Xpro2 with 24 MP due .... XT2 to follow

[Gary]

Gary, I'm NOT a pro and far from professional with my images, nice gear I connect with makes me wanna shoot images and gear I don't connect with collects dust or is sold off.

I've seen your stuff, you shoot like a pro. 

[Frank Fremerey]

An emotional connection to subject is important.
Familiarity with equipment is important.

This leaves us with the question raised by JA: Can eqiupment motivate us to shoot more and better?

I tend to say yes, because equipment I like to always carry I will always carry, therefore I will take more photos
because I am hot to take photos.

Follow up question: Will I need more and newer equipment to renew this effect from time to time?

Possibly a YES also.

In that sense after a few days, Gary... still exited by your XPro2???

[Gary]

An emotional connection to subject is important.
Familiarity with equipment is important.

This leaves us with the question raised by JA: Can eqiupment motivate us to shoot more and better?

I tend to say yes, because equipment I like to always carry I will always carry, therefore I will take more photos
because I am hot to take photos.

Follow up question: Will I need more and newer equipment to renew this effect from time to time?

Possibly a YES also.

In that sense after a few days, Gary... still exited by your XPro2???

New hardware is always fun and exciting. As a former pro, it is all about the final image.  Good/better equipment makes capturing the exceptional easier.  Most pros think of equipment mostly as a tool, not something which elicits excitement. I think how one feels about equipment somewhat separates pros from hobbyists.     

[simato73]

New hardware is always fun and exciting. As a former pro, it is all about the final image.  Good/better equipment makes capturing the exceptional easier.  Most pros think of equipment most as a tool, not something which elicits excitement. I think how one feels about equipment somewhat separates pros from hobbyists.   

I've tried to look around NG on reports of the performance of the X-Pro2 and I haven't found any yet.
Gary you have had one for some days now, Bob (longhiker) has one too, maybe others as well.

Is it too early to report on the performance?
The most important thing for me now is AF - how improved is it compared to the X-T1?
There are other things I am also interested in hearing about:
- What sort of improvements you see at high ISO
- What do you think of the joystick (it seems to me it should be a great thing)

Ultimately I am more interested in the X-T1 body format, mainly because the position of the viewfinder in the rangefinder-style bodies does not work well for me and because I like the tiltable screen; I expect that most or all of the functional improvement of the X-Pro2 will feature also in the X-T2.
The one thing I don't think we'll see in the X-T2 is the weatherproof mechanical cable release option.

[Sash]

New hardware is always fun and exciting. As a former pro, it is all about the final image.  Good/better equipment makes capturing the exceptional easier.  Most pros think of equipment mostly as a tool, not something which elicits excitement. I think how one feels about equipment somewhat separates pros from hobbyists.   

I am with Gary here. I even remember making conscious effort not to get into the gear fetish and concentrate on the final result, which is an image, as Gary pointed, not getting hold of the best gear. I did that because I had a feeling these two very different motivations somehow clash, I believe one has to free himself from this gear attachment to concentrate purely on photography to get to the next level. We are all humans though and I can not help loving my X-T1.  I am not interested in the second incarnation of T and Pro models. I am absolutely fine with what I have got now.
 So... Maybe XT-3 ..

[jknights]

I have a smaller Fuji system than my Nikon system.
I have the XPro1, XT1, XE2, XE1, XE1 Ir concerted to 655nm and X100T with a set of lenses.

I have decided to skip the XPro2 as I prefer the D500 for my type of work - (Flamenco dance and wildlife), my D600, D800 do very well for the landscape work.  The XT1 and Xpro1 I use in the studio and they yield phenomenal IQ and results but the AF does not compete with the Nikons.

[BruceSD]

I currently shoot 3 different systems.   Each has it's own purpose.

Nikon for BIF and super fast action sports.  Indeed, as mentioned above, no Fuji X cameras' AF can compare with the AF of a modern Nikon body.

Pentax in Pixel Shift mode for landscapes and still lifes.

