Sell 5D Mark IV for Fuji

Currently own 1DXII and 5D Mark IV. I mainly do family portraits, high school and college sports, and the occasional wedding. I am considering selling my Mark IV and getting a Fuji X-T2 or X-T20. The reason I would like to do this, would be to have a smaller system to take with me for non-paid shots and family camping trips.

Right now I use the 5D for my family portrait sessions, and the 1DXII for sports and weddings, with the 5D as a backup. Obviously, if I made this move, the Fuji would have to be my backup for the weddings I do. However, I could actually see myself using the Fuji for some reception shots during the wedding (Especially black and white shots)

If I get the T20, then I could probably get an extra lens. However, since this would be my backup for weddings, I am thinking about getting the T2.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

If your a person in complete comfort zone with Canon while shooting a wedding you'll be a bit surprised shooting with Fuji. My question I must ask you is .....Are you blazing fast manually focusing under high stress situations if AF hesitates??

Your current Canon gear locks on AF incredibly well. In low light with speedlight focus assist from your speedlight will lock on with AF effortlessly and with NO frustration. Mirrorless systems (seems like Sony A9 is the exception) cannot utilize the red focus assist like your typical mirrored Canon or Nikon system. I've found that Fuji AF just isn't fast enough for me in some situations during events photography.

Every photographer is different. I'd take my Canon 80D as a backup before using my Fuji X-T2. I never miss "money shots" with my 80D while I can honestly say my current Fuji lenses fail me in the type of style I shoot. Seems even a millisecond is enough to miss a daughter wiping the tears off her dad's face at a ceremony.....I'll assure your 1dxmk2 and 5dmk4 you could capture that while rotating your body 180 as you see this happening with your peripheral vision. Instant AF with accuracy like a sniper. In this type of situation with my Fuji I'm milliseconds away missing such a shot.

I will say I absolutely love my Fuji X-T2 as I use it a lot for family documentation and casual events photography. When I grab my Canon gear I'm in complete comfort zone and I can be virtually in any type of dreadful situation and still do what I must do. My Fuji with EF-X500 flashship flash works "OK" but I don't like blinding my subjects with a piercing bright blinding while LED light so the camera can have some form of focus assist. I do not have a batter booster for my X-T2 but I think I need one to alleviate the unbalanced top heavy feeling with a fuji flash ontop of my X-T2 with no grip.

If I were you I'd buy your X-T20 as it's almost 90+ % of an X-T2. X-T20 is crippled with 1/4000 mechanical shutter but you have Electronic shutter which is handy but not always desirable. Buy the kit with 18-55 and be impressed with excellent IQ from a pro grade construction kit lens that is f/2.8-4.0. Get your portrait lens like the 56 f/1.2 or 90mm unstabilized f/2. If you feel the fuji system is for you get and X-t2

After owning an X-E2 (with new firmware), X-T20 and now X-T2 I'm fully convinced I'll never use it for hired events when I want to use remote flash or need extremely reliable TTL flash with accurate AF in low light reception work. If I'm shooting during the day in good light I'd be more comfortable with my X-t2 but not for wedding work in low light. I love UWA lens and the 10-24 f/4 fuji lens just isn't fast enough for my style of events photography. The fuji with my 10-24mm will blur or back focus in some shots with low light using my fuji flash. This is something I almost NEVER get with my 16-35 f/4IS or 16-35 f/2.8mk2.

Please buy a fuji before selling your 5dmk4. You'll quickly see if the fuji fits your style for specific applications. At this moment in time I cannot see myself selling my Fuji as I love the image quality. I know for some applications I cannot sell my Canon gear as Fuji does not meet my needs in dead accurate AF in low nasty light situations with red focus assist from my speedlight. Also IMO you truly need a battery grip so you do not get caught with your pants down with a dead battery as battery capacity is small on the fuji.

Please note there are plenty of photographers that have switched from Nikon/Canon to Fuji. This all depends on their style of photography.

I truly suggests testing Fuji in conjunction with your current Canon bodies.

