Photography News Issue 43

Photography News | Issue 43 | absolutephoto.com

Camera test 41

ISO 200

ISO 800

Performance: ISO

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

Original image

The X-T20’s X-Trans sensor is a known quantity so it is no surprise that its performance is very similar to that of the X-T2/X-Pro2. You get very clean, noise free images up to and including ISO 1600 and even ISO 3200 is impressively good. This set of images were shot in the camera’s Raw seting using an XF 18mm f/2 lens and the exposure for the ISO 200 shot was 0.6sec at f/8. Processing was done in Lightroom without any noise point is positioned and its size. Going for the smallest AF point means you need to be precise with positioning and sometimes a bigger point is a better idea. Conversely, with a finely detailed subject the larger AF can mean focus is less decisive. Obviously all this depends on the lens and aperture in use as well as subject type and distance. I did some close-up portraits with the 56mm f/1.2, and the AF point needs to be precisely on the eye. I did try face detection coupled with eye detection, in auto or with a specific eye selected. I found that eye detection could work – but it couldmiss the mark, too. The good thing, though, is that the AF point can be moved around the image quickly and with little fuss – with the smaller body I just had to adjust my grip to get my finger onto the four-pad control cluster. A nice option would be AF point selection using the monitor while the camera is up to the EVF. Perhaps we’ll see that on the X-T30. Two controls sit either side of the viewfinder eyepiece, the dioptre correction and the ViewMode button that gives the choice of monitor only, EVF only or eye sensor auto switchover between the two. The dioptre control needs a firmer action or a lock as it can be inadvertently moved as you carry the camera. The eye sensor is sensitive and potentially a pain when the camera is mounted on the tripod and you’re

reduction so there is even more improvement to be had. If you are truly struggling for shutter speeds, then even ISO 6400 is an option because noise levels are still low for that speed from an APS-C sized sensor, and fine detail still looks pretty good when enlarged. Beyond this speed, though, and quality is on the decline, and that can be seen clearly on the shots taken at the extended ISO settings.

Images We all expect an excellemt ISO performance at the lower speeds, ISO 400 and slower. But what separates the men from the boys is how a camera delivers in the higher echelons of the ISO range and here the X-T20 (and FujifilmX-cameras in general) do very well. Large high quality prints with minimal noise at ISO 1600 and above are feasible.

ISO 25.600

ISO 51,200

using the monitor’s touch AF feature. Compared with another CSC I reviewed recently, however, the eye sensor’s sensitivity is less of a potential issue because you don’t adjust menus by touch. If the eye sensor is doing its job and does get in your way during tripod use, just go to LCD monitor only – and the good thing is you can do this with no need to go into the menu. The X-T20 does offer a great deal of potential when it comes to customizing control set-up. There are five function buttons, one on the top-plate and four in the pod cluster on the rear. Then there are AE-L and AF-L buttons, plus the command dials. In all cases youhave the options

of 32 different settings, plus off, so a wide range of options are on offer. Of course, should you decide to have the rear cluster pad set to give you direct access to the AF points then four function buttons are lost, but there are still four to customise. I mostly used the X-T20 in multi- segment measuring mode and, generally, the exposure system worked very effectively. Strong backlight has the usual impact and caused underexposure and I found that could also be the case even if a flat, grey sky was in the frame. The influence of a bright sky was predictable so I just dialled in some plus exposure compensation before taking the shot, and aside from the occasional instanceofunderexposure the X-T20 handled a wide range of situations well. Fastest continuous shooting is quoted at 8fps and using an online stopwatch that was certainly accurate. Shoot JPEGs only and you can fire away at that rate for a long time. With Raws, burst capacity is obviously much lower and I got 24 frames at 8fps before the camera slowed up. Once full, the buffer took about 15secs to clear completely. For this test, I was using a PNY Elite Performance 100MB/s SD card. To round up the X-T20’s performance: in this test I shot close to 900 frames in a variety of lighting situations and found it tobe a capable, reliable and fun camera to use.

The drive dial has the usual shooting speed options but there are plenty of modes. Here you can set panorama shooting, multiple exposure, video and much more