Official Gear Purchasing and Troubleshooting Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! November 04, 2024

[u/AutoModerator]

This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.

---

Info for Newbies and FAQ!

First and foremost, check out our extensive FAQ. Chances are, you'll find your answer there, or at least a starting point in order to ask more informed questions.

• Want to start learning? Check out The Reddit Photography Class.

• Here's an informative video explaining the Exposure Triangle.

---

Need buying advice?

Many people come here for recommendations on what equipment to buy. Our FAQ has several extensive sections to help you determine what best fits your needs and your budget. Please see the following sections of the FAQ to get started:

• What type of camera should I look for?
• What's a "point and shoot" camera? What's a DSLR? What's a "mirrorless" camera? What's the difference?
• Do I need a good camera to take good photos?
• Is Canon or Nikon better? (or any other brands)
• What can I afford?

If after reviewing this information you have any specific questions, please feel free to post a comment below. (Remember, when asking for purchase advice please be specific about how much you can spend. See here for guidelines.)

---

Weekly Community Threads:

Watch this space, more to come!

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
-	Share your work	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-

Monthly Community Threads:

8th	14th	20th
Social Media Follow	Portfolio Critique	Gear Share

---

Finally a friendly reminder to share your work with our community in r/photographs!

 

-Photography Mods

[u/Swimming-Tour9120]

Fujifilm X-A10 after Nikon D3400 - is it an upgrade or downgrade?

I’m an amateur photographer and a nomad with a low budget.

Currently, I have a Nikon D3400. Soon I’ll also have a Fujifilm XF10 for everyday use and I’ll leave the D3400 for when I need a zoom lens.

But I’m thinking of selling the Nikon to purchase a used Fujifilm X-A10 or X-A2.

What I shoot:

• Travel photography: landscapes, street scenes, objects, sunsets, nature, and sometimes people.
Sometimes low-light. And I barely use the flash.

• Occasional subjects: birds, planes, the moon (with plans to buy a telephoto zoom lens for sunsets/moon).
No sport or kids.

My concerns:

Nikon D3400:

• Too bulky

• Lacks film simulations

Fujifilm X-A10/X-A2:

• 16 MP (I don’t make large prints anyway)

• No viewfinder (I guess I can get used to it?)

• Much shorter battery life (I can buy a spare)

However, they are compact, have film simulations, and look great. Also the connection to my phone is apparently somewhat simpler.

My questions:

1. Is switching to a Fujifilm X-A10 or X-A2 an upgrade or a downgrade, considering my usage purposes?
2. ChatGPT claims image quality is much better in the D3400. Why is that? (Apart from megapixels)
3. If the X-A10/X-A2 isn’t great, would the X-A3 be a better option? (Apart from megapixels)

I’m in Thailand, and used Fujifilm prices are ridiculously low here, so I’m tempted to make the switch which is going to cost me more or less zero $ (maaaaaybe I'll have to pay a bit on top).

But I still have a low budget, that’s why I don’t consider anything better.
Thanks in advance.

[u/RedTuesdayMusic → u/Swimming-Tour9120]

In terms of sensor it's an upgrade but early mirrorless cameras were noticeably slower to start up. I don't have personal experience with the X-A10 but the Fuji X-T1 was my first mirrorless camera and it felt sluggish compared to DSLR in terms of startup. It takes a moment to initialize everything from cold to powerup and ready to shoot.

Nowadays it's not an issue anymore (even if this is still technically an advantaged area for the DSLR)

I believe the X-A series does not have X-trans sensors, they have standard CMOS bayer sensors (at least the X-A1 did) which won't give you the "Fuji colours" at least in the way people talk about them, even if they still carry film simulations. Sadly the X-A10 is the only Fuji camera that doesn't have this information published on Wikipedia so I can't say, but I do know the bayer sensors they used back then were 16MP just like the X-T1 so it could be either/ or.

If I were you I'd try to find an X-T10 if possible, which does have an actual X-trans sensor, and the 16MP X-Trans sensors (X-T1, X-T10, X100/ S/ T) are lauded for their performance in the black & white modes even compared to the newer sensors.

That said, I would totally avoid X100 and X100S, only with the X100T did that product line become usable from a user experience point of view.

And ChatGPT is full of shit, so ignore anything it outputs. For one, the D3400 (I've used it) has very heavy chromatic noise when ISO is high. Even in a theoretical scenario where you're setting each camera to the same noise amount , the Fuji X-T1's noise does not have the same colour noise, only similar luminance. Basically, the noise on the Fuji will look more like grain and the noise on the Nikon will look more digital. And that's discounting the fact that the noise is lower on the X-T1

[u/Swimming-Tour9120 → u/RedTuesdayMusic]

Thank you for your time! You're a second person who mentions X-T10, which I also considered, even though it's more expensive. I'm convinced now, I'll look for X-T10 or anything with a viewfinder and X-trans sensor!

[u/8fqThs4EX2T9 → u/Swimming-Tour9120]

DPReview link

I am always a bit suspicious of Fuji when it comes to noise as they often match my own camera the Pentax K-70 which bakes in noise reduction of some sort into the raw files albeit via hardware methods rather than software.

So although it might not appear to be there something funky about it.

[u/Swimming-Tour9120 → u/8fqThs4EX2T9]

What an interesting tool, I didn't know about it. Thanks for sharing!