Nikon D500 or Fuji XT2

[marco]

These are completely diferent camera's but what i would like to know is wich one i should buy I love the fact of the Fuji that it is small with great lenses and that i take it easier with me then lets say my beloved D810.
The D500 is on the other hand very welcome with all the lenses that are allready in my bag and the 1.5 crop factor is also great for wildlife and action sport photography, i have always wanted a second body but over the years i found out that lurking with a backpack full of lenses just to get the shot isn't my thing,  i love the look and the ergonomics  the Fuji camera has, but how do others who  own it enjoy this camera compared to the Nikons they maybe have or still use?
I will visit my local camera dealer next week to see how big a difference they are size/weight feel etc.
Are there members out here who own 1 or maybe both camera's and could help me out where they use it for? my kids are growing fast and my wife has a SonyA6000 i see that when i want to take a photo i find it quicker and easier to pick up the small camera when the D810 is lying next to it :|
When i read these sort of questions i always think to myself come on try it out and you know wich one suits you best, but i feel that i am maybe prepared to sell a lot of my lenses to get a smaller system.

looking forward in good advice,
Marco.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Except for the advice of going to a photo store and try each candidate first to ascertain its handling, I find it very difficult to advise for a camera purchase on such a general basis. In my opinion,  we would more be interested later in learning why you chose one over the other 

[Bent Hjarbo]

I use a D500 and a couple of zoom (16-85 f3.5-5.6, and 10-24 f3.5-4.5) as my travel kit, does not weigh to much, fit in a small bag, and the ergonomics are equal to my other Nikons. Used to use a Nikon V1 and some lenses, smaller but not as fast to work with, start-up time etc.
I guess the compactness af the Fuji and other mirrorless systems may be oversold, if you get f2.8 lenses, the difference may not be so big after all.
One in my photoclub have changed completely from Canon to Fuji, the Fuji lenses reminds og the old manual Nikons, and the weight is accordingly
The XY-2 can be used for sport, but the D500 will beat it on really fast action, the OVF may also be better when following action, but try it at a photo store.

[Anthony]

I have had Fuji for three years, Nikon for much longer.  Specifically, I have had the X-T2 since last September.  I have shot with a rented D500.

Both are excellent cameras.  It is a matter of personal preference.

The D500 has the edge, but not by much, for action photography.  Fuji has only one really long lens, the 100-400, which is competitive with the Nikon 80-400; but Nikon has a much better lens set for telephoto work. 

The Fuji 50-140 is competitive in quality with the Nikon 70-200 2.8 (I have both lenses).  The X-T2 has a better lens set for everyday photography.   Fuji lenses are very high quality, and are better than Nikon DX lenses and many Nikon FX lenses, in my experience.  An X-T2 kit will tend to be lighter to carry, potentially by quite a lot.  The X-T2 and the 18-55 make for a very high quality combination, and are light enough to carry in a day bag with hardly any thought.  The Fuji 16 mm is a standout.

The Nikon flash system is much better; that may or may not matter to you.

If you are hooked on Lightroom, Fuji may not be your best choice (Adobe conversion of rafs is sub-optimal), but some would disagree.

The EVF gives a better preview, and a better review in bright light, but the OVF is somewhat better for tracking action.

Best that you handle both and see which you enjoy using most.  Personally, I get more pleasure out of shooting Fuji, but others prefer the D500. 

[David H. Hartman]

...but i feel that i am maybe prepared to sell a lot of my lenses to get a smaller system.

I'd worry about cannibalizing one system to start another. You might be chasing a silver bullet when perhaps you should be dodging that silver bullet?

Dave Hartman

[Mike G]

I voted with my feet! and went from a D810 and a bagful of Nikkors to an X-T2 also in September via an X-T1 bought in January 2016 as a stopgap until the X-T2 was on sale. My problem with the Nikon system I had was an increasing need to use software to fettle my efforts at Nikon photography, another big factor was the Nikon awful viewfinders(in my eyes) and mostly weight of the Nikon gear which because of that weight tended to get left at home!

