why? The rationale was due to Fuji’s distinctive method to firmware updates.
Since Fujifilm launched its XT2 mannequin in August 2016, it has launched three main firmware updates that stretch the digital camera’s performance by including tons of–that’s proper, tons of–of latest and up to date options.
By the top of 2017, many of the preliminary XT2 evaluations have been outdated as a result of, by then, it was a really totally different digital camera.
Associated: Fuji XT2 vs XT3 – Facet by Facet
I discover Fuji’s method to be distinctive and refreshing, which makes them extra like a software program startup relatively than a client electronics firm. It seems like a contemporary method to pictures when an organization listens to customers and makes enhancements to current cameras by software program updates.
I wished to be a part of that have.
2. Curiosity
I do know loads of fellow photographers who shoot with Fujifilm and love the Fujifilm expertise. Typically, they reward Fuji a lot that it seems like they’re a part of a cult-like Scientology or CrossFit. I used to be curious to discover the cult-like expertise from the within.
I used to be additionally intrigued to discover the utterly totally different design of Fuji cameras with their numerous mechanical dials and gazillions of customizable buttons.
Additionally, as a photographer and educator, I believed it could be good to study one other system so I can intelligently focus on it.
3. Want for the Final Journey Digital camera
For a very long time, I wished the final word journey digital camera setup. I craved for a mix of a compact climate sealed digital camera and lens.
I used to be additionally searching for a contemporary twin reminiscence card performance that will give me a very redundant backup workflow from begin to end.
And, lastly, I wished my journey digital camera to have a dependable and easy GPS tagging performance.
Associated: High Equipment for
I couldn’t accomplish every thing with Sony.
4. Neglect By Sony
I bear in mind a number of years in the past when somebody from a photograph group predicted that Sony wouldn’t have the bandwidth to develop each full body and APS-C programs concurrently. This turned out to be true. Sony uncared for the APS-C programs and concentrated all their efforts on full body cameras and lenses. In 4 years, Sony has not created even one APS-C lens.
Fujifilm vs Sony. The Change
After I switched from Canon to Sony, probably the most important change that impacted my pictures was the unimaginable dynamic vary of the Sony sensors. It modified the best way I shoot and edit pictures.
It made me use HDR even much less. And, even when it was completely essential to make the most of HDR, I solely wanted three brackets. The time of taking 5 to seven bracketed photographs was over.
Since then, I at all times take note of the dynamic vary of any digital camera that I consider and make it one of the vital paraments of my pictures.
The issue with Fuji is that it makes use of an X-Trans sensor and evidently nobody can precisely measure its dynamic vary. This made it unattainable for me to match the dynamic vary of the XT2 to my current Sony earlier than I made the change.
It nervous me a bit as a result of I didn’t wish to sacrifice the dynamic vary in my new digital camera.
So, as an alternative of switching straight away, I made a decision to first check the Fuji. When an area fellow photographer was promoting his virtually new Fuji X-T2 physique, I knew it was the proper alternative for me to match it to Sony.
I purchased the digital camera and complemented it with the Fujinon 18-135mm lens. Over the subsequent six weeks, I used each the Sony and Fuji programs facet by facet.
Associated: My Fujifilm Journey Pictures Gear
Here’s what I found.
The Positives of Switching from Sony to Fujifilm
Dynamic Vary
The dynamic vary of the Fuji XT2 sensor is unimaginable. I can not measure it exactly to provide the precise variety of stops it covers however, based mostly on my purely empirical expertise, it’s higher than the Sony a6000, a6300, and a6500. In six weeks, I’ve not used HDR–not even when capturing immediately into the solar. The quantity of particulars I can get well in highlights and shadows is staggering.
That is one thing I didn’t anticipate.
Picture High quality
At this level, I’ve two lenses: Fujinon 10-24 and Fujinon 18-135. The mix of the Fuji XT2 and the 10-24 or 18-135 produces a lot cleaner and sharper photographs than the Sony a6000 or a65000 with a Sony 16-70 or Sony 10-18. The Fujifilm photographs are completely usable at 100% magnification. Unbelievable.
Fujinon Lenses
It’s common information that Fujifilm lenses are good and I had a basic thought what to anticipate.
