Moving to Mirrorless. Fuji Xe-2 AF (and general thoughts) Vs Sony A6000

EspressoJunkie

EspressoJunkie

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So with my 5D Mkiii winging it's way to its new owner, it's time for me to complete my move to mirrorless. I'm moving systems because I want a smaller more portable kit, and I really can't justify a pro level set up for hobby photography (although my colleague thinks I'm mad for changing.....). So with that in mind I've narrowed it down to 2 choices - the Fuji Xe-2 or the Sony A6000. I mainly shoot my kids, abandoned buildings, and the odd landscape, but i dabble in everything else now and then.

Technically the Sony is the superior (and slightly cheaper ) camera, but there's something about the Fuji files that I've seen, that really appeals to me. One of the main subjects of my photography are my kids (1, 3 and 5) so half decent AF is a must. Now I'm not expecting 5DMkiii levels here, but how does the AF on the Fuji cope with subjects that move like children? Also I intend to be using the kit lens (and one wide prime) for the foreseeable future, and I'm lead to believe that the Fuji 18-55 is actually a decent performer.

I would love thoughts and from owners of either camera, and also input from anyone who's made the switch from DSLR to mirrorless.

I should mention that my budget is limited to under £1000 for body, kit lens, and wide prime. I should point out that I'm planning on buying Grey from Digital Rev!

Thanks guys!
 
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I bought a Fuji to use alongside a DSLR, went for the XE1 and kit lens. From all that I read seems the XT1 would be the choice if moving subjects are your thing.
Find the kit lens to be very good, thought about getting the longer zoom, but with its size defeated the object of having a small lightweight camera.
 
EspressoJunkie said:
So with my 5D Mkiii winging it's way to its new owner, it's time for me to complete my move to mirrorless. I'm moving systems because I want a smaller more portable kit, and I really can't justify a pro level set up for hobby photography (although my colleague thinks I'm mad for changing.....). So with that in mind I've narrowed it down to 2 choices - the Fuji Xe-2 or the Sony A6000. I mainly shoot my kids, abandoned buildings, and the odd landscape, but i dabble in everything else now and then.

Technically the Sony is the superior (and slightly cheaper ) camera, but there's something about the Fuji files that I've seen, that really appeals to me. One of the main subjects of my photography are my kids (1, 3 and 5) so half decent AF is a must. Now I'm not expecting 5DMkiii levels here, but how does the AF on the Fuji cope with subjects that move like children? Also I intend to be using the kit lens (and one wide prime) for the foreseeable future, and I'm lead to believe that the Fuji 18-55 is actually a decent performer.

I would love thoughts and from owners of either camera, and also input from anyone who's made the switch from DSLR to mirrorless.

I should mention that my budget is limited to under £1000 for body, kit lens, and wide prime.

Thanks guys!
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IMO the Fuji will deliver nicer files, but the Sony will have better AF. Fuji has better/more lenses available. I think you're going to struggle with getting decent shots of your intended subjects with the Fuji unless you're shooting with lots of DOF and in decent light. They wont come close to the 5D3 especially with erratic movements like kids. This was my experience after trying pretty much every mirrorless camera then switching back to a DSLR…. again. Could also consider M43, not much different to APSC tbh. but lots of lens choice and better AF than Fuji.
 
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How about waiting on buying the prime and going for the Sony A7 with kit lens? It's £1089 on DigitalRev :)
 
EspressoJunkie said:
I had thought about that, but a wide angle is an essential for the urbex stuff I shoot, and I really don't want to go over budget.
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Fair comment, for me I would probably swing the Sony A6000 route due to its faster AF and Video abilities.
 
I have an original Fuji X100 and I love the files it produces but one aspect which put me off the newer X-Trans II Fuji sensors is that Adobe and other photo editing suite still don't seem to have mastered Fuji RAW files etc.

Both the Fuji XE-2 and Sony A6000 are good camera's though and whichever one you pick, I am sure you wont be dissapointed :)
 
I've owned an X-e1 for quite a while now and have just purchased a sony a6000 with the 16-50mm and the 55-210mm zoom lenses which should be with me some time over the weekend. My main reason for the upgrade is the more budget-friendly range of lenses available, I'm also a film student so the much, much better video of the a6000 will help me greatly.
I was originally going to go for the NEX-6 which would've helped even more with the budget but it was the impressive AF and burst rate of the A6000 which ultimately led me to buy it. The A6000 can hit 11fps while focusing for each shot, and after seeing examples of this it appears to have a very good hit-rate as well. The X line has never been near the top for focus speeds, especially when it comes to tracking, they are getting better but still lag behind the olympus and sony CSCs. The fuji has a better range of premium lenses (lots of fast primes) but they are pretty expensive. For sony you have the zeiss lenses. Or if you fancy it you can get an adapter to use the A-mount lenses with full autofocus, and the A-mount lenses are very nice.

