Fujifilm X-T2 Field Test

They were calling it Tropical Depression 9, and it was already starting to intimidate the Gulf of Mexico. I was packing for the Atlantic Coast to try out the new Fuji X-T2, the highest-end camera I'd yet to have the privilege of Field Testing, and was feeling a bit intimidated myself. The X-T2 is reportedly sporting a hugely improved C-AF system complete with new custom presets, and I wanted to try and bring our readers the full picture.

I'd shot extensively with the predecessor X-T1, primarily for gallery samples of many of the recent Fujinon XT lenses that have come our way, including the latest long zooming XT 100-400mm f/4-5.6. I've grown to very much love the X-T1, have learned to utilize most of its capabilities as well as dodge some of its quirks, but I knew that it wasn't quite up to fully competing against enthusiast DSLRs in the C-AF world of sports and wildlife. It was good, but simply not as good as the best in that class.

With that in mind, I got the nod to head to an area deep in the Carolina low country, replete with a wealth of National Wildlife Refuge sanctuaries, with the goal of putting the X-T2 through its paces in a real-world and challenging environment. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Atlantic Coast, as TD-9 morphed into Hurricane Hermine, and the eye of the storm took a path towards me.

For those of you who've read my first X-T2 Field Test centered around the storm Hurricane Hermine, which made her way along the eastern seaboard just a few months ago, you'll only need to fast-forward a day in time to begin this second part of the X-T2 shooting journey with me. I'd gone to the coast to find wildlife in secluded national sanctuaries, and found a hurricane instead. (Oh well, roll with it!) But the storm was here and gone in a veritable blink, and the wildlife and natural fauna returned to do their thing. So, I shook off several fitful nights of sleep and headed out into the welcome return of the sun.

Fujinon XF zooms: I can see for miles and miles
Nobody buys a flagship, high-performance camera unless they intend to pair it up with high-quality lenses based on their own shooting needs. The Fuji X-T2 is the "DSLR-styled" family member of the higher-end Fuji line, being geared more towards sports and wildlife than its rangefinder-styled X-Pro2 brother, and therefore screams at you to mate it with comparable zoom lenses. Seeking both wildlife and nature across several national wildlife preserves in the Southeastern US, I was grateful to have access to this treasure trove of high-end zooms lenses.

Shortly after posting Field Test Part II, our X-T2 sample was abruptly confiscated from us by our friends at Fuji, in order to give other reviewers out there a shot at the camera. I went into a state of shock for some time, having really bonded with the camera and was eager to continue with our testing, but with no sample at my disposal all I could do was stare at the lenses on the shelf. This waiting further fueled my inner fire to finally get another sample, because I was yearning to try it out in the portrait world. My repeated requests were finally answered. What makes the X-T2 so special as a portrait-shooting companion? A variety of interweaving factors, and we'll take a closer look at many of them here.

Fuji X-T2: Portraits
Everyone has their favorite type of shot they like to shoot, and mine are of the portrait variety. Not just people, but the notion of trying to capture the essence of something, anything. It's a very hard field to master, and I consider myself a learning amateur when compared to professional portrait photographers. But the X-T2 brings a lot of fire-power to the table in this regard and can certainly give a jump-start to budding amateurs like myself and to professionals alike.