Looking to upgrade my camera need some help

I have a good Fuji kit and I’m a fan, so I figured I should comment here…

If you’re considering Fuji, be careful as the real macro lenses can be expensive. I got the xf60mm and it’s not really a macro lens as this table attests: it has only 0.5 magnification instead of 1.0. And it shows: I’ve tried doing some electronics macro pictures and I was better off with my old Canon powershot G12 or even my phone than this expensive kit.

Fuji does have an awesome Macro lens (the 90mm f/2 R WR), but it’s 300$USD more than the 60mm…

Interesting, I didn’t even realize the X-T2 did not have this, I guess I don’t do enough macro to need that. :slight_smile:

I gotta say the Fuji X-T2 is an amazing camera. I started shooting photography with film cameras, before the world went digital, and I was really missing a camera with all the controls on the body. No camera got as close as Fuji did. They did an amazing job at that. The X-T2 has some flaws, that said: autofocus goes hunting sometimes, but apparently they fixed that in the X-T3.

The lenses are expensive too: because Fuji is kind of a niche player, it’s not as big as Sony, Canon, Nikon or Olympus/Panasonic. So most lens makers don’t also make lenses for Fuji: they start with the big four and we’re kind of left behind. But the glass that Fuji makes is just amazing. I’m critical of the xf60 (and to be fair, it’s the second lens they made in the series), but all other lenses I got from them are just excellent hardware and make crisp images.

That said: you can’t go wrong with Nikon, I would say. I almost got a full frame in the line of the old D300: it was the closest to the good “feel” I was looking for. But for me the mirrorless won: unless you really, really need the best battery life and auto-focus, I don’t think the DSLRs are worth the weight anymore, and I say this as a X-T2 user, which does have problems with autofocus and battery. I still wouldn’t go DSLR.

One thing I did before buying the X-T2 is loan one from the shop. Fuji has this program that you can just walk into a camera store (well, if those are still open with the virus and all) and borrow the camera for a day or two. So I just did that: swipe my credit card (for insurance) and I got the X-T2 with the 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR.

I was hooked.

But yeah, there’s nothing like getting the camera in your hands and actually shooting, outside of a store, to get a feel for the hardware. After all, what you’re buying is not just “the system” with the lenses and everything: it is, fundamentally, a body, its menu and controls. And while you can learn that system, some are just too painful for my taste. (I’m looking at you, Olympus :wink: ).

All this, of course, is a matter of opinion. All manufacturers make great cameras. Sony just rocks, and Olympus is absolutely amazing for bird photography because of the cheap lenses and awesome crop factor… Your mileage may vary, as they say…

Good luck!

PS: Oh my, and the X-T4 just came out! You ruined my evening. :wink:

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