There’s countless reviews of the Fuji X-T2 out there by now. Rather than rehashing the specs, here’s my no-nonsense review.
First off, this is bar none, the best Fuji camera I have ever used. It’s got all of the charm of the beloved X-T1, but everything is better. The image quality is better, focus speed is faster, the EVF is great, and it’s got the new joystick focus control. I really do love the camera, but there’s a few quirks though. To me, it’s important to be critical about the shortcomings of this camera, because it seems that so few of the reviews are.
- The dials have a new locking mechanism that feels a little spongy. The dials are either locked or unlocked depending on the position of the clicky (I mean spongy) button. Other cameras I use, the dial is locked, and you push/hold the button down when you want to turn the dial. That seems pretty much the standard, but the X-T2 is the exception in this regard.
2. When using the multiple hundred focus points, the focus point selector seems sluggish. On the X-Pro2 it’s rapid, but not on the X-T2. Consequently, I have gone back to the minimal amount of focus points. I’m hopeful that this will be corrected in future firmware updates.
3. The X-Pro2 feels like it’s built better, in contrast the X-T2 feels plasticy. Moreover, there’s a faint clunk by the EVF (inside somewhere) when you tilt the camera forward and back — Google it. It’s a known problem with the X-T1, and the X-T2 has inherited it. It’s not a deal breaker, but it is annoying. Yes, this is present without a lens attached, no memory card in, and no battery. Seriously, Google it.
4. The tilt screen is a little awkward, but the flip out feature for vertical shots makes up for it. Still, the up and down tilting feels a little clunky compared to the competition (i.e. other Fuji’s, Olympus E-M1, Sony’s E-mount cameras, etc.).
5. The wide area autofocus is still useless. It focuses on random objects, and rarely on what I want. In comparison to my Sony RX1R II or Sony A7R II, both of those intuitively focus on what you want. The Fuji X-T2 (like it’s predecessors), forces you to selectively control the focus point for mostly all shots, otherwise you will end up with a lot of mis-focused shots.
6. Continuous autofocus performance is OK, but there is a lack of flicker detection/reduction when under artificial light. Regardless of what Fuji is promoting, or the reviews of popular YouTube channels (which are given gear by Fuji to review), the X-T2 will not be replacing more capable sports cameras like the Canon 7D Mark II anytime soon. Without a doubt, the similarly priced Canon 7D Mark II is a better choice for sports. The Sony A7R II has better continuous autofocus as well. Even though the Sony A7R II is not meant for sports.
7. The focusing joystick and the Q button should be reversed. The joystick just feels too low and awkward in the hand. I actually prefer the feel of the X-Pro2 when shooting — although, the EVF of the X-T2 makes up for that.
8. It’s no longer compatible with my Nissin i40 flash. This is just annoying. Hopefully there will be an easy fix for this, but right now it’s frustrating. I’ve read on various forums that you can mail it in to Nissin, but I’ll wait to see more reviews of it.
9. The menu of the X-T2 is every bit as stupid and awkwardly laid out as the X-Pro2 (see https://bershatsky.com/two-month-review-of-the-fuji-x-pro2/)
Now that I’ve complained for the better part of this review, let’s talk about the positives of the X-T2. The layout of buttons and dials (mostly — see above), feel, responsiveness, size, screen, etc. are awesome, easily my favorite Fuji to date. Although, The X-Pro2 has that hipster feel, retro look, and solid build that (even though I complain about) I like enough to keep as well (for now).
More than anything though, it comes down to the images. Here are some images from my first outing with the X-T2. It was a rainy Pacific North West weekend, but it had let up for a while — just enough to go out and take a photo walk through the neighborhood.
Every image here is straight out of the camera (resized using JPEGmini). I used the Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 macro lens and the Fuji 16mm f/1.4 WR lens. The thing I love about the Fuji is the color profiles and dynamic range of the JPEGs straight out of the camera. The EVF and the LCD are also good representations of what you will see coming out of the camera (in contrast, the EVF on the X-Pro2 is not nearly as nice and not accurate in terms of color at all). For all of the vertical shots, I used the flip out feature of the LCD. It’s quite useful!
