Fujifilm has just announced a new, affordable camera and lens combo – the X-T200 and XC 35/2 prime lens. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer:
Fujifilm X-T200
The camera comes in just under two years after it’s predecessor, the successful X-T100, and sits comfortably in the mid-range of the manufacturer’s lineup. Expected to be available in Februrary, the X-T200 comes in at a competitive $700 USD for the body alone, or $800 for the kit including XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS power zoom lens. The petite camera weighs in at just 370 grams, including a battery and memory card. It’s feature set, size and price point make it comparable to the recently released Canon EOS M6II and Sony’s slightly longer-in-the-tooth A6300.
Fuji has opted for a new 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor over the company’s proprietary X-Trans technollogy. Among autofocus and dynamic range impovements, the new sensor also “…uses copper wiring to make the speed of data readout 3.5 times faster than that of the previous model.” We haven’t seen this sensor in any of the manufacturer’s cameras before, so it will be interesting to observe how it stacks up.
With an articulating 3.5 inch touchscreen LCD the X-T200 is heavy on video features. There’s obviously some heavy number crunching going on under the hood, as Fuji reports that the new camera “X-T200 generates 4K (3840×2150) video by recording 6K video with no crop (6032×3392) and downsampling it, which results in incredble image quality with very low noise. Film Simulations can also be applied during video capture to add stylistic effects.” Everyone that has ever transcoded or graded 6K or even 4K footage knows that it’s no joke. The fact that the camera uses the whole sensor is good news for wide-angle afficiados, as they will not have to deal with any sneaky video crops.
A feature not often seen in a camera of this class anymore is the dedicated 3.5mm microphone jack. In addition, the X-T200 offers HDR movie mode that “combines multiple videos with varied exposure settings to increase dynamic range and make movies with more detail in shadows and highlights.” Last but not least, a “Digital Gimbal” mode wraps up the video features with a promise of steadier shots. We’ve yet to see how well these modes work, but it’s certainly a feature rich machine.
The X-T200 is a mirrorless digital camera that inherits the “central viewfinder style,” adopted by the popular X-T Series such as the FUJIFILM X-T3 that boasts advanced mobility and excellent operability. The compact and lightweight camera body, weighing just 370g*, is equipped with an APS-C sensor packing 24.24 million pixels and a high-performance image processing engine. The use of the unique color reproduction technology, nurtured over many years, recreates “memory colors” or colors as one remembers in one’s memory, such as naturally beautiful skin tones, vivid lush greens of early summer and deep blues of the sky on a bright sunny day. The camera’s AF performance has been enhanced by placing on-sensor phase detection pixels across the sensor and adopting a further evolved algorithm. This enables outstanding AF tracking of a moving subject and AF on faces / eyes, as well as giving the ability to attain focus quickly and accurately even in low light conditions.
Fujifilm X-T200 press release
Fujinon XC 35mm f/2 Lens
Together with the X-T200 Fuji announced it’s perfect companion, the Fujinon XC 35mm f/2 prime. Small, light and affordable, the lens weighs in at just 130 grams and will be released at just $199 USD. Essentially a cheaper version of the higher end XF 35mm f/2 R WR, the new lens is housed in a plastic, non-weather sealed barrel. The aperture ring has also fallen prey to the cost reductions necessary to achieve the affordable price point. However, the optics are reportedly the same, so it should get the same great image quality as the XF.
…the new FUJINON XC35mmF2 lens gives an equivalent to 52mm field of view on 35mm format. Weighing just 130g and measuring 46.5mm in length, this new prime lens has nine elements, including two aspherical lens elements in six groups, which work to produce sharp and crisp images with creamy bokeh. AF operation is quick and near silent thanks to the use of an internal focus system and a stepping motor, which is used to drive the focusing elements quickly and accurately.
Fujifilm X-T200 press release
