{"id":6941,"date":"2017-02-18T11:07:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-18T16:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=6941"},"modified":"2024-09-05T16:39:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T21:39:49","slug":"review-fujifilm-x-t2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-x-t2\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fujifilm X-T2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fujifilm, after having been stuck with more or less the same sensor for around 4 years, has been updating their rather robust lineup with the new 24 Megapixel X-Trans III sensor.  First up was last winter’s long-awaited X-Pro2, and then this past summer, Fuji moved to update their extremely popular X-T1 with the new X-T2. It’s been out a little while, but I finally got a chance to run the X-T2 through its paces, and I have to say: Fuji’s got a winner on their hands yet again. Let’s dive in to the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The Fujifilm X-T2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Body and Ergonomics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Fuji X-T2 is Fuji’s ‘second flagship’ alongside the X-Pro2, and while the feature set between the two cameras overlaps to some degree, the biggest differences between them come in the form of handling and differences that come from a DSLR-styled body vs. the rangefinder aesthetic of the X-Pro 2. The X-T2 will look very familiar to X-T1 owners, but the newer body isn’t an exact replica of the X-T1 in terms of body shape and size. Fuji has generally made a habit of keeping updates to their camera lines in the same general body, as the X-E1, X-E2 and X-E2s all share essentially identical bodies, and as such all accessories made for one will work with the other.  The same is true for the new X-T20, which has the same body size as the X-T10 it replaces. However, the addition of dual card slots in the X-Pro 2 and X-T2 makes both bodies just a tiny<\/em> bit bigger than their predecessors.  As such, if you have a grip made for your X-T1, it will not fit on the new X-T2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"x-t2_2\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Size aside, the X-T2 body looks nearly identical to the X-T1.  It’s slightly larger, but virtually indistinguishable, especially from the front and top. As such, the grip is essentially unchanged from the X-T1, though you’ll notice little tweaks that help in daily use.  One complaint about the X-T1 was the relative ease at which the side mounted SD card reader would open. On the X-T2, that door is now a latching door that is essentially impossible to open accidentally. The control layout is very similar, save for the new focus joystick, which I’ll discuss when we get to the controls.  The X-T2 is a very robustly constructed body, and it feels wonderful in the hand.  The contours of the grip fit my hand like a glove, and the solid magnesium alloy construction lends a feel of quality to the body.  It’s not a large camera, but it feels like a professional tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I’ll talk about the screen further in a bit, I wanted to mention it here as it definitely relates to camera ergonomics.  One of the great things about many mirrorless cameras out today is the ability to manipulate the rear screen.  Some have opted for fully articulated screens that give you the ability to move it to any position, while others, like Fuji, have opted to stick with a tilt-only screen. This isn’t as flexible, but it’s faster and more natural to use when holding the camera low. The big downside to a flip screen is the inability to flip it out for low to the ground vertical shots, but with the X-T2, Fuji has created a great solution, and one that I’ve been hoping would someday be implemented: The dual-axis tilt screen.  Now, you can flip the screen out for horizontal shots below and above, but you also can flip the screen out sideways, to see it when held low in the vertical orientation.  It works well, and the mechanism is robust.  This is one of my favorite features on the new camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operation and Controls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The X-T2 will be instantly familiar to X-T1 owners, and to Fuji shooters in general.  The camera has an interface that consists predominantly of direct dedicated controls that are supplemented by programmable function buttons.  The three main parts of the exposure triangle all have their own dedicated dial, with aperture selected via an aperture ring on the lens (for all but a very small handful of Fuji XF lenses), while shutter speed and ISO have dedicated top-mounted dials with a lockable button to fix the setting to prevent accidental switching of these values.  Unlike the X-T1, the ISO dial’s lock button doesn’t need to be pressed to change ISO: it’s a toggle button now, as is the one on the shutter speed dial, so once you unlock the dial, you can freely switch ISO.  The third major dial on top of the camera is the exposure compensation dial, which has specific markings for +\/- 3 stops of exposure compensation, with a ‘C’ setting for adjusting up to 5 stops of exposure compensation using the command wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The top dials of the X-T2 allow for excellent direct control of settings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rounding out the controls on top of the camera, the X-T2 features two lever-actuated dials underneath the ISO and shutter speed dials, which control drive mode and metering mode, respectively.  The movie record button on the X-T1 has disappeared, and movie control has moved to a dedicated setting on the drive dial, with the shutter button to start and stop recording. There is one programmable function button on the top, tucked between the shutter speed and exposure compensation dials, and I wish they had simply moved this to the location where the old movie record button had been, as I think this slightly rearward location is awkward to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The front of the camera looks essentially identical to the X-T1, with one programmable function button, a now pressable front command dial, and the ubiquitous Fuji focus mode selection lever that can quickly switch between focus modes with the left hand during shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"X-T2<\/a>
