What's special about Fuji?

Okay, one last big question here and then I'll go back to lurking until my X100V arrives. This is addressed especially to those of you who have experience with other systems or at least who spent some time weighing the alternatives before committing to Fuji:

What is special about the Fujifilm platform as a whole? What is its "superpower" or what do knowledgeable photographers think of when they think of Fuji cameras?

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I am asking in the Fuji forum and I assume any replies I get will come from folks enthusiastic about the brand. But I'm not asking for a marketing pitch--would prefer something a bit more objective or at least more defensibly descriptive. I'll answer this question for a couple other brands so you can see what I'm trying to get at.

• Olympus: MFT with outstanding IBIS, lots of excellent lenses, terrific especially for stills photography, very good for nature photography (since MFT telephotos are not as big as full-frame alternatives)
• Panasonic: MFT with outstanding video. (The G9 has blurred the distinction between Olympus and Panasonic by adding IBIS and because the G9 is a great stills camera, but let's overlook that.)
• Sony: At least for APS-C and full frame, Sony has been the leader of the mirrorless revolution, plus it makes terrific sensors. Known for innovation, better photography through electronics.
• Canon and Nikon: Um, I don't know why anybody would use these types of cameras.

Looking into the Fuji world from the outside (at the moment) it seems that Fuji's "thing", well, "things" plural, include---

1. Effort to wed modern tech to a classic or retro film-camera esthetic. Not just effort, I hasten to add: Fuji seems really successful at this. This "wedding" of modern tech and classic esthetic has multiple facets, including
   1. Providing shutter, aperture, ISO control dials on the outside of the body
   2. In the X-PRO and X100 lines, supporting rangefinder style OVF and creating the hybrid finder
   3. Attention to the look of cameras as much as to features and functions
   4. Prioritizing not just ergonomics but the personal experience of taking photos--more Cartier-Bresson, less Ansel Adams
2. Commitment to the APS-C sensor.

Does that sound about right? Make any sense? Way off base?

William

Wow, thanks for the link. I should have thought to search for "Goldilocks".

Seriously, great opening post over there. Will try to read rest of the thread when I get a few minutes. Thanks,

William

There is another thread with a great first post about why Fuji:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4471540

Analog style controls/ "real camera" shooting experience, excellent primes, first class jpegs. The system also hits a sweet spot for a lot of people between sensor size/ IQ and equipment size and weight.


Instagram: @yardcoyote

The film simulations are actually great, and my favorite part is processing RAW files in camera, which allows you to change the film simulation, adjust shadows and highlights, white balance, etc. In fact, I was surprised to know recently that no Sony camera has this feature... I use that feature quite often, like in this example just yesterday. Processed in camera, shared to phone via Bluetooth, and ready to go.



Another huge plus that will keep me in the system is how compact yet high quality their lenses are (especially the f2 and f2.8 primes). They are basically APS-C done right.

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https://www.flickr.com/omar77w

Film sims!

For me its the handling, Goldilocks sensor size/resolution, and the output. Specifically, the Film Simulations, which are far more subtle and usable than the "Vivid," "Sepia," "HDR," and other neon-looking adjustments other brands create. Classic Chrome, Astia, Pro Neg Hi, Acros...Yummy.

Handling-wise they feel just right in my hands and I like having full control through knobs and custom Fn buttons. I have large hands but the X-T series is perfect for me.

Also, the cameras just look really stylish! XD

For me it's mainly these things:

The dials that make their gear very intuitive and fun to use.

The amazing lenses.

The overall quality and versatility of the X-system.

Colors, film sims, menu system and some really great primes.

William Porter said:

[...]

What is special about the Fujifilm platform as a whole? What is its "superpower" or what do knowledgeable photographers think of when they think of Fuji cameras?

[...]

Click to expand...

With Leica (but at a much higher price), Fuji is the only manufacturer selling a line with direct control of exposure parameters rather than a PASM mode dial. It changes dramatically the experience. Some like it (I do), other don't, but this is where Fuji is very special.

You'll be told about colors but on the M43 forum, many also praise the "Olympus color". And on Canon forums, people praise the "Canon colors". What is 100% sure, is that they provide PASM and not direct controls.

William Porter said:

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Colour, and control style.

If you don't have a preference for the more mechanical type of controls, that is a personal thing.

I guess the same could be said of the colour too. But having just returned to Fuji after several years away, I was really surprised how even on taking my first photo, I immediately was like "Ah yes the fuji colours".

Having come from a film background, it is just more pleasing to me.

Hi,

To me the "special" about Fuji is its simply good looks. I refer to the X T3/T4 cameras. They look like "real" film cameras. They are sturdy and capable APS-C cameras. Very good image quality for large prints too.

I am a Nikon shooter, have been for decades. As an "old guy" I am partial towards cameras that resemble the era of Nikon FM/FM2, Nikon F3, Olympus OM 1/2/3/4 etc. Nikon had a go at this with the Df. However, what they did they pared down specs from their leading camera and put it into the Df. Whereas Fuji build the X T..... cameras with top notch specs. That is the really special about Fuji beside the good looks.

