Fuji moving from M43??

Peter108

Rookie
Hi Folks

After acquiring an X100s I find i am drawn to swap to Fuji. I like the manual controls and handling.

Currently my main set up is an Old E-M1 plus 12-40 f2,8 and a sigma 30 f1.4. These two pretty, much cover my needs. A sharp zoom and a nice prime. I don't use many of the "features" of the Oly.

I was thinking of the X-T20 and 18-55 plus a prime.

What do i shoot? Besides family photos, I have a website that shows the kind of subjects I take. Transience | Home Still life really...

Losses from moving system (Aside from some money):
IBIS, smaller lenses in general (though i have a couple of biggies! and i doubt i'll shoot tele zoom stuff)
Perhaps autofocus? though the X-T20 gets great reviews on this
Ergonomics - I love how the E-M1 feels. Very natural grip. I had the E-M 5 which looks similar to the fuji body.
Workflow issues, (shooting RAW right now and use LR)

Gains
Bigger sensor with more MP (I do like to crop)
generally better IQ (with their good lenses)
Manual controls
A little more shallow DOF when i want it.

Any thoughts? opinions. I can't keep two systems realistically, and after years of MFT and its small form, I find i am using one of its biggest body and lens, so end up thinking all of this through... Worth the swap?
 
Given your desire to crop, it seems that 24mp on APS-C would suit you better than 16mp on micro four thirds.

In terms of size, it seems you'd actually be moving to smaller gear with Fuji. Your Oly is larger than the X-T20...

Compare camera dimensions side by side

And here's the E-M1 with the 12-40mm versus the X-T20 with the 18-55mm...

Compact Camera Meter

And here's the Oly versus the larger X-T2 (the older X-T1 is the same size)...

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Compact Camera Meter

Already, you seem to enjoy Fuji's more-traditional external controls. Like Olympus, Fuji's image processing is quite lovely and you'll find it difficult to improve on its jpg output - similar to Olympus.

Since you don't have a whole lot of micro four-thirds gear, the switch makes sense to me. I say give it a try - and welcome aboard if you do!
 
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Given your desire to crop, it seems that 24mp on APS-C would suit you better than 16mp on micro four thirds. In terms of size, it seems you'd actually be moving to smaller gear with Fuji. Your Oly is larger than the X-T20...

Compare camera dimensions side by side

And here's the E-M1 with the 12-40mm versus the X-T20 with the 18-55mm...

!

Thanks - Ok - i didn't quite realise the difference in size. Though with the equivalent f2.8 through range zoom lens for fuji, it would not look so different - though my wallet would!
 
Thanks - Ok - i didn't quite realise the difference in size. Though with the equivalent f2.8 through range zoom lens for fuji, it would not look so different - though my wallet would!

I just added a comparison with the X-T2 as well. Remember, you can still buy gear used. A lot of people still enjoy thier X-T1's, which can still be found new. Maybe buying used would allow you to keep your current kit.
 
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Impressive site!

If you shoot mostly handheld, you'd probably get more keepers because of IBIS, even under low light condition, because your subjects are mostly still. On tripod, Fuji definitely wins. Weather sealing is also something to consider. XT20 has none, XT1/2 has some, but not as good as Olympus. Last but not least, Fuji has no focus bracketing/stacking feature.

I switched to Fuji from M43 few month ago. While I really like the Fuji's control and jpeg output, the system still lacks many features I desire. There's really no perfect system out there.
 
The 18-55/35 1.4 pair would be a good combo for you. Or the 16-55 if you want a constant 2.8 aperture and weather sealing. But the weather sealing would only do you good with the X-Pro2 and X-T1/2. X-T1's can be had new and used for some great prices right now.
 
My 2 cents:

Baseline:
I've used just about every Fuji X camera (except the XT2). I've also used just about every m43 Olympus camera and some Panasonic.
My pro shoot gear is still Nikon (D500/D700/Df).

For mirrorless, I really try to give Fuji as much love as possible. My first mirrorless camera was an X-E1. I used it with many primes. It was a good camera, not a great one for me. The way I shoot, I need very responsive cameras. While the Fuji is by no means slow, it's system performance and AF are still behind when compared to the Olympus and Nikon cameras I use.

I really like the Fuji ergonomics. Aperture rings and dials are great because you can setup the camera how you want to shoot without it actually being powered on.

Single point AF, the Olympus cameras are hard to beat, even when head to head against a DSLR. Where the divide comes is in C-AF modes. Unless you are using an EM1 series camera, Olympus is behind the curve for me. Then again, almost every camera out there is behind the curve once you use a Nikon D500 or D5 and that miracle of a C-AF system.

I'm not sure that you'd be 100% happy with a Fuji system, to be honest. In these situations, I always recommend going to some place like lensrentals, borrowlenses and rent the gear you are interested in for a week. Run it through the paces side by side with what you already have. Make sure that it will perform the way you want. Then you'll have the best data to make a properly informed purchasing decision. This stuff is not cheap - we all know this - so spending a little to save a lot might be worth it.
 