Going the Fuji way is not the cheap option by any means, but the quality is there in spades! The Fujifilm X system is still a newcomer and is developing all the time, but yes the Nikon system is vast if you shoot FX if you hanker after DX then the Nikon Dx system especially lenses is at best sparse, yes I know it is possible to use FX lenses as well.

I pondered long and hard in the choice of a D500 or the X-T2, I would have to had to wait for both to appear. In the end it came down to opting for the Fuji X system over the Nikons because of weight and viewfinder eye relief, and the plastic build of Nikon gear especially the lenses.

Fuji has produced a very capable flashgun in the EF-X500, not cheap and i don't have one but I've seen the results of others on a different forum and the HSS results were excellent, but again Nikon has had much more experience in this field, but as a non professional that's not important to me.

In the end Marco there is only one person who can make the decision - you, good luck!

[bjornthun]

I'd worry about cannibalizing one system to start another. You might be chasing a silver bullet when perhaps you should be dodging that silver bullet?

Dave Hartman

I certainly cannibalized my former Nikon system when I moved to Sony, and I have no regrets. Finally a EVF viewfinder that works for me, instead of Nikon's awful OVF viewfinder. As a bonus the camera body is the size of a 1970'ies film SLR and a few of the lenses are smaller too, but not all of them. AF adjustment and front/back focus issues are history too.

[David H. Hartman]

The 23.6 x 15.6 mm or APS-C is not one I favor for photographing people. I can't have the perspective I want and the background blurring I want in one photograph. I'm not talking about DoF here but background blurring. They are not one and the same. The D800 gave me back my 105/2.5 AIS.

I would not be considering the either the Nikon D500 or Fuji XT2 for photographing people.

Dave

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Blanket statements are less useful.  People have so *very* different experiences with the Sony A7-series or the Fuji for that matter. I purchased a Sony A7 and tried my best to make it work for me, but sold it off after a few months. Couldn't get proper focus with a lot of various lenses. Handling was bad and the EVF a big let-down. The Fuji handles better, but I still cannot get the EVF to work to satisfaction. It really strains my eyes.

Only personal experience can tell the prospective buyer whether the model is worth her or his while. These days, most  cameras are "better" than their users anyway, so it boils down to the user experience in handling the gear.

[Jakov Minić]

The 23.6 x 15.6 mm or APS-C is not one I favor for photographing people. I can't have the perspective I want and the background blurring I want in one photograph. I'm not talking about DoF here but background blurring. They are not one and the same. The D800 gave me back my 105/2.5 AIS.

I would not be considering the either the Nikon D500 or Fuji XT2 for photographing people.

Dave

Background blur can easily be achieved with APS-C sensors.
D70 + 85/1.4 shot at f/2.8.

Examples with statements are always welcome.

[Mike G]

Only personal experience can tell the prospective buyer whether the model is worth her or his while. These days, most  cameras are "better" than their users anyway, so it boils down to the user experience in handling the gear.

Quite right Bjorn!

[David H. Hartman]

Background blur can easily be achieved with APS-C sensors.
D70 + 85/1.4 shot at f/2.8.

Examples with statements are always welcome.

Now try that with a 70/2.8. I did note with the perspective I prefer. On DX I resorted to my 85/2.0 but it's a longer lens on DX than I would like and requires a greater shooting distance for the same subject framing compared to 105mm lens on FX.

Dave

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The 23.6 x 15.6 mm or APS-C is not one I favor for photographing people. I can't have the perspective I want and the background blurring I want in one photograph. I'm not talking about DoF here but background blurring. They are not one and the same. The D800 gave me back my 105/2.5 AIS.

I would not be considering the either the Nikon D500 or Fuji XT2 for photographing people.

