The Camera That Started It All

Even Monkeys want the Fujifilm X-T2

Perhaps my favorite camera to date, the Fujifilm X-T2 is the best camera I could have gotten to introduce me into photography. That’s not to say it’s the perfect camera (no camera ever is), but for where I was when I started to take photography seriously, it met me at the perfect time.

It’s analog dials, playful film simulations, and wide-array of sharp yet affordable lenses make this an easy system to get acquainted with. There also aren’t a crazy amount of settings to mess with. Enough to dabble in, but not too many to cause you to get bogged down.

So, while I could go down the road of explaining why I emotionally love this camera, let’s talk about the actual specs that make this thing snap.

A fun portrait of a friend in Menton, France.

Build.

To call the X-T2 tough would be an an understatement. I put his camera throughhhh it over the 4 or 5 years that I shot with it.

I’m not one to baby my gear. Once a camera is mine, it’s mine and it gets to live in the fast lane. Tossing it in my backpack or over my shoulder and running around became typical for how this camera was handled. It made trips to Europe, Asia, and all over the US, with the occasional beer spilt on it at a party. No matter what, each time I turned it on, it powered up and was ready to take a great picture.

Much of this is due to the fact that Fujifilm uses great materials to build their cameras, and every camera in the X-T line comes weather sealed so that it can endure much of the elements. Where this camera did suffer occassionally was in between the grooves of the big dials on top. While I loved having these dials, they were an easy place for gunk to build up. However, with a few cotton swabs and some rubbing alcohol, they usually cleaned up pretty easily.

The Fujifilm X-T2 in all it's glory. 

Specs.

Ok, so what do we have under the hood? Well, a lot.

Boasting a 24.3MP APS-C Sensor with 14 stops of Dynamic Range, this camera can perform in typical to even somewhat harsh lighting scenarios. It packs a shutter speed of up to 1/8000 of a second, and can be utilized in both mechanical or electrical shutter modes - although I don’t know who would ever shoot in electrical shutter mode. The shutter mechanism in this camera gives an incredibly satisfying snap sound which is a huge indicator to know if any camera is going to suit your vibe.

A couple other important specs are the crisp Electronic View Finder (EVF) and the 325 Autofocus points. The EVF has around 2.36M dots which, given it’s release date of 2016, holds up pretty well even by 2024 standards. For comparison, Sony’s equivalent Mirrorless camera, the A7 IV, has 3.68M dots. So yes, that is a 50% increase, but keep in mind the 8 year age difference. As for the Autofocus, when paired with using the joystick on the back, the camera is quick to focus on the subject you have highlighted. Some of this does depend on the lens being used, but with most Fujinon lenses, it meets the average photographer’s needs.

A couple other specs to nerd out to are that this camera can shoot in JPEG, RAW, and RAW+JPEG. As for video, it performs pretty well there too, shooting up to 4K @ 30fps, and HD @ 60fps. To put that into perspective, even on more advanced cameras I still typically film at 30 frames per second in 4K.

Downsides.

The main con of this camera is that it lacks in-body stabilization (IBIS). IBIS is an internal system which gyroscopically holds the sensor so that it can be stabilized even in very subtle hand movements. Back in 2016, IBIS was not a standard feature for mirrorless cameras. How can you tell if you need IBIS? Well, to be honest, if I were to recommend buying a camera today, I would point to the X-T3, this cameras big brother solely because it has IBIS. IBIS allows you to use slower shutter speeds without motion blur of stationary objects. If you look back at shots you have taken and are able to filter in Lightroom by shutter speed, look at pictures that are lower than 1/60. If they are a tad blurry, IBIS may have provided you with enough stabilization to keep the image sharp. However, these shutter speeds are only necessary at low-light or if you are trying to capture motion-blur as part of the picture.