Nikon D500 or Fuji XT2

[marco]

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.

I hear you Bjørn i will let my experience and handling on the new camera know #Nikongear

[marco]

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

True Dave but over the years i have purchased lenses that at the time i barrely use anymore the nikon 28-300 the old 70-200 and i was even thinking of selling my 200/f2 because of the size and weight.

[marco]

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.

Thank you Anthony for this reply and advice! i will let you know what my decision will be.

[marco]

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.

Did you even concidered in buying a fuji system Bjornthun?

[marco]

I bought the Fuji x100f zilver edition, have to wait when it is in stock, my main reason was to have a compact that i can take with me on a day to day basis.
Thx for all the comments and advice! i will keep my D810 for landscapes.

cheers, Marco.

[FGAng]

I read with interest that you have a 200/2.  That brings up an interesting point - why did you buy that beast?

If you got it because of the quality of the output but hated the weight then there is a dichotomy that cannot be breached.  For the Fuji X system I have only gone as far as the X-E1 and so take this with a pinch of salt - I cannot handle the EVF, especially for manual focus, but I love my Df OVF for manual focus. 

For wildlife I settled on the D500 for its handling and speed, along with the old AFS 300/4D + TC-14EII.  Heavy but satisfying.

For the limited funds I put out on my Fuji system, I get up to 230mm (XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS, not a fair comparison) but could never live with the slow AF.  Two minuses - awful EVF and slow AF.  the awful EVF is a deal breaker - going to abandon the Fuji system soon.

To each his own.  When I shoot with the Df I use mostly old Nikkors, some non-Ai, some Ai, deliberate, slow MF photography.  When I reach out for my D500, it is 8-10 fps, fast AF that I am looking for, mostly for birds.

YMMV.

[richardHaw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02EqV1YQKmY
 

[Frank Fremerey]

After over one year of heavy usage I am still floored every time I develop these wonderful shots from the D500. A plethora of details even at high ISO. Great colours. Superb Autofocus. Next to no technically​ troubled shots. Speed without limit with the XQD. I really think about getting a second one.

[Frank Fremerey]

PS ... Although I love my X100T I hate manual focus by wire.

That is why I do not use more than the X100T, a superb camera.

[the solitaire]

I'm in the same spot, trying to make the same decusion. Downsizing is something I consider mainly to keep enjoying photography, while at the same time allowing my girlfriend to do the same. The two cameras I consider are indeed the D500 and the Fuji. The Fuji has the benefit of weight and size, but the D500 has the benefit of not needing an adapter to mount my Nikkor lenses. Since I'm not considering buying Fuji lenses, the deciding factors will be handling and post processing (which is, in a sense, also a part of handling)

Frank, I also hate focus by wire in the widest sense, which is why I really prefer full mechanical manual lenses over anything with AF. My one and only AF lens will be the 85mm f1,4 AF-D, which I would never want to get rid of because of it's rather unique rendering.

[Jakov Minić]

Oh Buddy, how I agree about the 85/1.4 AF-D and its unique rendering:)
(if i ever downsize it will be to my mobile phone)
What is the size and weight difference if you mount the 85/1.4 AF-D on a D500 and an XT-2?
What about handling? It maybe heavier in numbers, but it will be heavier over a certain period of time without a probably better grip?
Heavy lenses on small and light cameras, like the Df that I have been using extensively for over 2 years, have put a lot of strain on my right wrist.
However, I loved using the Df with smaller and lighter lenses, the 45P included
So perhaps, that is the way forward. If you use petite lenses, buy XT-2, if you like using chunky ones, then the D500
With your know-how you can't go wrong, they are both capable cameras!

[the solitaire]

Jakov, compared to my D3, the D500 saves half in weight on the body with battery. The space savings are less impressive, with only a 5mm space saving in depth of the camera body, 10mm in width and 40mm in height. The Fuji is the obvious winner there, using just half of the depth of the D3 and D500 with only 40mm. The width and height are similar to the D500, and the weight difference of 200 grams is not really worth mentioning.

As you say though, without a grip of any kind (might have to make my own, Pentax 6x7 style) the strain of carrying bigger lenses might become a nuiscance, so one of the things I'd like to try is mount a lens, similar in size to the 85 f1,4, which will be the biggest lens I'll likely mount (the 80-200 f4 Ai-S is a different story as it's ergonomics dictate that you carry the combination by the lens as much as the camera)

[the solitaire]

Today I met a photographer who uses the Fuji X-T2 for his work (journalism on a small scale and events with some product and portraiture as topping) and was willing to discuss with me (and demonstrate) some of the advantages of the Fuji over Nikon cameras he used before (D7100 being the last of his Nikons)

We spent almost 2 hours chatting, reviewing files and settings and discussing the merits and flaws of the design, as well as peripheral equipment.

In the exchange I got a bit of a view on the X-T2, was able to test 2 very important things to me, and got some answers.

1) When switching off the camera, it takes a while to shut down. In this time it is not adviseable to restart the camera, because it will take longer then starting up from a full shutdown. In this time, the viewfinder is fully dark. To me, this is a flaw.

I'm already glad the viewfinder image is only minimally distorted (pillow) and it's brightness can be adjusted. Might still have to go to a store to find out how much adjustment is possible. I will need real dim rather then bright.

2) In order to use my adapted Nikkor lenses, I will have to set the camera to "shoot without lens" just like a Sony NEX.

3) I have still not found an ideal Lightroom replacement (tried, and was unimpressed by Photoninja, Rawtherapee, UFRAW and now trying CaptureOne) to process the RAF files, so might actually upgrade to LR6.6 and live with it's deficiencies

4) Some might say the Vpb-XT2 booster grip is the ideal companion to the X-T2. For my intended use, the Mhg-XT2 looks to be just perfect, and I did not even know of it's existence before today

There is still a lot of thoughts coursing through my head as I type this, because the transition back from full 135 equivalent to a crop sensor on my main digital camera body is not lightly made. As of today however, I am fairly confident that the Fuji is a very real possibility

[Frank Fremerey]

Buddy: IIRC my gripped D500 is bigger and heavier that my D3 but the pictures have even more charme and are perfectly usable up to ISO20.000.

She has much better ergonomics and for fast action she leads with superb AF. I know that might not matter to you now, because you love the MF optics so much. For me, having invested in some decent AF glass, it matters very much!

For MF the D500 ground glass is much better suited to precisely focus with lenses like the 1.2/55 and 1.4/35 which are hard to focus on both the D3 and D600 without a replacement screen.

[the solitaire]

That's one contra and two pro for the D500. Foto Koch didn't have a D500 in stock, so I did not have the chance yet to compare both cameras side by side.

I did like the intuitive controls on the Fuji enough to have me look at Capture One for RAF file processing