Hi Tim, I've moved from Canon to Fuji last year, fully. Haven regretted it at all.
The usability of the Fuji camera is great and brings back a lot of the pleasure of shooting again. I shoot lots of different things from weddings and events to commercial and portraits. The little camera handles its self well in all situations.

As Alan mentioned, all mirrorless cameras can not benefit from the IR asset that a speedlight gives, including the A9. So if you rely on that you'd have to treat the way you shoot a little different. Having said that, using manual focus on a Fuji is not like on a DSLR at all - it's soooo much easier, particularly on the X-T2 with it's very large EVF.

Battery life is smaller too, but so is the battery. It only takes a few seconds to change and you get lots of warning so you can pop in a new one between key parts of a wedding and forget about it. If you use the grip on the X-T2 you get three batteries and that will give you over 1200 shots.

Flash is now TTL and HSS with Godox/Flashpoint having a range of very good on camera and remote options. The TTL and HSS are both reliable and accurate and the speedlight can remote control the remote flashes or you can use a dedicated trigger, the bigger brands are following suit later this year. No issues with flash and Fuji these days.

The files are great out of camera - kinda makes you rethink using JPEGs again - but also the raws are full of colour with great contrast so a better starting point. The lenses playing a big part in that I guess. Fuji's 2.8 zooms, the 16-55 & 50-140 have very fast AF as do their f/2 primes and they are small also with helps and have the usual Fuji optics.

I posted my thoughts in a lengthy blog; https://everydaygetawa​y.blogspot.com …-full-frame-canon-to.html

The TLDR version is this; I've used several different camera systems over the past few years and was very hesitant to get into mirrorless and even more hesitant to step away from full frame. I switched fully to Fuji over a year ago and haven't regretted it for a moment. Everyone's mileage will vary, only you can decide if it's right for you, but in order to make that decision you have to try it

I would not break business pair of lens compatible DSLRS to family and trip pictures. For family and camp trips advanced P&S is sufficient.

Nice write up! I feel like there are a good number of people that feel exactly how I did, afraid of mirrorless and were reading to much on the internet about the "full frame look".

Or buy mirrorless and still shoot it like a DSLR then end up hating it and go back to a DSLR.

Osa713 wrote in post #18416013
Nice write up! I feel like there are a good number of people that feel exactly how I did, afraid of mirrorless and were reading to much on the internet about the "full frame look".

Or buy mirrorless and still shoot it like a DSLR then end up hating it and go back to a DSLR.

I think the gear the OP owns indicates his familiarity of what a full frame sensor is capable of.

The question is if a fuji can provide the duties of a secondary body for professional application as well as provide small from factor duties.

For hired events I would use the same camera bodies as this would be a logical wise professional decision. This allows 2 bodies work seamlessly with the same lens and flash compatibility. Also the Canon colours will be more consistent in the workflow. I use two bodies at the same time during an event too. Fuji is nice to do panoramic shots but I much prefer using my Canon bodies and stitch in Lightroom because using Fuji Panoramic option only shoots in jpg. With my experience the colours do not have enough dynamic range in jpgs. Canon RAW stitched allows LR editing just like a normal raw.

Speaking to many local photogs they all seem dead set on infrared speedlight focus assist for reception documentation. More and more I speak to many of them they all express identical requirements. As you can see I speak to events/wedding photogs. This is where I can see the OP has to see for himself if he can handle low light photography with fuji using fuji flash technology for his wedding workflow. Mileage may vary from photographer to photographer.

I know i could do majority of my photography with my Fuji gear. I definitely see no reason to abandon the beautiful files this system can produce. However Fuji still cannot be my Canon backup as it does not have reliable AF in low light with external speedlight for my events photography style.

For my casual photography or portrait application I can lug my Fuji gear when i eventually invest in more Fuji lenses.

The f/2.8 zoom lenses on a full frame definitely can have a full frame look with a 5dmk4 This is the DOF you cannot achieve this "full frame look" using an f/2.8 zoom with crop sensor. This is VERY apparent with my experience is my Canon 80D with 24-70Lmk2 will have a different look with less 3d "pop" than my 5dmk3 with same exact lens. This is logical characteristics differences between the two sensor as they have different DOF.

