Canon 5D3 To Fuji XT-2 Views Please

Mattpitts74

Mattpitts74

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Matt
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Hi All,

I've been looking for a possible replacement camera for my ageing Canon 5D iii. I mostly photograph people and events such as charity cycle rides, runs walks The 5D3 is obviously no sports camera, but it does the job well enough for these kinds of activities. I tend to use the 70-200mm lens and 24-70mm

So these combinations are obviously really heavy and I've been looking for either a second camera or possible longer term replacement of the Canon.

I read great things about the Fuji and the autofocus and tracking and I'm wondering if it's on par with the Canon?

I love the idea of a smaller lighter camera for all day use, but I'm nervous about investing in another camera system without getting some views from people who actually own and use the camera?
 
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I have an Xt-1 and a 5d2, I now prefer the xt for daily use. I'll be selling off my Canon gear very soon as I've just got an XT-2 as well.

I've used a 1d3 and a 5d2 for a considerable time and just find I can't be bothered carrying all that weight any more.

As I've not used the xt-2 yet I can't comment but the xt-1 never fails to blow me away at the results.
 
ChrisH said:
I have an Xt-1 and a 5d2, I now prefer the xt for daily use. I'll be selling off my Canon gear very soon as I've just got an XT-2 as well.

I've used a 1d3 and a 5d2 for a considerable time and just find I can't be bothered carrying all that weight any more.

As I've not used the xt-2 yet I can't comment but the xt-1 never fails to blow me away at the results.
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Thanks Chris for your thoughts good luck with your new XT-2
 
1d3 and 5d2 always needed a touch of sharpening, the xt-1 seems to produce pin sharp every time. I use all L glass on the Canons, I'm using the 18-55 kit lens on my Fuji.
 
ChrisH said:
1d3 and 5d2 always needed a touch of sharpening, the xt-1 seems to produce pin sharp every time. I use all L glass on the Canons, I'm using the 18-55 kit lens on my Fuji.
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Are you shooting jpegs or Raw?
 
I'm seriously considering a complete swap from Canon to Fiji X-T2 for motorsport. I'm just worried about making the switch without a test drive. Does anybody know of a retailer that does good part ex and demo loans?
 
The Image Team said:
I'm seriously considering a complete swap from Canon to Fiji X-T2 for motorsport. I'm just worried about making the switch without a test drive. Does anybody know of a retailer that does good part ex and demo loans?
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Don't know about that. Calumet hire out cameras, maybe hire the xt2, grip and a lens for the weekend. See how you get on with it?
 
The Image Team said:
I'm seriously considering a complete swap from Canon to Fiji X-T2 for motorsport. I'm just worried about making the switch without a test drive. Does anybody know of a retailer that does good part ex and demo loans?
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If you look in the X-T thread, you'll see that one of the contributors has made the switch over to X-T2s for his whole team of shooters who cover F1. IIRC, he goes by @G.K.Jnr .

FWIW, I have almost completely switched from a Nikon FF kit to Fuji but there are still a few things that I can do better with (or prefer to use!) the D750. Since I have the luxury of being able to afford to run the 2 systems, I do but if I HAD to sell one system, the Nikons would go.


Edit to correct the member's moniker!
 
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MrDrizz said:
Don't know about that. Calumet hire out cameras, maybe hire the xt2, grip and a lens for the weekend. See how you get on with it?
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That's the worst case scenario but a complete switch from Canon to Fuji is the better part of £8k. That's new car money and you wouldn't buy a car without test driving so why should you do it with a camera?

I've phoned Fuji and asked and they didn't know why I would want to test it out ahead of purchase. But they are seeing what they can do, I said that if they are seriously looking to make conquest sales to pros who don't work the big meetings with a Fuji rep on hand, they need to start offering test drives by post.
 
Nod said:
If you look in the X-T thread, you'll see that one of the contributors has made the switch over to X-T2s for his whole team of shooters who cover F1. IIRC, he goes by @G.K.Jnr .

FWIW, I have almost completely switched from a Nikon FF kit to Fuji but there are still a few things that I can do better with (or prefer to use!) the D750. Since I have the luxury of being able to afford to run the 2 systems, I do but if I HAD to sell one system, the Nikons would go.


Edit to correct the member's moniker!
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Thanks Nod. I also know a couple of Prototype racing togs who have made the switch but I'm worried about spending all the money then not getting on with the control system or something like that.
 
I've used a Fuji X-Pro 1 with serveral lenses since its release and sold the remainder of my Canon gear just before Christmas (including a EOS1 MkIII and 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8 and 300 f/2.8 lenses) I purchased a XT-2 with a few more lenses and I could not be happier as a sport/action shooter.
 
