360Photography

A great looking camera

Our first impression of the X-T20: ‘that’s going to generate a lot of comments.’ And there’s one simple reason for that: the X-T20 is an awful lot of X-T2 for a lot less money.

This probably shouldn’t be a surprise: the X-T20 has the same relationship to the X-T2 as the X-T10 did to the X-T1. The only difference is how quickly the smaller camera has followed on its big brother’s heels.

The sixteen month gap between the launch of the X-T1 and X-T10 softened the blow of Fujifilm offering much of the T1’s spec at a lower price. But X-T2 owners are likely to flinch slightly at the sight of a camera with such similar spec announced only four months after the T2 hit the shelves, and the knowledge that it’ll be another month before anyone can get hold of one is unlikely to ameliorate the sting.

What don’t you get?

There certainly are differences between the T2 and T20. Just like their respective predecessors, the more expensive model features a larger viewfinder. The X-T2 uses a larger OLED panel with better magnification (0.77x vs 0.62x, which is more than 50% larger) and a more distant eye-point, meaning you can see the whole panel from further away. The smaller camera doesn’t have any weather sealing, either.

There’s no battery grip option for the X-T20, so you can’t get the reassurance of the 1000 shot-per-charge CIPA rating that the X-T2 has with access to three batteries. Similarly this means there’s no way to extend the T20’s video longevity, nor to add a headphone socket. Video makers will also note the lack of Log output from the new camera.

Other differences

The X-T20 doesn’t offer dual card slots or support for UHS-II cards, which is likely to mean it can only capture sugnificantly shorter bursts of images, making it a considerably less attractive camera to anyone whose interests extend to sports shooting.

The X-T20’s 4K video is taken from the full width of the sensor, unlike the X-T2, meaning more lenses will be able to offer a wide-angle view while video shooting. However, this is achieved by line skipping, rather than capturing, demosaicing and then downsampling, so the resolution capture won’t match the X-T2.

The X-T20 also lacks the clever dual tilting screen that we liked so much about the T2. The X-T20’s rear LCD tilts up and down, meaning you can still shoot stills or video from waist level, but it doesn’t adapt itself as well to portrait-orientation shooting.

So what’s the fuss?

That’s settled, then, they’re totally different cameras, right?

Well, no, not really. The most significant similarity is the move to a 24MP sensor (an X-Trans CMOS III, to use Fujifilm’s terminology). This was always likely to be part of the X-T20’s spec but that doesn’t mean we should overlook just how much of an improvement this will offer, compared with the existing 16MP chip.

It’s not clear whether it’s purely the higher resolution or more sophisticated processing, but the 24MP chip is much less prone to the paintbrush-esque artefacts or ‘waxy’ skin texture that could occur with the earlier X-Trans cameras. Either way, just the inclusion of the 24MP sensor should have existing X-mount owners studying their bank balances.

Performance/processor

The X-T20 also gains the same processor as the X-T2 so just about every aspect of the T20’s performance should be similarly snappy.

The autofocus speeds, shutter lag time, shot-to-shot time and startup delay are all comparably rapid, meaning the X-T20 should be a pleasantly responsive camera. The only detail that’s unclear is whether the X-T20 will share the X-T2’s ‘Boost’ mode that increases EVF refresh rates from 60 to 100Hz.

The use of the same NP-W126S battery as the X-T2 means the X-T20 can offer a CIPA rating of 350 shots per charge; a 10% improvement on the camera’s predecessor. As with all CIPA numbers, real-world usage is likely to last much longer than this, but the figure should be comparable between cameras. The X-T20 will charge over its USB 2.0 socket.

AF system (inc customization)

The X-T20 gains its autofocus system wholesale from the X-T2, not only providing direct access to up to 325 selectable AF points (up from the X-T10’s 49), but also gaining the sophisticated continuous AF fine-tuning. The development of this system for the X-T2 helped that camera offer hugely improved C-AF and tracking results when paired with fast-focusing lenses.

The X-T20 doesn’t offer a customizable C-AF preset (option 6 in X-T2’s menu, shown above), to allow fine-tuning of the system’s behavior, so you need to choose between the 5 available presets.

Touchscreen

The X-T20 doesn’t have the X-T2’s AF point joystick but it does, instead, have a touch-sensitive rear LCD. We’ve not had a chance to try the production-ready X-T20 touchscreen experience, so can’t be sure exactly how well it will work (and we’ll be updating this story very soon, once we have).

The camera lets you set the focus point, set focus point and initiate focus, or set focus point, initiate focus and fire the shutter. The ability to move the focus point during movie shooting is also promised, which is a huge bonus. The touchscreen isn’t active when you’re shooting with your eye to the viewfinder.

The touchscreen also has a role to play in playback mode, allowing swiping between images, pinching to zoom in and out, and double-tapping to jump to a magnified view of the focus point used. Our initial experiences with a pre-production model suggest it isn’t the most responsive touchscreen system, but we’ll have to wait for the final samples to be sure.

Ergonomics

Comparing side-by-side, the X-T20’s ergonomics are very similar to those of the T2. Like the X-T2, the T20 has a dedicated movie-shooting mode, freeing up a button on the top plate for customization and meaning you can preview the video angle-of-view prior to shooting. However, the camera loses the Fn button that the X-T10 had it its rear panel, so you don’t end up any better off, overall.

The handling isn’t quite the same, of course: the smaller camera doesn’t have a front-plate Fn button, its shutter button is rather smaller and the top-plate Fn button isn’t quite as conveniently located. The X-T20 also misses out on an ISO dial, but the ability to cycle between three Auto ISO presets probably makes up for that (and is more effective than the pretty-but-unusable combined shutter speed/ISO dial used on the X-Pro2 and X100F).

On the camera’s right shoulder is an exposure comp dial that extends from +3 to -3EV and also features a ‘C’ position that hands-off control to the camera’s command dial, extending the available range of compensation out to +/-5EV. There’s also a lever to engage full auto mode if you need to hand the camera to your grandma.

The X-T20 also gains the improved menus offered on the X-T2, including a custom ‘My Menu’ tab.

Kit and caboodle

Best of all, Fujifilm offers the X-T20 in a series of kits. For existing X-mount users there’s a body-only option ($ 899). For budget buyers who need a lens, there’s a kit with the XC (no aperture ring) 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS ($ 999): a perfectly standard kit zoom. But the combination that stands out to us the the kit with the 18-55mm F2.8-4 OIS ($ 1199): one of the best kit lenses on the market and a great way to minimize the need to upgrade.

This much camera and lens for the list price of an X-T2? Even if it does upset some people, the X-T20 looks likely to make a lot of photographers very happy.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)