Fujifilm X-T30 vs Sony A6000 – A Camera Showdown With Vintage Glass

48348723262_879b28fced_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Helios 44-2

My photography friend, Aaron Mashburn, and I recently went to Antelope Island State Park in Utah. He has a Sony A6000, and I have a Fujifilm X-T30. We both like to use vintage glass, and we both have several M42-mount lenses. We had the idea to go on a photography adventure and share lenses. I had the chance to borrow his glass and he had a chance to use mine, which worked out great. Our trip was a lot of fun!

This camera showdown–Fujifilm X-T30 vs. Sony A6000–is completely for amusement and nothing else. You will not find test charts, massive crops or a winner declared. We each like our cameras, both of which are good photographic tools, and we didn’t try to convince each other to switch brands. We had a good time, and it was great to see what we had captured. Interestingly, there were several pictures that were nearly identical, not because we were copying each other, but because we both happened to see the same thing. If there’s any lesson, it’s that vision is more important than gear, and most cameras are fully capable of fulfilling most photographer’s visions.

48348892561_4be6045c28_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4

We each brought with us several lenses, but for the pictures in this article only three were used: Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4, Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2, and Helios 44-2. We used other lenses, but none of those pictures were selected for this. All three of the lenses that I mentioned are great, but the 50mm f/1.4 really stands out as special. It has the “it” factor, for sure! The Helios 44-2 does magical things sometimes. The 55mm f/2.2 is consistently good. If there’s any winner to declare in this showdown, it would be the Asahi Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lens. This is a must-have vintage lens, in my opinion.

The pictures below are some examples of what we captured on our Antelope Island State Park photographic adventure. Even though different cameras and lenses were used, together these images tell a story. I hope that you enjoy the photographs from both cameras, as both cameras proved to be perfectly good for this purpose. I would like to give a special thank-you to Aaron for allowing me to use his pictures!

48348317007_53a1792f6f_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48350988046_6ed5450124_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48349010142_99acb1a65b_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4

48351101432_3de387d5ec_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48348807152_2509bbcd84_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4

48351114167_e98ea74f6c_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48348892891_625ff17425_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4

48350982301_4101d3fca8_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48348698501_330b148751_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Helios 44-2

48351112907_6b6c774a0a_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

48348704401_55418d99f1_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Helios 44-2

48350988411_57be80d45b_c

Photo by Aaron Mashburn – Sony A6000 & Asahi Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4

48348312486_3e3543814b_c

Photo by Ritchie Roesch – Fujifilm X-T30 & Asahi Pentax Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2

Rumor: Fujifilm X-Trans IV Sensor Will Be Made By Samsung (Not Sony)

36048378846_28039b002c_k

Fujifilm X100F

I’m going to start a new rumor right here, right now regarding the next generation of Fujifilm X-Trans cameras, which will feature an X-Trans IV sensor that has “more than 24 MP but less than 30 MP.” This was reported by Fujirumors.com, which has a great track record of being right. The rumor that I’m putting out there is that Fujifilm X-Trans IV sensors will be made by Samsung, and not Sony.

There are a couple of reasons that I think this, and I’ll get into each below in just a moment. First I want to make it clear that I don’t know anyone at Fujifilm, Samsung or Sony and that I have no insider information whatsoever, I’m just speculating. This rumor is simply a guess. But I believe there might be some merit to it, and it makes logical sense. I could be completely wrong, though, so take it for what it’s worth. Time will tell.

If you don’t already know, Fujifilm X-Trans sensors are made by Sony with some custom specifications as directed by Fujifilm. Most importantly, it has a complex X-Trans color filter array instead of a common Bayer color filter array. Something that happened a couple years ago is that Sony stopped manufacturing their 16-megapixel APS-C sensor. For Fujifilm, that meant the end of the X-Trans II sensor, which Fuji wasn’t done with yet.

Going from a 16 to 24-megapixel sensor isn’t as simple of a task as it might sound. There are processor and programming issues, which aren’t too bad to conquer, but the big problem is heat. Specifically, X-Trans III sensors, which are 24 megapixel, put off a lot more heat than the 16 megapixel sensor. That’s been a challenge for Fujifilm, and it forced the (possible temporary) discontinuation of the X70 line, and plenty of complications with their other X-Trans III cameras.

