A few weeks ago I set off on a week-long vacation to Tulum Mexico. As a full-time photographer, I have always struggled with what camera to bring while on vacation. On my last international trip (to New Zealand) I brought my “big boy camera” with me, but ended up working exclusively with my iPhone 6+. The iPhone was convenient, easy to carry around, and takes stunning photos. I regretted bringing 15 pounds of camera on that trip, just to have it sit in my suitcase the entire time.

 

 

For my up-coming trip to Mexico, I could have chosen to use my iPhone again – but I wanted to try a little harder to find a camera that would work well for my travel needs. Since I was in Tulum for vacation ( and a bit of work) I knew I needed to bring something more substantial than just my phone. Not wanting to bring my expensive and heavy Canon 1DX to Mexico - I opted for something in between, the Fuji X-T2.

 

Ancient Mayan ruins overlook a pristine turquoise Caribbean beach surrounded by lush tropical palms in Tulum, Mexico.

 

Leaps and bounds ahead of your typical point-and-shoot camera, the Fuji X-T2 allows you the luxury of choosing which lens(es) to use. For this trip I needed a versatile zoom lens. Enter the Fujinon XF18-55mm F2.8-4 – simply perfect!

 

Tropical beach at sunset with a white hammock, palm tree, cushions on sand, and lounge chairs near the ocean.

 

Choosing a lens to take on vacation is really important. You want to consider what you are photographing – and how much gear you want to lug around. Since the majority of my trip would be visiting ruins and exploring the landscape I knew I wanted a wide-angle lens, but I also considered that I would be doing a lot of road-trips and walking around, so I needed something lightweight that I could carry with me at all times. This led my to choose a zoom-lens, but I opted for the more compact one, the F2.8, so it would be smaller, versatile and easy to carry.

 

Ancient Mayan pyramid El Castillo at Chichen Itza under a bright blue sky with wispy clouds, Mexico.

 

Pro Tip – Don’t forget the Fuji X-T2 is not full frame (meaning it’s a crop sensor) so the lens acts like a 27 – 84mm.

 

 

I have to admit this was only my second time using a Fuji camera (the first was on my Olympic Peninsula Road Trip) – and with my very limited knowledge of Fuji cameras, I found the X-T2 to be very intuitive and easy to use (even without reading the manual ahead of time). It offered me all the features I wanted in a camera; full manual mode, camera RAW mode and use of multiple focus points. These three things are the most important part of any camera I use, because it allows me to choose my aperture, obtain high-quality digital files and choose what is in focus while obtaining an accurate meter reading. I did however, end up using Aperture priority mode exclusively since I was on vacation. Once I was able to figure out how to adjust my focus points I was in business!

 

Stunning ocean sunset with dramatic clouds and golden sun rays reflecting on calm blue waves.

 

The biggest benefit to this camera over your typical point-and- shoot, is being able to work in camera RAW. I find this particularly useful, because I always want the ability to make any color or exposure adjustments as needed once I return home. I never want to limit myself on quality of images, especially when working for clients, or Stocksy. I was however, pleasantly surprised to find that my images looked stunning straight out-of-camera, and I had to do little work to the images in post-production. The only change I did (and was able to do very easily with RAW) was over-saturate the blues in post, as the blues of the Caribbean Ocean are simply breathtaking in real life.

 

Ancient Mayan ruins with a tall palm tree against a bright blue sky with white clouds in Tulum, Mexico.

 

All around I would highly recommend this camera, and in fact I would definitely purchase one to use for future travel. I guarantee you I didn't even use this camera to it's full potential as it has so many great features of a larger bodied D-SLR. I like to be able to use a camera right out of the box without reading the manual, and I was very easily able to do this. With a bit more time and effort, I can safely say I would be able to use this camera for anything I need while on a vacation or traveling.

 

 

Product

  • Fuji X-T2


Recommended Travel Accessories

  • Manfrotto tripod
  • Fujinon XF18-55mm F2.8-4


PROS

  • Easy & Intuitive to use
  • Compact & Lightweight
  • All of the standard D-SLR capabilities
  • Shoots RAW
  • Long battery life
  • Knows if you are looking through the viewfinder and will switch between live-view or view-finder depending on where you are looking


Cons

  • Not waterproof
  • When looking through the view-finder the picture quality looked more like a TV-screen, leading you to see more “vibrant” colors than reality.

 

Rocky shoreline with turquoise waves at sunset, featuring a colorful sky and calm beach scenery.

 

Michelle partnered with Glazer’s Camera and received a free rental of the X-T2 as part of their collaboration program in exchange for an honest testimonial. Images and text are original and solely the opinion of Michelle Moore.


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