Basically the fuji will no doubt have the edge when it comes to pure IQ (helped by the premium lenses) but the Sony has better AF, burst and video modes (again, improved with the premium lenses). I'll let you know what I think of the A6000 when it arrives :)

EDIT: one other thing to note, the fuji lens range is more based around fast primes, while the sony has more zooms, both fuji and sony have them both but this is just something I've noticed.
 
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twist said:
Also A7 AF is way to slow for what you want to do.
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Still qicker than the Fuji unfortunately. However I have come from a Nikon D7000 and so far I am happy with the A7's AF performance, especially after upgrading the firmware to v1.02.

The A6000 is probably the closest AF performance your going to get when compared to a DSLR.
 
Rizvan said:
Still qicker than the Fuji unfortunately. However I have come from a Nikon D7000 and so far I am happy with the A7's AF performance, especially after upgrading the firmware to v1.02.

The A6000 is probably the closest AF performance your going to get when compared to a DSLR.
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Really? Ive owned a few Fujis and an A7, difference was non existent, both suck at AF compared to a dslr.
 
twist said:
Really? Ive owned a few Fujis and an A7, difference was non existent, both suck at AF compared to a dslr.
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AF seems good enough for me having upgraded to v1.02 firmware ;)
It depends on what kind of shooting you do and conditions.

I'm sure the OP knows that the AF isnt going to be as good as the Canon 5D MKIII :) but you have to look at the entire package as a whole, I was willing to take a slight hit in AF performance to have a smaller camera.

For sports and fast shooting work, DSLR's still have the edge but this gap is closing, I do belive that the future of DSLR's is uncertain.

However lets get back on top, going by the many positive reviews on the AF performance of the A6000, it should be a good subsitute for the OP.

What I would say is for the OP to get to a local camera store and try both out first, ergonomics can play a big part.
 
Rizvan said:
AF seems good enough for me having upgraded to v1.02 firmware ;)
It depends on what kind of shooting you do and conditions.

I'm sure the OP knows that the AF isnt going to be as good as the Canon 5D MKIII :) but you have to look at the entire package as a whole, I was willing to take a slight hit in AF performance to have a smaller camera.

For sports and fast shooting work, DSLR's still have the edge but this gap is closing, I do belive that the future of DSLR's is uncertain.

However lets get back on top, going by the many positive reviews on the AF performance of the A6000, it should be a good subsitute for the OP.

What I would say is for the OP to get to a local camera store and try both out first, ergonomics can play a big part.
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I do indeed realise that I will be sacrificing AF speed (and other things) compared with the 5D, and you're bang on regarding a smaller camera.

The way I see it is that I'm much more likely to carry smaller camera with me, especially when out with the family, so hopefully I'll end up getting shots that I would otherwise not have taken at all!

I think ergonomics of both are going to strange coming from an SLR!

I am swaying towards the Sony, as the specs are essentially what I'm looking for. But I'm still going to try and get a play with one somewhere at the weekend.
 
Yes definately try and play with them both, I have always had a soft spot for Fuji as they have made so much ground since launching the Fuji X100 and their customer service is spot on.
But you can deny the Sony does have a lot of good electronics too.
Hard choice :)
 
I just got my A6000 so I'm obviously biased but regarding your budget/prices - Amazon had the body+16-50 kit for £629 last week and Digital Rev price is £569. The difference wasn't big enough to make me forego next day delivery and the convenience of a 30 day return policy.
 
If it is purely those two, then I would swing towards the Sony A6000...purely because when I was looking into going mirror less I found whilst Fuji was great, the focus speed was just to frustratingly slow for me....Personally I'd look into M43 instead of either of those two....compact, fast to focus and great lens selection...
 
I used canon 5dmk3 for ages in my business and now im back to recreational photography ive swapped to fuji xe2 system. The ease of carrying it around far outways any af deficit for me. You'll be able to take it with you and enjoy the kids at the same time.
 