Has anybody used the XT2 for birds in flight like the red kites?
 
The Image Team said:
I'm seriously considering a complete swap from Canon to Fiji X-T2 for motorsport. I'm just worried about making the switch without a test drive. Does anybody know of a retailer that does good part ex and demo loans?
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I'd guess your local Calumet photographic dealer should have a XT2 to rent/borrow/try out in shop etc...

Regards;
Peter
 
Thanks guys. Fuji have got back to me and they do a free hire service for pros looking to test kit so I'll sign up and hopefully take a T2 to BritGT round 1.
 
Oh the little Fuji X-T2 mirrorless is just terrible for action shots :)

i-cWH9NQk-X2.jpg


Grab the 100-400 with it if you get a loan one.
 
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Mattpitts74 said:
Hi All,

I've been looking for a possible replacement camera for my ageing Canon 5D iii. I mostly photograph people and events such as charity cycle rides, runs walks The 5D3 is obviously no sports camera, but it does the job well enough for these kinds of activities. I tend to use the 70-200mm lens and 24-70mm

So these combinations are obviously really heavy and I've been looking for either a second camera or possible longer term replacement of the Canon.

I read great things about the Fuji and the autofocus and tracking and I'm wondering if it's on par with the Canon?

I love the idea of a smaller lighter camera for all day use, but I'm nervous about investing in another camera system without getting some views from people who actually own and use the camera?
Click to expand...


The ISO handling is loads better than the 7D MKII but I doubt if its on par with the 5D MKIII but then I own a 1DX and 1DX MKII so its hard to compare much against them.

Love the quality of jpeg's from the Fuji and the EVF is very good on the new X-T2 but you really need to invest in the grip and extra batteries for sports etc and run in boost mode.

Only down side I find is the size of the camera and button placement as I find it really hard to use setup with back button focus for motorsport and a few other little quirks.

I'm still not confident enough to invest fully in Fuji but it got me out of a massive hole trackside at BSB at the weekend when my second 1DX MKII packed up after 900 actuations which is bad in itself but even worse when it was a replacement for a previous one that had also failed and been replaced by Canon after a very long battle.
 
The Image Team said:
That's the worst case scenario but a complete switch from Canon to Fuji is the better part of £8k. That's new car money and you wouldn't buy a car without test driving so why should you do it with a camera?

I've phoned Fuji and asked and they didn't know why I would want to test it out ahead of purchase. But they are seeing what they can do, I said that if they are seriously looking to make conquest sales to pros who don't work the big meetings with a Fuji rep on hand, they need to start offering test drives by post.
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Calumet often do a "Test-Drive" weekend with the Fuji Gear, where you can basically borrow what you want. I did it with an XT1 and a bag of lenses last year.
 
Chipper said:
So, nobody photographs birds with it then?
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if you do a search you will find some great bird shots with the xt2, si got some great red kite shots not long after it was released
 
Gadget-Guy said:
Oh the little Fuji X-T2 mirrorless is just terrible for action shots :)

i-cWH9NQk-X2.jpg


Grab the 100-400 with it if you get a loan one.
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That's a cracking shot, great detail. TBH though this kind of shot isn't particularly demanding on an AF system though and far more down to technique.
 
Agreed snerkler, the more taxing shot is the head on or going away shot but this one does demonstrate a solid basis as a motorsport body.
 
Mattpitts74 said:
Hi All,

I've been looking for a possible replacement camera for my ageing Canon 5D iii. I mostly photograph people and events such as charity cycle rides, runs walks The 5D3 is obviously no sports camera, but it does the job well enough for these kinds of activities. I tend to use the 70-200mm lens and 24-70mm

So these combinations are obviously really heavy and I've been looking for either a second camera or possible longer term replacement of the Canon.

I read great things about the Fuji and the autofocus and tracking and I'm wondering if it's on par with the Canon?

I love the idea of a smaller lighter camera for all day use, but I'm nervous about investing in another camera system without getting some views from people who actually own and use the camera?
Click to expand...
TBH you can read so many reviews and get so many opinions but the only one that matters is yours. I have the D750 and last year bought the XT1 as a second lightweight setup based on how wonderful people say Fuji is and how nice their images are. I no longer have the Fuji. I had too many shots with that I now call 'Fuji artefacts' and I tried just about every piece of software going to try and fix this. When I was trying to get to the bottom of it some folk told me how they'd never seen them and even posted example pics, and guess what? The 'artefacts were present on these too. I wasn't going to point them out to the poster as once you've seen them you can't then not see them so you're better off not spotting them. Obviously YMMV and for the most part the Fuji images were very very nice indeed.