IBIS may be a big issue for you. As might be the 24mm vs 27mm angle of view or constant f/2.8. You could get the 24mm and constant f/2.8 with the Fuji 16-55 f/2.8. But that lens doesn't have IS. And it's big; not as long as the Olympus 12-100 f/4, but it's heavier and thicker.

Also I agree with @gryphon1911. I've only owned a few of the Fuji bodies (tried many) and every time I notice the slightly slower feel of them. I have owned many Olympus and Panasonic bodies. Now with my X70 I actually like that is slows me down a little. I have (and am) considering switching but what is holding me back is the wide options. Right now my options would be the Fuji 14mm prime and 10-24mm zoom or the Zeiss Touit 12mm and they are all in the $900-$1000 range (I need AF). I'm trying to figure out if my X70 with my wide converter is enough or not.
 
Generally better IQ is a bit vague. Fuji has better high iso noise but I've always thought that my EM5II/17 gave results that looks sharper. I think the two systems are close enough that that IQ comes down mostly to personal tastes.
 
I went from an OM‑D E‑M1 to an X-T1 and altho I lost some features I also gained features that I like. Its been over a year since I made the change and I would not go back. If your on the fence, as it seems you should look at what gryphon1911 suggested and rent for a week, but I would suggest if you can spare the money go longer as in two weeks at least. This money spent now will deffinatly save you in the long run. I wish you good luck.
 
Hi Peter, the Olympus equipment is superb and I used to own an OMD EM1 setup myself a few years ago but switched back to Nikon and in turn to Fuji.

Fuji offer superb small (in comparison to a DSLR) light and tactile cameras that with the current 24mb sensors deliver outstanding image quality and also offer the opportunity to crop without losing quality.
A colleague of mine has the OMD EM1 and I was amazed that when putting it side by side with my XT2 it was no smaller and in fact a little heavier than the Fuji so providing you can live with the change in sensor type then you will not regret the change.
If your pocket allows then the 16-55 f2.8 is a stunning lens that provides the 24-70mm equivalent (no stabilisation but to date never been an issue), a superb and very versatile prime is the 35mm f1.4 (50mm equivalent) that renders beautiful images and is good for street / documentary / portrait and many other genres. The 35mm f2 is cheaper and weather resistant but there is something about the f1.4 that just has that magic.

I do however wish you well with your decision and hope you are happy not matter what you decide.
 
Size wise, we must also consider that there is a point of diminishing returns. A Fuji XT10/20 or Oly EM5 is about as small as I can go for my hand size(everyone else's preference will surely vary). Anything smaller than that and the body just becomes too fiddly and difficult to handle a lens of any substance. So be very careful what you wish for in smaller sizes as you can get too small and regardless of all the great bells and whistles in the body, if you can't manipulate the controls effectively, buys you nothing.
 
Thanks folks. That has helped me. It comes down to handling more than anything. I want to enjoy using a camera - not just the photos it takes. It has taken me a while to learn this - after a few bad choices. As i like the X100s, I think I'll go for it with Fuji.
 
Great choice Peter as long as you are happy with the fixed lens (you can of course the the WCL & TCL that will extend the capability but they will add to the footprint).

Enjoy the camera and I would recommend adding a "thumbs up" grip for extra stability.
 
been there, done that and I have to say it was mostly because of Fuji's analog style controls that are pretty much like the film cameras I used for more than 55 years. My last m43 gear was an Olympus EM-10 and a Panasonic GM5, along with six primes, the 12-40mm f2.8 and Panasonic 35-100mm f2.8. All of my M43 gear was in pristine condition and the 12-40mm went quickly on the DPReview sale forum. But, the rest was harder to sell and took a while. I would up using Ebay. Hope you have better luck. To me, my best photos came from one of my Fujis but, I think with RAW files, there is little difference between Fuji and Olympus However, ooc jpegs are another story and to me, Fuji is a good step above Olympus. I've cropped images from both systems and had a number of large prints made from both systems.

All of these photos were cropped for one reason or another. The bridge photo was cropped down from 4:3 to 3:2 before my wife had a metal 24x36 inch print made to hang on the wall. The B&W landscape was cropped before we had a 24x36 inch gallery wrap made of it. The casual portrait was taken with my X100T, without flash, at a family gathering in a restaurant with poor overhead lighting. It is a center crop of a much larger photo and you can obviously see the noise. But we had a 24x24 inch metal print made for the girl's grandparents and hanging on their livingroom wall it looks great.

Bike Trail Bridge 3:2.jpg
Enfield River Bank B&W.jpg
Communicating.jpg
 
Great choice Peter as long as you are happy with the fixed lens (you can of course the the WCL & TCL that will extend the capability but they will add to the footprint).

Enjoy the camera and I would recommend adding a "thumbs up" grip for extra stability.
I also have just receive the X-T20 plus 35mm f1.4. Amazing! i totally love it.
 
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