Fujifilm X-T200 Mirrorless Camera Body - Champagne Gold

I took this camera on a 2yr journey through Asia as well as many vacations elsewhere. It was used 3-4 days a week as I traveled through the country I lived as well as the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Germany, France, and the US.I was drawn to the XT-200 for reasons below after many weeks of research and comparison. Here are my thoughts after 2.5yrs of ownership.Pros:1. Photo quality:The images that come out of such a small camera are astounding. I’ve never wanted to print more photos and hang them on my walls before.I can’t say enough good things about the Fuji JPEG film simulations. If you don’t want to spend much, or any time, on Photoshop, you can crop and directly upload photos to social media without ever having to worry. People ask me what camera am I using and they’re always surprised when I tell them it’s one of the cheapest options from Fuji.There are cameras with bigger sensors and more megapixels, sure. But it all boils down to how you use your tool. For me, my style was street photography and landscape in well lit areas. 90% of the time I was extremely satisfied, the other 10% could be a bit of a struggled to get high res images in dark settings such as night markets and dark streets/alleys of Asia. I could live with this for the most part, though.2. Affordability: this is the first camera I’ve ever purchased as an amateur photographer and the price is below the $1k mark most people will spend to get similar photo quality.3. Portability: The camera is compact enough to keep around your shoulder or by your side at all times throughout the day. You can get bigger, more powerful cameras but they become a burden when your daypack gets heavy from traveling all the time. This camera actually makes shooting fun. I could take it anywhere and it’s very unsuspecting.4. Ease of use: It’ll take a bit of time to learn all the controls and set the camera up the way you want but it’s a charm to use. I personally setup the ISO to work with the left wheel while aperture and shutter speed are controlled with the two on the right. This mimics the more expensive models. The articulating screen is also useful in many scenarios (although I recommend getting a screen protector as it is soft plastic).5. Video quality: the 4K video is really clear and beautiful for the price. I didn’t use this feature too much but when the camera is stationary, you really get a bang for your buck on video quality.Cons:This section is a bit tough for me to write about because I love the camera so much. During my time of ownership, I’ve learned an extraordinary amount about photography that I wish I knew before my purchase. Maybe you will never have to worry about these problems but for me, after my 2yr stint in Asia, it left me wanting to upgrade. After moving back to the US, I rarely take photos so the issues aren’t really a concern for me and I can’t justify upgrade costs.1. No IBIS: If I was on the market again today with my current knowledge, I would have to go for a camera of similar size with IBIS, perhaps the Fuji S-10 or newly released S-20. These 2 models have enough IBIS to help with low shutter speeds or video stabilization but at almost double the cost. There of course are options from Sony and Canon that may have more horsepower but don’t have the same feel and emotion as when using Fuji cameras.2. The kit lens is a little underwhelming. I bought the 35mm f1.4 lens after almost a year of ownership and could not be any happier. I think this lens really makes the camera and my images what they are. I would recommend keeping the kit lens as it has variable zoom and higher field of view compared to a prime lens like the 35mm f1.4.The kit lens zoom function can also get a bit hard to use if exposed to the elements. I used my camera extensively at the beach and in humid environments so it’s to be expected without proper maintenance and cleanings.3. Turn on time: This one is maybe the most annoying part on a day to day basis. The camera takes about 3-5 seconds to boot up (as I know, this is an issue with early mirrorless cameras). It’s difficult to have a camera ready at all times unless you drain your battery so naturally, it’s turned off until ready to be used. This is fine unless you see something that catches your eye that you might only have a couple seconds to capture. There are many times I missed a picture on the street because the turn on time was too slow. I’m sure the software and hardware on newer cameras are a bit quicker.4. APC-C sensor size can be limiting when looking for higher dynamic range and low light performance. This is to be expected though and you won’t find anything within the price range to get much better performance.Conclusion:Do what you will with the information above. These are just my thoughts as I write this review from a jet lagged point of view of my most recent trip to Europe (which this camera gladly joined me on). If you are young and just starting your photography journey or only take pictures for family events or your pets in the snow, 100% get this camera. If you believe your knowledge of photography will grow and expand or your are an experienced amateur, look for an upgraded option. This camera has served me extremely well for the last two years and I never thought I would be using it to its full potential. But that is exactly why I want to share my review.If you’ve read this far, I hope this helped and thank you for reading!!

Added 7/26/2021: This camera does not have hardware in-body image stabilization which will move the sensor in the opposite direction of movement. If you do not have a stable grip, attach a lens with OIS spec. That is OPTICAL IMAGE STABILIZATION. Almost all fuji zoom lenses are OIS. Fixed focal lenses are not.I shoot stills. For video shooting see other reviews. The body is made (or assembled) in Indonesia. The lens is made (or assembled) in the Philippines.My camera had firmware version 1.05 when I received it. Bracketing HD function was not working. I upgraded to version 1.1 and that function became operational. Version 1.1 also installed webcam features.This is usually advertised as a beginner’s camera. It can easily be classified as a professional camera if you learn how to squeeze out those features. I chose this camera for its eye level finder, articulating back, pop-up flash and selection of film effects. It is lightweight. It accepts other lenses designed for the X line of Fujifilm cameras. It has been fast enough for every test I have put it through.I purchased the kit with XC 15-45 lens. Make sure the lens firmware is also updated. The zoom dial is not mechanically linked to the lens groups. It's a two position switch with neutral mid-point. Turn the dial right (clockwise). The camera senses the switch activation and applies power to the zoom motor. Zooming out is the opposite. The zoom dial is spring loaded. It will return to neutral once it is released. The body works with other Fuji lenses the way those lenses were designed. I tested the functionality with two XF lenses and they worked fine.There is a battery in the kit and a 12” USB-C to USB-A cord. NO CHARGER. You use the USB connector on your laptop or an external 5V adapter for charging. I use my 3A phone charger and it works fine. I also bought a Fujifilm wall charger that I slide the battery on for charging. The video port uses micro HDMI. There is 3.5mm stereo jack to the left of the body which can be used for external microphone or handheld shutter release. If attaching RR-100 release, a 3.5mm - 2.5mm adapter is required. The role of the 3.5mm jack is defined in the menu.You can create your own menu if you don’t like what's in the camera. There are two buttons that can be programmed to launch any menu line item. There are 4 dials on top. One is the mode dial where you start to make your selection. The rightmost dial is for exposure compensation. The other 2 change roles depending on the mode dial setting. For darker scenes make sure the focus illumination light is turned on for contrast detection and accurate focusing.The SR+ setting chooses the scene automatically. With the Adv. setting, camera produces special effects. With SP setting scenes with special lighting requirement can be selected. The mode dial has separate settings for night, sports, landscape as well as manual, aperture, or shutter priority. Space is limited here for a description of every feature. I downloaded and read the owner's manual before I decided to purchase.I have not explored the wireless/bluetooth capabilities of the camera. It is entirely possible that all camera settings, plus remote release, might be controllable through fujifilm app on a cellphone.A lot of reviewers compare this to Canon G and M line. This camera is a head and shoulder above the Canon lines. I am writing this from experience. I have owned Canon G11, G15, G5X and the M5. Canon has moved features out of their cameras over the years. I used the color accent, color substitution and panorama shooting in G11 and G15. They were all gone in G5X. The focus illumination in M5 was off to the right. The beam would fire but the camera couldn't focus. JPG images of the M5 were too soft and the Moire fringing was intolerable. Fuji has maintained the features on their cameras and have expanded/improved the features.I recommend this camera without hesitation. If you have film photography background you will be up and running fairly quickly.I will come back and add to my review as time goes on.