I can’t be the only photographer whose head has been turned by the new Fuji XT-2, and this week I had a great chance to play with one at Fixation in Vauxhall. So if anyone else is wobbling or wondering – and if anyone still reads this blog – I thought I’d jot down my impressions.

Bear in mind that I’m not very familiar with Fuji bodies or indeed with electronic viewfinders (EVF), and my most recent hands-on experience of either was after the XT-1’s release. I was also limited to handling the camera and wasn’t let loose to use it in practice!

• In the hand
  • Robust feel and it wasn’t too small in my big hands.
  • I didn’t particularly like the grip which felt angular and big – adding 50% to the body’s height.
  • I much preferred holding the camera without the grip and it felt very comfortable with the 18-55mm lens.
• I was a little concerned about its heavy battery usage
  • This would be mitigated by getting the grip with its two extra batteries.
  • As 4K video is an attraction of the camera, I can understand why one would get the grip.
• Electronic viewfinder
  • The updating speed made it barely noticeable – very impressive compared to when I last played with an EVF.
  • I liked how the EVF showed the effect of changing aperture, shutter speed or ISO. I imagine that comment is no surprise, if you’ve used an EVF much more than I have, but I felt myself thinking about how I would use it in practice.
• Key controls
  • Liked the dials for shutter speed and ISO
  • Really liked the aperture ring on the lens – that takes me back!
  • Quickly got used to changing aperture, shutter speed or ISO without taking my eye from the viewfinder
  • Enjoyed the focus points – quickly figured it out
  • Liked the one click zoom in for critical focus
• I liked the 3-way articulated LCD and felt it was sufficient for holding the camera high, low, or more importantly at waist level for covert photographs or for simply maintaining eye contact
• No built-in flash – on the other hand, I’m an available light photographer

Sept 12th Update: Uh oh

So will I get one?

Not sure, might do, but the doubt has little to do with the XT-2, which I immediately liked very much.

It’s really that I’ve no great desire to move from Nikon or change my D800, and I am unsure if I really want to carry a second camera body. It’s handy when you need different focal lengths, and I did feel that it wouldn’t be hard to use the Fuji and Nikon at the same event. Unlike using different bodies from the same camera maker, these two would be so different that I would never be confused. The other worry is if I would be able to limit myself to just an XT-2 and a single lens.

We’ll see.