However, I wish to focus on Fujinon 18-135 lens. It’s not the preferred Fuji lens, however I picked it as a part of my final journey pictures setup. It’s climate sealed, stabilized with a really helpful focal size. I knew prematurely that I may go on an prolonged journey with solely that lens.
After utilizing Fujinon completely for two weeks, I spotted that just about all of the Fujinon 18-135 evaluations I learn have been inaccurate and deceptive. Most of them concluded that it’s a respectable lens however you can’t anticipate a lot from a brilliant zoom lens.
I don’t agree with these conclusions. I discover this lens to be excellent. The picture high quality is superb and when capturing at f/8 – f/11 I hardly can inform the distinction between Fujinon 18-135 and everyone’s favourite extremely broad Fujinon 10-24.
The Fujinon 18-135mm has one of the best Optical Stabilization I’ve ever skilled. I managed to shoot at focal size 135mm utilizing shutter velocity 1/10s and produce a wonderfully sharp picture. It’s outstanding.
Digital Viewfinder
The EVF is to die for. It’s HUGE and vivid. It comprises an unlimited quantity of knowledge, and you’ll customise it in any means you need. It already modified the best way I take pictures.
I assigned the entrance perform button to set off Histogram show in EVF. With the most recent firmware replace, it shows a mixed histogram plus three extra variations for every coloration channel. Now when I’m able to shoot, I press AE-L button to lock the publicity, subsequent I activate the histogram inside the EVF, and at last, I tweak the publicity by adjusting the publicity compensation utilizing Entrance Command Dial. And I at all times have 4 histograms in EVF to guage my changes.
Adore it.
ISO Efficiency
One of many shortcomings of the Fuji XT2 is taken into account to be not a stellar excessive ISO efficiency. However, as soon as once more I don’t fully agree with the conclusion. I assume in case you examine XT2 ISO efficiency to a full body sensor digital camera like Sony 7r it is perhaps the case, however I discover the ISO efficiency is superb for the APS-C digital camera. I used to be stunned that at ISO 12800 photographs are nonetheless usable with loads of particulars.
The mix of fantastic ISO efficiency with improved and prolonged Auto ISO performance, permits me to shoot in circumstances I’d by no means contemplate capturing earlier than.
The Negatives of Switching from Sony to Fujifilm
Ergonomics
The day I acquired the digital camera and the lens I went on a day-long journey to shoot winter landscapes. After capturing for two hours I spotted that I had cramps in my fingers.
Sony a6000 is a small digital camera, nevertheless it has a beefy, not very deep however fairly broad grip and I may comfortably carry the digital camera utilizing my complete palm. However the Fuji XT2 is a much bigger and heavier digital camera with a tiny grip and I at all times needed to squeeze it with my fingers placing pointless pressure on them.
After 5 minutes of Googling, I spotted the small grip was a typical challenge for a lot of Fuji cameras. And naturally, I discovered the answer quick. I ordered the thumb grip, and it nearly mounted the issue.
I additionally purchased an affordable L-Bracket with a steel grip.
Fujifilm XT2 Vertical Shoot Hand Grip
Now once I shoot handheld, I take advantage of thumb grip solely, and when I’m on a tripod I connect the L-Bracket Grip as properly.
However, I’m nonetheless not fully comfy. I hope over time I’ll get used to it.
I’m an enormous Again Button Focus person, and the AE-L and AF-L buttons are tiny, and it’s arduous to make use of them. I needed to assign Rear Command Dial to lock the concentrate on a press down. It’s not fully comfy.
Inconsistency with Customization
I just like the Fuji XT2 design and mechanical dials, however I anticipated to have the power to assign all mechanical dial functionalities to customizable perform buttons. That isn’t the case.
For instance, I can use Entrance Command Dial to regulate publicity compensation by setting the mechanical dial to the S choice, and I prefer it so much.
However, I can’t assign Drive choice to a customized perform button or perhaps a Fast menu. The one means for me to vary from single mode capturing to bracketing, which I do so much, is to make use of a mechanical subdial beneath the ISO dial. I’ve to make use of my second hand to vary it.
The identical goes for the Metering choice, it’s a must to use a mechanical dial and no perform button or Fast Menu choices.
When capturing in Aperture Precedence mode, the one method to change the aperture worth is to make use of lens aperture ring. It is vitally comfy when capturing handheld however when on a tripod, as soon as once more it requires a second hand. There isn’t a method to change aperture utilizing the Rear Command dial.
