I have some crow to eat and I want to get it out of the way as soon as possible. So here we go. I officially traded-in my Fuji kit for a Sony A7 Mk II kit yesterday, and today I wanted to share my reasoning why I made the switch.

The Preamble

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Let me first start by saying that I love(d) my Fuji X-T1. Honestly, there are only 3 reasons I even considered switching, especially so soon after buying into the Fuji system, but in the end, the Sony temptation proved too strong.

It was a cold morning last winter when I awoke to hear the news of the new Sony A7 Mk II, with its full frame sensor and IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization). That was about a week or two after I had bought into Fuji. I have to admit, and think I even mentioned in some posts regarding the A7 Mk II, how intrigued and temping it was to me.

samsung-nx1-sample-shot-3

But I had just bought the Fuji X-T1, and I wasn’t about to switch it out so soon after my purchase. I loved shooting with the X-T1. I loved the vintage style to go along with my vintage lenses, the size, image quality, etc.

The Defection

sony-a7-mk2

Fast forward now, several months later…I have been loving my Fuji, I raved about it every chance I got. But there was a frequent reminder of the A7 Mk II that I wanted, but couldn’t have. That was until this week, when a special opportunity changed that for me, and made it attainable.

There was a catch. In order for it to work, I had to trade my Fuji kit – basically a straight swap. As much as I loved the Fuji, and still do, three things really put the Sony over the top and made me switch, despite loving the X-T1 in virtually every possible way.

  1. The Full Frame Sensor: I missed the FF look. Having come from a Canon 6D to the X-T1, I missed the look of a FF image. The A7 could give that back to me.
  2. The IBIS – As you should know if you read my stuff here on SLR Lounge at all, I love shooting vintage glass on my mirrorless.  IBIS is a HUGE advantage for me because it makes my amazing Canon FD 50mm F/1.2L now a stabilized lens.
  3. The Megapixels – Again, coming from the 6D down to the X-T1 (in terms of MP on the sensor) was a shock. I loved the Fuji files, but I like to crop on occasion, and with 16MP, you don’t get a ton of leeway (in my opinion). The larger sensor and additional MP on the Sony was also a big draw for me.

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Now, here I am, the proud owner of a new A7 Mk II. I will probably get an X-T1 again down the line, or possibly one of its successors, but for now, with what and how I shoot, the A7 MkII just made more sense. Despite my love and affection for the Fuji, I had to let it go. If I am honest, if it didn’t work out to a straight swap, I probably wouldn’t have the A7 Mk II right now, but since it wasn’t any additional hair off my chest, so to speak, I figured I had to jump on that opportunity while I could.

[Jay Cassario Also Just Got An A7 Mk II, Check Out His Awesome Vegas Shoot!]

Knowing my luck though, Fuji will be announcing a new X-mount full frame body within the next couple weeks. If you own Fuji, you can thank me now… ha! In all seriousness though, I am happy and excited to start this new journey with the A7 MkII, and look forward to the day when I can again have some Fuji in my kit. But until then, Sony it is.

Have you ever had a similar situation? Where you had to make a switch so soon after buying into a new product? Leave  a comment below and let me know how it went!