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Fuji XT-30


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Took the plunge this week and got a Fuji XT-30 whilst they were being discounted.  Been umming an ahhing for ages about trying mirrorless.  I was spurred into action by moving to a new area and having a bike for the first time in ages, legging round my Nikon D500, tripod and heavy lens wasn't practical.

 

I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Even with the kit lens ( XC 15-45 ) the pictures are pretty good, and the size / weight is tiny.   I can see me getting an XT-4 in the not to distant future, as well as a prime lens for it.

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Great! I’ve been in the Fuji camp for a few years now. I’m shooting X-T2 but eyeballing the T4. I have had more fun shooting with these cameras (started with the T1) than I ever did with Nikon.

I just looked at the first page or two of your portfolio. Similar in distance to mine.
 

This is something to keep in mind. On the Fuji forum, the 18-135 lens doesn’t get much love. But these people aren’t shooting stock. If you look at the first few pages of my port, all of the storefronts are shot with the 18-135. It’s great for standing on one spot and getting a wide-angle, then zooming in for a logo. It’s priced very reasonable compared to some of the other lenses.

I also took and used it on trips with great success. Beach, ocean, landscapes. It’s not particularly fast, but perfect for outdoor good light.

The indoor images of mine (food, Xmas decor) were either taken with my RX100 mk3 or X-T2 and the very fast 35mm. Flowers, insects outdoors, Fuji 80mm macro.

Someday, you might spend the $$$ for the 50-140 which has fairy dust. It’s heavier, but not too, for me. Great for people doing things, biking, etc. and lovely landscapes, just not wide landscapes.  I think all the years of shooting Nikon made everything Fuji feel light! 😂

Betty

Edited by Betty LaRue
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1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

Great! I’ve been in the Fuji camp for a few years now. I’m shooting X-T2 but eyeballing the T4. I have had more fun shooting with these cameras (started with the T1) than I ever did with Nikon.

I just looked at the first page or two of your portfolio. Similar in distance to mine.
 

This is something to keep in mind. On the Fuji forum, the 18-135 lens doesn’t get much love. But these people aren’t shooting stock. If you look at the first few pages of my port, all of the storefronts are shot with the 18-135. It’s great for standing on one spot and getting a wide-angle, then zooming in for a logo. It’s priced very reasonable compared to some of the other lenses.

I also took and used it on trips with great success. Beach, ocean, landscapes. It’s not particularly fast, but perfect for outdoor good light.

The indoor images of mine (food, Xmas decor) were either taken with my RX100 mk3 or X-T2 and the very fast 35mm. Flowers, insects outdoors, Fuji 80mm macro.

Someday, you might spend the $$$ for the 50-140 which has fairy dust. It’s heavier, but not too, for me. Great for people doing things, biking, etc. and lovely landscapes, just not wide landscapes.  I think all the years of shooting Nikon made everything Fuji feel light! 😂

Betty

Thanks For the feedback Betty, I was out today with a Nikon and f2.8 70-200  and I can’t wait to try the Fuji when it comes, I might be able to cancel my physio .   I also took some beach shots with the Fuji XC lens today down in Cornwall and they came out just fine. Stay safe !

 

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1 hour ago, Simon said:

Thanks For the feedback Betty, I was out today with a Nikon and f2.8 70-200  and I can’t wait to try the Fuji when it comes, I might be able to cancel my physio .   I also took some beach shots with the Fuji XC lens today down in Cornwall and they came out just fine. Stay safe !

 

If you were using the 70-200, then nothing in Fujinon is heavier! I never had it, but my husband ordered it once, took it out of the box in shock and promptly sent it back! He said he’d rather just pump iron. 😉 it gives beautiful results, though.

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3 hours ago, Simon said:

Thanks For the feedback Betty, I was out today with a Nikon and f2.8 70-200  and I can’t wait to try the Fuji when it comes, I might be able to cancel my physio .   I also took some beach shots with the Fuji XC lens today down in Cornwall and they came out just fine. Stay safe !

 

 

Just a thought if lightness is the main reason you are thinking of changing systems. The Fuji XT-4 body weighs 607g,  the Nikon Z6 body weighs 675g, so little or no difference by the time you whack a lens on, especially a telephoto. The new Nikon lenses for the Z series cameras are superb and many are relatively light weight. I'm guessing you have some good Nikon glass which can be used on the Z6 with an adapter. You might be wise to check out the little Z6 before taking the plunge on a whole new system. There have been some firmware updates since the Z6 came out that have made some dramatic improvements on the launch version as well. 

 

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5 hours ago, Simon said:

If only the Z6 had 2 card slots - I miss that insurance policy ( I know the XT30 doesn't have them, but I believe the XT-4 does )


I agree especially for really critical, unrepeatable work. The argument is that XQD cards are very robust and much less prone to failure than SD cards. The image quality is top class and with the excellent kit lens (24-70 f4) one has a really light combo. Anyway I just threw that out as a thought if weight is the main criterion. 