Canon f/1.4 primes typically focus extremely fast in the AF department. Fuji newer f/2 primes can keep up in AF speed but will have a thicker dof due to f2 as well as smaller physical size of sensor.

My suggestion to the OP is to simply buy a Fuji while keeping his current Canon gear. He will see soon enough it the Fuji meets his needs.

This is just a perfect example how a question of "swapping to a different camera system " isn't so simple.

There is a reason why I own 2 systems for many reasons.

I like the deeper depth of field that the crop sensor gives me, F/2 DOF on my Fuji is about the same as f/2.8 on FF, but I get f/2 light.
So I get one stop brighter for the same depth of field, sounds good to me as I'd rarely shoot so tight at events. I think that is something many people overlook or fail to understand at first. I think it is important to show the context of a shoot at an event so with that in mind it works extremely well.

I shot for just over a year with a 5D3 on one arm and an X-T1 on the other, sure the controls where different but it didn't bother me at all as I know each camera well enough to not have to think about where the controls were. Might not be everyones experience though I doubt it's all that difficult to get on with for most. Even now I shoot with three different bodies, go figure...

Great that Fuji can do in-camera panos - another thing Canon failed to include and Fuji also in the X-PRO2 BTW. I always stitch my panos in post anyway, usually because they are multi-row, in RAW and convert that to a DNG file so I can edit it as you would a raw file just as I would with any camera. That is not something magic that Canon 'own' any camera that shoots raw can do that.

Two Hot Shoes wrote in post #18416140
I like the deeper depth of field that the crop sensor gives me, F/2 DOF on my Fuji is about the same as f/2.8 on FF, but I get f/2 light.
So I get one stop brighter for the same depth of field, sounds good to me as I'd rarely shoot so tight at events. I think that is something many people overlook or fail to understand at first. I think it is important to show the context of a shoot at an event so with that in mind it works extremely well.

I shot for just over a year with a 5D3 on one arm and an X-T1 on the other, sure the controls where different but it didn't bother me at all as I know each camera well enough to not have to think about where the controls were. Might not be everyones experience though I doubt it's all that difficult to get on with for most. Even now I shoot with three different bodies, go figure...

Great that Fuji can do in-camera panos - another thing Canon failed to include and Fuji also in the X-PRO2 BTW. I always stitch my panos in post anyway, usually because they are multi-row, in RAW and convert that to a DNG file so I can edit it as you would a raw file just as I would with any camera. That is not something magic that Canon 'own' any camera that shoots raw can do that.

Kim,

The f/2 light with and end product of f/2.8 equivalence is forgiving indeed. I also heard that argument with micro 4/3 users getting more light and obtaining a thicker DOF. But in the M43 case the high iso performance just wasn't cutting it for me. At least Fuji has nice performance at high iso's.

Panoramic shots with my Fuji is fun however in outdoors where there is bright sun the highlights gets clipped and the blue skies turns into an artificial light blue. For more important shots I am now stitching my fuji files in post.

If the OP can use a 1dxmk2 in his hired photography I see the 5dmk4 to be a light secondary body I would think being spoiled with the incredible performance of the 1dxmk2 for workflow would need a second body to at least match the primary body. Canon's low light blazing AF performance in low light with excellent accuracy is still without a doubt is a higher tier of performance over a Fuji X-t2 or Xpro2. Just all depends on the style of the photographer if they need such performance.

I still think WYSIWYG makes the fuji more forgiving and easy to use to obtain fantastic photography. Pure text book specifications not discussing form factor the latest Nikon FF and 5d4 is without a doubt a meaner beast than Fuji's X-t2 or Xpro2. Those FF bodies just handle almost any type of situation you can throw at it better than Fuji. Again this all depends that type of performance in your shooting style.

The OP hasn't even tested the Fuji performance yet. I know for certain for casual family shooting the fuji will work just fine. This is such a personal preference thing...... I didn't discover that Fuji would not work for me professionally until tested my X-T20 and X-T2. However Fuji has captured virtually everything for me for my family/casual documentation.

