Does the X-T2 need a touch screen?

I’ve seen comments on you tube complaining about the fact that the Fujifilm X-t2 has no touch screen. Some of these comments are very critical to the extent that people reject the camera outright because of lack of touch screen. I’m beginning to wonder, maybe there is something they know and all this time I’ve been shooting incorrectly. What is in the touch screen that someone would dismiss the entire system because it’s not available.

I run workshops and my students come with all sorts of cameras – many of them with touch screens. They praise the touch screen because it makes it so easy to access menu items like ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. It is also easy to review images and easy to set the focusing points.

I can almost understand the need for a touch screen in a Sony or a Panasonic or any other “consumer” cameras where even the most important settings are hidden deep inside the menu structure. These are not camera companies, they are consumer electronics companies producing cameras that will be used by an average person who can’t tell the difference between the aperture and Iso.

I hear that Fuji’s explanation for omitting touch screen was the higher production cost and higher power consumption. If that is the case I can understand and support their decision. Would I pay another 100$ to have touch screen? I certainly wouldn’t. How many of those who complain about the lack of touch screen would be willing to put their money where their mouth is and fork out another 100$ to have what they consider absolutely essential part of any new camera? Actually, I don’t really care. I’m sure they will find something else to complain about. I am happy not to have to pay additional money for something that I would have no use for. I am also happy that the battery will not be drained with this additional feature.

The way I shoot I see absolutely no reason to have touch screen. I set my menu once and it stays set. No need to fiddle with it, almost ever again. I have ALL my important functions assigned to buttons and dials on the body. I chimp my images in the viewfinder because the image is brighter, especially on a sunny day. I can zoom into details with a click on the main dial, which gives me 100% zoom. I can use the joystick to find the eyes while still looking through the viewfinder. I use the center focus point in 80% of images, but if i need to move it a joystick is a much better option, because I can do that while looking through the viewfinder, instead of fumbling with my finger on the back of the screen. And of course changing the focus point with my nose when I lift the camera to my eye again.

I shoot with my back screen turned off. I don’t ever need to look at it because I can see everything in the viewfinder. This saves a ton of batter life too. I think the touch screen is a bit of a gimmick. Not a bad thing, but for my style of shooting completely useless. I would probably turn it off completely the first time my nose changes the focus point on me. I think that if the screen doesn’t drain the battery and can be easily turned off, it would be good to have it available. If only to shut up the whingers, but I would not want to spend more money for a useless gimmick.
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