Need help deciding: fuji x-t10 or sony a6000

[Bowlingmom]

Hello all! I am a long time lurker and decided to finally buy a new camera. Now I can't decide which one to get! These two have similar features and are the same price right now. I have tried researching online and people seem evenly split between the two. Here is what I am wanting out of a camera:

I don't really want to go to the full DSLR: I want something smaller.
I want to shoot in JPEG- I am not interested in playing on the computer with the photos. I am in awe with the pictures I have seen on here- I just don't have the patience.
I want a camera to take good outdoor shots and good low light shots. Not dark or fireworks; family photos at Christmas, for example.
A physical viewfinder is a must.
I will only be printing 4x6 snapshots: MAYBE blow up to a 5x7 print but that will be rare.

I fully understand there will be a learning curve: I have a Fuji s700 bridge camera that is falling apart. I bought several books that have been recommended on here with the intention of upgrading to a DSLR several years ago but life got in the way. I don't think I will be happy with a point and shoot.

I looked at the rx100 but got to handle it in a store. I am afraid I would drop it! The a6000 and the x-t10 have a 'bump' to hold on to.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! I am driving myself crazy going back and forth!

 

[havoc315]

You won't go wrong either way. The Fuji system is considered a bit more "enthusiast" where the A6000 is considered a bit more "consumer" oriented.
They both have similar overall capabilities. Some find the menu system on the A6000 is bit confusing for some of the settings, but your basic functions are easy to use.
The Sony A6000 should also be a little cheaper, but it appears that they have removed discounts for now. If I recall, they were selling it for $550 during the Christmas holidays.
You may find a bit more support for the Sony system than the Fuji.

But really, they are similar enough.... if you can find a store where you can actually handle both cameras, I'd see which you like the feel of more.

 

[dmaxphil]

For SOOC jpegs Fuji wins. Fuji wins big. I've never had a X-T10 but have had most other Fuji X bodies and I've owned an a6000. Fuji lenses are (in my opinion) of significantly higher quality than the comparable lenses for the a6000. I agree with Havoc, touch them and feel them in the store. Don't discount the X-E2. It offers most of the X-T10 features, but significantly cheaper. All these X cameras share the same sensor, so X-E2, X-T10, X-T1 IQ will be basically the same.

Things the Sony is better at..
- shooting speed
- focusing speed
- flash options
- video (much better)
- higher resolution

Things the Fuji is better at..
- focusing accuracy
- lens selection
- low-light, high iso noise
- sooc jpegs
- menu system (again my opinion)

If you go Fuji the only lens I'd avoid is maybe the 18mm. Perhaps I had a bad copy but I remember it being a bit of a let down.

 

[HPS3]

I have shot with the A6000 and have been using Fuji for a while. I currently have the XT10 and love it.

For jpeg...Fuji wins hands down! It's also an easier camera to use to me due to the button layout. I love the controls and the lenses are awesome.....even the 18 f2. I'm actually looking for another one right now.

 

[HPS3]

Fuji's kit lenses are also very very good.......just something to think about.

 

[Bowlingmom]

Thank you for all of your replies! They are very helpful! I confess I am leaning to the Fuji. I forgot to add that video is not a concern. And I won't be collecting a lot of lenses. Maybe a zoom down the line. I agree that I need to actually hold them. I live in a rural area and the closest Best Buy is over a hour away. Unfortunately there are no camera stores close. Wal-Mart and Best Buy are the only options.

 

[dmaxphil]

Both are solid cameras. Tough to go wrong. What type of lens were you hoping to start with? Zoom, Prime?

 

[Bowlingmom]

Going to show my lack of knowledge here: I was planning to just use the one that came with the bundle. XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS II Lens . I am hoping this will be a decent general lens until I learn more and branch out. The a6000 comes with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens

 

[dmaxphil]

Ahh you are looking at kit pricing. Gotcha. The XC lenses are Fujis consumer/entry level glass. XC lenses are mostly plastic construction. XF lenses are metal. XF lenses have aperture rings To be honest, having the aperture ring on the lens is one of the things I like most about the system.

Most of the reviews I've read on the 16-50 are really positive. Because its plastic, it's lighter and probably easier to carry. Having 16mm on the wide end is nice also.

IMO, the extra $200 for a 18-55 might be worth it unless you plan to focus on primes. In that case I would buy the xc kit and then add a prime lens in your preferred focal length.

The 18-55 gives you f2.8 at 18mm so that would help for your low-light indoor scenario.

 

[HPS3]

I'm with Phil. You can't go wrong with either. With either I would pick up a kit lens to get started. The Fuji 16-50 is a good lens optically and it's really light. I actually like the idea of the 16mm wide end.