I don't see Fuji clipping highlights if I expose the shot properly, unless you are talking about JPEG's, then you have to make a choice in what you expose for. In fact the Fuji X-T2 has more dynamic range than the 5D3 [not hard that] so you have an easier time recovering information from your raw files. Also your blue colour will depend on what film simulation you choose to shoot your JPEG's with. If you are shooting raw it doesn't matter as only Adobe standard will be shown initially with you bring the files into Lightroom or ACR so your colour will be as accurate as it normally is.

Yep meaner, heaver, bigger but not the be all and end all... If you are looking for a small system that can handle just about everything you throw at it - Bingo! Fuji wins there.

Really depends on how invested one is. Moving completely from one system to another can be a little costly, but you can get a couple of lenses and a top Fuji body for the same price as one 5DIV. I sold all my Canon gear after a year of shooting Fuji, that covered the cost of me moving as well as freeing up some funds to boost up some lighting, modifiers and grip.

The T2 with the booster grip on boost mode gives very snappy AF and 14fps if you want it. Plenty of examples of it in the field working out great. All depends on how and what you shoot. I find Fuji to fit me and my stuff well. Weddings and events included, YMMV.

Two Hot Shoes wrote in post #18416471
I don't see Fuji clipping highlights if I expose the shot properly, unless you are talking about JPEG's, then you have to make a choice in what you expose for. In fact the Fuji X-T2 has more dynamic range than the 5D3 [not hard that] so you have an easier time recovering information from your raw files. Also your blue colour will depend on what film simulation you choose to shoot your JPEG's with. If you are shooting raw it doesn't matter as only Adobe standard will be shown initially with you bring the files into Lightroom or ACR so your colour will be as accurate as it normally is.

Yep meaner, heaver, bigger but not the be all and end all... If you are looking for a small system that can handle just about everything you throw at it - Bingo! Fuji wins there.

Really depends on how invested one is. Moving completely from one system to another can be a little costly, but you can get a couple of lenses and a top Fuji body for the same price as one 5DIV. I sold all my Canon gear after a year of shooting Fuji, that covered the cost of me moving as well as freeing up some funds to boost up some lighting, modifiers and grip.

The T2 with the booster grip on boost mode gives very snappy AF and 14fps if you want it. Plenty of examples of it in the field working out great. All depends on how and what you shoot. I find Fuji to fit me and my stuff well. Weddings and events included, YMMV.

Exactly this. Not to mention, Fuji gives you a lot of flexibility with JPEG control in camera beyond even just the simple film simulation modes. I can achieve most of what I'm looking for SOOC if I take the time to setup the JPEG processor how I want depending on the subject I'm shooting, though for me it's easier to just do it in post with the RAW files a vast majority of the time.

I do however, use the in-camera RAW processor quite often to edit a shot in the camera and send it to my phone to post straight to social media or print using my Instax printer. I find it works excellently for this purpose.

Really enjoyed reading that, the logic totally made sense, you're like a richer more adventurous version of me lol

welshwizard1971 wrote in post #18416524
Really enjoyed reading that, the logic totally made sense, you're like a richer more adventurous version of me lol

Thanks man, I appreciate the commentary!

Judging from the gear in your signature I wouldn't say I'm "richer" though

Thanks everyone for the comments. Just to clarify some things, if I do make this switch, my 1DXII will still be my primary body for all paid events I do (weddings,parties,spor​ts,portraits)

About 12 months ago, I did completely switch to mirrorless (Sony A7RII), but I could not trust the auto-focus when things got dim, and the shots had to be made. (although, I was using Canon glass with an adapter). I switched back to Canon for that reason. However, I really like the idea of having the Fuji for informal shots and to take traveling with me. One place I would use the Fuji for wedding receptions would be to give it to my 2nd shooter (my daughter), and let her mingle with the crowd and get some nice candids. (a missed focus shot would not be critical in this case) She is 15 years old, and has worked previous weddings with me, and is great at these type of shots.