I've now gone back to Olympus as my lightweight setup and whilst the top images aren't quite as nice as Fujis (albiet very very little in it) I don't have to worry about having shots ruined.

When parting with the kind of money you're talking about it's an absolute must that you try before you buy, and not just having a play in store. Hire/borrow one for a few days to get a proper feel for it. As mentioned earlier, GKjnr's company has ditched all of their Nikon gear in favour of Fuji XT2's for shooting F1, so it's more than capable. However, from my experience with it (which to be fair is fairly limited) it's still not quite as good as a top end DSLR overall in terms of AF, but it's more than good enough for most applications. Generally speaking motorsport isn't the most demanding on AF systems though.
 
The Image Team said:
Agreed snerkler, the more taxing shot is the head on or going away shot but this one does demonstrate a solid basis as a motorsport body.
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Agreed, the XT2 is more than good enough for motorsport. TBH the XT1 is quite capable of taking motorsport shots too (y)
 
snerkler said:
That's a cracking shot, great detail. TBH though this kind of shot isn't particularly demanding on an AF system though and far more down to technique.
Click to expand...

The Image Team said:
Agreed snerkler, the more taxing shot is the head on or going away shot but this one does demonstrate a solid basis as a motorsport body.
Click to expand...

Sorry but i dont agree with that in all honesty,my X-T1 couldnt grab focus that quick and believe me i tried and failed many times.That bike has just appeared from around a corner at a silly speed so i think its done fairly well.

As for head on!!!!!

i-nv6K7C7-X2.jpg


Best thing is just to borrow one and find out for yourself but i think the X-T2 used with the grip has closed the gap a fair bit now but thats just my personal opinion.

I have no problem using it as a main or second camera now trackside at British Superbikes.
 
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Gadget-Guy said:
Sorry but i dont agree with that in all honesty,my X-T1 couldnt grab focus that quick and believe me i tried and failed many times.That bike has just appeared from around a corner at a silly speed so i think its done fairly well.

As for head on!!!!!

i-nv6K7C7-X2.jpg


Best thing is just to borrow one and find out for yourself but i think the X-T2 used with the grip has closed the gap a fair bit now but thats just my personal opinion.

I have no problem using it as a main or second camera now trackside at British Superbikes.
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Fair enough, I can't obviously say how quick acquisition was needed. This is certainly an area where the XT2 is far superior to the XT1 when I used it. And it seems to have done well with the head on too, which doesn't surprise me.

I think my point may have been misinterpreted though. I was in no way saying that the XT2 isn't a very capable camera, I think most examples and reviews etc have shown that it is, very capable indeed. Just if you're being extra picky mirrorless still hasn't quite matched the best of the best DSLR in this regards. However, as we know even cameras that aren't the best of the best are more than capable of getting the shots these days as they're still damn impressive.
 
The evidence is building that the best mirrorless cameras, like the XT-2 and a couple of others, are increasingly capable in the AF tracking department, but one-off images don't really prove much. I mean, you can easily get one sharp action shot just by pre-focusing in manual - the method used for decades with great success before AF was invented ;)

What I'd like to see is something like that head-on bike taken in less than ideal conditions (eg on an overcast day, late one winter's afternoon), and showing the full sequence of say half a dozen frames in a typical burst (filling the frame and with shallow depth of field). Be interested in what Glen reckons the percentage of keepers would be on the XT-2 vs 5D3? That's not a trick question BTW, I'm genuinely interested and looking forward to the day when mirrorless can truly compete in all situations, and compare without caveats.
 
snerkler said:
TBH you can read so many reviews and get so many opinions but the only one that matters is yours. I have the D750 and last year bought the XT1 as a second lightweight setup based on how wonderful people say Fuji is and how nice their images are. I no longer have the Fuji. I had too many shots with that I now call 'Fuji artefacts' and I tried just about every piece of software going to try and fix this. When I was trying to get to the bottom of it some folk told me how they'd never seen them and even posted example pics, and guess what? The 'artefacts were present on these too. I wasn't going to point them out to the poster as once you've seen them you can't then not see them so you're better off not spotting them. Obviously YMMV and for the most part the Fuji images were very very nice indeed.

I've now gone back to Olympus as my lightweight setup and whilst the top images aren't quite as nice as Fujis (albiet very very little in it) I don't have to worry about having shots ruined.