Had my A6000 for just under a month now and really enjoying it. Focus speed and burst speeds are great, good enough to keep up with my kids as they run round. Success rate is a bit erratic but I'm putting that down to learning curve effects. I've only tried in good light though so no critical tests as yet. I've found the small size and portability a real advantage, fits in a Lowepro Apex 60 case (just) which makes it great for clipping to a rucksack or attaching to my belt. On the negatives the menu system is a little illogical (options I'd view as similar are several tabs / pages apart) and in the long term the lens selection all appears a little limited / pricey compared to alternative systems. Overall though no regrets about the purchase.
 
I'd have to agree with a couple of the guys above...

......look at M43.

I'm incredibly impressed with mine which I use alongside (and increasingly instead of) a D800e
 
EspressoJunkie said:
To be honest I'd pretty much discounted M43, I've been lead to believe its not great, esp when it comes to low light and detail. Am I wrong in thinking this?
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The latest sensors are very good, the older ones are fine with detail (I'd rate my GH1 as excellent in fact) but low light was never any good. Trouble is Panasonic especially have rehashed the same old sensor into umpteen models so it's quite hard to pick the right camera.

If you want detail though, buy my A7R!
 
EspressoJunkie said:
To be honest I'd pretty much discounted M43, I've been lead to believe its not great, esp when it comes to low light and detail. Am I wrong in thinking this?
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Yes absolutely....Why would it be? Personally I wouldn't listen to anyone slating a particular system, human nature is to do that if they don't understand it, or have some theoretical spec based parallel world going on...I would suggest to let the images speak for themselves...

Changing from your 5D, I guess it is based on sensor size concerns...and yes it is a smaller sensor than APS-C....Hence the lenses are also smaller :) And on the plus size there is some superb quality lenses which great resolution....Coupled with super fast autofocus, the small size...Heck it is lovely to have my 70-200 f2.8 equivalent with me on a walk about. Great with children as well as they aren't intimidated by it...

Personally I would just try them all out, there are some great shots that have got a good selection of all mirror less cameras and lenses....
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
The latest sensors are very good, the older ones are fine with detail (I'd rate my GH1 as excellent in fact) but low light was never any good. Trouble is Panasonic especially have rehashed the same old sensor into umpteen models so it's quite hard to pick the right camera.

If you want detail though, buy my A7R!
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Just get an Olympus then :P Seriously though Olympus OM1 or EP5 or Panasonic GH4 all great cameras....
 
After trying them all,and their quite a few out their ccs,i decide to stick with Fuji the reason its suit me,AF for me isn't to bad iso performance is great,and they feel right in my hands :)
 
one advantage of the sony a6000 which I have read is the corner softness with metabones adapter and canon lenses is better than the a7 and a7r....very versatile the sony cameras...and really well priced..i had the nex 6 but this is much better made and the main thing I liked was the menu system was much better...I just hope one day sony do a sigma like foveon sensor...my merrills keep me very very happy
 
I'm really curious to see where you go with this and how you find them - especially as you're used to one fo the best camera bodies out there at the moment and some damn good glass with really nice IQ and DoF. In short everything that keeps me DSLR and also keeping up with the kids (and the required AF).
 
BTW - double check but it looks like you may be able to keep you Samyang 14mm if you use an adaptor, double check everything as I've not researched it much but I think the A6000 uses the E-Mount system - in which case this (link) may work.
 
Don't forget kids are n't always running around at top speed - looking at my fav. pics of my children not that many of them required lightning speed focus - but they ALL required me to have my camera with me - hence my move currently from 5dmkii to X-E2.
 
JohnN said:
I'm really curious to see where you go with this and how you find them - especially as you're used to one fo the best camera bodies out there at the moment and some damn good glass with really nice IQ and DoF. In short everything that keeps me DSLR and also keeping up with the kids (and the required AF).
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Just a couple of quick thoughts on IQ and DoF from a user who's owned APS-C and FF DSLR's and MFT and FF CSC's.

Personally I think that the latest generation MFT cameras are pretty good. I've recently bought a GX7 and it seems to give IQ that stands comparison to my old 5D even into the higher ISO settings whilst at low to mid ISO settings even my first MFT generation G1 is IMVHO very good and images are easily lost amongst 5D images. So, I don't think that actual IQ is an issue with MFT or APS-C CSC's unless you want to pixel peep and agonise over tiny differences at 100% + or need to push the boundaries and get state of the art images when pixel peeping at the very highest ISO's.

I personally think that the DoF issue is a dual edged sword. After much testing I decided that the differences between APS-C and MFT weren't worth worrying about and although you can for the same framing get shallower DoF with FF often with FF I find myself fighting for DoF and having to use smaller apertures and battle slower shutter speeds and higher ISO and I actually think that for hand held use the sweet spot is something around MFT / APS-C.