I could be completely wrong, but I think Fujifilm is a little upset at Sony for abruptly discontinuing the 16-megapixel sensor. I don’t think Fujifilm was done with it when they were forced to use the 24-megapixel sensor. I believe that they had plans to use a 16-megapixel sensor in some of their cameras and a 24-megapixel sensor in others. I’m sure they see lost profit potential from it. If I were Fujifilm, you make the most of the cards you’re dealt (and they have), but you don’t forget the position that your competitor/business-partner (“frienemy”?) put you in.

9387677927_79c9cc99cb_z

Worth One Dollar – Oxnard, CA – Samsung NX200

When I read the report that the next X-Trans sensor was going to have more than 24-megapixels, my first thought was, “Oh, Sony must have made a new sensor!” I then got on the ol’ Google and tried to find information about it, but I found none. It may be that Sony is developing (or has already developed) a 26 or 28-megapixel APS-C sensor, but it’s not publicly known as far as I can tell if that’s the case. I’m leaning towards that they haven’t developed it, that they’re happy with 24-megapixels for APS-C.

Sony has a few competitors in the camera sensor market, but only a few. Samsung produces camera sensors, most notably for their cellphones. Canon makes their own sensors. Panasonic makes sensors. Sigma makes their Foveon sensors. Toshiba used to be a big name, but they were bought out by Sony a couple years ago. There are several small names that aren’t used by any of the big camera brands. Sony is the king of the castle as far as camera sensors go.

A forgotten camera line that wasn’t a big success, which came and went without making much noise, was Samsung’s NX line. I owned an NX camera several years ago. It was actually a pretty good camera! It certainly wasn’t perfect, but better than any mirrorless line made by Canon or Nikon.

Samsung abruptly discontinued the sale of these cameras a few years ago, pulling out of the interchangeable-lens camera business. I can think of two reasons why Samsung discontinued the NX line. First, mirrorless cameras were on the rise, but DSLRs were still the primary tool of choice for serious photographers (which is not necessarily the case anymore), so the market was limited. Second, creating a new brand to compete against the established names was a difficult task, one that proved to be too much trouble for Samsung. I think that they would have been successful had they stuck with it for a couple more years, but they didn’t have enough patience.

I figured at some point Samsung would sell their camera technologies to some other company (perhaps Nikon), but that hasn’t happened. They still own all of the NX line. It’s just sitting there, collecting dust. Samsung has seemed happy to focus on cellphone camera technology.

9336321309_71dc43806b_z

Wasp & Ant – Tehachapi, CA – Samsung NX200

My theory is that, after Sony cancelled the 16-megapixel sensor, Fujifilm began looking for alternative companies to manufacture the sensors for their future X-Trans cameras. Assuming that they shopped around, it makes sense that they had a meeting with Samsung. And Samsung may have said, “You know, we have this 28-megapixel sensor….”

The Samsung NX500 had a 28-megapixel APS-C sensor that was highly regarded but quickly off the market and soon forgotten. In fact, if you visit DxOMark, you’ll see that the 28-megapixel NX500 shares the top APS-C rating with the Nikon D7200 (DxOMark has never tested an X-Trans camera), and the D7200 has the same Sony sensor that’s found inside X-Trans III cameras (with X-Trans array on X-Trans and Bayer array on Nikon). It was a very good sensor, and I bet Samsung wouldn’t mind putting it back into production, giving themselves a chance to make money off of it.

There’s not a big difference in resolution between 24 and 28-megapixels. You would have a hard time even noticing. Still, when you have an APS-C line that’s competing against full-frame, that extra 4-megapixels can’t hurt. Obviously most people don’t need that much resolution, 24-megapixel sensors are overkill for 98% of photographers. And not all lenses can even resolve that much resolution on an APS-C camera anyway, although most Fujinon lenses can.

Where I think 28-megapixels might be appealing to Fujifilm is with regards to in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The only X-Trans camera that has IBIS is the soon-to-be-announced X-H1, which will be marketed primarily to videographers. With IBIS you have the potential to lose resolution at the outside edges of the sensor as it shifts around. A 28-megapixel sensor would ensure that you still have 24-megapixel resolution even with IBIS on. Don’t be surprised if IBIS becomes a standard feature on the upper-end X-Trans IV cameras, including the X-Pro3 and X-T3, and possibly the X-T30, X-E4 and X100V.

I can’t say for sure that the next generation of X-Trans sensors will be made by Samsung instead of Sony. I don’t know what kind of image quality difference it might make if it does happen. It’s an interesting theory, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. Not that I’m in the market for a new camera, as I’m very happy with my Fujifilm X100F