New camera - Fujifilm

[ness]

I’ve been thinking about a new camera for some time. My 10+ year old Nikon D200 is a wonderful camera, and I’ve taken thousands of pictures with it, but its dials have become pretty sticky as it has aged making it unreliable for shooting, especially if some quick adjustments are needed. It’s also pretty bulky and heavy, so more and more I found myself just grabbing my compact Nikon P7800. That’s all I took on our trip to Italy last summer — just didn’t want the bulk of the D200. Well, I broke the screen on the compact so I got the nudge to do something. 

I knew I wanted to size down a lot so I wouldn’t be as hesitant to grab the camera. With the advent of mirrorless cameras the  last few years makers have been able to make cameras significantly smaller and lighter.  

The technology in digital cameras is soooo much better now too. ISOs are up to levels unimaginable a few years ago. My Nikon was pretty crummy beyond 1,800. 12,800 and higher is easily available with good quality now. Autofocus has improved dramatically in speed, accuracy, tracking moving subjects and eye focus. They all shoot video, which I don’t  really care much about. Dynamic ranges are improved. Of course MP are way up too. 

I looked at Nikon’s new mirrorless cameras first because I already had a couple lenses and a nice flash, but I just couldn’t get too excited. I don’t have a lot invested, and the lenses are aging themselves and have some issues, so I started to look outside the Nikon ecosystem. 

I was first drawn to the Fujifilm lineup by their traditional SLR and rangefinder styling which includes real dials — like I learned photography with. But, as I read more about them there were a lot of additional things I liked. 

Fujifilm is fully mirrorless and dedicated to APS-C sized sensors in their consumer/enthusiast product line. (They also have a medium format (large sensor) lineup as well, but it caters mostly to pros or wannabes).

Fuji has always had a reputation for terrific color rendition out of the camera. They have a number of built in film simulation modes based on their outstanding films (Velvia, Provia, Astia, Acros, etc.) I really liked the idea of using these rather than continuing to shoot RAW and tweaking things in Lightroom, which is pretty time consuming. Very cool for a photography geek and practical too. 

Fuji also has a great reputation for producing terrific lenses, which is very important to me. Build quality is excellent too. Pricing is competitive. 

So, I popped for the Fujifilm XT-30. It’s an SLR-style body, with a 26 MP sensor. Dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, drive mode. Depending on the lens, aperture is either set with a ring on the lens or a dial on the back of the camera. Very old school but practical too. You know where you are at a glance and can make adjustments easily and intuitively. The electronic viewfinder is very sharp and quick with no delay. High ISO performance is excellent. 

Bought 18-55 mm f 2.8/4 zoom and a 35 mm f/2 prime. Both very sharp and well built.

There is ISO and exposure bracketing. Use with the electronic shutter and get three or five exposures with one click with no tripod needed. Take to Lightroom for a simple HDR combination. 

It’s still pretty new to me, but I’m loving it so far. Can’t wait to get out and really put it through the paces. It’s definitely small enough to grab and go. 

Old versus new with 18-55 on the Fujifilm and 18-70 on the Nikon:

Weighed them. It’s 811 grams versus 1,343, or 60% of the weight of my old system.

With 35mm f/2 lens:

 

 

 

[Flysmallie]

Sweet! Been hearing good things about them. Let me know how you like it.

About 6 months ago I almost pulled the trigger on a Nikon Z6. Something came up and I backed out and I'm really glad that I did. It's given me time to research this whole mirrorless thing a bit more but I have a hard time making up my mind. Was planning on full frame but now maybe not. Was going to go Nikon, then Sony, maybe Canon, Hey look Fuji has some cool stuff, wait maybe APS-C, then I start looking at lenses and finally I walk away for awhile. Plus my needs have changed in a year and video capabilities plus expensive glass are going to weigh pretty heavy on the decision. 

The journey continues.

[ness]

1 hour ago, Flysmallie said:

Sweet! Been hearing good things about them. Let me know how you like it.

About 6 months ago I almost pulled the trigger on a Nikon Z6. Something came up and I backed out and I'm really glad that I did. It's given me time to research this whole mirrorless thing a bit more but I have a hard time making up my mind. Was planning on full frame but now maybe not. Was going to go Nikon, then Sony, maybe Canon, Hey look Fuji has some cool stuff, wait maybe APS-C, then I start looking at lenses and finally I walk away for awhile. Plus my needs have changed in a year and video capabilities plus expensive glass are going to weigh pretty heavy on the decision. 

The journey continues.

I went through the full-frame thinking too. Just figured that was the only way to go at first. But I really wanted a smaller size. The more I researched the more I saw that these Fujifilm cameras really produce excellent results on the smaller sensor. I know I'm giving up something with APS-C, but in practical terms I don't think it's measurable for 99% of what I'm going to do. 

It's definitely small in the hand, and I added a hand grip to make it more comfortable. I also made myself hold it, and hold it a lot, just to get used to it. Like practicing holding it. After about a week it felt great.

So, I made the commitment and am now determined to learn to use it to make the best photos possible. It's a huge step up in technology. And now it's up to me. 

I'd be happy to answer any questions or share opinions. Just let me know. 

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, ness said:

I know I'm giving up something with APS-C, but in practical terms I don't think it's measurable for 99% of what I'm going to do. 

Unless you creating some large prints or really cropping it down you aren't loosing anything. And if it's just for pics top post then it's great. Mine again was more for the video aspects but I'm kicking out some quality stuff with an iPhone right now so I can't justify the extra expense. 

My goals are small with good video. I have big meaty hands but for videos it will be on a gimbal. My biggest thing I guess is figuring out what lens I want. I know what I want but I'm not paying 2K for just a lens. I still like Sony. Or the Nikon Z50 is an option too and would allow me to use some of my older lenses. I don't need a expensive lens for my outdoors stuff.  

[Terrierman]

How does that camera compare to a Galaxy S 7?

[ness]

7 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

How does that camera compare to a Galaxy S 7?

If you’ve got to ask, it ain’t for you. 

[Terrierman]

11 minutes ago, ness said:

If you’ve got to ask, it ain’t for you. 

Correct Sir.  Once upon a timer, in a land far far away, there was a man who had a 35MM SLR and some lenses.  He carried them around in a .50 caliber BMG ammo box.  Then there was this thing called a smart phone with really good camera.  And there was a very happy ending.

[Flysmallie]

Smart phones are pretty darn good but zero comparison to a real camera. 

[ness]

5 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

Correct Sir.  Once upon a timer, in a land far far away, there was a man who had a 35MM SLR and some lenses.  He carried them around in a .50 caliber BMG ammo box.  Then there was this thing called a smart phone with really good camera.  And there was a very happy ending.

Probably safe to say that your requirements are different than mine.

[ness]

1 hour ago, Flysmallie said:

My goals are small with good video.

I didn’t really consider video in my search, but you can’t really buy much without it these days. From what I’ve read the Fujifilm’s are excellent.