Used Fuji XE2 and Sony A7r on vacation, tested both in various conditions, thoughts after

This may (or may not be) interesting to those who try to decide which system to invest into.   Now I did not have the new XT1, so it is XE2 vs A7r.

Just came back from a 4-night-vacation in Cabo, Mexico, with my wife. First time leaving my 21-month-old home (with my parents). I took my Fuji XE2, 16-50, 23/1.4 and 60/2.4, and Sony A7r with the only AF lens for it i own - Zeiss 55/1.8. I also brought Konica AR 135/3.2 to use with A7r.

I shot several hundred images in all possible conditions, sun, moon, day, night, sunrise, sunset, against the sun, inside buildings, moving objects, stationary objects, landscapes, portraits, etc.. you name it.

I should also note that I cannot afford to keep two mirrorless systems in addition to my DSLR. I am just a hobbyist taking photos of my family and things around me. So for financial reasons, I might have to let one system go. Which one - I would need to study my results a little further, but so far, I am liking the A7r better. But both are fantastic systems.

I am not generally a big fan of Sony cameras. I owned Nex 5n (did not like the menu system) and Nex 7 (did not like AF). But when I saw a guy at a local park with A7r, I immediately fell in love with how it feels in my hand with its grip. In fact I would have probably liked the grip even to be beefier. But it is pretty good and actually the best mirrorless camera to handhold (for my hands, at least).

I've read all the reviews about 55/1.8 and knew I had to get it.

I like my Fuji XE2 (former owner of XE1, X100, X100s and XA1) but it just does not feel as good in my hand as A7r. With XE2 I have to use both the half case and the thumb grip to make it somewhat comfortable. I am aware of the new grip released, and I have not tried it yet - perhaps it is better to use with it.

In terms of AF, I am at loss at all the reviews that criticize Sony focus on A7r. My Sony A7r without PDAF on sensor with 55/1.8 Af consistently focused faster and with more assurance than my XE2 with any of the lenses I took with me, including 16-50, which is one of the fastest AF lenses for Fuji X system. That was the case in daylight and night light. I had zero issues with Sony focusing with 55/1.8. However, I had issues with Fuji 16-50 being confused a few times in daylight. Fuji 60/2.4 with all the latest firmwares was confused a lot in the middle of the day sometimes misfocus or not focusing when it was supposed it, in addition to be very slow focusing lens in the first place. After a while, I could manually focus 135/3.2 with peaking faster on A7r than 60/2.4 would autofocus. However, when 60/2.4 focuses, the results are superb.

I also found that metering is better for Sony. In fact, photos shot against the sun near sunset, if Sony Ar7 is set up center point + Face recognition, Sony will find the face and light it up properly despite the sun shining into the lens. It seems foolproof. Fuji's metering is not as good.

In terms of overall picture quality, obviously the 36MP gives you more opportunities. Anyone who owned any of the 36MP cameras here would understand what I mean. Finally, the picture quality is breathtaking.

Further, the lack of weatherproof body in XE2 was a concern. When shooting near the Ocean, there is a possibility the water drops may end up on your camera even with utmost care. And I get nervous with XE2. Not so with weathersealed body and lenses for Sony FE system.

My final thought is with the type of vacation I had, Fuji X100/s would probably be even better choice than XE2 as that 1/2000 Flash Xsync + build-in ND filter would have gone a long way to shoot outside in the sun. In fact, it would have made shooting more effortless and enjoyable.

Ultimately I found both Fuji X and Sony Ar7 are excellent cameras in general.

Ill add some photos later after I get a chance to download them from my camera.