Background

I have taken 10,000 photos around Sydney using either a 24megapixel Fuji Film XF10 with a fixed lens or Pixel Phones with the latest being the Pixel 6 Pro. It was time for a real camera and I choose a second hand Fuji XT20. Before buying the camera I bought the cheapest lens I could fine, the 7artisans 18mm F6.3 II UFO Lens. I wanted to have a lens to throw in a camera as a lot of the secondhand Fuji cameras are body only. I guessed I would need a lens to test the body only cameras. I also liked the idea of keeping a cheap thin lens on the camera rather than a plastic cover. Check a video on the lens.

Buying an XT20

I looked and looked at secondhand cameras knowing I was always getting a Fuji. In the end I finally choose some a minimum requirement, a 24mega pixel sensor. Other things were weight with over 500 grams seemed large. Stabilisation also seemed important. Video seemed important. I got rather confused jumping from this camera to that. In the end I choose a XT20 becuase it was half the price of the XT30ii.

Another thing was kit lenses as getting a camera with one seemed to save some money. When looking, I preferred the Facebook market place. Gumtree was ok and I didnt like using Ebay as you were not going to try before you buy. I think this video convinced me on the final purchase, the speaker is good. Do I final look on line when purchasing as I nearly bought an X20 which has a much smaller image sensor.

Getting started with a manual lens

The guy selling me the xt20 had a nice kit lens on it but he wasnt selling that. He did astro photography with a manual lens so it worked I guess. You dont get support from a FaceBook seller. So I get home, turn on the camera and cannot take photos. Eventually I work out I need help. Check this video as you need to go deep into the settings.

What can you do with a manual lens because they seem to be cheaper ?

Lets skip some steps, here is a guy who takes some fabulous photos with a FujiFilm and a manual lens. It can be done and in particular with a 12mm lens (whatever that is). https://blog.roycruz.com/using-manual-lenses-with-the-fuji-x-system/

Sample Pictures

Here are some sample pictures with the new camera and the basic lens. – Hardly any skills at this stage, just auto and focus infinity. First photo with a little rain mist.

What did I love about the Fujifilm XF10, the tiny fixed lens Fuji that is no longer available. Well I liked using dynamic mode, some film simulations and tinkering with the exposure settings. Here is video I made from photographs of the morning sunrise at Clovelly and Bronte

I actually really like taking photos on the XF10 whilst riding on my very stable electric mtb. I set the shutter speed to as fast as I can for the current light conditions.

Encouragement

Finally cracked a great image with this little lens – 5 am on a jetty nearby. Sunrise was fantastic. Got some great shots on my Fujifilm XF10 and this nice one on XT20 with the manual cheap lens. It has a smal aperture so doing long exposure is tricky even on a tripod.

What happened to raw storage and all the film simulations

Well if you use the special auto flick switch next to the shutter button. It turns off most film simulations and raw storage. “However, the X-T20 also features a full Auto mode that can be accessed with a flip of a switch. When Auto is engaged, none of the dials serve any purpose and the camera will simply attempt to use all the best settings.  It’s worth noting that RAW is not available in the Auto mode”

Tip: Blurry photos – the zoom distance is much easier to see in the Electronic Viewfinder. Never had one of those before, really focuses you on the current camera settings.

Here are some photos so you can see where I am in the learning curve. I am mainly doing Auto on the Top and S (not M or C) on the front. I change the Scene in Drive in the menus. Mostly I use Landscape for daytime shots. This is 35mm F2 prime (cheap) lens from Fuji

Showing a horizon

I am getting a few pictures where the horizon is not level. Looking for too many things I guess. Anyway here is video that explains how to add the horizon (electronic level).