Should I get a DSLR in addition to my Fuji X-T20?

Fairyrose

Fairyrose

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Hello,

I used to shoot with my old and trusted D90 but a few months ago, after much research (and helpful advice on forums like this) I invested in a Fuji X-T20 and now have three lenses - the 18-55 kit lens, the 55-200 lens and the 23mm pancake lens for general walking around the park/city etc (better to have a camera with me with a small lens than no camera at all!).

I take pictures of my family (children and dog) but also the occasional landscape (or family in landscape style thing). Also, recently I had great fun spending hours in a lavender field trying to shoot bees pollinating and butterflies.... So I could see myself venturing into a bit of macro photography as well.

I am generally happy with the X-T20 but there is just something about shooting with a DSLR that is special.

Size and weight of a camera is not that great a concern for me. The main reason I went for the XT20 was that its autofocus is meant to be super fast and that appealed to me. Children and dogs are fast moving objects and I wanted a fast autofocus. Now the X-T20 isn’t bad but I still often find that I’m missing the shot or get a blurry image.

Shooting aperture priority I have tried cranking up the ISO to force up the shutter speed but it hasn’t helped all that much. I still got blurry bees in the lavender (or bees that had left the frame!) and the other day in a theme park I tried to take pictures of my son on a carousel and it was not an easy feat! (Yes I have tried shooting SS priority too).

I am also now coming round to thinking that the 55-200 lens for a camera like the XT20 for which one of the attractions is the relatively small size is a bit of a juxtaposition….. maybe I should have spent that money on a DSLR and a zoom lens.

If your recommendations are to go with a DSLR I would like to stick with Nikon - not just because of the lenses, but also because I sort of understand their menus! (FYI - for my D90 I have the Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6VR and 35mm f/1.8G)

I have been reading loads of reviews about the D810, D750 but also the D500. Even though the D500 is crop frame, maybe it will serve my needs better?

Most people say one should upgrade to full frame after a certain point in photography. Do you agree that FX really necessary?

What are the arguments for justifying having both the XT20 and a DSLR??

Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
 
Don't think that just because a dslr manufacturer says a camera has an amazing AF system you'll never miss another shot. I have a d500 and miss plenty. It's also probably overkill for shooting a bee or kids...

FWIW, practice practice practice - it makes all the difference.

Also, there's absolutely no reason to upgrade to FF because "people" say you should at some point. Some people think pineapple on a pizza is wrong but I like it. If you shoot mainly in low light, FF might well be a good idea. That said, if you're putting photos on FB then many cameras will perform pretty well nowadays at relatively high ISO and you won't notice the noise at that size of image..

Sooo..no right or wrong answer. If you think it will help, go for it. Or try hiring a DSLR from lensesforhire and see if it makes a difference to you..
 
I'm not sure why you are not getting the images you expect. :thinking: Example photos may help determine the cause, be it the camera/lens or the person behind the camera or both. Until that is worked out, I'd be wary of splashing out on something new if the camera/lens was not the problem.

That said, if you want a DSLR because you want a DSLR. Now, your first choice is crop sensor or FF. FF will give the ultimate best quality if you know what you are doing, but at a cost, not just in money for camera and FF lenses, but also size and weight of gear. FF may not be the ultimate camera destination no matter what level you level you think you are at though.

For me the D500 is the best overall crop sensor camera up to this point, and not just because I have one. It does many things the best, AF, FPS, high ISO, Ergonomics, and build quality. But does everyone need a D500? Probably not. A purely landscape or portrait photographer, if going DX, may be better with the D7500/D7200 or D5500/D5600, and even the D3400 has the same 24mp sensor as some of those that will give the same image quality but with the loss of some features. You work out what are the important feature you feel you need.

Try and find out what is going wrong with what you have got though. Maybe ask other Fuji X-T20 users for help. But many others may be able to help determine what may be going wrong so far.
 
Fairyrose said:
Most people say one should upgrade to full frame after a certain point in photography. Do you agree that FX really necessary?
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Most people are wrong in that case. But I'd say it's more likely 'some' people, not most. I would certainly never tell someone this, it's terrible advice. There's a lot of people using full frame gear that really do not need to. They bought into it either because they followed that bad advice, or they thought it would improve their photography somehow, or just to 'keep up with the Jones's - Many find that they can't keep FF going, they bought in on the cheaper end and will never be able to afford all those fancy higher end lenses they see the very people who told them to upgrade use. Going full frame is not just about the camera or sensor, the glass needed to get the very best from it is expensive, and also pretty hefty for casual use.

Have you thought about upgrading the XT20 to the XT2? The AF will be a lot better, the camera is bigger and has better grip which sounds more ideal for you, and you won't have to go trading in lenses at a loss to feed another system. That would be my advice.
 
Thank you everyone for your insights. I am learning something (lots actually) every time on this forum - you guys are all so very helpful and constructive, thank you!

I admit that I think part of my problem is that I just *like* DSLRs. There just something about the weight/substance you hold in your hands, the grip, the click of the shutter :)

If I were to go replace my D90 I think I will stay crop sensor. As you have said it’s not just the initial expense of the FX camera, it’s all hat comes after that too... And I don’t really need full frame for what I’m doing, at least not now.

So, it’s about whether I give in to my desires to buy a more modern DSLR - or, as Cagey suggested, get the XT2. I must admit that hasn’t occurred to me. In fact when I was researching my purchase of a Fuji I seem to recall the general consensus on various sites was that the autofocus on the XT20 was better than on the XT2. Maybe my recollection is fooling me.

By the way I also agree with all of you who say that there’s no substitute for practicing and practicing more! It’s just that I would rather not be limited by a camera where I am limited even by better technique if that makes sense.

