The Fujifilm X-T3 has been on the market for a while now and it bring us great pleasure to have had it for a week to put it to the test. The design and general aesthetic are synonymous with Fujifilm, however, it’s on the inside where it counts the most. Fujifilm has stuffed this light weight camera with great technology making it one of the most desirable camera’s on the market right now.
The X-T3 has a new backlit sensor with Fujifilm colours and has improved low light performance and the video quality has been improved compared to the previous model, X-T2. One thing I’ve noticed is that in order for you to be able to live share your images you have to shoot both JPEG and RAW. But the jpegs are still so good that they still have so much detail in them especially in the shadows where some details tend to get lost. Don’t get me wrong, RAW files are still better but, in the age where you have to live upload you need a superfast turnaround time and that’s where great jpegs come to play. On burst mode the X-T3 has been claimed to shoot 11 fps and on silent mode 30 fps.
The autofocus on this camera has to be one of my favourite features as its super responsive and adjusts just as quickly because of the face and eye detector focus. The only let down is that the rear screen. This does not flip enough to allow one to vlog without wondering if they’ve cropped off their head or if they’ve zoomed in too much. The X-T3 can shoot 4K, 24 fps at 400mbps. What this means is that the camera is able to absorb so much more information to make grading and additional changes in post so much better. Shooting 4K, 60 fps at 200mbps allows one to get incredible slow-motion footage in 4K. Another great feature is the ability to shoot F-log on the X-T3 as this always gives better room for grading the video in post. Something that could be a letdown is the lack of in body stabilization, this may be a deal breaker to some videographers out there.
All of these features go hand in hand with the new X-Processor 4, a quad-core CPU that promises thrice the speed of its current X series. Then there’s the AF system with 2.16 million phase detection pixel that covers nearly 100% of sensor. This makes it possible to use PDAF even in low light conditions and face-detection on a moving person.
Even with all the external buttons Fujifilm has designed the camera to have them customizable to the user’s satisfaction. I also found that the menu settings do get a bit tricky. But that didn’t bother me too much. The ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation dials each have a center button that can be pressed to avoid the setting from easily changing while shooting. This model also has dual SD card slots which I’ve noticed to be quite favourable to some photographers, a USB-C port that can be used for either charging, or can allow the camera to be used while plugged in to an external source of power.
A headphone slot has also been included in the body unlike the previous model. The back screen is touchscreen and can be used to focus when recording video or also use It to take an image by touching it for stills. However, one cannot use the touch screen when in the menu function.
One can expect to pay around R25 000 for the body only with additional add-on’s that can be purchased separately. Personally, if I were to switch camera’s this would definitely be high up there for consideration. Getting a well-priced camera with great specs. Another thing I enjoyed most about this camera is the size. This would be great when travelling and it doesn’t feel like you’re trying too hard when its strapped down from your neck.