SONY User Tries FUJIFILM for the First Time, Didn’t Read the Owners Manual and Why You Know Your Gear Better than “Pro” Reviewers

February 26, 2019
Reviews
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Sony vs Fujifilm

Manny Oritz (former Sony ambassador, who left the program to focus on his youtube channel and to be able to cover more products) tested his first Fujifilm camera, the Fujifilm X-T3 and he has lots of great things to say about it.

Very responsive
Great weather sealing
beautiful color science, much better than Sony A6500
XF56mmF1.2 is a fantastic lens
Lightroom RAW processing not optimal [FR-NOTE: after his video, Adobe just offered a solution with the “enhanced detail” feature.]
Eye-AF is good but it’s better on Sony [FR-NOTE: major eye-AF improvement is coming for X-T3 in April].
Definitely a camera he could add to his current Sony kit
X-T3 makes you want to go out and shoot
The Fujifilm X-T3 exceeded his expectations in the field

A fair and objective review… but there is one thing I want to highlight.

Owners Manual Anyone?

He also says using a Fujifilm vs Sony is like driving a stick shift car (Fuji) vs automatic car (Sony), since the manual controls slow him down and the process of taking the picutres is more engaging. This is fun, but in cases where you need to be fast, it is not optimal.

However, if Manny (who is surely a good guy and great photographer) would have read the Fujifilm X-T3 owners manual, he would have seen that he can set the camera to adjust ISO or shutter speed using the command dials just like on the Sony.

So a quick note to future reviewers:

Set the ISO “A” position to “Command” to adjust ISO sensitivity across the full range with the Front Command Dial
Set the Shutter Speed dial to “T” and adjust shutter speeding with the Rear Command dial
If you own GF lenses, set the aperture ring to “C” and adjust aperture with command dial
If you own X lenses without aperture ring, press front command dial to switch between ISO and F-stop adjustment

Learning a system needs time and study.

I mean, I shoot Fujifilm X since almost a decade now and with each new camera generation and firmware update I had to study my X series cameras again.

So I have:

read several X series mastering books
practiced on the field
learned to master geotagging
studied the AF and shared 11 tips for best X-T1 autofocus
interacted and learned from the Fuji X online community
met fellow X-shooters and compared our settings
and more…

And yet, I still feel I do not take full advantage of the potential of my X series cameras, and I discovered only a few days ago thanks to Billy, that I can scroll through the menu using the front and rear command dials!

You Know Your Gear Better than Pro Reviewers

I have seen things you people wouldn’t believe:

I have seen very large review sites complaining about “drastically different exposures” when photographing a model using face detection, ignoring the fact that face detection is also a metering mode, hence if no face is detected, the camera exposes differently than if a face is detected
I have seen very huge youtube channels comparing Fujifilm cameras AF performance to other brands using completely wrong settings (and in some cases being at least fair enough to re-test once they noticed the error)
I have seen large youtube channels trying to move the focus point while face detection is enabled and complain about that
and more…

I am sure they are all in good faith, but it happens quite regularly that “professional reviewers” miss important features/settings of the cameras they review.

Now, I understand that in a world, where you have to be the first to upload your review, or have just limited time to dedicate to it, these errors can occur, and I am afraid no reviewer will ever say “let me use this camera for half a year, study it, and then make a review“.

So all we can do is to keep a careful eye and not to take as granted what reviewers tell us. Sometimes it’s even better to trust reviews of official Fujifilm X photographers, since you can be sure they really know what they talk about.

Most importantly, spend more time in learning to master your gear with patience and dedication and less watching reviews… or even reading rumor sites, as I understood in a moment of wisdom when I was watching this wonderful sunrise on the top of my mountains ;).

Do it, and you will quickly discover that you know a whole lot more about the camera you use than basically any professional reviewer out there, since you will spend much more time with your gear than any of them ever will.

take care and enjoy your photography,
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