Purchasing a second hand Fuji Xe2

looneytongueben wrote:

Congrats on your purchase. All the replies to the OP have been really useful. I'm also looking at buying secondhand having never owned a camera and was considering something from Fujifilm to make use of their film simulations and jpegs. I would like to create an online portfolio and learn editing techniques. How has your experience been using the camera and editing in post?

I hadn't considered an X-E3 or X-T20 but was considering the 23mm f2 lens as a starting point for landscape and documentary style photography and video. Do you have any views on handling with different lens attached?

Was there any reason you decided to get the classic style camera over the rangefinder style camera?

Thanks!

Hi! Sorry for my late reply, hope its still useful for you.

Ive been using my used XT20 for almost 3 weeks now. My experiences on the body are merely positive. Its alot smaller then a DSLR, which was my intention from the start. I really wanted something i could easily take along on trips, and for street photography.

I havent held the XE3 in my hands, but they are pretty much the same size. The XT20 is a bit thicker and has a flash, the XE3 doesn't (you do, however, get a flash included that you can put on the hot shoe mount). My choice for the XT20 was based on the price (i could get one fairly cheap in absolute mint condition) and the fact that it has a tilting screen (the XE3 doesn't have one). Now, that is a huge plus! Especially if you shoot landscapes (low angles) and street photography. It allows you to roam the streets anonymously because you don't HAVE to look into the viewfinder all the time (and scaring people away).

I also wanted something that could shoot 4K video. If youre going for Fuji, the choices are limited in second hand camera's (unless you have alot to spend). Its basically the XT20/30, XT2 or the XE3.

The film simulations are fun to use, but useless if you shoot RAW since it doesn't use the color profile. You can, in Photoshop, reverse it to the camera profile you like. I like to use ACROSS for street, and Velvia for landscapes. Then tweak it a bit in Photoshop.

The lens you're mentioning sounds like a good one. Im using the 16-50 IOS II lens myself, which was (if im correct) the kitlens for a while. I recently purchased a mount adapter so i can use my Canon glass on the Fuji.

All in all: the camera produces super sharp images. It has a lot of great futures that are super useful. It does take a while to get used to. It feels alot more like a compact camera then a DSLR and also operates that way. The size and weight are really a plus, cause who wants to carry a bulky DSLR right? The build quality of my XT20 is superb, it really feels like a PRO camera. The viewfinder is nice and bright, but does lag a bit. As mentioned before the tilting screen is useful, and the color profiles are nice. Especially ACROSS and Velvia.

If you can pick one up for a good price i would go for it. Like i said: i havent used the XE3, but they are pretty much the same camera's (sensor wise, and option wise). If i remember correctly Maarten Heilbron has done a one-to-one comparison on YouTube, you might want to check that out. Good luck!