Say HELLO to X-A2.

Say HELLO to the Fujifilm selfie-ready X-A2! I have in my hand a beautiful pre-production white X-A2 with two new lenses, the XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II and XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS II. When attached with the camera, they look pretty sleek! One of the features of the new lenses are that they have 3.5 stops of image stabilization for that shaper image in low light conditions.

The X-A2 features a 16.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a 3.0 920k-dot LCD screen, which can be tilted forward 175 degree to satisfy any front-facing selfie addicts. It also features a traditional Bayer sensor instead of the Fuji X-Trans sensor that I have come to love. Built in WI-FI and compatibility with the optional Instax S-P1 printer that allow you to seamlessly upload, share and print your photo anywhere. Just remember to bring an extra pack or two of Instax prints!

OK; enough of the “intro talk”. I have never used the X-A1 and have never even thought of owning one. One of the reasons why I left my Canon system is because of the Fuji X-trans sensor that I fell in love with. But nevertheless I decided to use it over the weekend and see if this X-A2 will change my pre-conceived idea of it. All the following pictures were taken hand held.

THE LOOK
I must say; I actually do quite like it. At the price point of USD$549.95 including the XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II, I think the X-A2 will appeal a lot to the trendy and younger buyer looking for a sleek and chic camera. Its light and small enough to bring anywhere to show off to your friends.

IMAGE QUALITY
I am not gonna compare directly with images shot on the X-trans sensor (I’ll leave those for the experts) but rather I was going to see how this little cute X-A2 performs with the two Mark II XC lenses. I must say I am quite impressed with the results of the XC lens. AF is pretty quick and accurate. I would give it a two thumbs up for money to IQ ratio. I will let the pictures do the talking.

X-A2 + 16-50mm.(@50mm) ISO 200, 1/120 sec, f5.6, EV-0.33

MY CONCLUSION
Will I get the X-A2 for myself? Before testing one; my answer was NO. But now that I have tested it, it is still not a YES? Rather it is a MAYBE.

As a commercial photographer; I have certain requirement and needs just like every photographer. Be it casual, amateur or pro; We all have certain needs and there is not a single camera in the world that would fulfill all those needs at once. Now that I have spent a weekend with it, I will highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good performance, good-looking but yet affordable camera. I have no complaints about the AF as well. In the ergonomics department, the camera balance is a little bit off as it feels body-heavy due to the 16-50mm lens; which is a very lightweight lens. Personally I do miss using a Fujifilm camera with a EVF.

The X-A2 is the best camera in term of money to IQ ratio plus its damn sleek and cheap. I mean chic!

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