Fujifilm X-T2
CAN A MIRRORLESS CAMERA REALLY KEEP UP IN THE WORLD OF FAST-ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY?
WITH THE X-T2 sitting alongside the X-Pro2 as the joint flagship camera of the brand, Fujifilm believes it now offers two distinct options for photographers. The X-Pro2, with its rangefinder design, is less obtrusive and suited to Fujifilm’s range of prime lenses, while the more SLR-like X-T2 is designed with the brand’s growing range of fast zoom lenses in mind.
It’s no great surprise to see that the 24.3MP APS-C X-Trans III CMOS sensor that we first saw in the X-Pro2 is now in the X-T2. Fujifilm’s latest sensor, with its clever filter designed to eke out even more detail compared to conventional designs, has delivered some impressive results.
The sensitivity range covers a modest ISO200-12,800, but can be expanded to ISO100-51,200 — and the good news is that, unlike the X-T1, this extended range doesn’t force you to shoot in JPEG-only, with raw capture now possible as well.
The X-T2’s electronic viewfinder has also come in for some attention, and while the 2.36-million-dot OLED display with 0.77x magnification remains the same, there are numerous improvements over the one used in the X-T1 — not least improved brightness.
Meanwhile, the new double-jointed articulated display makes it possible to pull the screen outwards and away from the body when the camera is tilted on its side. Interestingly, though, Fujifilm has opted to omit a touchscreen from the X-T2.
The X-T2 is the first Fujifilm X-series camera to offer 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) video recording, with a bit rate of 100Mbps (compared to 34Mbps on the X-T1) at 30, 25 or 24fps. Finally, the X-T2 now features dual SD card slots and, unlike the X-Pro2, both are UHS-II compatible.
Autofocusing is nice and quick, while the level of sophistication when it comes to tracking is impressive, making the X-T1 look very pedestrian indeed. We trialled it on fast-moving cars using the in-built Preset 3 (accelerating/decelerating subjects). Coupled with the improved frequency of the autofocus search timing — reduced from 280ms on the X-T1 to just 114ms on the X-T2 — it rarely missed a beat when taking a shot. The unchanged TTL 256-zone metering system performs very well, especially when challenged by high-contrast scenes; indeed, if anything, it tended to underexpose. Raw files deliver very pleasing colour, while those shooting in JPEG have Fuji’s excellent set of Film Simulation modes on tap as well.
There’s still a bit of room for improvement here (isn’t there always?), but the improved AF performance and the new sensor that delivers pin-sharp results makes the X-T2 one of the most desirable cameras available right now.