Fuji XT-30: I am considering moving up from a Panasonic FZ-80 to a Fuji Xt-30 with the 18-55 lens, and perhaps the Fuji 55-200 zoom. Primary uses will be travel, family, and wildlife.

Sonny Boy

I am considering moving up from a Panasonic FZ-80 to a Fuji Xt-30 with the 18-55 lens, and perhaps the Fuji 55-200 zoom. Primary uses will be travel, family, and wildlife. Not much video. All seem to have good reviews on YouTube, but I value the opinion of the Hogs here. Thanks for your advise.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Sonny Boy wrote:

I am considering moving up from a Panasonic FZ-80 to a Fuji Xt-30 with the 18-55 lens, and perhaps the Fuji 55-200 zoom. Primary uses will be travel, family, and wildlife. Not much video. All seem to have good reviews on YouTube, but I value the opinion of the Hogs here. Thanks for your advise.

I think you will not regret your choice! The Fuji is a photographer's camera. You have the best of both automatic and manual operation, beautiful images and great video as well. The 18-55 is the lens I use most: small, sharp, and relatively fast. and my 55-200 is just perfect for the longer shots. Enjoy it. But do get one of the books to go along with it so that you can really utilize all its great features.

AndyGarcia

I would go for it without any reservations. I moved from Nikon to Fuji over the last few years. No regrets at all. I kept all my vintage lenses. With the XT30 you have the guts/performance of the XT3 (but not the weather sealing) at a reduced cost. The two lenses you mention have rave reviews. I don't have them but I do have 10-24/14/18-135 all fabulous lenses. The huge bonus is that you can buy and use manual focus vintage lenses on the XT30 with cheap adaptors easily available on Amazon/eBay. There is some fantastic vintage glass out there. Go for it! You won't regret it.

Sonny Boy

Thanks, Cat. How is the 55-200 for portraits? Bokeh?

Sentinel4

You are making a great choice. I use the XT 3.
The 55-200mm is an excellent lens. Portraits are very good at 55mm.
If you have an open mind, the 80mm macro is top of the line. It also adjusts to shoot normally.
Sentinel4

iactxh

You are making a choice with which you will be pleased for some time. Although I continue to shoot with my XT-1 and XPro-1, I have both those lenses, plus several others, and have found that they they cover the most of what I want to capture. The 18-55, though a “kit” lens is quite sharp and provides a lot of flexibility. I carry it with me all the time. The 55-200 not so much just because it’s bulky.

twice_shooter

You asked about the 55-200 for portraits...

This is Luca shot on an XT3 at about 55. JPEG ooc with minor pp and some cropping. The detail is excellent and you can even see individual hairs around her mouth. However you need to watch the background as you can see from the fence behind her. The max aperture is 3.5 so you need a good bit of distance from whatever is behind. The 50-140 2.8 will have better bokeh but it is about twice the weight and twice the price. The 55-200 is a phenomenal lens and I highly recommended it!!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Sonny Boy wrote:

I am considering moving up from a Panasonic FZ-80 to a Fuji Xt-30 with the 18-55 lens, and perhaps the Fuji 55-200 zoom. Primary uses will be travel, family, and wildlife. Not much video. All seem to have good reviews on YouTube, but I value the opinion of the Hogs here. Thanks for your advise.

I got one last week after reading the reviews and being encouraged by people here. It's a very nice camera, but of course, it does take some getting used to. I got mine with the 18-55mm lens, and then I bought the 27mm pancake lens - $209 from Hong Kong. There is a lot of info online about how to use it. I have no regrets about what I bought, but I don't plan to buy any more lenses. A D750 is my main camera, and I don't want to spend a fortune on Fuji lenses. I suspect the 27mm will spend a lot of time on the camera as my "pocket camera."

Battery and charger: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KQ6SJQT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, it uses a USB-C connector, so you might want to buy adapters to use your current cables. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GH5KJH2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

G. Crook Loc: Linden, TX

Sentinel4 wrote:

You are making a great choice. I use the XT 3.
The 55-200mm is an excellent lens. Portraits are very good at 55mm.
If you have an open mind, the 80mm macro is top of the line. It also adjusts to shoot normally.
Sentinel4

I shoot a X-T20, have the 80mm lens and love it. It is relatively big and heavy but I use it primarily on my photo copy stand. I have gotten some good portraits and macro shots as well. Came from Canon, not one regret.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Sonny Boy wrote:

I am considering moving up from a Panasonic FZ-80 to a Fuji Xt-30 with the 18-55 lens, and perhaps the Fuji 55-200 zoom. Primary uses will be travel, family, and wildlife. Not much video. All seem to have good reviews on YouTube, but I value the opinion of the Hogs here. Thanks for your advise.

Congrats! I use my Fuji gear all the time... For several years my FF Nikon gear has held down the "post" position in a closet. As you get to know your camera you will find a new enjoyment of the art and there are so many wonderful lenses to test. Have fun!

Cheers!

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Sonny Boy wrote:

Thanks, Cat. How is the 55-200 for portraits? Bokeh?

Your 18-55 is equivalent to an 80mm F4 at the long end, and would be a fine portrait lens, as would the 55-200, You are not going to get a narrow depth of focus with either lens, unless you want to use the long focal length at a distance.. But if your interest is portraits with very soft bokeh then Fuji makes a superior fast portrait lens just for that purpose. Save up your pennies and get one. Plus the skin tones that Fuji delivers are legendary, Fuji film excelled in color reproduction, and their processor does the same.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

xt2 wrote:

Congrats! I use my Fuji gear all the time... For several years my FF Nikon gear has held down the "post" position in a closet. As you get to know your camera you will find a new enjoyment of the art and there are so many wonderful lenses to test. Have fun!

Cheers!

Yes Fuji has consigned many perfectly good Nikons to the closet, hasn't it. Somehow, even with all the superior aspects of the FF, the camera that ends up in your hands when you want to get some shots, is that sneaky little Fuji!

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

jerryc41 wrote:

I got one last week after reading the reviews and... (show quote)

Just wait! You will end up using the Fuji almost exclusively once you really get used to it. That little "kit" lens is soooo useful and somehow the Fuji is always more convenient to use. It happens to so many Canon and Nikon users that got a Fuji as a "second" camera. And you WILL get more Fuji lenses. It happens to all of us.

johonew

I have had a Fuji X-T2, and now also an X-T3. The 55-200mm stays on my camera about 75% of the time, and the 18-55mm is also an excellent lens. I love the Fuji color simulations, and many of my shots are nice SOOC. I also love the Fuji Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement, which means that they will release new firmware frequently when issues occur. Color me one happy Fuji shooter!

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

twice_shooter wrote:

You asked about the 55-200 for portraits... br b... (show quote)

Luca has a wonderful expression!