My experience with Fuji mostly is with their X100s fixed-lens camera; I have not used their ILC system except for occasionally trying it briefly.

Check out photos made with the 56mm f/1.2 APD (the latter part is important); e.g. there is a flickr group where you can find some examples. I think it looks quite nice in terms of out of focus rendering. I realize that light is lost due to the apodisation element and autofocus is limited to contrast detect but to me the results seem very nice.

Fuji also have 16/1.4, 23/1.4 etc. so there are plenty of fast wide angles, though not quite the equivalent of 24/1.4 on 35mm full frame.

Other advantages pertinent to photographing people is that you can take photos silently if you need/want to.  I don't know what disadvantages there are (rolling shutter? maybe additional delay?) but for some situations this would be invaluable.

While the X-T2 has nice eyepoint and EVF, and indeed I can see the whole viewfinder image with glasses on, with the X-Pro2 I wasn't able to comfortably see the whole viewfinder image (neither optical nor EVF). If they improved the optical viewfinder by increasing its eyepoint and reduced the distortion, I would be very interested in this camera. Mostly for situations requiring that the camera be quieter than my DSLRs, and also to use the 56mm APD lens. I liked the OVF on the X100s but missed a convenient way of moving the focus point (the buttons are so small, and one has to first initiate AF point selection then move it and finish; with Nikons I just use the multi selector or thumbstick without having to go to a "focus point selection mode"). I understand this is now easier with the newest Fuji models.

However, I also disliked the way high ISO images were smeared by the X100s, the people looked a bit like wax models and there didn't seem to be a way to avoid it as far as I could see. This lead me to sell the X100s after half a year's use. At mid ISO the image quality was fine and I liked the quietness and lack of reaction from people when shooting street.

I would like to give the X-Pro2 a try, but I'm unconvinced by its viewfinder, and so I wait. Leica M would be another quiet option with optical viewfinder but it's out of my price range (with the fast lenses I would want to go with it). For now, for quietness I turn on Qc in my Nikon D5 or use the D810 (which is a bit slower and quieter) and hope that it's quiet enough. Usually it is. The high fps feature of the D5 is very loud though, but the remarkable autofocus performance makes it the appropriate tool for some situations. The D500 is much quieter than the D5 and of course the Fuji X-T2 is, as there is no mirror movement sound. Still, I stick to my Nikons as I prefer their viewfinders and work around the sound noise by trying to time shots carefully and use Qc on the D5 when appropriate. If I were to use the D500, I don't think I'd have much issue in terms of the sound from the camera, but I tend to go with the larger viewfinder and better image quality of FX in low light. Still, the camera sound noise is a consideration for me and maybe at some point I will buy a Fuji for silent shooting situations. Sony also have that capability but there is no optical viewfinder available.

[bjornthun]

I'd like a camera like the X-Pro2 from Sony. The rangefinder OVF works much better for me than those in the DSLRs. I don't know how a hybrid RF/EVF would work though.

[CS]

Except for the advice of going to a photo store and try each candidate first to ascertain its handling, I find it very difficult to advise for a camera purchase on such a general basis. In my opinion,  we would more be interested later in learning why you chose one over the other 

Absolutely! There are just too many variables between camera systems, and between people, to make definitive remarks about what somebody else should do. IMO, the best advice so far has come from Marco himself when he said that he was going to his camera dealer to handle various models. Bodies like the Nikon D3000, D5000, and D7000 series are not comfortable to me, they're too small. But Nikon  has a lot of satisfied customers that have a different opinion. I do not advocate switching brands will nilly, but we are not talking about me here. Nor do I have to pay for the choices that others make.

Of course there's more to consider than how the models feel in your hands. How easy is the system to use? Does it have a stable of lenses and accessories that fill your wants or needs? As I got older I found that weight plays a more prominent role than it used to, YMMV. What pleases me has no bearing on what will please somebody else. I like hot chilis and cannot abide anchovies, but I would not expect everyone to agree about either.