I jumped ship : Fuji XE2S

After several months of contemplation, I sold a lens or two and jumped ship. Got myself a nice Fuji XE2S with a 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens. Coming from full frame dslr, I had high expections. I haven't read through the entire manual and haven't tried out every function but the camera and lens don't dissappoint. Quite the contrary.

 

If you're wondering why XE2S:

a) I didn't need an optical viewfinder (If I did, I would have stayed with a dslr) so no X Pro and no X100.

b) I didn't like the feel of the XT10 and XT20. With the central viewfinder, everything is too crowded. The XE2S was about right.

c) I didn't see the XT1 or XT2 adding much value. The viewfinder is bigger but the one on the XE2s is big enough. XT is supposed to be a bit faster but XE2S is fast enough. There's a dedicated ISO dial on the XT but it's fiddly imo. First, you need to press and dial, secondly you need to press and dial with your left hand, which is even more awkward. Thirdly, you can simply change ISO on the XE2S with the Fn key, which works better than a dedicated dial in the wrong spot.

-> By way of elimination I ended up with XE2S.

 

 

First impressions:

 

- It's much lighter than an FX body. Even with the lens attached, it's still lighter than an FX body without lens.

 

- It's much smaller. Buttons and dials are smaller and need some getting used to, but everything works out fine. I would have preferred the shutter speed dial to be less recessed though, so you could turn it with your thumb.

 

- It's quite sophisticated. The electronic viewfinder, live histogram... Looking back, the dslr looks like a dinosaur.

 

- Direct control through buttons and dials, no deep digging into menus. Everything you need is at the top of your fingers.

 

- White balance works well. I didn't need to fine tune WB at all (I have only shot in daylight).

 

- I haven't tried all the JPG settings but out of camera results are pleasing. Colors are a bit subdued (didn't try Velvia yet), film-like, which appeals to me. Contrast in B&W was flat so I had to increase it in ACR, but possibly I can solve this in camera.

 

- Very little post processing was needed. No blown out highlights and no clipped shadows. I have the impression the dynamic range is massive. Colors were right.

 

- The electronic viewfinder doesn't show signs of delay. So far, it works well in backlight. In darkness, it becomes grainy, which doesn't bother me however.

 

- Autofocus is fast and silent. Unlike a dslr where all focus points are cramped into the center, the entire sensor is being used. Haven't tried focussing in darkness. More importantly, autofocus is precise and dead-on. No focus shift and no finetuning.

 

- Results are sharp. No need for stopping down and no need for extra sharpening.

 

- Unlike my dslr lenses which often need to be stopped down 1 stop, the lens can be used wide open with good to excellent results (I have the impression it's suffering a bit at close focus). Depth of field is deeper than FX but the character of out of focus is pleasing. At first sight (without testing so to speak) I haven't noticed any disturbing aberrations.

 

- I haven't suffered from battery drain so far.

 

 

 

This Fuji works well and feels nimble in hand. Results are satisfactory and the camera/lens is pleasant to operate. On several grounds it's a step up from dslr. In the coming weeks, I will dig deeper but so far the results are promising.

 

 

Furthermore, I'm wondering what to get next: a prime lens or a nissin i40 flash for indoor shooting.

Edited March 30, 2017 by f__eight

Congrats! There something for everybody within the Fuji system. A redefining of the Photographic experience is the point, but there are die hards that refuse to see. Not their fault. Collateral damage victims of a rapidly advancing technology.

Congrats! There something for everybody within the Fuji system. A redefining of the Photographic experience is the point, but there are die hards that refuse to see. Not their fault. Collateral damage victims of a rapidly advancing technology.

 

 

It certainly is a "redefining of the Photographic experience" and technology has advanced indeed.

 

 

However, mirrorless only makes sense with appropriate lenses. If you're trying to mimick a dslr by attaching zooms the size of a bazooka, you might as well keep shooting with your dslr. Fuji works best with compact zooms the sort of 18-55mm and with small primes.

Congratz. One of the good things about mirrorless cameras (besides smaller and lighter) is they can still use DSLR lens - a win win

Nice set up. I'm still using the XE-1 and 18-55mm kit lens. Still use a Nikon dslr for some work. And I like to shoot film on occasion. But my Fuji gets the most use.