Why I want to switch from Canon to Fujifilm – Gear

Ever since I got the X-E1 with it’s wonderful retro look I pictured myself shooting with that camera for my work. Wouldn’t it be great to take pictures like we used to? And I loved the colours that came straight out of the x-e1 without any retouching. Loved them. Then I took the camera to one of my weddings to try, and to my disappointment, the auto-focus kept hunting and I could not fire a shot. This was not an important moment of the day, but I imagined myself trying to shoot cutting the cake, or exchanging the vows or the first dance and not being able to capture it. Shudder. I put that idea completely on ice and didn’t think of it until late last year.

The X-Pro2 came out and the reviews were fantastic. The AF was incredibly fast and accurate, Fuji added a stack of amazing primes and zooms to the collection of lenses and the system looked really mature. I googled who uses fuji for wedding photography and realised that there is a growing community of photographers who shoot fuji and produce amazing images. Even with the older cameras with slow AF. I had to have another look.

I patched up my X-E1 with the latest firmware; Yes, Fuji still supports and upgrades their 4 year old cameras – Take that … (insert any other camera manufacturer), and I took it to another wedding. Understanding the camera’s limitations, I didn’t use it for the crucial shots. I took what I had to with my Canon 5D and then quickly switched to fuji to take more shots in a much more relaxed mode. I missed a few shots, but overall, the camera performed well enough. This time I didn’t panic at all.

What convinced me to seriously consider switching to Fuji was the results. I shot maybe 30% of the wedding using X-E1 and 35mm f1.4. No flash, but I used a small LED panel, just hand held. The images were spectacular. I would browse the pictures in Lightroom and I would go, nice, nice, ok-ish, WOW! That’s the Fuji image among tons of Canon ones shot with the 24-70 and a flash. There was just no comparison. They were so much better. I didn’t have to check the EXIF to know what was shot with a Canon and what with a Fuji. The Canon images were still good, but seriously, not in the same league as the Fuji.

I had to find a way to transition to Fuji. X-Pro2 has now some weather sealing and is available now, but I set my sights at the new X-T2. Waited patiently until it was announced a couple of months ago. According to most photographers who were lucky enough to test it, it is an amazing camera. The AF is best in the mirrorless world and some suggest (The angry photographer) it’s faster than even Nikon D500. I don’t think I will struggle with focus hunting, just need to test it in very low light conditions at a wedding.

Fuji will start shipping it next week and I’m going to get one of the first units available. Will use it as my second camera on the next wedding and check if it’s possible to shoot it as the only camera. I am not getting rid of my canon gear yet, but hope that the new x-t2 performs well enough to give me confidence for the full switch in the near future. I will take the new 35mm f2, the 27mm f2.8 and may get a 16mm f1.4 or a wide zoom, 10-24mm. I’m also considering the 56mm f1.2 and the 55-200 f4.8. I will caapture what I must with the Canon, and shoot the rest with the Fuji. Fingers crossed.