Its been almost 2 years since I bid farewell to FF DSLR and walk into
the mirrorless world. Its wasn’t an easy decision but on the hind side;
its the right decision. Leaving my 1DX isn’t easy; which is a very
capable camera and still hard to beat even in today’s standard.
Eventually it was the size; retrolious design and IQ of X-Pro1 that
won me over. Of course I had to live with the down side of X-Pro1
too. AF was its weakest link.
With the recent launch of X-Pro2, I would say its now easier for many
to make this same decision. Many fellow photographers have been contacting
me about new X-Pro2. As I ask why are they thinking of switching?
Many says its because of the weight of FF DSLR and their lenses.
X-Pro2 with a 24MP sensor now look like a good and logical
alternative. There was also a wedding photographer that I spoke to,
thinking of getting two X-Pro2 for his professional work. I think that
is so cool. Talking about cool; do you know that the shutter and ISO
dial on the X-Pro2 is made up of 38 parts? Just on this dial alone.
The devil is indeed in the details.
If I were making that switch today; what will my questions and doubt be?
Here are some.
1. Is APS-C sensor inferior compare with Full Frame sensor?
This is probably the top rank asked question. I am not going
to get into the science of this; I will leave this to the expert in this field.
Here is just a simple test and may not be the most accurate;
but I decided to take a 5D3 with a 24mm F1.4 L ll and Xpro2 with
XF16mm F1.4 for a simple faceoff! I also did another set of picture
with Canon 24-70mm L2.8 and XF16-55 F2.8. I know its never a fair
comparison. But Its something important especially for those planning
to downsize to mirrorless from DSLR system. How much will you be
losing in term of IQ versus FF camera of a similar MP?
5D3 X-Pro2
23.4 MP(FF) 24.3MP(APS-C)
I was expecting a slight difference with the advantage toward 5D3.
And I was absolutely wrong. With the advancement of technology;
not only did X-Pro2 is on par with 5D3, personally I think it maybe
a tad ahead in this pack.
The culprit has to be the newly developed 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III
Sensor which has a perceived resolution far greater then the actual
number of pixels used. Now that is a big shoe to fill and indeed
a huge milestone for X-series.
Here are some SOOC photos that will definitely help those thinking
of making that switch to mirrorless system.
2. Is the AF really that slow?
Its was slow. But not now. With improvement of technology,
X-Pro2’s AF is now inside DSLR territory. Remember the firmware
update 4.0 for X-T1? That was a fast and a huge improvement from the
original X-T1. The X-Pro2 AF is even faster then that.
Here is an interesting write up by Fujirumor on X-Pro2’s AF.
With the mechanical shutter speed brought down from 1/4000
to 1/8000 and flash sync of 1/250; plus a frame rate at 8 frame
per second with dual SD slot; doesn’t this sound like a pro
DSLR specs? All I do know; I am a happy photographer with X-Pro2.
3. Are there enough lens line-up to Fujifilm X-system?
X-series may be only 5 years old. But their lens line up is definitely
on par with any DLSR system lens line up. As for now X-series boast
of 20 top quality lenses and a teleconverter in their line-up. With the
increase of MP to 24 for X-Pro2; with the same fujinon lenses we are able
to capture more details. As we speak maybe we will have another
1-2 additional lenses popping up this year. If rumor is true; a new
35mm F1.0. Wow. That will be a legendary lens! Start saving peeps!
4. Is there tethering for X-Pro2?
This is one of my fear when I switch. Then X-Pro1 doesn’t have this
feature. Since X-T1; tethering is possible via LR. As for now I am not
able to tether with Xpro2. But I was told soon it will be with firmware
update.
5. Weight savings. At least 25-35% off! That is a lot.
Here is an example between a typical FF DLSR vs X-Pro2.
860 gram FF DSLR
650 gram 24mm F1.4 lens
1.51 KG Total
445 gram Xpro2
375 gram XF16mm F1.4 WR
0.82 KG Total
6. Cost of ownership.
This is a no brainer. Other then saving weight; you will
be saving your hard earn money too. Its definitely lower
cost to own a X-series system compare to a FF DSLR.
I would roughly think you will save between 20% to 25% vs DSLR.
Having a good camera system is important to every
photographer, not just for me as a commercial photographer.
This is even more important when you are using this gear to
make a livelihood and support a family. As this is not a
matter that I take it lightly.
I need a camera system that is relatively compact, great
quality lens lineup, quick AF, well built with water and
dust resistant. Top notch IQ and colors; this is one area
Fujifilm truly shines! Stylish looking camera is a plus point!
