Fuji X-Pro2 Coming

The rumors look pretty solid: the Fujifilm X-Pro2, long-awaited successor to the hybrid rangefinder X-Pro1, will be arriving on January 15th, 2016.

The confirmation came from an unusual source. Magnum Photos mistakenly released two photos taken with the X-Pro2 on its website. In removing them, Magnum explained itself by saying that the photos are embargoed until January 15th. Ipso facto.

Still technically a rumor, though, n.b.

A friend's Fuji X-Pro1, with the 23mm ƒ/1.4 lens. The new 35mm ƒ/2 seems made for this camera, though.

If you are after the X-Pro1 on closeout and want the following two lenses in particular, Adorama has a package with the 23mm ƒ/1.4 and the 27mm ƒ/2.8 pancake for $1,249. Even with the current sale prices of the lenses ($700 and $300 respectively), that's like getting the body for $250, which is a very good bargain. Of course, people looking for very good bargains and willing to settle for older cameras might perhaps not have $1,249 sitting around waiting to be spent, but then I'm just passing along the news.

The X-Pro1 was the interchangeable-lens version of the hugely popular X100, now in its third iteration (and on sale for $200 off) and still very successful. The X-Pro1 was one of the most innovative cameras of the entire digital era when it came out and is still very pleasant to shoot with. Its special feature, which it shares with the X100[x] family, is that it offers effortless flick-of-a-lever switching between optical rangefinder-style viewing and an electronic viewfinder through the same eyepiece.

Although its relatively relaxed responsiveness was the most damning criticism leveled at the X-Pro1, it's actually quite pleasant to shoot with for general shooting. It's not the right camera for concerted action or low-light shooting, but I wouldn't say it's terrible at those tasks either. Quite a fun camera to use. Chris Gampat said of it, "The Fujifilm X-Pro1 is still an excellent camera—in fact, it’s still one that I use often. Its autofocus performance isn’t much slower...than that of the X-T1 and the image quality it delivers [...] in my opinion still rivals that of full frame 35mm sensor cameras from a couple of years ago. Even today, ISO 6400 on the X-Pro1 is the cleanest I’ve seen from a camera with an APS-C sensor."

The new camera—rumors, mind—will have a 24-MP sensor (big news in Fuji-land), 200 AF points, dual SD card slots, and be markedly quicker than the X-Pro1. In fact much of the nuts-and-bolts functionality can be expected to show the usual incremental improvements—not just focusing speed but the resolution of the EVF and so on. (For the best new scuttlebutt, always check the latest from fujirumors.com.)

Something to look forward to in January.

Mike
(Thanks to Adam Lanigan, jim, Dave, Patrick, and others)

Original contents copyright 2015 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Comments

[Ed Hawco]

I am bordering on convulsions over here. I've been contemplating trading in my who MFT kit and X100s and switching over to the Fujifilm interchangeables for about a year. Today this, yesterday the XT-1, which on paper at least is the camera I've been waiting all my digital life for. But I can't really justify it financially. Not really. Well maybe. Or not. (Or maybe.)

[Dennis Dunkerson]

I seem to be lost. Can you tell me how to get from the Fuji site to TOP? These fan sites are great but there has to be somebody covering the photo world in general. Thanks.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=annDbNlKItA --Mike]

[JG]

While you're absolutely correct about the X-Pro1 not being "the right camera for ... low-light shooting" of the high-ISO variety, mine actually did a pretty good job with low-light photography of the long-exposure variety.

I photograph almost exclusively at night and quite happily used an X-Pro1 as my main camera for nearly two years, achieving very good results with it most of the time.

I only moved on because 16MP wasn't enough to make prints larger than 10x15* and recovering shadow details was often difficult to accomplish without adding a lot of fugly noise, which was problematic for the type of photography I do.

If I'd been able to replace it with an X-Pro2 a year ago, I might never have bought (and then fallen in love with) my first Sony and would still have a foot firmly in the Fuji camp today. Sigh...

* to my standards; your results may vary!

[BH]

I haven't seen a new camera that piqued my interest (that was somewhat affordable) in some time. I have to admit I'm excited to see what Fuji's done with the X-Pro2, particularly since it's been in the works for quite a while.

I owned the X-Pro1 relatively early in its run and found it absolutely maddening, mostly because of the horrendous autofocus. (Which supposedly was improved with firmware long after I'd cashed out.) The prospect of a refined version of the body is really appealing as I'm a big fan of having both optical and electronic viewfinders.

