What is the best fuji camera you can buy for Street Photography? Rich people can buy what they want, if you’re on a budget follow these tips.
I genuinely believe that I have purchased the best price to performance fuji system for street photography available on the market. Should I change my mind in a matter of months, it won’t cost me a cent. This article is a summary of the criteria and research I conducted before purchasing my latest street photography camera. The results from my first street photography shoots are also included with a full review to come.
If you have landed here then the chances are that you are interested in the best mirrorless camera for travel or the best travel lens. We have since uncovered the best Fuji lens for portraits. You can read more in our Fuji XF 90mm f2 Review.
The Best Camera for Street Photography?
This article will show why I think the X-T1 is The Best Fuji Camera for Street Photography. Having a great camera is one of the best street photography tips and tricks. We all spend hours pouring over spec sheets, watching youtube reviews on cameras and lenses. But it isn’t until it’s in your hand that you really know for sure whether you made the right decision.
In this instance, I am extremely happy with my new addition to the family. Hopefully, my thoughts can help you when it comes to your next purchase.
The following is a summary of the research I conducted before purchasing my latest street photography camera and the results from my first street photography shoot. I set myself some criteria as you should with any photography purchase:
- Relatively light and inconspicuous.
- Not extortionately expensive.
- Good viewfinder.
- High-quality images.
- Weather sealing.
- Good re-sale market (just in case).
- Interchangeable lenses
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My History with Street Photography
Street photography has always been a passion of mine. Since moving to London and having some distance between nature and myself I thought instead of fighting this, go with it. Make the most of the urban photography.
I initially started shooting with a Fuji 100S which (despite its high praises) fell well short of my expectations. The focus was slow, the viewfinder was mud, it felt a bit too light and the inability to change lenses was what ended up me finding a new home for him. At the time this was the best camera for street photography, well at least as far as I was concerned! See also our What is the Best Travel Lens?
Since selling the X100S I went back to shooting street photography on the best film cameras, namely the Leica M6. This is a fantastic process and I really enjoy the simplicity of shooting film. There is no editing time, more dynamic range and no one can tell you to delete a shot! However, the turnaround time from shot to publish is massive, by today’s standards.
You can check out our full Leica M6 Review here.
After a lot of research, there were a few cameras that kept cropping up. I knew the Fuji has a big foothold in the street photography space so I thought I would stick with them. However, this time I had my shopping list (criteria above).
Fujifilm Camera Comparisons
Fuji X100F
I heard the experience is much improved but after my X100S experience I couldn’t make myself purchase this camera.
Fuji X-Pro1
Released in 2012 it is getting on now. It has similar lag to that of the X100S and the viewfinder was never given high praise.
Fuji X-Pro2
A huge update over the X-Pro1 and serious contender. Updated everything to become one of the better cameras on the market.
Fuji X-T1
Released in 2014 this camera had very high praise. Best viewfinder, no lag, good image quality, flippy tilty screen and weather sealing.
Fuji X-T2
Again, a reasonable update over the X-T1. New sensor, 4K video, dual SD cards, faster and a big step toward becoming a viable DSLR replacement.
Fuji X-T3
Another step up from the X-T2. If you are into video then the improvement makes sense but to be honest for street photography, there is very little difference between the other two models.
The Latest Fuji Offerings
Ultimately the choice was down to two the X-T1 and the X-T2. They seem like much more superior cameras for what I was trying to achieve. A dedicated street photography camera that would become part of my everyday carry in London.
Fuji X-T1 / X-T2 Technical Comparison
There are some differences between the cameras. Technical improvements are inevitable over the three years since the release of the X-T1. However, are they enough to warrant the (over) triple increase in purchase cost?
There are a lot of similarities between the cameras. As usual with an incremental update, it produces better images, is faster, more powerful and has lower noise at high ISO. However, not that much better. A used Fuji X-T1 retails around £420 and a new X-T2 is £1400. To be honest that is where my research ended. I went with the Fuji X-T1. Opting to spend on better quality used glass.
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The sweetener to this deal is that since it’s release in 2014 it has undergone some massive upgrades in firmware. Fuji have listened to what the users have said and made the necessary changes. This shows me that they haven’t abandoned this camera and are still working on it to make it the best camera it can possibly be. All at no additional cost!
You can download the latest Fuji X-T1 software here.
Fuji X-T1 Review Video
Best Fuji Street Photography Lenses
The next phase was the lens. Ultimately it is the lens that takes the photo. You could argue that the camera does, but lenses have a much greater effect on the photo. Many Canon or Nikon FE fanboys have found themselves entrenched in a camera system, not because of the bodies, but the collection of lenses.
See also our full Nikon FE Review here.
