chuck77

I shoot primarily fashion and portraiture, and have been using a Sony A7 since 2013 with Sony/Zeiss glass with great results for the most part. As my photography improves, I have been gaining a better understanding of my style and have been looking for ways to enhance that style. Essentially, I enjoy photos that have a timeless, vintage look, and sometimes dreamy look to them instead of modern photos that look just like a 100% true representation of the present reality. I know that this look could probably be obtained by using photoshop, tools like VSCO, etc (and this is likely what most people do). However, I have never enjoyed spending hours to manipulate a photo, nor do I find the results very satisfying (perhaps due to my limited knowledge of post-processing too). My solution became a simple one, where I began to explore the advantages of the mirrorless system by buying legacy lenses with the appropriate rendering for my style. In this case, I bought a Zeiss C-Sonnar 50/1.5 for M-mount. This approach worked well and gave me results that were vintage looking with lower contrast and the all important classical look. Of course, it is no secret that the characteristics of the lens translate directly to the sensor and the final photo, making it difficult to change my mind about the mood of a photo after the fact. Another problem is that the lenses are still not optimized for these mirrorless systems, and lens sharpness and performance is understandably lower as a result. There is alot of trial and error involved in finding and testing the right lenses with the appropriate rendering to fit the mood I am looking for. Yesterday, I bought a Summicron 50mm f2, and ended up not liking its rendering with my camera. This had me rethinking about my approach, since I also have an XT-1 that I have been borrowing, which is fantastic and achieves similar results with film simulations which could be altered after the photo is taken. Even when compared to Leica lenses, I find the Fuji glass is every bit as good, especially in terms of colour, sharpness, and micro-contrast. Yes, the photos must still be sharp to be acceptable, but for the most part, I prioritize lens rendering over sharpness. I don't need to have the sharpest lens in the world, but it has to be sharp enough for my use for photographing fashion and portraiture. What are your thoughts on my approach? Does using legacy vintage lenses produce a unique mood and rendering to the photos that is not possible to be created in post-processing? Instead, is it far more desirable to shoot using a neutral lens with extreme clarity and sharpness, and then adjust the rendering, colours, etc. in post-processing? Is Fuji X the solution? The photos attached shows my Jpegs straight out of camera with no editting using: 1) Girl with blonde hair - Sony A7 with Zeiss 50/1.5 C-Sonnar 2) Door - Fuji XT-1 with 23mm/1.4

Thanks! I keep going back and forth between keeping the X-Pro 2 or not. To be honest, for my style of photography, accurate framing is more important than anticipating subjects/events outside the frame. The viewfinder is even smaller than my X100, yet when I look at it another way - perhaps I could enjoy the benefits of the 24MP X-trans III sensor until the XT-2 is announced, like you mentioned. I wonder if I will take a big hit on the X-Pro 2 if I sell it when the XT-2 is also around.

My situation is quite an interesting one. Hopefully somebody can shed some light for me! I shoot primarily portraiture, fashion , and fine art, and my main system for the last few years has been the Sony A7. It has served me well despite the limitations of the first-gen body, and the 11+7bit raw with banding issues in rare cases. I preordered the X-Pro 2 back in January with the intent of dedicating this camera for outdoor portrait/fashion work in natural light, where the lower noise of my full frame A7 is not relevant. The Sony A7 would remain my workhorse, especially with the ability to use vintage lenses without cropping. While I patiently awaited for the X-Pro 2 for the last two months, I have been spending some time with an XT-1 we have in our family to get a sense of the Fuji X system. Here are my thoughts: -The XT-1's EVF is amazing. I love its large size for easy composition. -The handling is great with the battery grip. -Overall sharpness and dynamic range is not as good as the Sony A7. -The film simulation modes are excellent. -Noise levels in low light cannot match my A7 (I did not expect it to, but I also did not expect such a large difference). Yet, I have taken some of my best images on the XT-1, and had several published as a result. The camera is just so intuitive to use. Last week, I picked up my X-Pro2 with a 35 f2 and a 23mm f1.4. I have not had a chance to use it for any portraiture or fashion work still. But, here are my thoughts with it: -I miss the large EVF from the XT-1. -I find myself using the EVF since accurate framing is most important for my style of photography. -The OVF is useless for anything other than the XF 35mm f/2 lens (due to viewfinder blockage). -The heavier weight of the X-Pro 2 is nice, but I miss having a battery grip for the added the shutter button and better ergonomics for portrait shooting. -The X-Pro 2 is a beautiful camera, and the added image quality compared to the XT-1 is very real. -My preferred (full frame) focal lengths have always been: 35mm, 50mm, and in rare occassions/studio portraits an 85mm, so the X-Pro 2 has no real limitations there. -Files from the X-Pro 2 with the XF 35mm f2 are sharper than my Sony A7 with the Zeiss 55mm, and colours are also richer. -X-Pro 2 has slightly more noise than my A7, but is easily removeable in Lightroom. -Handling and stability is better on the XT-1, but to be honest, the X-Pro 2 is becoming easier to use after spending more time with it. -Focus point selection with the joystick is nice. It helps me miss less shots where eye-focus is critical. What about other hidden benefits, such as being able to engage my subjects (people) better with my left eye open, or the emotional appeal of this camera? I am not sure yet, but I shoot all my cameras using my right eye, but I do love using this camera. Perhaps I still need to test the camera out more in real world shoots. So, to summarize (so far) -The large EVF of the XT-1 is excellent for composing. I wish the X-Pro 2 had such a large EVF, as I do not see myself using the OVF on the X-Pro 2 much. Even the X100 has a larger and brighter viewfinder! -The X-Pro 2 inspires me more to take photos, but has more limitations than the XT-1, since it has no shutter button/no battery grip, no tilting screen, etc. -Images from the X-Pro 2 look fantastic, and has even better colour and sharpness compared to my Sony A7. -The X-Pro 2 is not impossible to use, but the XT-1 is easier to use (but inspires me less). It is no secret that the XT-2 will have all the improvements of the X-Pro 2 (and more perhaps), but that is a different camera than the X-Pro 2, and becomes a Fuji version of my Sony A7. Other thoughts: -My ideal camera would probably be an X100 with the 24MP X-Trans III of the X-Pro 2. I actually enjoy the large and bright OVF in the X100. Also, the extra high flash sync allows me to use speedlites outdoors for fashion work instead of carrying studio lights with battery packs. Granted, I do not use artificial light much outdoors, and I have an old X100 already. I could even buy the teleconverter and have a 35mm and 50mm focal length to use. -The files from the X-Pro 2 are essentially good enough to replace my Sony A7. On the other hand, there are advantages of having the Sony (low light, choice of vintage lenses - I would have lots of fun with a low-light A7S2 for some projects). Plus, going Fuji-only feels like riding a unicycle without any training! Should I keep the X-Pro 2 and decide what to do with it when the XT-2 comes out? Learn to deal with its limitations and just focus on the photos? (since I already have a workhorse full frame A7). Sell the X-Pro 2 and use the XT-1 until the XT-2 is out? Or, something else?