As soon as they come out with a pro quality prime long telephoto I'll adopt the X T4 or whatever their top line will be at the time.

Best, AIK

Any statement about what is special about any brand of camera is going to be based on personal experience.

When I came over to Fuji from Nikon, I did a lot of research about as many different cameras as I could. I knew I wanted lighter, good jpegs, and great glass, and decent high ISO performance. To be honest, I didn't care what brand could get me there.

More and more, Fuji just seemed to be checking off the boxes that applied to me. Learning that Fuji's engineering philosophy was somewhat retro -with dials and buttons outside the camera was a huge plus for me; and I won't lie, so is the styling/looks.

Figuring out what you need in a camera system is almost as important as knowing what you don't need.

I don't care about IBIS

I don't shoot video

Having state of the art autofocus speeds isn't the be all end all, because fast sports or birds in flight isn't my thing.

Handling

Tilt screen isn't a deal breaker for me.

I'm not a bokeh slave. Some is nice when desired, but oogling over 'bokeh balls' in the background as opposed to getting a good portrayal of the subject in the foreground is not my thing.

I like to think that I made an informed, and as non-biased decision as I could when I switched.

I have no regrets.

So, to answer your question, 'what's special about Fuji?' Plenty. But it's special to ME, and those special things might not apply to you.

tokumeino wrote:

tokumeino said:

With Leica (but at a much higher price), Fuji is the only manufacturer selling a line with direct control of exposure parameters rather than a PASM mode dial. It changes dramatically the experience. Some like it (I do), other don't, but this is where Fuji is very special.

Click to expand...

THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT! I had noticed it half-consciously already but you have brought it to the center of my (limited) circle of confusion. ;-)

There has been a PASM mode dial on pretty much every digital body I've owned in the last fifteen years, including the Olympus PEN-F (which superficially looks like one of its parents might have been a Fuji). I've been paying perhaps too much attention to OVF/EVF questions as I learn about Fuji and failed to fully appreciate the ABSENCE of the PASM dial! Brilliant!

William

William Loney wrote:

William Loney said:

I don't care about IBIS

I don't shoot video

Having state of the art autofocus speeds isn't the be all end all, because fast sports or birds in flight isn't my thing.

Click to expand...

Ditto to your second and third points (video and state-of-the-art autofocus).

But IBIS? Almost all of my DSLR and mirrorless bodies have had IBIS, since my first Pentax K100D that I got fifteen years ago. So I am a tad nervous about doing without it--but open-minded. I turned IBIS off in my A7iii ten days ago and have been shooting without it since. So far, no problems. But I've been shooting almost exclusively at (FF) 35mm....

William

ap356 said:

.... having just returned to Fuji after several years away, I was really surprised how even on taking my first photo, I immediately was like "Ah yes the fuji colours".

Having come from a film background, it is just more pleasing to me.

Click to expand...

Well I suppose I can say I come from a film background, too. I just did a rough calculation (I'm old enough I have to get the Big Abacus out of the closet for this calc) and even though I started with digital in 2001 (with a 3MP Olympus C3000!), it's still true that I shot on film longer than I have yet shot with digital. And I worked in darkroom all through high school and college. But I never developed color film myself, only black and white. And to be honest I don't remember very much about film types. I think I bought whatever was cheap.

I do recall how excited I was the first time I loaded a roll of ISO/ASA 400 film. I mean, wow! FOUR HUNDRED!! The other night I took a photo outside with my Sony A7iii at ISO 10,000, and the noise is hardly noticeable even if you look for it. And to be honest, I'm blasé about it.

William

I'll preface this by saying this is an incredible time to be a photographer and there are so many great options out there that it is almost impossible to make a bad choice. That said, I am invested into Sony full-frame and Fuji. But I prefer Fuji 99% of the time.

Why?

• Color science suits me. Absolutely zero time spent 'correcting' colors leaving more time for creative work. Work in post is just an absolute breeze. This is of course moot if you have your own presets that you've created.
• Film sims are really handy / beautiful in their own right for those times you want to deviate from your usual workflow.
• Ergonomics. Just plain fun to shoot with. Really great handling - makes me want to take my camera with me wherever I go.
• Balance of size, weight, IQ, DOF. You can get great IQ, fast glass, and amazing rendering, all in a package usually a bit lighter than full-frame.

One minor detail - there are many times where I want the light gathering ability of a fast aperture without the razor thin DOF you get on ff.

None of the above are facts, just my opinions and experience. At the end of the day if I only had a Sony or Nikon I am sure I'd be a happy camper. Though given the choice it's Fuji for me. My recently purchase X100V has only solidified this.

Reading this thread made me realize that my x-t30 is the camera equivalent of my 2013 mini cooper with the manual transmission. Retro looks, manual controls, and fun to use.