I've been shooting with Fuji gear for about a year and a half now. I started with the X100T and then picked up the XT1 about six months ago. Needless to say i'm all in where Fuji is concerned. In my bag is the 56mm f1.2, 35mm f2 and the 18-55 kit lens. I'll be adding the 50-140mm f2.8 to my collection very soon along with the 16-55mm f2.8. The rumor sites are all a buzz about the impending release of the XT2. Everything is speculation at this time but the expectation is that it will be equal to or better than the Xpro2 that was released recently. These are two very different cameras but they will probably share some basics.
- 24 megapixel sensor
- Improved focus system (77 phase detect focus points)
- Dual card slots
In addition to the above the expectation is that the XT2 will have some features that the Xpro2 does not. 4K video being one of them. Beyond that who knows.
So the obvious question is what would make me upgrade to the XT2? Coming from Nikon I miss dual card slots. I like having a backup of my images when shooting professionally. The very first thing I do after a shoot with my XT1 is to upload the images to my cloud storage as well as copy them to my external hard drive. Losing images means losing money, not to mention the hit to my reputation. It's not a matter of if but when I will lose images. Megapixels aren't that important to me. The 16.3mp sensor in the XT1 is fantastic. I haven't had an issue yet where it wasn't enough resolution. Yes 24.3 would be nice but not a game changer for me. An improved focus system would be a major upgrade. My style of shooting includes the use of the edges of the frame for my subjects. Having more phase detect focus points would allow me more creative freedom to grab quicker focus of my subjects that fall outside of that area in the XT1. The mode dial is another feature that needs to be addressed. I can't tell you how many times I have inadvertantly bumped this dial.
The most important feature that would prod me to purchase this camera would be 4k video. I am entering the world of vlogging and don't want to have to invest in two different systems. It would be great to take advantage of the lenses I have, as well as hope to obtain. Video is becoming more and more of an expectation within the photography industry. It is also becoming an expectation of any new mirrorless or DSLR system to include the ability to shoot in 4k. People were surprised that the Xpro2 didn't have this feature. Along with that comes the ability to see what you are recording. This camera, in my opinion, must have a forward facing screen. It would also be a huge step to be able to tether this camera for real time viewing. Clean HDMI out would be fantastic. Along with that would be the ability to shoot tethered. I know there are some workarounds but doesn't sound easy or feature rich. The last thing would be price point. The full price of the XT1, body only, currently is $1299 (current promo price of $999 for limited time). I expect that XT2 wouldn't be too far from that but expect it to be around $1700 for the body only. I'm curious to see if they continue to bundle it with the 18-55 f2.8-4 with OIS or if a new lens will be introduced at the same time. It would be nice to have a second body and have been toying with the idea of investing in a second XT1. But that will have to wait until July as the prices are bound to drop after the release of the newer version. Another possibility is that Fuji will blow my socks off with the XT2 and I might have to add it to my bag.
We all love to speculate as to what will be. Hopefully the wait won't be too long now and i'm excited to see the direction that this brand is headed.