Just over a year ago, I got my hands on the Fujifilm X-T100 and I liked what I saw. This wasn’t a game-changer of a camera, but what it did was provide a solid foundation for a dip into the world of photography. It was lean, mean and able to snap some sharp pictures at the drop of a hat. Were there better cameras out there? Undoubtedly, but the X-T100’s pound for pound stats made it a viable and flexible contender for newcomers in the photography ring.
Fujifilm’s got an upgraded model coming out soon, in the form of the mirrorless X-T200. On the surface, it looks exactly the same as the X-T100: Compact, robust and sporting a silhouette that is undeniably a Fujifilm signature by now. Spec-wise, there’s once again plenty of grunt here: A 24-megapixel APS-C sensor with full phase-detection coverage to amp up the autofocus, better stabilisation thanks to gyro sensors (not the Greek burrito mind you) and options in the video department that are much much better.
While 1080p video at up to 120fps feels like a given in this day and age, being able to shoot at that resolution in HDR is a cool bonus and you can now grab 4K video at 30fps. Which is a huge improvement over the X-T100 that could only grab content at that resolution if you were prepared to do so at 15 frames per second.
Here’s the hardware part that gets me properly excited though: The LCD touchscreen. It’s your usual 16:9 setup that can be tapped to access various camera features, but this time the screen can swivel about to provide more options for people in front of the camera. Fujifilm says that the screen can be “opened and closed between 0 to 180 degrees and rotated between -90 to +180 degrees”. Which basically means that vloggers and their kin should get the most use out of the camera overall, something that Fujifilm fans have been asking begging for ages to have now.
At long last, that requirement is being met. So how much will this little beast cost you? Fujifilm South Africa says that the X-T200 will roll out in March, with a recommended retail price point of R12,999 for the kit that includes a XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ lens and R11,300 for the body on its own. That’s not a bad price at all and considering what it’ll probably be used for though, it should work a treat thanks to new tech that’ll pop up on the rest of the X-series further down the line.
Last Updated: January 24, 2020
