I've recently made the switch from Canon to Fuji, leaving Full Frame for APS-C, crazy.. or is it? I started capturing weddings back in 2015 using a Nikon D700 / D610 and Moving on to D750's which I loved. I made the switch to Canon because of their mirrorless EOS R and the dedication they had to investing into mirrorless .I know Sony has been a top player in the mirrorless game for a long time but I was never interested in their "aesthetics", I know that's silly but, the Sony cameras never attracted me, not for their looks, their feel or their lenses. Why move from Canon to Fuji?
1. Greg Williams got me. I've been a fan of his work for a while, following his spontaneous yet engaging way of working with his subjects using his little Lecia Q2 and others to capture those moments. Little range finders with below average auto focus performance, but still capable of delivering amazing photos. I wanted to try that (On a none Leica budget...) 2. On the topic of Budget - Have you seen the RF lenses price tags? The RF lenses are expensive, very expensive.. Yes, professionals make money from taking photos, but 3300€ for an 85mm is very steep, here's a little comparison RF 85mm F1.2 - 3300€ / Fuji 50mm F1.0 - 1300€
So yes, the budget difference is massive
3. Performance, I'm just going to come out and say it, I don't feel a big difference.
Sharpness? looks the same and honestly I don't care about sharpness, IQ? the canon pulls a head just a little in shadow and highlight recovery from RAW files but nothing major, AF? with the new Fuji LM lenses, honestly, I don't feel a difference, my X-Pro 3 or X-T4 are fast and If I put it head to head with the EOS-R I don't see or feel any significant difference other then the Fuji's ability to focus in low light situations better then the R. The Fuji is very quick.
I'm sure the R5 / R6 have improved in that regard but I have not tested them.
4.Weight & Size, this is my biggest reason. How am I supposed to blend in and capture a full wedding day from intimate moments at home when the family is getting ready to emotional speeches and ceremonies when I'm carrying around two , 2 Kilo (70oz) cameras on my shoulders and throwing them in peoples faces? I feel like different cultures are ok with this, In Israel the weddings are bigger, more guests, more party, videos, 2 photographers, you end up being a crew of 4 people capturing everything so there, I feel its alright. But, here in The Netherlands, Dutch weddings are a little more intimate and big cameras feel out of place for me and my style of documenting. My X-Pro 3 + 18mm weighs in at 850 grams (30oz), so having two of these little cameras on you feels like you're walking with clouds on your shoulders compare to the Canon setup.
4 Kilos for the Canons vs 1700 grams for the Fujis.
5.Rangefinder / Film camera style of bodies, yes, the clicks and clacks of the dials are addicting to me, I love pre-selecting my settings before entering a scene using my eyes and fingers to select a setting before bringing the viewfinder up to my eye. There's something very satisfying in getting it right this way, it's silly, especially for something "fast paced" as a wedding. Scenes change a lot and even just moving around a house can have tens of different scenes and settings to match them. But, you get quicker at it and it keeps me having fun while I shoot, new cameras are always trying to make everything optimal, quick, easy to use, where's the fun in that? just because we do this professionally doesn't mean we can't have fun and challenge ourselves while doing it. Also, I feel this has made me a lot more aware of the light in scenes, I take a little more time to read it before I start clicking.
(Mind you that in certain situations where things get very fast it's possible to setup the fujis to work with the front and rear dials to change settings just as you would with any other brand).
6. Full Frame vs APS-C, this is the only "hmmmm" moment I really had. I shoot wide open a lot, the only reason I wouldn't is for group shots and standard "take a picture of us" shots, I find it nicer to look at even when shooting a wide angle like a 24mm, this is definitely a style question, you might not have the same style or enjoy these aesthetics.
The FF gives you more background blur "Bokeh" no doubt, but the difference is minor to my eye, I do notice the difference across all my focal lengths, but, is it big enough? for me? no..ish, some focal lengths I wish I could get a little more separation but it's something I'm ok giving up for the other pros of shooting fuji. Also the Fuji 50mm F1.0 is just.. a beauty.
I'd comment on low light IQ performance but the difference is negligible to me, I'm not a pixel peeper and if you are, then the Canon wins ;).
Some Images with the X-Pro 3 / X-Pro 2
It's all about your style of shooting, the benefits I get from the Fuji system out-weigh ( wink ) the slight performance benefit of shooting the big "badass" expensive alternatives. Small, compact, light, beautiful colors, beautiful glass, great performance, and most important - I don't walk around like I'm ready to shoot a warzone.
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