X-T2 rear controls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rear of the X-T2 is also largely unchanged from the X-T1, but with one major addition.  In place of the Focus Assist button sits the new focus stick, which first appeared on the X-Pro2.  I love this control, and it works just as well on the X-T2 as it does on the X-Pro2, providing direct control over focus point positioning. Clicking the stick twice resets the focus point to the center, and in image review, the stick button brings up the ability to change card slots for the dual SD cards, among other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Focus Assist button from the X-T1 is gone, and its functionality has moved to the rear command dial, like on the vast majority of Fuji cameras. The rear dial is a bit easier to reach and turn than on the X-T1, and it brings the functionality in line with the other Fuji cameras. The rear command dial can be used for adjusting settings certain modes, controlling image review zoom and selection and other general functions.  The rear of the camera has AE and AF lock buttons, but both can be reprogrammed, as can all four directional buttons surrounding the menu button. Thankfully, the mushy buttons that were present on the X-T1 now are firmer like the buttons on most Fuji cameras. While some other cameras have a greater number of programmable buttons, the X-T2’s excellent dedicated controls combined with good placement of the programmable buttons create a camera that is eminently enjoyable and fast to use.  It’s a powerful control scheme that is both simple and offers great customization to fit your needs. I loved shooting with the X-T2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The Fuji Menu system is excellent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The X-T2 inherits the same menu system that appeared on the X-Pro 2, which was a big improvement on the original Fuji menu system.  Settings are clearly laid out and easy to access.  Fuji also allows for great customization of the menu and settings experience.  They’ve had the Q menu for a long time, accessed by the Q button on the rear of the camera, which provides quick access to deeper settings.  This can be edited to provide access to the controls you wish to use. Additionally, the new menu system has a ‘My Menu’ page where you can also add main menu entries that you commonly access.  This level of customization allows the user to truly make the camera fit their shooting style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Viewfinder, Screen, and Features<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Viewfinder and Rear Screen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Fuji X-T1 was one of the first mirrorless cameras with a truly huge viewfinder.  The 0.77x magnification is greater than that of the majority of full-frame DSLRs, and it made waves when it was introduced.  The X-T2 shares largely the same excellent finder as the X-T1, but with a few improvements. Response time has been improved, and refresh rate has improved to 100fps, such that it is even smoother than the excellent finder on the X-T1.  The optics are clear and the panel used, a 2.36 million dot organic finder, is excellent. Note that to have the 100fps refresh rate, the camera’s ‘Boost’ mode must be enabled (at the expense of some battery life), but I recommend doing this for most users.  Without boost mode, the finder refreshes at 60fps.  The panel is also brighter, providing a clearer view in bright sunlight, and the eyecup included is also nicer than the simple round eyecup found on the X-T1.  While these improvements aren’t game-changing, they do provide a nicer experience, and keeps the X-T2 near the top of the heap when it comes to EVFs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The EVF sits above the new dual-tilting rear screen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The rear screen receives a more notable improvement, due to the excellent dual-tilting mechanism I discussed earlier in the review.  The rear screen can tilt 90 degrees horizontal, and around 45 degrees down (to view when the camera is above you). The new axis allows for pulling the screen out around 70 degrees for low or high shooting in the portrait orientation.  I really like the mechanism, as it is solid and easy to access.  Getting it to partially articulate in both axes (as shown above) is possible, but requires pulling the screen out away from the body before activating the second axis of tilt. The rear panel is largely the same panel that is found on the X-T1, a 3 inch 1 million dot affair.  It’s a good screen, and it provides a pretty accurate preview of your final image.  I enjoy touch screens on my mirrorless cameras, and while Fuji has started to introduce them on some cameras (last year’s X-70 and the soon-to-be-released X-T20), the X-T2’s panel isn’t touch sensitive.  However, given how nice the joystick works for focus point selection, it’s not a big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The X-T2 has the same excellent manual focus aids that have been present in their X-Series cameras since the X-E2.  When manually focusing (with native or adapted lenses), you can choose to magnify the focus area for better precision (activated by a click of the rear command wheel), or enable focus peaking or Fuji’s unique digital split prism function, which overlays four bands that then align when the subject is in focus. It does this by utilizing the phase-detect AF points on the sensor. It’s great for manually focusing on things with distinct lines, but straight magnification or focus peaking will work better for focusing on people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autofocus and Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The X-T2 features the new X-Trans III sensor first included in the X-Pro2.  This sensor has an expanded phase-detect area that covers around half of the total sensor area, and should provide improvements to autofocus speed and accuracy over a wider portion of the frame compared to its predecessor.  I found the X-T2 to focus quickly and accurately in single shot mode, in essentially any lighting condition.  Slower lenses in dim light would slow down a bit, but overall speed was excellent, especially with the faster focusing primes like the 23mm f\/2 and 35mm f\/2. There may be an improvement here, but I found the X-T1 to be pretty good in this regard anyway, at least on the latest firmware.  The X-T2 has an even wider focus point arrangement than the X-Pro2 did at launch (though the X-Pro2 gained this wider arrangement via firmware update), with the basic mode showing 91 focus points, with an even finer 325 point grid available if you need extreme precision in focus point placement.  The additional points from the X-Pro 2’s original 77\/273 point arrangement are in two additional columns at the edges of the frame, providing near 100% frame coverage.  Like the X-Pro 2, the central 13 columns (or 7 columns if in the reduced focus point arrangement), are phase-detect AF points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The X-T2’s 325 point focusing grid. The Central 169 points are phase-detect focus points<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The X-T1 had a small, but relatively effective phase detection area in the center of its sensor, and it was actually quite good at tracking subjects…for a mirrorless camera.  With the X-T2, Fuji has made a fairly substantial overhaul of the continuous autofocus system, and it goes beyond just a larger phase detection area.  Fuji has included 5 different continuous AF presets that alter the logic used for continuous focusing.  Some modes provide faster adjustment for quickly changing speeds.  Some modes are better at ignoring objects that temporarily obscure the subject, and so on.  There’s a 6th custom setting that allows you to adjust the parameters to your liking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t have a chance to fully evaluate each of the presets in a wide variety of shooting situations, but I did test the continuous AF with moving vehicles coming at me, among other testing, and I found the accuracy to be excellent, and a notable improvement over the X-T1.  With the custom settings and the responsiveness of the camera to them, the X-T2 jumps to the top of the heap with regards to continuous focus accuracy among the mirrorless cameras I’ve had the opportunity to test.  The X-T2 managed to track and obtain a perfect focus rate of around 85-90% in my testing, a strong improvement over the X-T1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This,<\/a>
This is the 5th shot in a burst of images tracking the vehicle. The X-T2 maintained solid focus on the front of the car throughout the burst.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It can do this tracking during an 8fps burst as well, and improvements to viewfinder blackout help here too, as the subject is visible for longer in the EVF while shooting. The X-T2, like the other X-Series cameras, can shoot with a single point active, a group of points (zone focus), or the entire sensor.  For continuous tracking, I found the zone focus mode to work the best.  In all, it’s not perfect, and will likely still be outdone by the top DSLRs in the business, but it should easily compete with prosumer DSLRs, and is excellent when compared to the mirrorless competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, the X-T2 can do continuous AF tracking during an 8 fps burst with the mechanical shutter.  If you switch to the electronic shutter, continuous AF will not work between shots, but the burst rate can go as high as 14fps.  I didn’t get to test this, but adding the new vertical grip to the camera decreases shutter lag and increases the maximum burst rate to 11fps with the mechanical shutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all, the X-T2 is an extremely responsive camera. Files write quickly thanks to the UHS-II compatible card slots, and the X-Processor Pro inside quickly processes images and commands, such that you never wait on the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The feature set outside of the new CAF settings and the improved physical controls and tile screen is largely similar to the X-Pro 2, and therefore the X-T10 before it.  Fuji includes the standard Wi-Fi functionality that allows for transfer of files to a mobile device and a fully controllable remote shooting from your smartphone.  It can also use your phone’s GPS to geotag your images.  All of these WiFi features are identical to those on the 2nd generation Fuji cameras.  For a more detailed rundown of these, you can check out the X-T10 Key Features<\/a> report for a more detailed look at the other features, such as the electronic shutter, intervalometer and in-camera RAW conversion.  These features were already quite robust, and really didn’t need any tweaking for this camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area I would have liked to have seen tweaked is the still limited bracketing modes.  The 2 stops of exposure bracketing are an improvement on the X-Trans II bodies, but it’s still well behind what other makers have on their cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the X-Pro 2, the X-T2 has dual card slots, and these operate identically to the X-Pro 2.The X-T2\u2019s two slots can be configured to write data in one of three ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n