[Patrick Dodds]

Oh lordy, please let the focussing work!

[John Krill]

X-Pro1 Problems:

1. No place to put your thumb. Solution: An thumb rest that slides into the flash shoe.

2. Command Dial is too lose and with a lens that doesn't have an aperture ring the Command Dial is used to change the f-stop. It's cycles very easily so you have to constantly check the f-stop. Solution: I found some stick-em pads that were intended for a mouse and cut one up and stuck it just above the Command Dial. Now my thumb doesn't change the f-stop.

With those two fixes I now don't just like my X-Pro1 but LOVE It!

[Ash]

Hey Ed, just wait until you see it for the right price.
I watched prices and managed to get an X-T1 plus 35mm 1.4 for $1500. It was new, but probably an open box product.
I also shot with m4/3 for a few years, but Fuji images just look better to my eyes. No regrets from switching back to Fuji.

[Mark Cotter]

I didn't want to read that post, Mike!

I'm still (reasonably) convinced that if I was told I could only have one of the Fuji bodies I own, I would plump for the XPro1 over the XT1. I have shot football (or soccer as you call it), theatre productions and all manner of everything else on the XPro1 and, while the XT1 is better at things like sports and drama productions, I rather like the feel of the XPro1.

Another reason for not wanting to hear this news: I've just spent money on a new fountain pen and I have a serious eye on the iPad Pro so I have no money! :-(

[Warren]

Mark Cotter gets it IMHO! "while the XT1 is better at things like sports and drama productions, I rather like the feel of the XPro1."

I have the X-pro1 & an XT-1 For social events & general shooting I love the feel of the X-Pro1 as well as the hybrid viewfinder. I have learned how to use it to my advantage. Mount a 35 or a 23 and it is a great event camera.

As far as the XT-1 goes, mount a 50-140 and shoot in shutter priority and you can cover a decently lit youth hockey game or other sporting event with not to bad results.

For close up/macro & adapted manual lenses? XT-1 all the way. The view finder or LCD in manual focus modes are much better

[Christopher Mark Perez]

Is this a proposal for declaring a Year of HCB-style?

[Henri Cartier Bresson]

[Daniel]

If Fuji has not make major improvements to the AutoFocus to handle low light, dust and fog - it won't be worth it.
Battery life needs to be vastly improved - especially cold weather performance.
Would be nice if the level was actually LEVEL this time.
Darned good cameras, just need a few tweaks.

[John McMillin]

Nice camera, nice price... except that the 23 and 27mm lenses seem redundant. I'd choose one or the other.

Fuji's hybrid VF is brilliant, because it doesn't force an exclusive choice between the advantages of electronic and optical viewing. Too bad that the X-Pro1's EVF is pretty poor, with contrast and grain above today's standards. The new X-Pro2 should do better. But having any kind of viewfinder on the corner of the camera is an excellent idea, if you have a nose.

For those reasons, plus IQ that surpassed my FF Sony a850 in most respects, I love my X-Pro1. So why don't I use it more? Turns out I'm really an SLR kind of guy. So I'm about to scale back my Fuji stake, selling my pair-o-Touits and picking up the Fuji kit zoom, while I wait to see what the new year brings.

[Stephen Scharf]

I still really love the image quality from my X-Pro1 files. I don't know how to characterize it, but I always have sense that there is a "something" about X-Pro1 images that is even more refined, nuanced., whatever, than the X-T1. I don't know if this is anecdotal, or just me, but X-Pro1 images seem to look just a bit more beautiful than even X-T! images. The only thing I can attribute this to from a technical perspective is that 100% of the X-Pro1 sensor pixels are devoted to image capture, and some proportion of X-T1 pixels are dedicated to autofocus.

[Peter]

I bought an X100T after many years (forever) of shooting SLR/DSLR's. My primary purpose was to try it out as a carry/travel camera. I've had it for about six months and really like it. Just finished printing up about thirty images from a late summer trip and they are very, very nice; terrific detail and color. This is a great camera, with as they all have, some eccentricities that one has to work around (unless you like them). My major problem has been the focal length as I rarely shot with anything under 50mm (or equiv.)If the XPro2 is priced reasonably and has the same OVF/EVF as the T, I'll probably get one. And in the context of what's good enough, the JPEG's from the X100T are almost always good enough. First Fuji camera that I've ever owned and I'm very impressed.