Fujifilm X-T200 Review: The Best Mirrorless Camera For Beginners

Table of Contents

Fujifilm is popularly known for its retro-design cameras that are sure to offer you a wave of nostalgia. At the same time, providing some of the best camera specs and features you can get your hands on in the market. Their X-series cameras feature some of their best units and the X-T200 aims to bridge the gap between their entry-level models and their flagship X-T30. To find out more, let’s dive into our Fujifilm X-T200 review here.

See Where The Fujifilm X-T200 Ranks In Our Top Picks For The Best Cameras For Beginners In 2021.

Overview Of The Fujifilm X-T200

Overview

The Fujifilm X-T200 is a great option for people who just started dipping their toes in the world of photography. It’s a nice upgrade from your current smartwatch cameras while being very beginner-friendly to those who might be intimidated by complicated or alien concepts some camera models have.

Apart from that, the X-T200 seems to serve as the sweet spot between Fujifilm’s basic entry-level mirrorless cameras and more high-end and advanced flagship models. So if you’re just starting on your photography but don’t want to settle on a basic entry-level camera, then the X-T200 will be perfect for you.

The X-T200 offers a wonderful balance of conventional physical controls along with touchscreen capabilities. The X-T200 also has 3.5 inches of display that provides easy-to-follow instructions for beginners, as well as a pretty decent viewfinder that makes it easy for rookie photographers to shoot images in broad daylight.

Additionally, the X-T200’s display can also be flipped over to face forward, making it ideal for people who love to take selfies and do vlogs. Going back to its touchscreen functionality, this particular feature offers a sense of familiarity to people who are mostly used to navigating controls via a touchscreen on their smartphones.

To put it simply, adapting to this camera from your smartphone won’t be too difficult for you. However, once you get the hang of this camera and you feel confident enough to experiment and tinker around with the X-T200, this model also offers physical controls such as a joystick and three dials for you to toggle with as you hone your photography skills.

Features & Specifications

Dimensions: 2.17 x 4.76 x 3.31 inches
Item Weight: 13.1 ounces
Brand: Fujifilm
Type: Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sensor Size: APS-C
Viewfinder Type: Electronic
Resolution: 24.2MP
Monitor: 3.5-inch articulated touchscreen, 2,760K dots
Autofocus: 425-point AF
Maximum Continuous Shooting Rate: 8fps (full resolution)
Max Video Resolution: 4K DCI 2160P
Warranty: 12 months

Check Out Fujifilm’s Promotional Video About The X-T200 Below.

If You Want To Check Out Other Cameras, Click Here To See Our Top Picks For The Best Cameras For Beginners In 2021.

What We Like About The Fujifilm X-T200

Vintage Design

When shopping for cameras, the first thing most of you will always notice is how they look like. For the most part, cameras seem to sport the same look. This is especially the case with DSLR cameras. Depending on who you ask, seeing the same aesthetic for such cameras can often feel boring. However, Fujifilm is best known for its uniquely designed cameras that all seem to sport a retro and old-school theme.

Some may love it, while some may not really pay attention to how their camera looks. But I’ll still give Fujifilm plus points for taking the step in making their cameras stand out. The X-T200 is no exception to Fujifilm’s well-designed products. Encased in a vintage style dressing, this particular camera is sure to make you feel nostalgic for the 35mm SLR film cameras of the past.

Great Build Quality & Handling

Another great quality of the X-T200 is how impressively well-built this camera is. Despite having a much larger vari-angle LCD than its predecessor, the X-T100, Fujifilm managed to keep the X-T200’s body lighter compared to the former. This makes the camera just all-around easier to carry and feels more comfortable in your hands.

However, when compared to Fujifilm’s more high-end and advanced models like the X-T30, you’ll notice right away that the X-T200 has a more plasticky feel as well as lacking the external shutter speed and lens aperture controls. Though it’s best to keep in mind that Fujifilm settled on this decision on purpose to keep the model beginner-friendly and easily understood by novice photographers.

But don’t let that fool you. Despite being marketed towards newbies, the X-T200 is more than your average entry-level camera.

The X-T200 offers twin control dials with customizable function buttons you can configure to your preference as well as a ‘Q’ quick menu for your standard camera settings. This is essentially part of Fujifilm’s more basic mirrorless camera models, but with added and upgraded features and controls to match most mid-range cameras you’ll find in the market.

4k Video Quality At 30 FPS

The sensor and processor of this camera have been improved to handle 4K videos at up to 30fps which is really impressive for a camera of this caliber. You usually see this kind of feature on more high-end models but Fujifilm did not disappoint at all. In addition to that, the X-T200 also has 3.5x faster processing that Fujifilm claims will prevent any “rolling shutter” effect.

Apart from that, the vari-angle screen also offers a 16:9 ratio that’s perfect for video. Plus, it flips over to the front so you can take selfies or do vlogging activities to your heart’s content.

In addition, the X-T200 also has an HDR video mode which essentially blends videos at different exposures in an unknown method along with a “digital gimbal” that smooths out your footage through an in-camera gyro and an electrical stabilization algorithm that’s built into the camera.

Overall Performance Is Excellent

When it comes to performance, the X-T200 performs as well as you expect from a Fujifilm camera. The detailed rendition you get from stills alone is quite excellent and Fujifilm’s wide range of Film Simulations should appeal to a variety of tastes from everyone.

Additionally, the dynamic range extension options can be really useful in preserving highlight detail in high-contrast scenarios.

Our Least Favorite Thing

Disappointing Battery Life

One thing that really puts me off with the X-T200 is its disappointing battery life. Especially if you consider the price point it is in. This particular camera eats up a significant amount of battery life even when you’re not using it as much. A fully charged X-T200 significantly comes down to a surprisingly low battery level after moderate usage of about 30-40 pictures and a few short videos.

Personally, that kind of battery life is quite mediocre but fortunately for you, the X-T200 provides a USB-C charging port that makes it easy for you to charge the battery while on the go by using a compatible smartphone charger.

No X-Trans Sensors

Personally, I don’t find this a huge deal breaker. I get that Fujifilm wants to keep the X-Trans sensors exclusive for their more advanced models like the X-T3, X-T30, X-Pro3, and the new X100V compact models. But this is definitely something you might want to know or keep in mind before investing in this model.

However, the regular 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor seems to be working perfectly fine with the Fujifilm X-T200.

Overall, it still performs really solidly on its right. So don’t let this put you off from this particular camera model or see this as too big of a disadvantage.

In A Nutshell

Now that we have covered everything about the Fujifilm X-T200, here is a narrowed-down list of the pros and cons of this particular camera.

Pros

Lightweight and compact.
Great design and aesthetic.
Suitable for video-oriented users or vloggers.
Offers full manual controls for you to experiment with once you’re comfortable enough with your photography skills.
Large vari-angle touchscreen display.
Excellent 4K video resolution and picture qualities without editing.

Cons

Uses a regular CMOS and not a X-Trans sensor.
Battery life is not that great especially for its price point.

Our Final Verdict

Overall, the Fujifilm X-T200 works wonderfully in what it is supposed to do. It successfully bridges the gap between Fujifilm’s entry-level models and more advanced models in their lineups. It’s perfect for people who are making the jump from their smartphone cameras and want to be more serious about their photography and want a mirrorless camera they can really hone and develop their skills in.

In any case, I hope our Fujifilm x-T200 review was able to help you decide whether this camera is something you should invest in or not.

Do you already own the Fujifilm X-T200? Or are you still deciding? Let me know in the comments sections below if you have any insights, suggestions, or experiences to share with this camera model! I would love to hear all your thoughts!