Hybrid viewfinder is a joy to use. Having said all that, all this
work together to make my life better as a photographer.
And I have found this in X-series. There are no prefect
camera system in the world but X-series is pretty close to me!
Finally; if anyone of you is thinking to moving into mirrorless;
I hope this few pointers will help you make a good decision
and wave a confident farewell to your DSLR.
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The colors are nicer as well… I have always disliked Canon’s orange cast.
Agree. That is why Xpro1 won me over with the colors. ITs a personal choice but I am glad I did it.
I am of the kind to like both Canon and Fuji colours. 😉 My question is: What is the real colour of the cap in the second set of pictures? From the 5D III it looks blue on my screen, whereas the Fuji seems to capture it as grey. Which is closer to the realy colour?
My default film simulation for Xpro2 is Classic chrome. As for the cap its grey. 🙂
How does bokeh fair with regard to the 24mm 1.4ii and the 16mm 1.4? Is it true that 1.4 on the 16mm is about f2 on the 24mm?
You are right.
There will never be fair bokeh between the FF and APSC.
FF will always lead in this area.
Ivanjoshualoh, I strongly disagree. Check the bokeh on the second photo; Done with the 56mm 1.2 on a xt1. I used to own a canon 6d and i don´t miss the bokeh.
http://fernandoramirezfoto.cl/web/index.php/franciscafelipe/
Not necessarily…for example, if you compare the XF 56/1.2 with the Canon 85/1.2, you will get shallower depth of field at close focus distance with the 56. The 56 focuses at 70cm, whereas the 85 only does so at 95cm. At 70cm the 56’s depth of field would be 6.8mm, whereas the 85 “only” achieves 8.1mm. Of course I’m talking about shallowest depth of field POSSIBLE. Focused at the same distance, the Canon “wins” of course. Here the 56 “only” achieves 1.29cm…but let’s faceit: In the real world outside DOFmaster, that is still more than insane.
I disagree as well. Lens selection has the biggest impact here. I have two vintage lenses that are bokeh monsters. The Helios 44M and the Vivitar 135mm (Komine). Coupled with a speed booster, or without, on my X-T1, both offer great results.
What about battery life?
Feels about the same to me. Just that now the battery indicator feels
abit more accurate. LOL.
So, it seems the X-Pro 2 beats the Canon 5D III, just like my current X-Pro 1’s beat the 5D II. The colour reproductions better too.
They are very different cameras. But if anyone is thinking of moving to mirrorless; this journey is a lot easier now.
There is nothing wrong with 5D3. Just that Xpro2 have really up its specs to FF DSLR territory. At least for those
FF DSLR at the 23-24 MP range. Having said that; the design of Xpro2 is something hard to beat. SEXY!
Why the EXIF data of the image from 5d mark III says it’s X-Pro2 with a 35mm/1.4?!
Sorry about the confusion. Quite a bit of people have been asking too. Basically I was converting the file into
a particular size for the blog. Didn;t wanna transfer full size as that will take too much space and you know I
transfer a lot into the blog. This is what happened; I open a picture; resize it to 2048. Add bubbles from the original
picture so that the bubble are 100%. when I am done with the 4 bubbles, flatten it. Then I open second picture and
do the same process unto the 1st picture. Its a lesson learn for me. Next time I will do picture by picture and not
cause confusion to the readers.
Are you also thinking of down sizing your camera to mirrorless? Do have a try on the new Xpro2 and don’t take my word
for it. You really have to try it to understand that this camera have mature heaps from Xpro1. Even when the specs
for the video is 1080. if you compare the video with X-t1 which is also 1080; the result are more much better
and more details are capture with the Xpro2. Have a great sunday. Cheers
I have a X-Pro1 love it and use Canon FD lenses. You can’t beat a DSLR except for weight. I love the X-T1
X-pro1 is still the sexiest camera around. I own one too and its keeper. Its always give me a special feel when I use it.
Even though I used X-T1 for work now but time to time; I will take out the Xpro1 to shoot; I don’t know why. just something
i yearn to do. cheers mate.
I agree I use 1Dx all week and using the X-Pro1 is like a day off work
I guess withe manual lenses you just feel like you are doing something rather than just point and shoot.