When parting with the kind of money you're talking about it's an absolute must that you try before you buy, and not just having a play in store. Hire/borrow one for a few days to get a proper feel for it. As mentioned earlier, GKjnr's company has ditched all of their Nikon gear in favour of Fuji XT2's for shooting F1, so it's more than capable. However, from my experience with it (which to be fair is fairly limited) it's still not quite as good as a top end DSLR overall in terms of AF, but it's more than good enough for most applications. Generally speaking motorsport isn't the most demanding on AF systems though.
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Funny you should mention artifacts @snerkler

I don't know if I'm getting them or if it's just that I'm struggling to process the XT-2's RAW files in Adobe camera raw.


All I do know is I'm starting to think I may have made a mistake coming away from a system I knew inside out.

May's holiday will practically be a "do or die affair" for the XT-2 when I hope to put it through it's grandson and seascape paces and see if I can get some images I'm happy with from it (like every other bugger seems to).


There, it's off my chest now.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Funny you should mention artifacts @snerkler

I don't know if I'm getting them or if it's just that I'm struggling to process the XT-2's RAW files in Adobe camera raw.


All I do know is I'm starting to think I may have made a mistake coming away from a system I knew inside out.

May's holiday will practically be a "do or die affair" for the XT-2 when I hope to put it through it's grandson and seascape paces and see if I can get some images I'm happy with from it (like every other bugger seems to).


There, it's off my chest now.
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You do have to process Fuji files differently in adobe software, particularly sharpening. Generally it's best to leave sharpening alone (or at least default) and just increase detail instead. Even so, when the effects are there they are noticeable on jpegs too. As I said though, it's only an issue for fussy buggers like myself, 99% of Fuji users are more than happy.
 
I think I'm guilty of zooming in 100% and pixel peeping to be honest.

And I don't care what anyone says, the XT2 can't hold a candle to the Nikon D750's images at 100%.

But I've always disliked the Nikon's colours.


I can see me talking myself into a Canon 5D Mk3 or a 5DS at this rate.


What do I shoot again?

Oh yeah, portraits and landscapes. Good camera for that?

Mk3 or 5DS.


Arse!
 
GreenNinja67 said:
I think I'm guilty of zooming in 100% and pixel peeping to be honest.

And I don't care what anyone says, the XT2 can't hold a candle to the Nikon D750's images at 100%.

But I've always disliked the Nikon's colours.


I can see me talking myself into a Canon 5D Mk3 or a 5DS at this rate.


What do I shoot again?

Oh yeah, portraits and landscapes. Good camera for that?

Mk3 or 5DS.


Arse!
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Do you know what, I always preferred Canon colours and rendering and always hankered for the 5D3, but when I moved to FF (From the Sony A77-2) the D750 had just been released and someone shot blind side by side comparisons of identical shots with the 5D3 and D750 and out of the 14 (IIRC) images I preferred all 14 from the D750. I was amazed and it totally confused my decision making. I ended up with the D750 and have never regretted it. For me the D750 has the most natural colours of any camera I've ever used.
 
HoppyUK said:
The evidence is building that the best mirrorless cameras, like the XT-2 and a couple of others, are increasingly capable in the AF tracking department, but one-off images don't really prove much. I mean, you can easily get one sharp action shot just by pre-focusing in manual - the method used for decades with great success before AF was invented ;)

What I'd like to see is something like that head-on bike taken in less than ideal conditions (eg on an overcast day, late one winter's afternoon), and showing the full sequence of say half a dozen frames in a typical burst (filling the frame and with shallow depth of field). Be interested in what Glen reckons the percentage of keepers would be on the XT-2 vs 5D3? That's not a trick question BTW, I'm genuinely interested and looking forward to the day when mirrorless can truly compete in all situations, and compare without caveats.
Click to expand...

My biggest problem is i have used nothing but 1 series cameras for the last 8 years so there are not many that come close to the 1DX or 1DX MKII in all honesty but again as much as Canon and many one series owners would like you to believe they still dont nail every shot in a sequence and a lot of us dont rattle off any more than say five or six shots in a row.I would say that i get a 50% return rate at sensible speeds on the 1DX MKII compared to a 25% return from the X-T2 but if you compare this against say the 7D MKII so we are in the same area i think the X-T2 has an advantage on keeper rate at speeds of 1/320th at similar shutter speeds and focal lengths but wipes the floor on higher ISO shots in the noise department.

My biggest gripe is the fact of the flip book effect you get in the EVF when you shoot in burst mode where as i would prefer if it was just more like having a viewfinder that was constantly on for a permanent stream as it takes a while to adapt over to the way it works.