I think the D500 may be a good bet for what I do - and some of you seem to agree but I should also consider the XT2.

Thanks so far for all your help, any further thoughts welcome! I don’t know many people that I can talk Photography with so this is one of my few outlets for discussion :)
 
I had the D90 for a few years, I loved that camera. Mine got a soaking one day and was never quite the same, weather resistance is very under-rated. I went from that to the D800E, a proper beast, and had some very nice hefty lenses to go with. But I never really felt that I 'needed' such expensive gear. I'm not a pro so it was never going to 'pay for itself' - any small paid jobs I did do while I had that gear just went back into the gear - flash units, extra batteries, more lenses, bigger bags [another thing to consider when going FF] etc ...

I get what you mean about the feel of the bigger cameras, I too like a bit of chunk, I like a decent grip and like to feel a bit of weight - this can help stabilse your shots too. But there's decent size and good grip, and then over-sized and uncomfortable too.

The XT2 is better in most ways than the XT20, especially with the latest firmware updates. You can get a battery grip for it, this adds more grip, extra battery life and also a faster shutter rate

The D500 is also an excellent camera, by all accounts. It would be better for wildlife and sports, but not so much for your needs - family, portraits, macro - there won't be any real advantages.
 
Fairyrose said:
Thank you everyone for your insights. I am learning something (lots actually) every time on this forum - you guys are all so very helpful and constructive, thank you!

I admit that I think part of my problem is that I just *like* DSLRs. There just something about the weight/substance you hold in your hands, the grip, the click of the shutter :)

If I were to go replace my D90 I think I will stay crop sensor. As you have said it’s not just the initial expense of the FX camera, it’s all hat comes after that too... And I don’t really need full frame for what I’m doing, at least not now.

So, it’s about whether I give in to my desires to buy a more modern DSLR - or, as Cagey suggested, get the XT2. I must admit that hasn’t occurred to me. In fact when I was researching my purchase of a Fuji I seem to recall the general consensus on various sites was that the autofocus on the XT20 was better than on the XT2. Maybe my recollection is fooling me.

By the way I also agree with all of you who say that there’s no substitute for practicing and practicing more! It’s just that I would rather not be limited by a camera where I am limited even by better technique if that makes sense.

I think the D500 may be a good bet for what I do - and some of you seem to agree but I should also consider the XT2.

Thanks so far for all your help, any further thoughts welcome! I don’t know many people that I can talk Photography with so this is one of my few outlets for discussion :)
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When the xt20 came out it had the latest focusing firmware which the xt2 lacked but a firmware update brought it into line,although the I believe the xt2 has xtra tracking options and a js
 
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Fairyrose said:
Most people say one should upgrade to full frame after a certain point in photography. Do you agree that FX really necessary?
Click to expand...

I have a FF Sony A7 and a couple of Panasonic MFT cameras and in the past I've had APS-C and FF DSLR's. I'd say that in general just about anything is good enough for a whole picture viewed normally but when you push things to the extremes of ISO, dynamic range, picture size and close up or pixel peeping FF will probably win out and the quality of the files is one reason I have a FF camera because sometimes I want the best quality file I can get (at a reasonable price) but avoid the obsessive pixel peeping and maybe fewer people really need FF. The other reason I have a FF camera is to use old manual lenses at their intended focal length,

I recently printed a picture I took years ago with my APS-C Canon 300D, there are a few issues if you look at it with a magnifying glass but as a whole picture or even when looking closely by eye it looks lovely and everyone likes it despite the fact that these days the 300D would probably be considered an unusable piece of junk.
 
Thanks all again for your replies. I’ve spent a couple of days mulling it over and I think given the lenses I’ve already got (and time invested in grappling with the setting!) I should stick with Fuji. I like the idea of upgrading my XT20 to an XT2 (thanks Cagey for alerting me to this!). BUT I am now also toying with the idea of an XH1 - with all the offers available at the moment (and the Fuji cash back claims) the price difference is not that big...

I like the thought of IBIS and faster autofocus. Don’t think the bigger size would make that much of a difference.

Any thoughts on which of the two to go for?
 
I've had full frame Canon & Nikon but I've swapped to M43 Olympus and couldn't be happier.

Unless you're printing your shots to 6ft wide smaller sensor cameras are more than adequate.
 
Fairyrose said:
Thanks all again for your replies. I’ve spent a couple of days mulling it over and I think given the lenses I’ve already got (and time invested in grappling with the setting!) I should stick with Fuji. I like the idea of upgrading my XT20 to an XT2 (thanks Cagey for alerting me to this!). BUT I am now also toying with the idea of an XH1 - with all the offers available at the moment (and the Fuji cash back claims) the price difference is not that big...

I like the thought of IBIS and faster autofocus. Don’t think the bigger size would make that much of a difference.

Any thoughts on which of the two to go for?
Click to expand...

If you got the funds, get the XH1. I have been tempted to return to Fuji for that camera, maybe when it drops in price a bit for me, but I did switch from Fuji to M43 mostly for the IBIS. I am happy enough sticking for now though.
 
If you go to CameraWorld they have the body for £1299 or with grip / batteries for £1649. For some bizarre reason their in store price is LOWER than online. Branches in London, Stevenage and Chelmsford. Don’t know if they would honour those prices for a phone order.
 
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How about an A7III?
It has better AF than all Fujis put together for shooting children :exit:
 
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Thanks again for your messages, much appreciated!

I think I’m gonna have to restrict my brain space to Nikon and Fuji - if I introduce another make into the mix I’m going cazy!

But do keep the comments coming - I’m gonna store your input in a separate brain area!
 
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