I am star-struck. My Fuji X-T2 just arrived, it was released September 8. I am reading through the manual and looking at the camera’s features.  It is definitely an exciting upgrade from the Fuji X-T1 and in some regards even the Fuji X-Pro2.

Here are my ten favorite Fuji X-T2 camera features, in no particular order:

  1. A focus stick on the back of the camera. I can move the focus stick with my right thumb, in a tilting or pressing motion, and change my focus point. So if I am focusing on the eyes of the person to the far left of my viewfinder, I just move the focus point with that little joy stick over to the eyes. The X-T2 has lots more focus points than the X-T1 or X-Pro2. In manual focus or single point modes there are 325 focus points. Focusing just got so much easier.
  2. New Focus Tracking Options. There are now six focus tracking options under the continuous focus mode, when photographing moving subject such as flying birds. These categories are:
    • Multi-purpose,
    • Ignore obstacles & continue to tract subject,
    • For accelerating/decelerating subject,
    • For suddenly appearing subject,
    • For erratically moving & accelerating/decelerating subject, and
    • Custom, allowing you to adjust to your preferences.
  3. The LCD screen tilts both horizontally and vertically. (The X-T1 only has a horizontal tilt.) You just pull the screen out and tilt it as necessary. This is a cool feature. It comes in very handy such as when I am shooting low to the ground or when a very bright sun makes viewing otherwise difficult.
  4. Two slots for memory cards. Both slots take the fast SD HCll cards. Cards can be used three different ways:
    • Sequentially with the second card being used after the first card is full,
    • Used together, with one card backing up the other so the image is recorded twice, or
    • With one slot allocated to raw images and the other to jpegs, when both image formats are being used at the same time.
  5. Improved Lock Mechanism on the ISO and shutter buttons. The lock keeps you from changing settings inadvertently. I use to bump, and thus change, the shutter speed on my X-T1 without realizing it, from time to time. My Fuji cameras remind me of my first camera. The dials and buttons are located on the outside of the camera and not hidden in a menu for ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, and different shooting and metering modes.
  6. Impressive new specifications.
    • Memory expanded to 24 MP,
    • ISO 200-ISO 12,800. High ISO range to ISO 51,200 (The high range ISO’s, previously limited to jpegs, can now be shot in RAW),
    • Electronic shutter to 1/32,000s, and
    • 4 K video. I am not a video person, but I may have to give it a whirl.
  7. Flash accommodates a Fuji wireless remote system. I don’t know what all this means until Fuji’s new flash becomes available, but it looks like I will be able to set up a master flash with different flash groups. The flash sync is happily at 1/250s.  It use to be 180s with the X-T1.
  8. Exposure compensation is now five stops in either direction.  Three stops in either direction (plus or minus) on the exposure compensation dial on the top of the camera. Five stops in either direction using the front command dial. There is now a “C” setting on the exposure compensation dial which allows me to use the front command dial for all exposure compensation adjustments.
  9. Faster burst mode when shooting at “Continuous High”.
    • Up to 14 fps with the electronic shutter,
    • Up to 11 fps when using the optional vertical power booster grip or with the electronic shutter, and
    • Up to 8fps with the mechanical shutter alone.
  10. Exposure bracketing increased to 2 stops in either direction. The X-T1 only has 1 stop in either direction (to overexpose and underexpose).