Depending on weather this weekend i will try and grab a sequence of shots at Brands on Sunday and Monday while i am there working as i have archived most the images from last season now but i think the X-T2 does a very good job although it will never be a 1DX MKII but then again it doesnt cost 5 grand,is a lot easier to carry and has some of the best colur and jpeg outputs i have seen.

White balance i would say isnt as accurate as Canon cameras but many other things are very good indeed along with the fact of having a compressed RAW format and its very good actually being able to see the effect of either exposure settings or film effects through the EVF and on the rear screen.
 
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Gadget-Guy said:
My biggest problem is i have used nothing but 1 series cameras for the last 8 years so there are not many that come close to the 1DX or 1DX MKII in all honesty but again as much as Canon and many one series owners would like you to believe they still dont nail every shot in a sequence and a lot of us dont rattle off any more than say five or six shots in a row.I would say that i get a 50% return rate at sensible speeds on the 1DX MKII compared to a 25% return from the X-T2 but if you compare this against say the 7D MKII so we are in the same area i think the X-T2 has an advantage on keeper rate at speeds of 1/320th at similar shutter speeds and focal lengths but wipes the floor on higher ISO shots in the noise department.

My biggest gripe is the fact of the flip book effect you get in the EVF when you shoot in burst mode where as i would prefer if it was just more like having a viewfinder that was constantly on for a permanent stream as it takes a while to adapt over to the way it works.

Depending on weather this weekend i will try and grab a sequence of shots at Brands on Sunday and Monday while i am there working as i have archived most the images from last season now but i think the X-T2 does a very good job although it will never be a 1DX MKII but then again it doesnt cost 5 grand,is a lot easier to carry and has some of the best colur and jpeg outputs i have seen.

White balance i would say isnt as accurate as Canon cameras but many other things are very good indeed along with the fact of having a compressed RAW format and its very good actually being able to see the effect of either exposure settings or film effects through the EVF and on the rear screen.
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What are you shooting that you're only getting 50% keepers on a 1Dx? :eek:
 
Gadget-Guy said:
My biggest problem is i have used nothing but 1 series cameras for the last 8 years so there are not many that come close to the 1DX or 1DX MKII in all honesty but again as much as Canon and many one series owners would like you to believe they still dont nail every shot in a sequence and a lot of us dont rattle off any more than say five or six shots in a row.I would say that i get a 50% return rate at sensible speeds on the 1DX MKII compared to a 25% return from the X-T2 but if you compare this against say the 7D MKII so we are in the same area i think the X-T2 has an advantage on keeper rate at speeds of 1/320th at similar shutter speeds and focal lengths but wipes the floor on higher ISO shots in the noise department.

My biggest gripe is the fact of the flip book effect you get in the EVF when you shoot in burst mode where as i would prefer if it was just more like having a viewfinder that was constantly on for a permanent stream as it takes a while to adapt over to the way it works.

Depending on weather this weekend i will try and grab a sequence of shots at Brands on Sunday and Monday while i am there working as i have archived most the images from last season now but i think the X-T2 does a very good job although it will never be a 1DX MKII but then again it doesnt cost 5 grand,is a lot easier to carry and has some of the best colur and jpeg outputs i have seen.

White balance i would say isnt as accurate as Canon cameras but many other things are very good indeed along with the fact of having a compressed RAW format and its very good actually being able to see the effect of either exposure settings or film effects through the EVF and on the rear screen.
Click to expand...



That's what love about the XT2 @Gadget-Guy, that and the colours. Not Velvia, that's so Ken Rockwell it's untrue.

Seeing what you're going to get in the EVF is brilliant.

If Nikon ever made a mirrorless FX camera, and sorted their skin tones out it'd be a world beater.
 
snerkler said:
What are you shooting that you're only getting 50% keepers on a 1Dx? :eek:
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Bikes coming at me at over 140mph,pans with a 500mm F4 at 1/160th of something like a bike going one way and a rider going another as he wrestles it around a corner as its trying to throw him off!

Anyone can shoot motorsport even with a 20D and make a bike look like its on a sidestand.

Have a nose at some of my old posts and you will see ;-)
 
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Gadget-Guy said:
Bikes coming at me at over 140mph,pans with a 500mm F4 at 1/160th of something of a bike going one way and a rider going another as he wrestles it around a corner as its trynig to throw him off!

Anyone can shoot motorsport even with a 20D and make a bike look like its on a sidestand.
Click to expand...


I used to have a press pass at Brands Hatch in the 90's using a Canon T90 and a big old Vivitar 400mm f5.6 MF lens.

The looks I got from the Autosport boys were priceless.

But I sold a good few images to the bikers and Formula Ford chaps.


Bloody hard work it was.

I'll post some old shots up one day.
 
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