I hope that in future updates Fujifilm offers us the power to assign any perform to any perform buttons or at the very least to a Fast Menu. I’d love to have the ability to customise the XT2 so I can change any settings with one hand and with out transferring the attention away from EVF
Customized Setting
I discover that one of the helpful customized configurations on any digital camera model is the power to avoid wasting a bunch of customized settings and recall them with one click on. I used it on Sony and Canon.
I used to be enthusiastic about Fujifilm customized settings as a result of I knew you can save as much as 7 customized configurations, plus you can give every configuration a novel identify. And it’s straightforward to recall every saved configuration from Fast Menu.
However once I began to customise it I spotted the one following settings an out there for reminiscence recall:
Dynamic Vary, Movie Simulation, Grain Impact, White Stability, Shade Sharpness, Spotlight Tone, and Noise Discount.
That’s is true, all of them associated to JPEG capturing. And since I solely shoot RAW, the complete Customized Setting module is totally ineffective to me.
I discover it to be one of the stunning shortcomings of Fujifilm Xt2 performance.
Sony vs Fujifilm: Conclusion
As I discussed earlier than, the change from Sony to Fujifilm turned to be not what I anticipated in any respect. I received considering Fujifilm due to the necessity for a greater person expertise and extra superior customization, however I stayed with it due to picture high quality, dynamic vary, and stellar lenses.
I don’t complain and don’t have any regrets. I’ve already bought all my Sony gear and I’ll undoubtedly persist with Fujifilm for a 12 months at the very least, however I think it to be longer.
And I’m having blast studying the brand new digital camera system. Plus, Fujifilm retains us on the toes with the fixed firmware upgrades.
Additionally, it proved once more there is no such thing as a such factor as an ideal digital camera.
Sony vs Fujifilm – 2019 Replace
It’s been nearly 18 months since I switched from Sony to the Fujifilm digital camera system. I made a decision to provide you a fast replace.
Initially, I’ve grown even fonder of Fujifilm gear over time. I like its aesthetics, the standard of substances, and the standard of photographs Fujifilm produces. Plus, I like Fujifilm’s photographer-centric method to enterprise.
At this level, I’ve no plans to search for an alternate. I’ll persist with Fujifilm.
I nonetheless shoot with the Fujifilm X-t2. In 2018, I used to be very excited when Fujifilm introduced the X-t3 and I used to be desperate to improve. However once I checked the specs of the X-t3, I spotted there was nothing for me there.
The Fujifilm X-T3 gives drastic enhancements in video specs and autofocus, neither of which I look after a lot. The options I cared about probably the most—picture high quality dynamic vary and low gentle efficiency – didn’t change within the X-T3 mannequin.
I additionally hoped the X-T3 would introduce a much bigger battery to remove the necessity to carry a pile of spare batteries together with me. This didn’t occur.
Fujinon 35mm f/1.4
I added a brand new Fujifilm lens to my assortment. I bought the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4, which acts because the “nifty fifty” on APS-C sensor cameras. The lens is among the oldest fashions within the Fujifilm line and has a really outdated autofocus motor. The autofocus is noisy and never very quick, however the lens produces unimaginable photographs with distinctive seems.
Based on Fujifilm’s chief engineer, once they designed the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 lens, that they had the choice to make it optically good or make it distinctive and distinctive. They selected the latter. It’s now considered one of my favourite lenses I’ve ever owned. Plus, it’s tiny and extremely gentle.
My working horse is the Fujinon 10-24mm f/4 wide-angle lens. I take advantage of it for many of my panorama pictures. Its solely weak spot is its lack of climate sealing. When I’m within the discipline within the rain, I’ve to change to the Fujinon 18-135mm. This lens is weather-sealed and provides me a really helpful attain of 135mm (200m full-frame equal).
The Fujifilm 18-135mm is nearly the proper lens for my wants, nevertheless it has one shortcoming. It’s a bit too large and too heavy for lengthy and demanding hikes. Just lately, Fujifilm introduced a brand new lens—the 16-80mm f/4 —that’s smaller than the 18-135mm lens, has one of the best picture stabilization within the business, and is climate sealed. It has the potential of being the final word journey lens. I completely plan to test it out when it turns into out there.
That’s it for now. Let me know when you’ve got any questions within the feedback under. I’m completely happy to reply any of your inquiries.
