Hello from Southeastern Wisconsin

[kjgraff]

I signed on to this forum several months ago but then did nothing.  Recently, I had a problem with updating my X-T2's firmware and some of the members helped me resolve my issue.  Since I am still learning about my camera and really have many questions about it, I thought, why not join this forum?  

 

I have enjoyed photography for many years and primarily used Canon equipment for at least the last 30.  Several years ago I began to explore other systems, mostly because I wanted to decrease the amount of weight I was carrying.  I could have switched to lighter Canon equipment but I was curious about mirrorless systems and so I began to explore Olympus and Fujifilm.  I currently photograph with Olympus micro 4/3rds and Fujifilm equipment.  Both are lighter systems and have many excellent lenses. I'm excited that Fuji is adding an 80mm 1:1 macro lens since I enjoy macro photography.  Speaking of which, my photography interests are very broad.  I love to photograph nature, travel, sports, architecture, etc.  I love having a camera in my hands and carry one with me most of the time--another reason to use light, compact, equipment.  I look forward to reading posts in this forum, learn more about my Fuji camera, and, hopefully, also contribute to this forum.

[F_J_Woods]

Welcome! Newbie to the forum, but certainly not newbie to photography! 30+ years? I've been dawdling for ten, only moderately serious the last year or so. I was also a Canon shooter but found I was rarely reaching for my camera due to the bulkiness (or dslr, doubt it had much to do with Canon in particular). Out of raw curiosity less than a year ago I popped into a photo store just to check out the new-fangledy X-T2 I had been seeing so many posts about. Bought the thing straight away, and have sold most of my legacy gear. I am enamored with the handling of the X-T2. Haven't looked back. Curious to hear your thoughts on Canon v. Fuji from a shooting experience perspective.

[kjgraff]

Thanks for the welcome, F_J_Woods.  I really loved my Canon gear.  I've owned several film based Canon cameras and many Canon DSLRs.  By the time I decided to try mirrorless, I owned a 7D MII,  a 5D MIII and mostly L (luxury glass) full-frame lenses. Canon cameras were very easy to operate since I had owned them since the late 1970s and they always felt good in my hands.  My only reason for switching to mirrorless was weight, size, and EVF.  Because I always like to have a camera with me and I also like to hike (or travel) with a camera, the bulkiness and weight of my Canon gear became a real pain for me (literally).  I use my Olympus gear more than my Fuji because Olympus is more compact and maybe a bit lighter.  I do like my X-T2 since it's quite light and the controls are easy to use but because it's sensor is an aps-c, the lenses can be larger--just like my canon lenses were.  The big difference though is that the Canon white lenses are still heavier so the Fuji shooting experience is more comfortable for me and I can carry the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 in my hands for longer periods without feeling fatigued.  Some things that bother me about the X-T2 is the "sometimes" wormy grain, the slower autofocus tracking (even with the booster grip), and the fewer fast lens choices.  The Fuji 100-400mm lens is slower than Canon's 100-400mm and yet it is as large, if not slightly larger than the Canon lens.  Things like that bother me.  But, I still prefer shooting with the Fuji gear.  And something that I learned owning Canon gear for so many years was patience--camera companies really do want to improve their products and keep their customers happy.

[Guest Him]

I can only criticise the X-T2 a little. One of the things I have issues with are how easy it is to knock the on/off switch when putting the camera into a ever-ready type case. I am always doing it. Also the F-Stop ring on the lenses are quite easy to similarly move inadvertently.

 

The lens hoods could also be improved.

 

However the rest of it for me is fantastic. What a camera this is going to be. 

[F_J_Woods]

Thanks for the welcome, F_J_Woods.  I really loved my Canon gear.  I've owned several film based Canon cameras and many Canon DSLRs.  By the time I decided to try mirrorless, I owned a 7D MII,  a 5D MIII and mostly L (luxury glass) full-frame lenses. Canon cameras were very easy to operate since I had owned them since the late 1970s and they always felt good in my hands.  My only reason for switching to mirrorless was weight, size, and EVF.  Because I always like to have a camera with me and I also like to hike (or travel) with a camera, the bulkiness and weight of my Canon gear became a real pain for me (literally).  I use my Olympus gear more than my Fuji because Olympus is more compact and maybe a bit lighter.  I do like my X-T2 since it's quite light and the controls are easy to use but because it's sensor is an aps-c, the lenses can be larger--just like my canon lenses were.  The big difference though is that the Canon white lenses are still heavier so the Fuji shooting experience is more comfortable for me and I can carry the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 in my hands for longer periods without feeling fatigued.  Some things that bother me about the X-T2 is the "sometimes" wormy grain, the slower autofocus tracking (even with the booster grip), and the fewer fast lens choices.  The Fuji 100-400mm lens is slower than Canon's 100-400mm and yet it is as large, if not slightly larger than the Canon lens.  Things like that bother me.  But, I still prefer shooting with the Fuji gear.  And something that I learned owning Canon gear for so many years was patience--camera companies really do want to improve their products and keep their customers happy.

 

The only thing that I can truly say that bothers me about the X-T2 is the poor (in my opinion) battery life. That likely has mostly to do with the EVF, and not anything particularly FUJI. I still have a G1X-II and it eats through batteries pretty quickly as well.

[kjgraff]

The only thing that I can truly say that bothers me about the X-T2 is the poor (in my opinion) battery life. That likely has mostly to do with the EVF, and not anything particularly FUJI. I still have a G1X-II and it eats through batteries pretty quickly as well.

 

My reply was a bit critical of Fuji...  I do really love the image quality: at low iso's very smooth and almost nonexistent grain (and still beautiful at higher iso's)  and the great film simulations.  When I photographed with film I used Velvia and Provia quite a bit.  And one of the things that really sold me on the camera was Fuji's commitment to firmware updates and usually across all of their body and lens lines.  I watched a YouTube video recently that really spoke to me called "Fuji Rethink RAW" by Lee Varis.  I highly recommend it.  One advantage of changing camera systems is that you're forced to rethink a lot of what you did in the past that you took for granted and stopped questioning.  Another one is that now I will go out shooting and try out the different film simulations on my subject to see how they enhance my image and now I plan to also try altering shadow and highlight settings.  I stopped thinking about Black & White many years ago but I do now and I've started using it depending upon my subject.  Because of the Varis video I have a renewed appreciation for JPEGs.  Anyway, the X-T2 is much more than it's electronic viewfinder and light weight and size!  And I do love it.

[Guest Him]

My reply was a bit critical of Fuji...  I do really love the image quality: at low iso's very smooth and almost nonexistent grain (and still beautiful at higher iso's)  and the great film simulations.  When I photographed with film I used Velvia and Provia quite a bit.  And one of the things that really sold me on the camera was Fuji's commitment to firmware updates and usually across all of their body and lens lines.  I watched a YouTube video recently that really spoke to me called "Fuji Rethink RAW" by Lee Varis.  I highly recommend it.  One advantage of changing camera systems is that you're forced to rethink a lot of what you did in the past that you took for granted and stopped questioning.  Another one is that now I will go out shooting and try out the different film simulations on my subject to see how they enhance my image and now I plan to also try altering shadow and highlight settings.  I stopped thinking about Black & White many years ago but I do now and I've started using it depending upon my subject.  Because of the Varis video I have a renewed appreciation for JPEGs.  Anyway, the X-T2 is much more than it's electronic viewfinder and light weight and size!  And I do love it.

 

I share what you say, Fuji has made me similarly start to experiment more, which is a good thing. Brilliant video by the way, extremely interesting!

Edited November 1, 2017 by Him