xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

An interesting commentary from "Fujiaddict" regarding the mirrorless trend to the top of the heap:

Sony vs Fujifilm has always been an interesting debate and many find themselves abandoning Sony cameras for Fujifilm cameras over time, but the launch of the Sony a7III is an interesting one. I was up all night covering it over at SonyAddict if you want to read more about the camera. The Sony a7III is ultimately the conclusion of a generational change that started with the Sony a9 series of cameras and now Sony will begin to stagnate and rest on their technological superiority for a while. Fast inexpensive mirrorless cameras that destroy their DSLR counterparts with almost no compromise are here now and they offer a number of advantages over their DSLR counterparts that will never be matched like silent shooting and continuous eye autofocus

The spec sheet alone doesn’t tell the full story of the battle between these two companies though. While the Sony a7III might offer Sony a9 performance for $2,000 it has a frustrating interface and very expensive glass that is sometimes subpar but can be excellent. Fujifilm obviously knew this technology was coming and decided to release the Fujifilm X-H1 anyways with some unique features for videographers to help continue to driving adoption of Fujifilm cameras in new areas until the Fujifilm X-T3 can be released with a sensor designed to compete with Sony’s next generation cameras.

Now more than ever Fujifilm’s firmware updates are going to become important because they will help drive home the point that Fujifilm cameras will only continue getting better, which is very different from Sony’s philosophy of releasing a camera and then forgetting about it unless something breaks. I have it on good authority that the Fujifilm X-T3 will put Fujifilm back in the technological lead, but can we all wait until Photokina 2018 and why does Fujifilm keep playing “Flagship” hot potato. Fujifilm needs to get their messaging straight and assign a flagship camera to each target market like other companies.

Fujifilm releasing the Fuji X-T3 before Fujifilm X-Pro3 is also probably the product of knowing the Sony a7III was coming. Fujifilm was way out in front when the Fujifilm X-T2 was released, even Sony admitted as much and the X-Pro2 wasn’t a slouch either, but now they need to take Sony head-on to continue growing. The Fujifilm X-T3 is the camera to look forward to if you’re a fan of Fujifilm and envious of the a7III. That’s not to say the Fujifilm X-H1 won’t be an excellent user experience, but The Fujifilm X-T3 will be the start of Fujifilm’s next-generation camera line-up and of course we will see it followed by a Fuji X-Pro3 and Fuji X-H2 when the time is right.

BebuLamar

I like the Fuji much more than the Sony because their cameras seem to me are of higher quality and the controls are better. However, I would rather have the FF than APS-C.

Ksocha Loc: Bethesda, MD

I have too many cameras, but keep going back to the Fuji XT2 and F100. For non-professionals I think the Fuji cameras are easier to master and straight out of camera jpgs look awfully good.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Me too! My FF Nikon gear remains in the closet 99% of the time while Fuji & Sony see the majority of the work. Interestingly, the Fuji gear has re-ignited an interest in the art/science hobby for me and apparently many others. It will be interesting to see the big two's next generation of gear though. Cheers!

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

The one difference that Sony has going for it is eye detection. If I did portraits I would absolutely have a A7III or A9.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Fuji has eye detection, either right or left, your choice...

Waxhouse Loc: Tampa Via Philadelphia

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gwilliams6

Interesting thoughts. Sony is clearly the mirrorless leader and has NO intention of resting on their laurels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJKYsli1Ihg Tony Northrup compares Fuji Xh-1 and Sony A7III. Guess which one come out on top with the best image quality ?

Sony has the upcoming fullframe A7SIII which will be a video powerhouse and upcoming APS-C A6700. Fuji makes fine cameras, but as long as they stay APS-C they will always have IQ disadvantage to Sony's best full frame line of cameras. Sony is now the world's #1 seller of FULLFRAME digital cameras with its A9, A7RIII,A7SII, A7III and its other A7 cameras, passing Nikon and Canon. The A7III is now the biggest selling single fullframe digital camera in the world, taking away that title from the Nikon D850. And Sony has announced their year 2020 goal of dethroning Canon as the world's Overall #1 camera seller, with Sony's ever updated fullframe, APS-C and compact line of mirrorless cameras.

Fuji cameras are excellent, and they have some great features, but overall Sony is still the mirrorless leader and Sony has the massive resources, tech, and corporate will to stay the leader. They have no plans to rest at all, instead they are going full steam ahead. Cheers

Georgeski

It really cracks me up that some people have perfectly good mirror cameras but to save a few ounces of weight, they want to start over with an expensive mirrorless rig, new lenses, etc etc. I guess that kind of thinking is what keeps camera makers in business --I've always been a nikon guy and wouldn't dream of switching, what with the several camera bodies and lenses I have--I'm not so weak (even though I'm 75 years old) that I can't handle a Nikon body and lens combo in any situation!!

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Is this the never ending Ford vs Chevy battle or now maybe Cadillac vs Lincoln....each have their followers and both have pros & cons. But its more enjoyable to read the responses in the battle of Mirrorless cameras....keep it up Hoggers

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Truth indeed! It is exactly that we end-users seem to have GAS and this is what keeps the manufactures alive and well. Having said all that, isn't new gear soooo much fun!!!

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

tomad Loc: North Carolina

My wife, completely new to photography, wanted to start with the best (against all my advice) so she bought a Sony A7 III last week as her first camera ever other than an Iphone and after a little introduction to photography and the camera controls by me she is now taking great shots. We went out on a shoot together yesterday and her results were much better than mine with my 50 years of experience and a 1" sensor bridge camera. I've decided I was giving her bad advice and am glad she started with the A7 III. Oh, and English is not her first language so the manual makes no sense to her. She is learning fast by trial and error so I wouldn't say the Sony menus are too complicated or hard to master.

lamontcranston

My neighbor and very good friend has a Nikon D500 with a bunch of lenses. Last week he went out to California for his granddaughter's graduation and a trip up north to see the giant redwoods in Northern California. He got back a few days ago and I asked him if he got some good photos with his D500. He said he got some beautiful photos but he took them with his cellphone. He said the D500 with all the lenses and junk was just too much to haul around. He is in his early 70's. I'll bet there are a lot of us that would understand that. My traveling camera is a Sony A6000 with a Sony 18-105 and I don't feel handicapped at all with it.

cmcaroffino Loc: Sebring, FL

Yup I am with you, same age, love my nikons. Tried mirrowless a couple of times but just didn't care for them, prefer an optical finder and the weight difference wasn't that much between cameras and I love my manual focus ais lens.