Why I Can't Love the Fujifilm X-Pro2

Some may say I'm squarely in the Fuji fanboy camp. I love their cameras and lenses, and will sing their praises whenever I feel it is due. However, today I'm going to write about the one camera I haven't liked in the lineup so far: the X-Pro2 (aside from the X-Pro1, which was a very immature realization of the X system). I have been looking for a second body to go alongside my X-T2 for a while now, and an exceptionally good sale in Australia meant I could pick up an X-Pro2 for $600 off the retail price. This was too good to pass up, and I ordered one as my second camera.

Keep in mind as you read this that I come from SLRs and DSLRs, and the Fuji X-T1. I am also not a fan of rangefinder cameras generally, and have absolutely despised every Leica body I have used. I've used the M3, M6, and M9, and have found them to be some of the most irritating bodies that I have ever used. You might wonder why I would invest in an X-Pro2, then. The price was right, and I knew I would be using the electronic viewfinder most of the time, so the rangefinder design didn't really bother me. Also bear in mind that the sensor is exactly the same as the X-T2, and so image quality is equal. The only real difference between these two cameras is in the way they operate. So, let's get into my gripes with the X-Pro2.

Buttons and Dials

On a Fuji X camera, the buttons and dials shouldn't be a problem. This is what they're famous for. Not so on the X-Pro2. The AF-L and Q buttons are on the far right of the back of the camera, and are flush with the camera body. This makes it really tough to feel and press the correct button without taking the camera away from your face. You get used to them, and of course the AF-L button can be remapped, but the AF-E is a stretch for the fingers that you shouldn't have to make for such a frequently used function. This is something that still annoys me, even after a month of using the camera. I also find that the jog-dials on the front and back of the camera are far more awkward than the X-T2. Being in different positions on the front and back takes a lot of muscle-memory adjustment to get used to. It can be quite annoying when switching between the X-T2 and X-Pro2.

Eye Piece

Three days in, the eyepiece ring fell off. Luckily, I noticed right away and was able to find it. Since then, it has been falling off in my bag quite frequently. When I approached Fuji to fix the issue, they asked for $50 as the whole viewfinder cover comes as a single piece in their parts orders. I politely declined and added a dot of glue to the eyepiece. This, coupled with the lack of any light-blocking edges like the X-T2 makes for a lackluster experience in the Fuji X lineup.

The Grip

The grip is minuscule at best on this camera. It's a step back in time in terms of design. A step back to a time when you couldn't hold onto your camera. Honestly, the additional lip for holding onto the camera may as well not be there. With the X-T1 and X-T2, you have something substantial to hold onto. The X-Pro2 simply doesn't give you enough to grip.

The Size

In addition to the poor grip, the camera is also larger than any other X system camera. There is a lot of unused body space despite that increase in size, which to me seems like more of a homage to an outdated design than an actual useful decision. With a body like the X-T2 or even the X-E series rangefinder-style the space on the body is far better utilized. Perhaps it's the hybrid viewfinder that necessitates the extra size, but see my next point for that.

Hybrid Viewfinder

The viewfinder is what rangefinder fans continuously sing the praises of. Honestly, I use the EVF 100 percent of the time now. At first, it was a novelty to see what was possible with the optical viewfinder, but in the end, the parallax error simply made it annoying to work with. It works well with manual focus as turning the focus ring adjusts for parallax in real time. But with autofocus (and honestly, that's what I work with almost all the time), it's just too difficult to work with as the frame jumps to compensate after autofocus locks on. This means you have to focus and recompose for almost every single shot. I understand that for a certain crowd, this OVF could be a great addition, but for AF shooters, it's more trouble than it's worth.

I will add one more thing here that takes away from the overall X-system experience. When using the OVF, you lose all the benefits of a mirrorless system for visualizing your shots. There is no white balance preview, no depth of field preview, and no exposure preview. All of these things make on-the-fly decisions with mirrorless systems much more accurate. The OVF takes all of this away.

Battery Life

This is an odd one. I didn't expect to have to write about this, as the rated shots per battery are just as good as other X cameras. However, in my personal experience, the batteries have been lasting much less time than they do in the X-T2. I get 400-500 shots out of the X-T2 if it is on the entire time I am shooting, but only 150-300 from the X-Pro2. 

In Conclusion

This is a very personal take on the X-Pro2. Nothing here is concrete or objective. It is purely subjective with relation to my personal tastes and experiences. The X-Pro2 is still a phenomenal camera, but it is simply not for me. I know that quite a few of you are going to feel the opposite on many of these points, and it would be great to start a discussion that could benefit readers in their decision of which camera to purchase.