It seems like only a few months ago that Fuji released their upgraded flagship model, the X-Pro2. And very excited we all were about that camera. Two weeks ago, Fujifilm announced the much rumoured X-T2, which, as some commentators may have you believe, is not simply "an X-Pro2 in an X-T1 body".
There is an element of that of course, but I firmly believe the X-T2 stands alone, and shoulder to shoulder, with the X-Pro2 as "a" flagship camera in its own right.
Fuji X-T2 Stand Out Features
- 24.3MP X-TransTM CMOS III APS-C sensor
- Acros Film Simulation
- 4K video (as well as 180p and 720p)
- The number of focusing points has been dramatically expanded from 49 in the X-T1 to 91 (up to 325 points).
- AF-C algorithm has been significantly improved for even higher accuracy when focus-tracking moving subjects in the AF-C mode. There is also the introduction of several new AF-C configurations to help with fast moving subject tracking.
- 2.36-million-dot high-resolution organic EL electronic viewfinder has the magnification ratio of 0.77x and maintains the display time lag of 0.005 seconds.
- The Vertical Power Booster Grip (VPB-XT2) will not only hold an additional two batteries, but will also boost the power of the camera enabling even faster burst shooting, better refresh times and longer video recording.
- Studio Tethering via a Lightroom Plugin which is soon to be released.
I think there are three main areas that are substantially different to the the X-Pro2 that I, at least, have been testing and appreciating the most:
The Tilting Screen
As someone who shoots weddings for a living, I know the power of tilting screen. Whilst shooting with the X-T2, I've found myself using the now vastly improved tilting screen a lot.
The new screen will pivot in two directions enabling it to be useful not only for those shooting horizontally, but also those shooting vertically.
4K Video
This is something that will either excite you, or pass you by completely.
It excites me, and I intend using the 4K features on personal and social documentary projects as much as I possibly can.
There is, of course, a swathe of cameras with 4K capability out there, but none that allow you to film natively using the remarkable colours and rendering of the ubiquitous Fujifilm film simulations.
You will, come the time of camera release (we haven't been able to during the beta testing) record to a F-Log flat uncompressed output too. This is perfect for those that have their own cinematic finishes they like to apply during colour grading.
Fuji have added a headphone socket to the Vertical Grip and also a 3.5mm mic jack to the body. Along with an HDMI out port, this means the camera really is geared up for some serious filming for those that are inclined.
Here are some random clips shot at 4K, straight from the camera. The Colour clip is Classic Chrome and the monochrome ones are Acros+R. Sound is recorded into an Rode Shotgun mic.
New Auto Focus System
When I used to shoot with my DSLRs, I really loved the ability to choose different continuous tracking modes.
When the AF-C updates came in Firmware 4 for the X-T1 (and subsequently released in the X-Pro2), we suddenly had a continuous tracking mode that worked incredibly well. One thing I missed though, was the ability to fine tune the continuous tracking and decide on things such as whether I wanted the camera to ignore subjects crossing in front on my primary focus subject, or react quicker to quick moving subjects etc. You can customise settings to optimise AF characteristics according to the type of subject movements in the new X-T2.
The electronic viewfinder, which is used to continuously track a moving subject, is capable of displaying up to 100 frames per second, while also maintaining the magnification ratio of 0.77x and the display time lag of 0.005 seconds.
The duration of the viewfinder blackout, in which the live view display blacks out temporarily while the camera reads picture data, has been reduced by more than half (and I know this has been an issue for some people in the past), enabling up to 5fps, instead of 3fps in the X-T1, during continuous shooting in the Live View mode, a better option to ensure tracking subject movements.
I really love the ability to customise the way the AF-C works and during my testing, I’ve found this to be invaluable. For wedding photographers, it comes into its own when shooting and tracking things such as the bridal recessional or the confetti run where you don’t want the camera to suddenly start tracking the confetti itself or another person entering the scene.
Overall, the Fuji X-T2, I believe, will be a perfect camera for those who are likely to be shooting very fast moving subjects; sports and wildlife photographers will find this camera a dream to use and studio shooters will love the tethering that will be available to them via the Lightroom plugin.
Its another fine feather in the Fujifilm cap.