The only way I would be solely be using the Fuji at a wedding or other event would be in an emergency situation. (I absolutely love everything about my 1DXII)

I have a hard time justifying to myself that I need 3 different camera bodies (Let's not even talk about justifying 3 cameras to my wife ) However, I would love to have something like the Fuji with a small prime on it, that I can just grab and go.

tim1970 wrote in post #18416601
Thanks everyone for the comments. Just to clarify some things, if I do make this switch, my 1DXII will still be my primary body for all paid events I do (weddings,parties,spor​ts,portraits)

About 12 months ago, I did completely switch to mirrorless (Sony A7RII), but I could not trust the auto-focus when things got dim, and the shots had to be made. (although, I was using Canon glass with an adapter). I switched back to Canon for that reason. However, I really like the idea of having the Fuji for informal shots and to take traveling with me. One place I would use the Fuji for wedding receptions would be to give it to my 2nd shooter (my daughter), and let her mingle with the crowd and get some nice candids. (a missed focus shot would not be critical in this case) She is 15 years old, and has worked previous weddings with me, and is great at these type of shots.

The only way I would be solely be using the Fuji at a wedding or other event would be in an emergency situation. (I absolutely love everything about my 1DXII)

I have a hard time justifying to myself that I need 3 different camera bodies (Let's not even talk about justifying 3 cameras to my wife ) However, I would love to have something like the Fuji with a small prime on it, that I can just grab and go.

If your a person that appreciates blazing fast AF in low light I will say Fuji is NOT for you. The Canon infra red focus assist on a speedlight will help land a shot in virtual darkness. Even my Canon 35 f/2 IS with my 80D destroys my Fuji X-T2 with faster glass 16mm f/1.4 in low light when it comes to non hunting accurate non hesitating AF.

If you cannot trust your previous A7Rmk2 I'll have to say you MUST TEST a fuji system. You will discover it will potentially make you miss pivotal moderately to low light money shots if your not handy at split second manual focus when the AF hiccups !!!!!! It seems I have the luxury of the opportunity of culling more photos in very fast paced moments while I typically have less photos to choose from when I use my fuji for fast paced events.....you know....deleting open akward mouths, closed or partially closed eyes etc.

Do yourself a favor and stick with the 5dmk4 as it will deliver you amazing AF regardless of what kind of situation. Also battery capacity of the LP-E6N does not really require a body booster grip to last for extended wedding shoots. Fuji's tiny NP-W126S will possibly suddenly provide you a dead Camera with the small capacity battery......Been there done that!! I truly need a battery booster for my X-T2.

I always use two bodies at the same exact time. One body on my ultra comfortable optech neoprene neck strap and the other body on my spider holster. I want a large FOV variation with zooms or primes while I shoot events! I would definitely not feel comfortable with a spare secondary fuji body. This would mean you would require lugging a spare fuji speedlight, triggers, extra big pockets of spare batteries while your Canon sits with an entire arsenal of gear in a bag with unused lenses/flash/triggers etc.

For stressful high paced events my X-T2 with EF-X500 flash still seems laggy compared to my 80D. Dont take my words as fact as you and I are different people. I've had this type of conversations with a lot of local wedding photogs and some own Fuji as a small form factor pleasure camera. They continue to use Nikon or Canon for primary paid work. They've all described the differences in responsive AF with the mirrored bodies which echoed my similar experiences and style of photography.

For your casual needs and something to grab on the "go" you should test a Fuji X-T20 with 18-55 amazing kit lens. That zoom lens is f/2.8 - 4.0 variable aperture so its not bad for a high quality constructed kit lens. Not awfully expensive for a camera almost equivalent to an x-T2. If you really dig the fuji world dump the X-T20 and buy an X-T2 for faster mechanical shutter speed and more dials. Picking up a newer generation f/2 prime will also be nice.

Do yourself a big favor and rent a fuji. Try the faster zooms like 16-55 and 50-140mm. I still think 24-70L f/2.8mk2 and 70-200 f/2.8mk2 renders better with the larger CMOS sensor having more potential for "POP" 3D look if you want or need it. Some of the older generation Fuji lenses are slow focusing but the newer f/2 primes are faster in AF acquisition but remember slower glass. I LOVE the fuji IQ but my style of fast paced shooting just doesn't meet my needs even though I've been genuinely trying to use fuji more in my workflow. However some people transition with their style of shooting.