Its obviously a great camera but I’d say absolutely best suited to a particular style of shooting with a particular set of lenses – primes in the classic 24-90 equivalent range. The viewfinder is great (I love the version on my X100S) but struggles as I understand it with long lenses and possible very wide ones. This is exactly why although Leicas were great, many photojournalists went SLR for the more accurate and clearer framing. Those using particularly 35 and 50mm with occasional 24/28 and 90 stuck with Leica for reasons of quietness and being less prominent. Its pretty much the same now. I’m not even sure there’s much point in debating IQ anymore particularly in decent light – most cameras you are likely to take seriously are very very capable – the real issue is the type of pictures you want to take. At the moment the X100S does fine for personal work and walk around while I use Nikon FF for work. I not that convinced by a 25% weight reduction – useful but not killer. At some point I will probably get a Pro2 but it will not be with the heavier zoos but with a compact prime kit like you show. After all I managed many professional shoots back in the day with two FMs and 28, 50, 85 and 135 lenses. The Fujis are the first digital cameras that feel and handle like proper cameras. Pity the Nikon Df isn’t really quite right.
How do these two cameras compare in low light at high iso (1600/3200/6400)? Most cameras are going to provide great looking results under optimal conditions (low ISO w/ strong light) as shown here…
Hello there, I am afraid I can’t comment on this as I have return the 5D3 back to the owner. Just yesterday someone ask in my FB page on the speed of Xpro2 with a “slow” XF56mm APD. here is the video. This is shot in my living room in the night with down lights. https://www.facebook.com/IvanjoshualohX/ stroll down abit for the video clip.
Good work !!
What is the car Behind the lenses ?
Best wishes from France 🙂
I think its a Lincoln. 🙂
I have an X-Pro 2 on pre-order and cannot wait. I am very disappointed with Fuji’s choice to continue using the same battery. The battery is where this camera will fall short. It is hard to complain about this since Fuji has improved on every other issue that existed with previous models. I do expect the battery change on the X-T1 replacement. That will be a big downfall if they use the same battery. My Canon 6D could run for a long time without needing to change the battery. I could have gotten an easy 1500 shots before being concerned about the battery. It wasn’t much bigger than the battery Fuji uses today. I am not sure what happened there.
Put your fully charged battery in your 6D and use it in live view mode until it depletes and then come back and tell us how many shots you got out of it…this is why mirrorless cameras suffer…they are running live view constantly.
Why Compare own both one is for apples the other for oranges
Hi all, sorry but is this a fair comparison to compare with 5D3 ? It was announced in March 2012… I’m a huge Fuji fan but let’s be fair… How would the Xpro2 compare to a 5DS or D810 ?
That is a good point. After reading the article, I thought about it, and it makes sense. For example – DXOMark shows the 24MP Sony sensor (which the Fuji is said to be based on, with modifications) as being quite close to the 5D3. So it’s down to the other factors now I guess.
Thank You
fantastic Blog
Good luck
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Great article and I couldn’t agree more! I own the X-T10 for one and half weeks now and it is mind-blowingly cool. My DSLR (Canon EOS400D) was letting me down and I needed a replacement. Best investment ever. The skin tone and color is fabulous! Bought mine with the 18-55mm 2.8/4 kitlens which is a true pleasure to work with. Its image stabilizer is useful up to 5 stops (!) out of hand shooting. 5 stops!
I am glad to have stepped aside from DSLR into mirrorless. Fuji cameras are very well built and designed from a photographers viewpoint. That is such a relieve. Had many times when using it when I thought “oh I would really like to change the aperture” and bam, use the ring on the lens, or “quick change of iso would be grand now” – use the dial.
Happy camper here!
Great article, but shooting at low iso, doesn’t really mean much unless you are a studio shooter. A fair comparison will have been to underexpose an image at least by 3ev and then lift the exposure. Yes we should all be exposuring correct when taking a picture, but who hasn’t saved a shot by lifting exposure in software? In that case you will be surprise how much better is still full frame.
Another point not mention is that iso values between previous Fuji cameras, ( not sure about xpro2), and other cameras are not correlated equally. Example, if you shoot iso3200 in the Fuji, you should compare it at least to iso5000 in another system. That means that the Fujis high iso are not as good as the actually mention, and still lagging behind full frame. Example, for an exposure of 1/50 and f2.0 you will need in another system an iso of 3200, in the Fuji you will need almost iso5000 to keep same exposure output. This is a comparison I will like to see with the new Fuji, and not just saying iso4000 is great since it doesn’t really say much.
In my experience as an owner of the Xpro 2 and FF D750 this correct. If you buy the xpro 2 it is a great camera in good light. After that, unless you a have good source of artificial light Ff is much stronger.
