Fujifilm X-T2 review with Jamie Bufton

Back in November 2021, 16-year-old student and motorsport photographer Jamie Bufton began his MPB journey with a Canon 60D. To continue his creative progress, Jamie moved on to the mirrorless Fujifilm X-T2. In this article, Jamie discusses his experiences with the two setups. Read Jamie’s Canon DSLR review or keep reading to discover the images Jamie shot with the Fujifilm X-T2.

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MPB: How did you like using the Fujifilm X-T2?

JB: The X-T2 has been absolutely outstanding to use. It completely exceeded my expectations and has enabled me to see what mirrorless cameras have to give! I have really enjoyed using it for many reasons, but I’ll narrow it down. I have really enjoyed having a flip-down LCD screen and the fact that I can use the LCD for taking photos that are not on a tripod—unlike my Nikon D300. I have also noticed how high it can reach into the thousands in ISO. I haven’t had to worry about reaching 6,400 ISO doing some night photography, and even tested 12,800 ISO. This did increase the noise a bit, but not too much. I only got to use the Fujifilm for one motorsport event, but I was lucky enough to be able to use it for some car meets at Morgan Factory. Through my A-level photography, we had been set with doing lots of street photography, which this camera really excelled at due to the flip screen enabling me to take photos without people seeing as much. Another thing I like about this camera is it looks amazing—I loved to take photos of it—it’s so aesthetically pleasing.

MPB: Have you used a mirrorless camera before?

JB: I hadn’t used a mirrorless camera before this Fujifilm, I was really excited to use this camera because of this. I had to research what the difference between mechanical and electronic shutter was because I wanted to experiment with it. It was such a different camera to use, there were far more features than my pretty basic D300.

MPB: What were the main differences between the Canon and the Fujifilm?

JB: The Canon 60D was a DSLR. So, what you saw through the viewfinder was what the lens was seeing right there and then, without accounting for settings. Personally, I find that DSLR cameras are still much more refined than mirrorless cameras in 2022. I think mirrorless cameras are still a relatively emerging technology, and something I was sceptical about at first.

Both cameras had one major thing that I love, a flip screen—I do love a flip screen! They enable me to get nice and low, getting some shots that I would simply miss on a camera without one. The screen on the Fujifilm had a sturdier feel to it, and I like how it didn’t go to the side of the body. This meant that I could look in line with the lens, which just worked better for me.

The Fujifilm is a much more expensive camera than the Canon, and you could feel this when holding the camera. You could feel how well it’s been built. The buttons felt much more precise, the metal build of the camera really gave it a nice feel and a good weight that made me feel like I was holding a pro camera. The buttons on the Canon, being made of plastic along with the body, just didn’t give the same feel, however there is no issue with a camera being made of plastic, as it will usually be good plastic, but the Fujifilm just felt nicer in the hand. The image quality from these cameras was very similar and to be honest I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but I believe the image quality mostly comes from the lens that is on the camera.

MPB: What differences did you find between mirrorless and DSLR?

JB: There were a couple of main differences, the main one being the electronic viewfinder (EVF), but I’ll come onto that later. On my Nikon D300, I can switch on the camera and within less than a second, I can start shooting. However, with the Fujifilm X-T2 I found sometimes it took a couple of seconds to turn on. This did mean I missed some shots, but it was not a deal-breaker. I just should’ve been ready.

Another difference is the battery life. With a single battery, the Fujifilm X-T2 died halfway through the shoot. This is a massive difference to my Nikon, which lasted the whole shoot on one battery and didn’t go below 50%. However, this camera did well for a mirrorless camera. From what I’ve heard from friends, the Fujifilm XT-2 is better than most mirrorless cameras.

My DSLR camera is bulky, it is a big hunk and weighs quite a bit, especially with the battery grip on. However, this Fujifilm was very light, while still feeling like a pro body, it fit in my bag like a treat and was nice to have across my body the whole day. On the other hand, this camera’s smallness effected it in other ways. I found that I couldn’t properly hold it, as I have much bigger hands than the camera. With a battery grip, this camera could be really nice in the hand.

MPB: How did you feel about the Fujifilm’s speed, autofocus, exposure and menu system?

JB: This Fujifilm was very fast and the shutter was ridiculously fast. I used it on ‘high’ most of the time, as I had 256GB storage in it altogether. The autofocus was amazing, for the motorsport and car photography I had it on spot focus so I could pick the focus points to speed up the focusing process. With the street photography, I had the focusing modes on face tracking, this was very accurate and blew my mind as I’d never experienced it on a camera before. Exposure was easy to get right on this camera, due to the EVF and the LCD screen. I did find the dials a little fiddly to use, they sometimes slowed me down. But I got the hang of it by the end of the time using the camera. The menu system on this camera was extremely intricate and detailed, allowing a lot of personalisation and configuring for the user, however it became a little tricky to remember where certain things were.

MPB: Do you prefer the electronic viewfinder over an optical viewfinder?

JB: I’ve always said to myself that I prefer optical viewfinders, but after using this camera I’m not entirely sure. The EVF meant I didn’t make any stupid exposure mistakes when taking quick photos. However, at the start of using this camera, I found it hurt my eyes as it flickered very slightly—but this gently went away as I used it. I had to turn focus peaking and exposure peeking off as it was too much for my eyes to look at all at the same time. But seeing where the camera was focusing really helped me get shots I would’ve otherwise missed.

MPB: Did the top-mounted controls and dials make your shooting experience better?

JB: I wouldn’t say the dials made my experience any better. If anything, they were a little bit of a hinderance. But they looked mega on this camera and gave it a trendy vintage look, and I was often asked if it was a film camera. They did, however, allow a lot of precise exposure and ISO changes, which was nice. I still would’ve preferred to use the space on the camera for some more well-placed buttons that did the same job.

MPB: What tips can you give someone a photography beginner using a mirrorless camera?

JB: Buy lots of batteries! I would’ve wanted about four or five for one motorsport shoot, especially shooting at the highest frame rate all the time. Give yourself lots of time to get used to the camera before doing a big shoot with it. Take the time to dial in the settings exactly how you want them.

MPB: What are your plans this next year? What are you excited about shooting next?

JB: My plans for next year are exciting, really exciting. A place for being a Royal Air Force Photographer opened, and I applied very promptly. This means that I’ll have to go through basic training first and complete all of that. But then I’ll start an 18-month apprenticeship at RAF Cosford. This will be an amazing opportunity, which I’m looking forward to doing! In terms of motorsport, not much, as the ten weeks’ basic training takes up the first half of the motorsport season. However, I’m able to make one meeting at Loton Park on 2nd April. Additionally, there is a Morgan meeting that I’m going to try and get to in the coming weeks.

MPB: Has getting to use the Fujifilm X-T2 opened you up to trying different photography genres?

JB: Yes! This camera made me want to try some street photography and urban landscapes, which I feel went really well.

MPB: What is your favourite shot you have taken with the Fujifilm?

JB: This is a hard question, as I have taken so many. But it has to be the panning shot of a Jaguar at Silverstone, shot at 1/30th-of-a-second and is so sharp, the colours are just awesome.

Thanks, Jamie. You can see more of Jamie Bufton’s work on Instagram @jamie_bufton_photo. Learn more about MPB EDU, your used kit partner for creative education.