For shooting street photography, my preferred focal length is the 35mm. I have had a 35mm lens on my Leica ever since purchasing it. It is the perfect balance between wide angle and normal. You can still achieve some beautiful bokeh, should you need it (difficult at 24mm or lower). Capturing the entire scene is not out of the question. It is my favourite focal length.
50mm is too tight (for a first lens) and I find that you need to create too much distance between you and your subject. This is great if you are the nervous type, but when it comes to putting a subject in a surrounding you’ll often find that you have to walk a country mile away.
As this is an APS-C (cropped) sensor you need to ensure you account for this when purchasing your first lens. People often start by purchasing a cropped sensor camera and a “nifty fifty” 50mm lens. However, when you do the maths you end up shooting with an 80mm lens (50mm x 1.6). You have now purchased a mild telephoto lens instead of an everyday lens.
I gave myself a few options for lenses. All around the 23mm focal length but when you do the maths 23mm x 1.6 (crop factor) = 35mm. Fuji make some absolutely beautiful native glass that is sharp edge to edge. Here were the two best options for me:
Fuji 23mm F2 WR
The 23mm (eq. 35mm) f2 retails around £400. It is a weather sealed lens that is their most compact 35mm equivalent. It is fast at autofocusing and not terribly expensive given the quality of the images it produces. The design is compact which makes for an overall more stealthy set-up.
The problem with me for this was the f2. I remember back to the f2 23mm Fuji X100s. I often found myself wishing that I had that extra light coming into the camera. See prices here.
Fujifilm XF 27mm f2.8
The 27mm (eq. 43mm) f2.8 pancake lens at around £300 is a favourite of many photographers. If you are looking for the ultimate in compact camera without sacrificing on image quality then you have found the lens that you are looking for. During the day you’ll have no problem as the majority of street shooting is above f5.6-8 anyway.
The problem for me again was light. I love shooting handheld at night time. I know from experience when shooting with my Canon cameras that at f2.8 I will need a very high ISO to take anything at night. See prices here.
If you want more options, see our Best Point and Shoot Camera Under $300 here.
Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4 R
Then I found the 23mm f1.4 (eq. 35mm) at around £700. It is slightly heavier than the 23mm f2 but can collect a stop more light. The sharpness of the shots and quality of the bokeh that is produced are second to none. Prominent lens reviewer Ken Rockwell had this to say: “The Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4 ASPH is an extraordinary lens. When a lens is just about optically and mechanically perfect, there isn’t much to say, other than to go get one.”
So I picked up the Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4. Worst case, I can onsell it without any trouble as it is a very sought after lens in the second-hand market. See prices here.
The Final Product
I am very happy with this as an everyday carry street photography camera. It hasn’t been out of arms reach in the week of owning the camera. In terms of looks, it’s a stunner. Especially when I put one of the Cultured Kiwi camera straps on it. I still think it’s the best Fuji camera for Street Photography.
Shameless plug for my handmade leather camera straps on EBAY and ETSY.
Fuji X-T1 Sample Images
I can’t just be one of those guys that posts pictures of cameras on a website. That is easy you don’t have to leave home. However, the true beauty of this camera lies in the joy of using it! I have been using it daily over the past week.
Here are some of the moments I have captured throughout East London, UK. The majority of these shots were shot at an ISO of 6400, a shutter speed of 1/250 and Aperture of f/8. The Fuji Velvia/VIVID preset was then applied to the RAW file in Lightroom.
For images with the 90mm f2 lens you can see my Fuji 90mm Review here.
Homework
Do you have a favourite Fuji street photography camera and why? Drop it in the comments below. I would genuinely start a discussion around this. Gear is the one subject that excites everyone, but as time goes on I think it means less and less. It is more about what you put in front of whatever gear you have that counts.
If you don’t have one you can check out a used Fuji X-T1 and a 35mm 1.4 lens here.
Thanks for reading and if you need anything please let me know.
Ben – Cultured Kiwi
I use the Xt-1, but so far I’ve only got the 35mm f/2 lens. I decided to keep my old Nikon kit so I’ll have a backup camera and slowly expand my Fuji collection. I have a fair amount of vintage lenses that I use for portraits and the like. But still haven’t got a dedicated street lens.
I use an X-T20 with the 22mm f2 for my street photography. A great combination.
I use XT1’s and love them – have the trusty 18-55 ‘kit lens!!’ & 23 1.4 & looking to add the 56 1.2 when funds permit.
Thank you for the article.
I really enjoyed reading about your experiences and your buying decision.
Nonetheless, I guess I would buy the 23mm f2 instead of the f1.4 simply due to to price.
X-T20 also a great option. A bit smaller than the X-Tx series but with much the same controls and feel. Also tried an X-M1 but prefer to have an optical viewfinder. That said, and Fuji APS-C camera (perhaps apart from the bulkier X-H models) is a good option. Older models are now available at almost giveaway prices.