Oly E-M5 ii vs Fuji XT-2 (and Nikon D750)

FallOutBoy

I haven’t had a decent camera for a year now, since selling my Nikon D750 and lenses last year. I miss it greatly but can’t justify the expense and don’t want the bulk of the DSLR lenses.

Before the D750 I had an Oly E-M5 Mkii, which I loved, but I found the D750 faster in some ways and easier to operate quickly. I also loved the shallower DoF from the full frame sensor.

What I’d like to know is, from anyone who has experience with both the Oly and Fuji XT-2, is the Fuji ‘better’ in any ways and does the larger sensor make much difference?

What I loved most about the Oly was the high image quality from such a compact package. The lenses are really sharp but lovely and small (25mm 1.8, 45mm 1.8, 75mm 1.8 were my faves).

I want to buy a new camera and probably just one lens to start with (I loved the 35mm 1.4 on my Nikon) but unsure whether to get another Oly or try Fuji this time. Their lenses look good but not sure how they compare to Oly and how fast the AF is etc

snerkler

I can't help fully, but I have had the D750, EM5-II and XT1. Handling of the Fuji is a bit marmite, some love the manual controls and aperture setting on the lens, some don't. I liked the 'idea' of the manual controls but the reality is that I found it fiddly and prefer the way Nikon and Olympus operate.

98% of the time the images from the Fuji are excellent and colours are really nice. However, Fuji can struggle in the really fine detail (something @CFC1 and I have been analysing) such as fine hair and pores in the skin etc, even stopped down. I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to why, but this is only apparent at pixel level, at normal viewing size the Fuji files look really nice the vast majority of the time.

Other things to be aware of is that Fuji can (on rare occasions) make skin look waxy, and also you can get landscapes that look a bit 'watercolour', again rare. Now I've had this debate on numerous occasions as Fuji owners will tell you that it's down to the software and that adobe doesn't have good algorithms for Fuji files. Well I've tried almost all the different softwares and even irident which Fuji owners will tell you is the holy grail for not showing Fuji artefacts but they're still there.

I must stress that issues with Fuji artefacts aren't common, but as long as you're aware that's fine

If you want like for like then some Fuji lenses are markedly bigger and heavier than the Olly equivalent, take the Fuji 16-55mm f2.8 vs the Olly 12-40mm f2.8 for example.

Compact Camera Meter

Fuji do the 18-55mm f2.8-4 which is a nice lens which is markedly smaller and lighter but it's not weather sealed.

FallOutBoy

Thanks, I remember talking to you a couple of years ago when I was looking at upgrading from my EM-5ii to full frame D750. I made the move and LOVED it, the Nikon was better in every way and I used it for some photography jobs and got amazing results that I was super happy with.

However, I sold all my gear last year because it wasn’t being used enough and I needed the money, but now I have some spare cash again and miss having a decent camera, but don’t really want the weight and bulk of another DSLR, even though I loved the D750 so much.

I did find that my old Oly actually produced sharper images than my Nikon, with lenses like the 45mm and 75mm 1.8 delivering awesome sharpness. But I’m worried after using an E-M5ii a couple of years ago and then being spoilt by the D750 for a year, I’m going to be let down by its speed and operation and regret the purchase.. problem is, I don’t need such a big and expensive DSLR when all I really want these days is high quality portraits of the kids! That’s why I was considering a Fuji because the sensor is bigger than the Oly but the camera is still smaller.

snerkler

Obviously this will depend on the lenses but the Olly isn’t sharper, however it can be easier to get tack sharp images and more consistent sharp images, partly due to the contrast detect autofocus and partly due to the larger DOF.

Any of the cameras mentioned can produce high quality portraits, the difficulty comes if you want pics of the kids running around etc. If you want AF good enough to keep up then your options narrow and get more expensive as you’d be looking at the EM1-II, X-T2 or the D750. Of course, you could throw the Sony A6300/6500 into the mix too, but the lens line up isn’t as good as the others.

For portraits none of the above options have to be big and bulky. You obviously already know what the Olly is like with primes, the X-T2 is only a bit bigger with primes, but the D750 with 50mm f1.8g or 85mm f1.8g isn’t a large setup tbh.

FallOutBoy

Hmm, yes I was quite impressed with the D750’s size and weight tbh but didn’t really want to go for a DSLR again, I actually wanted something cheaper too but looking at XT2 and good lenses etc the price isn’t much lower really lol.
Maybe I should look at other options but I can’t think of a cheaper way to get good quality portraits with shallow DOF. My iPhone portrait mode is handy but it’s too slow to keep up with anything moving! This is what makes me want a proper camera again. I can’t remember how good my EM5ii was at capturing moving subjects but I’m certain he D750 was better!

There’s the Fuji X100F which I love the idea of but I don’t think the fixed lens is going to satisfy my shallow DOF requirements. Then again, nothing is going to give me what I had before from a full frame sensor so I’m just going to have to learn to accept it or get another D750! :s

snerkler

The EM5-II is rubbish with moving subjects tbh.

FallOutBoy

Ok looking at current prices for the camera models I’ve mentioned, the D750 is out of my budget. It’s gone up in price since I owned one and the Oly has come down (half the price of the D750!) I think the Oly is the best camera for the money, but I’ll have a look at other options under £1k

FallOutBoy

Yeah I seem to remember it being frustrating at times and loving the D750 when I switched over

snerkler

On amazon the EM5-II is £849 and the D750 £1349 so quite a difference in price. Fuji X-T2 is £1245 so again quite expensive when compared to the Olly.

The Nikon D750 is £1100 grey which is still a fair bit over the Olly, especially when the Olly grey is £680.

Tough choice tbh. I do think the Olympus will frustrate if you're shooting kids on the move, but you could learn to pre-focus and/or shoot with a smaller aperture to get more DOF.

Just to throw another option at you, I'll be selling my D750 this week as my D850 replacement should arrive today

AMc

Have you considered looking at used?
The E-M1 Mki might well be a contender and it's a bit of a bargain these days.
If you buy from a dealer you'll get a warranty and Olympus has a reasonable reputation for reliability and repair prices. e.g.
Used Olympus OM-D E-M1 Digital Camera Body - Black