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There is more to it than the weight, Michael. Trust me. It’s the whole experience, from retro dials, Fuji fantastic color, What You See is What You Get and something indefinable. At least for me, it was.
From a Die-hard Nikoner who finally developed an open mind about camera systems. (New word...😁

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On 17/05/2020 at 08:26, MDM said:


I agree especially for really critical, unrepeatable work. The argument is that XQD cards are very robust and much less prone to failure than SD cards. The image quality is top class and with the excellent kit lens (24-70 f4) one has a really light combo. Anyway I just threw that out as a thought if weight is the main criterion. 

Hi Michael,

Mind you it is full frame, which is the other thing I've been wanting to move towards. Tricky call !

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5 hours ago, Simon said:

Hi Michael,

Mind you it is full frame, which is the other thing I've been wanting to move towards. Tricky call !

 

Indeed Simon. I've been a full framer since the D700 in 2008 and could not imagine using a DX camera any more for general photography although the D500 has to be top of the range in that department. The biggest decision would be the expense involved in an entirely new system and why you would be doing that. The only reason I interjected here at all was to point out that the weight differences can be negligible when you put a lens on one of these mirrorless bodies. The in-body stabilisation in the Z6 and Z7 mean that you can turn older non-stabilised lenses into stabilised (3 stop I think) which is a huge plus as well if you have older lenses.

 

Another plus is the video capabilities of these Z series cameras. I have been spending a lot of time recently in the lockdown teaching myself video shooting and editing. Tthe video quality is superb shooting N-Log footage and I am waiting for Nikon service centres to reopen so I can get a conversion done to shoot raw video. Three months ago I had no thought or intention of doing anything like this - the point being I never know what I might do and having kit with such capabilities is fantastic. It is certainly worth considering the broader picture (literally 😀) before such a big move as changing systems.

 

 

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On 16/05/2020 at 13:16, Betty LaRue said:

Great! I’ve been in the Fuji camp for a few years now. I’m shooting X-T2 but eyeballing the T4. I have had more fun shooting with these cameras (started with the T1) than I ever did with Nikon.

I just looked at the first page or two of your portfolio. Similar in distance to mine.
 

This is something to keep in mind. On the Fuji forum, the 18-135 lens doesn’t get much love. But these people aren’t shooting stock. If you look at the first few pages of my port, all of the storefronts are shot with the 18-135. It’s great for standing on one spot and getting a wide-angle, then zooming in for a logo. It’s priced very reasonable compared to some of the other lenses.

I also took and used it on trips with great success. Beach, ocean, landscapes. It’s not particularly fast, but perfect for outdoor good light.

The indoor images of mine (food, Xmas decor) were either taken with my RX100 mk3 or X-T2 and the very fast 35mm. Flowers, insects outdoors, Fuji 80mm macro.

Someday, you might spend the $$$ for the 50-140 which has fairy dust. It’s heavier, but not too, for me. Great for people doing things, biking, etc. and lovely landscapes, just not wide landscapes.  I think all the years of shooting Nikon made everything Fuji feel light! 😂

Betty

Betty I was just looking through some of your pics and noticed you have some made inside the stores and was wondering if you  had to ask permission.  I have photographed store fronts but not inside.  

Marvin

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2 hours ago, Marvin McAbee said:

Betty I was just looking through some of your pics and noticed you have some made inside the stores and was wondering if you  had to ask permission.  I have photographed store fronts but not inside.  

Marvin

Marvin, I take my Sony RX100 mk3 inside stores. It’s so tiny. I do not ask permission, although many times the help have seen me taking pictures. Maybe because the camera is so small, I’m a woman, and a senior, they are ambivalent about me. 
I do practice stealth when I can! :D

I’d say probably 70% of the time nobody sees me take them, and the other 30% I’m unchallenged. I never allow a customer to see me take their picture, though. I figure if anyone objects, it would be them.

I have sold some of these, especially the Walmart images. I think I sold a checkout stand image two weeks after uploading it.

 

I'm sure a lot of people here might take issue with what I do. My answer is to mind your images (business) and I’ll mind mine.

I do believe, though, because I’m female and very respectable looking I’m cut some slack.
Betty

Edited by Betty LaRue
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That also brings up another related thing. Oftentimes, when I have shot storefronts with my X-T2, I’ve seen customers eyeball me in the parking lot then dismiss me. I think (could be wrong) they assume I’m doing it for store business. As long as I’m pointing at a shop it’s ok. Once they turn their head, they are fair game. 😊

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Simon, I hope you enjoy the Fuji. For anything but casual photography I take a spare battery, my Fuji's seem to go from half full to empty very quickly.

