A retro touch

Fujifilm makes photography more enjoyable with the vintage-looking X-T20, writes Izwan Ismail

FIRST IMPRESSION are targeted at users who know what they want in a camera and how to manipulate the semi and and full-manual controls.

The exposure compensation dial now has the C position for exposure compensation up to minus/plus 5 stops, while the LCD monitor uses a tilting touchscreen panel for intuitive operation at almost any angle.

If you’re not sure of the settings, use the Auto mode, which can be turned on with a selector lever at the top of the body, and the camera will choose the optimum settings.

A completely silent electronic shutter that is capable of exposures up to 1/32000sec. has been added. Photos with a shallow depth-of-field can now be shot with the aperture wide open in bright conditions. As there are no mechanically operated parts, candid shots of animals and babies can be captured more easily than ever before.

SHOOTING EXPERIENCE

I used the X-T20 with a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, a general purpose lens that covers a moderate wide angle view and zoom.

It’s not the top-grade lens in Fujifilm’s Fujinon line-up but it is good enough to covneeds er the basic of most photographers.

The camera was used in a number of shooting scenes such as the KL Tower BASE Jump event, street photography outing, low light, landscape and portrait.

After shooting in various genres, I find the X-T20 is a versatile camera.

Its 14 frames per second shooting speed and good tracking capability allow me to shoot fast-action scene like the BASE jump action.

The camera is non-obtrusive due to its size and when I took street photos, I did it without creating much distraction to my subjects.

Film simulations like Acros, Classic Chrome, Monochrome and Provia give a perfect mood for street photography.

Shooting in landscape mode is a breeze too as the camera is designed to like a fullblown dSLR.

I can adjust the settings like aperture, shutter, white balance and exposure just like my dSLR. With an APS-C sensor, which is the same as the one used in many dSLR, the image quality is always fantastic.

The X-T20 handles noise well too and shooting in low-light condition shouldn’t be a problem. The Fujifilm X-T20 Pictures taken with the Fujifilm X-T20.

Bump up the ISO to 6400 and you’ll still get a clean image. But if you’re unsure of the right ISO setting, the X-T20 has three auto ISO settings.

Other factors that make this camera fun to use is its flip screen. Creative low angle shot can easily be done and its touchscreen focus-and-shoot feature makes it easier to use.

With WiFi a must for transferring images from the camera, users don’t have to carry a laptop to do this with the X-T20.

The X-T20 is a great video tool. The 4K video capability opens up opportunitiesto include super high quality videos. The camera can shoot 4K videos for 70 minutes and full HD videos for 95 minutes on a fully chrged battery.

CONCLUSION

Pictures produced by the camera are excellent, largely due to its film simulation.

If you’re looking to upgrade your current system to a smaller one, and don’t want to spend onhigh-end models like the X-T2 and the X-Pro2 models, the X-T20 is more than capable to give you good results.

The camera is available at RM3,999 at Shopee.com.my. It comes bundled with a Fujinon XC16-50mm lens, 32GB SD card and NP-W126S battery.