In some ways this isn’t a fair test as the 5D Mk III is due for replacement this year and it’s a few years older, and I’m looking at it’s replacement this year for my event work as I often need telephotos for that plus if the difference are that marginal then the 5D replacement will likely surpass it. This said for my personal work and maybe studio I’m likely to dabble with the Fuji system and pick up a X-Pro2 camera to possibly compliment the new 5D or 1Dx II. Colour differences will be minimal as I often shoot with calibrated RAW files unless of course I use the film emulations.
Fuji has a great reputation for supporting their cameras and an excellent lens line up both are key features for me when looking at eco-systems. The key problem for me is batteries especially for events, I can easily get 600-800 shots out of my Canon, and when it’s a fast moving situation you don’t want to be changing batteries the other problem is that SD cards are more fiddly to work with due to their diminutive size. Overall the Fuji camera is in a great system and shows promise which I’m keen to experiment with.
Enjoyable read with many good points. That said, as someone who happily moved from a 5D3 to an X-T1, it seems fair to note a few things.
1) You’re comparing Canon’s behind-the-times sensor technology with the very latest Sony sensor tech. Canon is a decade behind in dynamic range and noise compared to Sony. You couldn’t have picked a more favorable match up for a FF comparison. A much tougher comparison would be against the Sony A7 II’s 24MP FF body: similar resolution and similar state-of-the-art sensor design.
2) The Canon sensor is a lower resolution sensor. There should be slightly more data in the X-Pro2 image.
3) As others have said, Fuji uses a different ISO standard that is nearly a stop less sensitive than Canon. You can’t compare the same ISO values. It gives an unfair advantage to Fuji.
4) There is no doubt that Fuji’s AF is exponentially better than it used to be. But [based on my experience with both the 5D3 and the X-T1] it can’t compete with the 5D3. It’s not even close. Take both of them courtside to a basketball game and try to shoot it. One will be an exercise in frustration. Hint: I’m not talking about the 5D3. 🙂
You should battle it with Sony A7 series..
Been try A7s + 55 1.8, compared with my XT1GS + 56 1.2 .. To be honest sony just blow away fuji in all aspect.
One thing that good from fuji is it’s design. Espescially GS version, it’s the most beautiful camera design that made me love at first sight.
XT1GS+5D3 owner
I have just sold my Nikon Df with 5 lenses. It was not an easy decision, I loved his sensor and the images I could shoot with it. But the weight to carry around every time it was too much for me. I was afraid I was going to be disappointed with the picture quality. But after just two weeks I can already say that I do not miss my Nikon.
Wow! Glad to know you are loving your X camera. Happy shooting!
Sold my 5D3 but kept my lenses as i have a 1DXii on preorder. In the meantime i bought X-Pro2 as i’ve always loved the fuji jpegs after being borrowed an x100 by a guy from my printers, and enjoying the experience of shooting with it.
I must say that i am totally smitten with the X-Pro2 and can’t put it down – I’m in love!
If i didn’t need the 1DXii for its video aspects i wouldn’t buy another camera for the next 5 years and just buy a complete set of Fujinon glass. I take the camera everywhere now and totally enjoy the experience the retro rangefinder style, ovf/evf, manual controls bring. Its a whole new experience that i don’t ever want to part with.
Well done Fuji!
Argh!
> Most of us would make better images if we stopped worrying so much about our own image. If you want to impress us, show us your photographs, not your list of L lenses or your weird leather hipster camera straps. And we’d make better photographs if we spent more time pouring over the work of past masters, or painters, or other visual artists, and actually learning our craft, than pouring over the latest catalogue from StuffMart. ~ David duChemin
> http://davidduchemin.com/2016/03/imagery-over-image/
I own both a 5Dm3 and xpro2. I love everything about the xpro2 and I bring it all the time with me especially on trips abroad. Unfortunately it still has two shortcomings for me I wish Fuji would address in the future modes. First, unlike my 5d or even my Panasonic gx8, autofocus on the xpro2 (even with the already snappy 35mmf2) is still noticeably slower than my other more nimble cameras. AF seems inconsistent, sometimes it would just snap on target but there are also moments that it would hunt and hunt before acquiring focus. Not a deal breaker but I did miss a few quick snap opportunities which I never have trouble getting if I’m using my gx8 or 5d before of its occasional af hunting. Second, the evf seems a bit more tiny even compared to my humble x30’s evf, I understand this has something to do with it being a hybrid viewfinder but it would be nice if the evf would be a touch bigger.