Looking forward to seeing some North Cornwall pictures in print soon.

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On 16/05/2020 at 04:58, Simon said:

Took the plunge this week and got a Fuji XT-30 whilst they were being discounted.  Been umming an ahhing for ages about trying mirrorless.  I was spurred into action by moving to a new area and having a bike for the first time in ages, legging round my Nikon D500, tripod and heavy lens wasn't practical.

 

I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Even with the kit lens ( XC 15-45 ) the pictures are pretty good, and the size / weight is tiny.   I can see me getting an XT-4 in the not to distant future, as well as a prime lens for it.

 

 

i must say I find that people underestimate the 15-45......  I bought it to be the lens i would take on Camino to save weight, and get a bit extra wide angles and i'm using it regularly now on my daily walks, enough that i will probably get rid of the 18-55, and get an extra prime.   

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On 19/05/2020 at 13:27, MDM said:

 

Indeed Simon. I've been a full framer since the D700 in 2008 and could not imagine using a DX camera any more for general photography although the D500 has to be top of the range in that department. The biggest decision would be the expense involved in an entirely new system and why you would be doing that. The only reason I interjected here at all was to point out that the weight differences can be negligible when you put a lens on one of these mirrorless bodies. The in-body stabilisation in the Z6 and Z7 mean that you can turn older non-stabilised lenses into stabilised (3 stop I think) which is a huge plus as well if you have older lenses.

 

Another plus is the video capabilities of these Z series cameras. I have been spending a lot of time recently in the lockdown teaching myself video shooting and editing. Tthe video quality is superb shooting N-Log footage and I am waiting for Nikon service centres to reopen so I can get a conversion done to shoot raw video. Three months ago I had no thought or intention of doing anything like this - the point being I never know what I might do and having kit with such capabilities is fantastic. It is certainly worth considering the broader picture (literally 😀) before such a big move as changing systems.

 

 

 

I can see me keeping a foot in both camps for the time being, and getting a full frame. Then of course there is the question of Nikons long term future .. mind you in the current climate I guess other manufacturers must be feeling the pain.   Very useful comments from everyone that replied to the original post, so thank you very much.

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13 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I can see me keeping a foot in both camps for the time being, and getting a full frame. Then of course there is the question of Nikons long term future .. mind you in the current climate I guess other manufacturers must be feeling the pain.   Very useful comments from everyone that replied to the original post, so thank you very much.

 

I don't think Nikon's long term future is in doubt as the Z series cameras have ensured that and these cameras will only get better. The lenses are amazing. I think they are big enough to weather the pandemic storm (I hope so).

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On 16/05/2020 at 18:16, Betty LaRue said:

Great! I’ve been in the Fuji camp for a few years now. I’m shooting X-T2 but eyeballing the T4. I have had more fun shooting with these cameras (started with the T1) than I ever did with Nikon.

I just looked at the first page or two of your portfolio. Similar in distance to mine.
 

This is something to keep in mind. On the Fuji forum, the 18-135 lens doesn’t get much love. But these people aren’t shooting stock. If you look at the first few pages of my port, all of the storefronts are shot with the 18-135. It’s great for standing on one spot and getting a wide-angle, then zooming in for a logo. It’s priced very reasonable compared to some of the other lenses.

I also took and used it on trips with great success. Beach, ocean, landscapes. It’s not particularly fast, but perfect for outdoor good light.

The indoor images of mine (food, Xmas decor) were either taken with my RX100 mk3 or X-T2 and the very fast 35mm. Flowers, insects outdoors, Fuji 80mm macro.

Someday, you might spend the $$$ for the 50-140 which has fairy dust. It’s heavier, but not too, for me. Great for people doing things, biking, etc. and lovely landscapes, just not wide landscapes.  I think all the years of shooting Nikon made everything Fuji feel light! 😂

Betty

 

I should just add .. just found out today I made my first sale with the new camera on the 15.5.20 to the Times with a weather/news PIC, and that was with the XC 15-45 lens, at a location I bicycled to ( Padstows).  So all in all a good result for the new kit.

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14 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I should just add .. just found out today I made my first sale with the new camera on the 15.5.20 to the Times with a weather/news PIC, and that was with the XC 15-45 lens, at a location I bicycled to ( Padstows).  So all in all a good result for the new kit.

Congratulations! It’s always nice to have new kit validated, and a sale sure does it. I hope you are enjoying it.

Betty

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23 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I should just add .. just found out today I made my first sale with the new camera on the 15.5.20 to the Times with a weather/news PIC, and that was with the XC 15-45 lens, at a location I bicycled to ( Padstows).  So all in all a good result for the new kit.

nice.  congratulations

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