Personally I think that there seems to be a little too much emphasis on FF shallow DoF.

There are examples here of MFT DoF and I agree with the comments and I wouldn't have wanted thinner DoF.
http://lindsaydobsonphotography.com/blog/full-frame-v-micro-four-thirds/
 
JohnN said:
I'm really curious to see where you go with this and how you find them - especially as you're used to one fo the best camera bodies out there at the moment and some damn good glass with really nice IQ and DoF. In short everything that keeps me DSLR and also keeping up with the kids (and the required AF).
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I curious too, this is certainly something I never thought i would do, but there are a few good reasons behind it.

With regard to IQ, I used to be a real pixel peeper. I would obsess over sharpness, quality, noise etc far too much, and in the end I was discarding images that in reality were perfectly fine. Lately though I have been trying not to focus as much on these elements. Of course quality is important otherwise I'd not be worrying about a camera and just be using my phone, but its all about balance.
 
lol, were we separated at birth?

I used to be a terrible pixel peeper and still drop back into the habit from time to time - the funny thing is one of the best image I ever took I was going to bin for that reason until a teacher friend of mine suggested I do some work with it.
 
EspressoJunkie said:
To be honest I'd pretty much discounted M43, I've been lead to believe its not great, esp when it comes to low light and detail. Am I wrong in thinking this?
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I don't know where you read that but in my experience it's rubbish. Of the 3 main protagonists (Oly/Panny, Sony, Fuji) there are minor differences and each is superior to the other in one area or another.

I believe that the one thing that should distinguish each from the other for you personally is how they handle.

I didn't like how the Sony or Fuji felt in my hand after shortlisting both before visiting Park Cameras. For me the Panny G5 felt infinitely better and more intuitive than either of the others so I left with the kit bundle. I immediately enjoyed using it and after a couple of trips out using the D800e and G5 side by side I was blown away by what could be achieved with the little'un.

I kept the G5 for 3 months or so and was so taken by the M43 system that I bought an Oly EM1. It's easily my favourite camera I've ever used. Fast, sharp, superb build quality and a joy to use and surely that's got to be the most important aspect. If you find any camera awkward in it's operation you'll be less inclined to use it let alone capture "the" shot when you've got it in your hand.

From my experience the images are indistinguishable from those of my D7000. Whilst there are obvious differences between the EM1 & D800e they aren't so great that I'd never consider taking the EM1 out. I'd be perfectly happy with either.

Anyways, in summary try them all out before committing!!

Cheers

Mark
 
Well I just pulled the trigger on an A6000.

I know me, I could spend months going back and forth on a decision like this, so its better to make one! Anyway, part of this change its to try and get me out of the habit of obsessing about gear so much.....

Also by buying grey I can get the camera with the 16-50 kit lens, a 12mm Samyang,and a Sigma 30mm 2.8 all for under my £1000 budget.
 
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You know you'll have to do a mini review and comparative shots when you get it don't you ;)
 
Thanks for supplying some cut price gear to the used market - I am sure the new mirrorless toy will change hands in the same way soon. That's a really spectacular downgrade - a bit like from Porche right to public transport.
 
That's a little mean. Let him enjoy his purchase, not everyone wants to lug round a full SLR setup, and he far from the first to move to mirrorless.
 
daugirdas said:
Thanks for supplying some cut price gear to the used market - I am sure the new mirrorless toy will change hands in the same way soon. That's a really spectacular downgrade - a bit like from Porche right to public transport.
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What a load of rude knee jerk tosh. As you seem to like car analogies... I've owned a Porsche and my much smaller Elise and MX5's and any MG I've owned were all much more fun to drive. Anyone with half a brain can think about the options and decide what they want and the OP does say clearly that he want smaller kit.

Good luck with your new gear Greg.
 
Hi Greg.
I sold my 5D2 and all my Canon lenses as they were just not getting used and I now own an Olympus OMD-EM1 with a few lenses.
While the Canon stuff was certainly better in some areas the Olympus is now getting used plenty and I am enjoying photography again.
I take my camera with me much more than I did as it is just a small bag rather than a massive backpack, and the EM1 feels so good to use - I find it easier and more intuitive in a way that I never did with my Canon bodies over 20 or so years.
Given the money I would have kept my 5D2 and lenses as there are times I miss some of what it could do but the amount of fun I have had since getting my EM1 makes it well worth the sacrifices.

Hope you get the same sort of pleasure too !
 
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