Fuji X mirrorless because it's the only system that currently offers "ISO bracketing".  Fuji has the best out of camera JPGs, so I use a Fuji X body when shooting family JPG snapshots or quick stuff for the Internet that I don't care to take the time to do any post on.  Also, I love the tiny form factor of the Fuji mirrorless with one of their tiny primes. 

While I don't yet have the new Fuji X-ProII, I have read some reviews on it, and believe that this new 24MP body mostly improves upon the things that I already love about the prior Fuji X 16MP bodies - although its' AF being slightly improved is still not up to the level of a Nikon body with a modern tele Nikkor lens.

Most of us Fuji X folks fully expect that Fuji will in short order release new 24MP versions of: X-T1 and X-E2.

[Gary]

The XP2 AF's like a champ. I haven't tried tracking.  I shot a theatre performance, I was on stage for the dress rehearsal.  I was moving around, the performers were moving around and the lighting was fluid and constantly changing. No complaints.  I had an XT1 w/ 50-140, XT1 w/ 16-55, XP2 w/ 10-24. I used the EVF on the XP2 and the EVF on the XT1 was much better, I could see a difference in size and rendering. The controls, like all Fuji's, are great, aperture on the lenses, shutter, ISO, et al on top. The battery grips of the XCT1's with the ease of going vertical is a definite pulse for the XT1. The two card slots is a plus for the XP2 (I selected one card as RAW the other JPEG).

I shoot most everything with two cameras. The new 24MP sensor is a significant improvement over the 16MP in terms of high ISO noise. With the 16MP sensor, I shot at 3200 without giving it a second thought and at 6400 with a second thought.  I see at least one stop of noise improvement ... But more shooting is needed for me to really see how noise is handled above 6400. Essentially, I need more time with camera in hand before I decide to pick up a second XP2 or wait for the XT2.  For me it is all about the final image and I have little attraction for the optical viewfinder.  It is there, it works well ... But it doesn't improve the final image better.  Now, as a hobbyist, I am beginning to appreciate the photographic experience more ... But not to the point where I find the optical viewfinder as a significant feature.

[Erik Lund]

Thanks for the updates on these Fuji cameras!

.... I used the EVF on the XP2 and the EVF on the XT1 was much better, I could see a difference in size and rendering. ........

Did I read this right? EVF on the XT1 was much better,,,

How is it better?

[Gary]

The info in the XT1 seemed larger and easier to read than the XP2 and at the default EVF settings the XP2 lacked contrast in the odd theatrical lighting ... Could be just the default setting, in normal daylight it look just fine.

[Erik Lund]

Thanks for the clarification

[Jan Anne]

For me it is all about the final image and I have little attraction for the optical viewfinder.  It is there, it works well ... But it doesn't improve the final image better.  Now, as a hobbyist, I am beginning to appreciate the photographic experience more ... But not to the point where I find the optical viewfinder as a significant feature.

Aha, thought you bought the Xpro2 for the OVF to have the best of both worlds, hence my confusion earlier in this topic

I'm now so used to an EVF the OVF doesn't make any sense anymore to my brain. My mind goes like "how do I zoom the image for critical focussing?" and "where's the live histogram?" quickly followed by a Homer Simpson "Doh" moment 

[bjornthun]

According to bhphoto.com the X-Pro2 has an eyepoint of only 16mm and 0.59x magnification. The X-T1 has 0.7x magnification and a 23mm eyepoint. The magnifications are stated in 35mm format equivalents (hope that's understandable). This could explain why the X-T1 viewfinder appears to be better than the X-Pro2 viewfinder. Fuji seems to have had to make a compromise when designing the hybrid viewfinder.

[Akira]

According to Fuji's official website, the magnification of EVF of X-T1 is 0.77x as opposed to 0.59x that of X-Pro2, which is quite some difference.

[Gary]

It isn't that the XP2's EVF is bad ... it's more that the XT1 is better.  XT1 may very well have the best EVF in the world. The XT1's EVF is better than my EM1's EVF.  Sometimes I'll use the OVF ... but I enjoy seeing the exposure.