The Reason(s)
I made the switch from mirrored to mirrorless one year ago.  As a non professional, the transition for me was based mostly on use of the system. I found that my camera bag was incredibly heavy and too bulky to use.  I had been looking into trying out a mirrorless system since more and more people had been converting.  I saw some amazing shots on the mirrorless system.  Finally, after a recent trip to Mexico, where I decided it was too much of a hassle to bring my gear… I knew it was time to make a change.
My canon gear consisted of the following:
- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
- Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
- Canon EF 40mm f/2.8
This represents a large, for me, investment in the Canon system.
This bag was heavy. Â Very capable, but a pain to carry around hiking and traveling in general. Â I was basically using my cell phone for taking pictures in both of these situations that I most likely found myself in.
I decided on keeping my older Cannon Rebel T2i body with 2 EF-S lenses (kit lens and the 55-250mm). Â These are worth almost nothing in trade, but still have some capability if I want to use a DSLR in the future. Â It will also work as a good spare or primary camera if I can convince my wife to go out shooting with me. Â I have managed to do this twice in the last five years.
The Trade
I traded my cannon gear at my local brick and mortar for the Fujifilm XT-10 and comparable lenses.  I chose the brick and mortar, because its a good shop with good people, I feel good supporting small business, and I was able to get a good value in trade.  I could have done a bit better if sold things online, but I preferred to get things done quickly with a lot less hassle.
I chose the X-T10 since it had the same functionality of the X-T1, including the exact same sensor at a fraction of the price. Â I do miss the weather sealing, but I rarely use electronics in the rain, even my IP68 Samsung Galaxy S7. Â Over the summer I was caught in a very intense thunderstorm while hiking in Shenandoah. Â The camera survived.
With the trade I was able to get a brand new camera and the lenses to cover me from 10-200mm. For the above cannon gear, I was able to trade for the following:
- Fujifilm X-T10 (new)
- Fujifilm 10-24mm f/4
- Fujifilm 18-55mm f/2.8-4 (new)
- Fujifilm 55-200mm f/3.5 – 4.8
- Battery Charger (new)
- 2x Batteries (new)
- $300 credit towards a prime
The Results
Since day one, I’ve been happy with the trade. Â I have carried the camera around a lot more than my previous one. Â My camera bag dropped it’s weight in roughly half. Â It went from 8lbs 2oz (3680g) down to 3lb 11oz(4lb 60z (1693 g). Â This is significant, and a lot easier to take around. Â With the exception of the telephoto, which I only use rarely, any configuration of body/lens with the Fuji weighs less than my Cannon 5dm2 body alone.
I have also picked two additional lenses. The Fujifilm 23mm f/1.4 and Zeiss 32mm f/1.8 (effectively 35mm and 50mm primes). Â One of the bonuses of switching to Fuji is the price of lenses. Â The equivalent Cannon lens (35mm f/1.4) goes for around $1000. Â This may be an apples and oranges scenario, but from my experience these Fuji lenses are sharp. Â Here is an interesting comparison of the two. Â In general Fuji gear (bodies/lenses)Â are roughly 65% of the price of the Cannon equivalent. Â For someone like myself, a non-pro with a family on a budget, it’s nice having an option of purchasing high quality gear.
With the new camera, I have been able to take a lot shots that I have been proud of this year. Â Here are just a few of them:
In short, I traded a very capable camera for another very capable camera that I will have on me more often. Â As the technology changes, I feel like I’m in a system where the future cost of upgrade is a lot more comfortable.
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