 

[havoc315]

I'm with Phil. You can't go wrong with either. With either I would pick up a kit lens to get started. The Fuji 16-50 is a good lens optically and it's really light. I actually like the idea of the 16mm wide end.

If I'm reading OP correctly, I believe she intends to keep it pretty entry level, using it essentially as a higher quality P&S.
The 16-50 and 55-230 are probably all she needs.

Where Fuji really surpasses the Sony A6000, is the high end APS-C glass for enthusiasts. For the most part, if a Sony A6000 shooter wants high end glass, they need to step up to the bigger and heavier full frame glass.
For an entry level shooter sticking to the kit lenses, they won't see a huge difference in the lenses.

I've heard and seen that Fuji does produce better jpegs straight out of the camera. I hated the A6000 SOOC jpegs. But honestly, an entry level shooter won't appreciate much of a difference.

With its burst shooting and fast AF, the A6000 is still probably better if you're shooting sports. The Fuji may have an edge in image quality otherwise, but pretty darn close. Fuji has a better "feel" for a traditional photographer who likes to fiddle with all the controls (like the aperture rings), but these features are useless to someone who only intends to shoot in auto.

So unless these differences are meaningful, I'd really try both cameras and see which you're more comfortable with.

 

[bob100]

Hello all! I am a long time lurker and decided to finally buy a new camera. Now I can't decide which one to get! These two have similar features and are the same price right now. I have tried researching online and people seem evenly split between the two. Here is what I am wanting out of a camera:

I don't really want to go to the full DSLR: I want something smaller.
I want to shoot in JPEG- I am not interested in playing on the computer with the photos. I am in awe with the pictures I have seen on here- I just don't have the patience.
I want a camera to take good outdoor shots and good low light shots. Not dark or fireworks; family photos at Christmas, for example.
A physical viewfinder is a must.
I fully understand there will be a learning curve: I have a Fuji s700 bridge camera that is falling apart. I bought several books that have been recommended on here with the intention of upgrading to a DSLR several years ago but life got in the way. I don't think I will be happy with a point and shoot.

I looked at the rx100 but got to handle it in a store. I am afraid I would drop it! The a6000 and the x-t10 have a 'bump' to hold on to.
Any help will be greatly appreciated! I am driving myself crazy going back and forth!

I agree with some of the other posters, go to a store and check them out

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[HPS3]

I 3rd that! Go to the store and play with them. Is there a reason you didnt look at the M4/3 cameras? Olympus and Panasonic have some great cameras and lenses also.

Try them all.....and then only you can decide.

 

[havoc315]

I 3rd that! Go to the store and play with them. Is there a reason you didnt look at the M4/3 cameras? Olympus and Panasonic have some great cameras and lenses also.

Try them all.....and then only you can decide.

The only problem, there are fewer and fewer stores where you can get your hands on any of these cameras. I live in a major suburb, but I think I'd have to travel an hour into New York City to get my hands on most of them.

But yes, if you get the chance... see how they fit in your hand. You might prefer the size, layout, viewfinder, of one over the other. The technical stuff is close enough between the cameras, especially for an entry level shooter, that the technical stuff may not be the best way to make the decision.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Both are great cameras but they are very different systems. If you are not familiar with either you really need to at least try to find a Best Buy that carries both so you can handle them. Either that or order both and return one system
IMO The Sony menu system is pretty easy to use. Perhaps they could have tweaked a few things but we could say the same about cameras costing 10X as much.
For me the Sony was an easy choice.

Sony Pros'
Vastly better ISO range
24 MP Vs 16 (remember you can always use a smaller file size but you can't select one larger than what your camera offers)
Much Lighter
Better Viewfinder
Faster AF
More auto shooting modes. This is critical if you are a P&S person. The Intelligent auto is very slick but this camera works well in Manual also.

The Fuji starts faster and has a faster shutter + a better native lens selection. You either like Fuji's color processing better or...not. Fuji Native glass is better but Zeiss does make Sony E-mount glass if you want other options in the future.

At this juncture I would not pay full price for either one, here's why.
The Sony a6000 body was under $400 this past December with a LOT of free goodies. Used these sell for under $375 with the kit lens.
The X-T10 is not universally loved even by the Fujifarians. They are easy to find used at a greatly reduced price because of this.

I picked up the a6000 and a 35 f1.8 OSS for under $800 new last fall. I'd really try to wait for a sale for either system or consider used. Fred Miranda has a very good used gear forum if you have not been over there. It's also a good place for further research.

 

[Bowlingmom]

Thanks so much for the advice! I am planning to go next week to try to get my hands on the cameras. May look at this one, too:
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Mirrorless Digital Camera with 14-42mm EZ Lens (Black). I am watching the prices on Amazon; So far they are all about the same.