XA1 vs XE2/XT1 AF speed

I bought a very cheap XA1 to enter into the Fuji system, and got two second hand prime lenses that I very much like, the 14mm 2.8 and the 35mm 1.4, with a XC 50-230.

But while I am very much satisfied with the image quality, the AF is really very slow and I miss many shots with even slow moving objects using the 35mm and the XC. I mainly use the 35mm for a short indoor "across the table" portrait lens with natural low lighting, at 1.4 or 2.8, and the AF is not quick enough to capture all the moments I would like, and sometimes I end using my GR or my Pen EP-5 instead, which doesn't give me the same outstanding results of the 35mm, but at least gives me more shots in focus.

Would a newer Fuji camera resolves this problem? I usually buy second hand older cameras to save money and buy more lenses, and around my area, XE2 are now very cheap. I guess I could also buy a 35mm F2 for around the same price. It seems that the XT1 has the same autofocus speed as the XE2? And obviously, the XPro2 would be a little faster, but for the improvement I am searching, could I first stick with a cheaper alternative?

Thank you for your experience sharing!

I don't know about the XA1, but I've got the X-Pro1 and X-T1, and the X-T1 is way, way faster to focus. And I think the X-Pro1 is even faster than XA1 so you can't really go wrong upgrading

The X-Pro1 does a good job in well lit conditions, but it hunts a lot in darker areas. I would definitely go for a X-E2 or X-T1 if you would like to stay with Fuji.

Hi,

You main problem is the lens. The 35/1.4 is famous for slow AF. Don't expect wonders with newer bodies. Even my X-Pro 2 is rather slow with this lens.

Joachim Gerstl wrote:

Hi,

You main problem is the lens. The 35/1.4 is famous for slow AF. Don't expect wonders with newer bodies. Even my X-Pro 2 is rather slow with this lens.

Hello,

So you think a XA1 with the 35mm F2 will focus faster than a XE2 or even a XPro2 with a 35mm F1.4?

Renaud.

RenaudS wrote:

Joachim Gerstl wrote:

Hi,

You main problem is the lens. The 35/1.4 is famous for slow AF. Don't expect wonders with newer bodies. Even my X-Pro 2 is rather slow with this lens.

Hello,

So you think a XA1 with the 35mm F2 will focus faster than a XE2 or even a XPro2 with a 35mm F1.4?

Renaud.

I have no idea. I do not own an X-A1 or the 35/2. The only thing I said was that the 35/1.4 is a slow lens when it comes to AF.

I read somewhere here that the 35/2 takes advantage of phase detection AF points so most likely it will focus much faster with bodies that have this feature.

RenaudS wrote:

Joachim Gerstl wrote:

Hi,

You main problem is the lens. The 35/1.4 is famous for slow AF. Don't expect wonders with newer bodies. Even my X-Pro 2 is rather slow with this lens.

Hello,

So you think a XA1 with the 35mm F2 will focus faster than a XE2 or even a XPro2 with a 35mm F1.4?

Renaud.

I have zero problems with 35mm 1.4. It's AF is fast enough on xt1. I never miss a shot with it

I upgraded to a XT10, and now my 35mm F1.4 has become far more usable, focusing maybe twice faster than with my XA1.

Below is the kind of moderately quick snapshot that was not possible with the slow focusing XA1/35mm F1.4 combo: