My new Fuji X-T3 just arrived. I am so excited. The camera was only just released last week. I have barely used it and I am already “in love.” Of course I am a tried and true Fuji fan, having walked away from my Nikon D800 a few years back. So I am probably biased. Time will tell if the camera truly lives up to its hype.

1. A newly developed fourth generation sensor — the X-Trans CMOS 4

I am clueless what the upgrade to the sensor actually means in technical terms. The sensor is now back-illuminated — I read that a back-illuminated sensor provides greater image quality throughout the sensitivity range. That means it should perform better in lower light, of great significance to me. The Fuji X-T3 also has a slight increase in resolution, 26.1 MP, and a lower base ISO of 160.  Any tweaks in those numbers is a good thing, even small tweaks.

Yikes! One image, no bracketing. Low light. Incredible dynamic range. Edge to edge histogram with no clipping. ISO 160. 1.5s at f/11. 6 stop neutral density filter.

2. The quad-core processor (“X-Processor 4”)

I have waited for this new processor for a long time, as I haven’t been happy with the Fuji X-T2‘s focus tracking abilities. According to Fuji the processor combined with a new algorithm:

  • substantially improves the Fuji X-T3’s ability to track moving subjects,
  • boosts AF’s speed and accuracy,
  • enhances the camera’s Film Simulation modes and eye/face detection, and
  • allows for a more diverse range of video functions.

    My first photo with the new camera. Low light-interior shot, no flash. ISO 1600. Great color and focus, noise barely noticeable. 1/125s shot at f/2 with a 23mm lens (about a 35mm equivalent). Classic Chrome film simulation. (Most of my images in this post are examples, but not great photos.)

3. Photographing moving subjects just got a lot better

The specs tell it all. When photographing in burst mode I should be able to shoot at 11 fps with the mechanical shutter, 20 fps with the electronic shutter, and 30 fps with the electronic shutter in the new 1.25x crop “Sports Finder” mode.

Shot at 30 fps, with no blackout in the viewfinder as I clicked the shutter. All frames shot were in focus. The tracking worked like a charm. Yeah!

4. Greatly improved autofocus

Edge to edge phase detection coverage, with over two million points in the autofocus phase detection system. Focusing can be achieved down to -3 EV (the X-T2 is at -1 EV), again important to me when I am photographing in low light.

Very low light, interior hallway. No flash. ISO 5000. The focus is dead on. Noise very manageable — slight noise reduction applied. I converted this to black and white so you can easily see the gradation of tones captured in such a low light, high ISO image. The histogram is a nearly perfect bell-curve with no clipping of shadows or highlights.

5. More electronic viewfinder dots

3.69 million dot high-resolution EVF, with 0.75x magnification. Greater resolution and good magnification is important to me as my eyesight through the progressive lenses of my eyeglasses isn’t always great.

6. Touchscreen LCD

This is the “cool” new feature I am having fun with. The Fuji X-T3 screen can be set up as function keys.  A swipe in each different direction, or up or down, can bring up a different screen overlay, depending on the function I have assigned to the swipe. For example, I can swipe top to bottom and large RGB histograms appear on my screen or left to right to see settings for my flash. I can also focus or shoot an image by touching the screen.

7. New monochrome adjustment function, to reproduce warm and cool tones

Since I shoot a lot of black and white JPG images (together with RAW for the same image), I am looking forward to experimenting with this new option. It should mimic some of the effects that can be achieved with film when using specific photographic papers and developers.

Acros film simulation with a yellow filter and the monochrome warming effect at +3.
Acros film simulation with a yellow filter and the monochrome cooling effect at -5. 

8. Color chrome effect for highly saturated colors

This new effect is useful when photographing brightly saturated subjects such as vivid flowers. It provides enhanced color gradation. I hope a bright sun comes out soon so I can check this out. Photographing vividly saturated flowers has always been frustrating as the color gradation can be difficult to reproduce.

9. Longer life battery

I sure hope so!!  I haven’t shot through a full battery yet.

10. Internal SD card 4K 60p 4:2:0 10-bit recording and is capable of 4K 60p 4:2:2 10- bit HDMI output

I read that the video capabilities of this camera are quite impressive. It’s time for me to learn something new, as I have never shot movies.

There are lots of features to explore in the Fuji X-T3. Now I just need more time in my day to do so!