Hands-on with new Fujifilm X-E3

I used to think the same way back when the X-Pro1 was released in 2012. But to be fair Fujifilm is in the big leagues now.

Really? Anyone bothered by that? Look at the samples, X-Trans handle ISO very well, as well as DR. It is more than fine for shooting pictures :).

Speaking as an m43s user, here.

Lots of cameras have a base ISO of 200. While it is true that the software publishers had a steeper learning curve with X-Trans, they've pretty much worked the kinks out by now. Most raw conversion tools render a fairly decent X-Trans raw file.

You may have valid reasons for selecting something else, but in my book, X-Trans and a base ISO of 200 seem like flimsy reasons.

Probably not that many.

I don't use nor no consider DXO a valid comparison method.

Is there an actual rest that shows the 200 ISO on the Fuji having one stop less DR and Colour Depth vs an Alpha 6000 at 100?

I would look at DPR test scene for a star if I had the time

All fair points although the XE3 has OIS with many of its zooms as well. The X30 is great if you are fine with the smaller sensor.

i take the x30 out instead of the xe2 xpro2 alot ... i feel its the best camera in its class ever made .... also the x30 uses np95 battery like the x 100 series very convenient

it is an extraordinary camera .... love it if fuji did a 1 inch version

Not to mention all the extraordinary photos taken without autofocus, autoexposure, autowinders et al.

Oh dear, you're incorrigible. You simply can not wear a shirt that calls more attention than the camera you are trying to display. I won't even mention the tortoise shell spectacle frames and matching beard. Man, I need about eight weeks counselling after seeing those snaps.

That presumes I knew I was going to be involved in product shots, when I got dressed that morning.

You can turn IBIS off and leave the flippy screen alone, but you can't add the features back if they were never there. A flippy screen would have enticed more people to move up from the X-E2/S or buy one as a second body, and IBIS would have probably induced a stampede of new customers.

Hard to call a camera which replaced four physical with a touchscreen to be pure. But it is pure according to your definition of the term.

IBIS would have been nice. And it depends what you mean. A flippy screen like on the A6000 or the Olympus e-m10 mark 2....yes. Flip around screen like on the Canon 80d.....no thanks. To my eyes, they are just silly. I understand their purpose, but again....no thanks. I dont do selfies :)

Dave, no offence, but to my eyes thinking that flip screen is just for selfies, looks silly as well.

"....no thanks. I don't do selfies :)"

People have taken self-portraits for as long as there have been cameras and tripods, but now that articulating/flip screens make the process much easier all of a sudden everyone is too serious to take one.

Besides, I don't think for a moment that you have never taken, or will never take, a photo of yourself somewhere.

Fair enough. Whenever I see someone say "I don't do selfies", its usually with a self-righteous air that they are better than that.

Cheers

Doesn't even need to be a 180 flip. The standard 90 up/45 down is perfectly fine, and greatly improves the usability of the camera. I miss that feature a ton in my RX100.

Yeah...they usually follow it up with. "Well, we don't even own a television."

No insult intended.

The 180deg flip screen on the X-A3 does not have to deal with a viewfinder sticking out from the body. Fuji would need to design a different folding mechanism which brought the screen out and up to clear the EVF. I dislike articulating screen because they require several actions, out and spin, as opposed toa simple lift to tilt. Personally I think that Sony has the best articulating screen on their SLT bodies.

While I do like the convenience of a tilting screen, I have always been able to just hold the camera out a bit from my body to get a ground-level shot. Its never been a reason not to buy a camera; it certainly doesn't require I lie on the ground to get a low shot.

True, krassphoto. It probably would sell well. The 180 doesnt interest me personally. To be fair, I really like the Olympus Em1 mark 2 and that has one that is 180, so I would have to "live" with it. But I agree about the 90 degree. I am all for that. In fact Ive owned the Sony A6000, A6300 and Olympus E-M10 mark 2, all of which have the 90 degree/45 degree flip. My only logic, really, for not liking the 180 degree personally is because the camera basically becomes double the width and I like to stay on the same footprint, so to speak. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but it's also not a selling point...for me.

180-up screens are better than side-articulating screens for video because glancing slightly above the lens looks more natural than glancing over to it's side. We saw this when Apple moved the webcam (first-gen iSight camera) with a mount for the top of your monitor. Most vlogging amateurs aren't disciplined enough to avoid glancing at the screen.

DarnGoodPhotos, this whole time, I was referring to the articulating ones that, as you said, jut out from the body, and then you have to then flip around yourself. The ones that flip up, or down in the case of one of the Canon EOS-M bodies, do stay within the same "footprint" and doesnt make the camera wider. But as you said, a lot of the times those cameras dont have EVFs in the way, and I personally dont want to live without an EVF :)

Yeah. Fuji would need to design a new folding screen-carrier which could lift the screen up and away from the body so the screen would clear the viewfinder while remaining vertical. They'd probably want to apply it to the next XT20 as well.

Take a look at the SLT-A99 screen, now that is clever engineering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM1iqM_NZds

We all are so spoiled by technology! :)))
Hey, even my 1st digital camera - Minolta A1 had a tilt screen! When I take it in my hands now, I laugh, but back then it was a $1K 5MP masterpiece! 😁

So close minded , I have the flip screen of the X70 It is great on the street, I do not do selfies at all. IBIS should be in all these cameras. You want old school buy OLD on Ebay

Well, this X-E3 looks like a camera I might buy, instead of an X-100F, So, in general I'm pleased with the specs. I am simply puzzled that with a thicker body they reduce the eye point. I would have thought that the thicker body would give them greater possibilities in arranging the EVF.

FWIW, I wear glasses and have no problem with the reduced eye-point on my Pro2.

On the X-E2s, the LED seems too close to the grip and it looks like it can be easily hidden by a finger. So moving it away from the grip is a wise choice. As a camera is a tool, ergonomy and ease of use matter more than aesthetic to me...

And I am not fond of that big hole in the middle of the front side. Thank God they invented lenses to close that big ugly hole.

ozturert,
You can stick a red dot over it... ;-)

Basically, I agree, the nice double dial for shutter and ISO is so cool on the X-Pro2. On the other hand the E3 has two dials: front and rear. I hope they can be assigned to control ISO. I rely heavily on Auto ISO, and it's only quite rarely change it, instead I use the EC a lot. The EC dial behaves practically a kind of ISO dial when you set both shutter (on the top dial) and aperture (on the lens) to specific values respectively. To me explicitly setting an ISO value (say 400) is when either the aperture or the shutter is set to Auto (or both). I use a Canon FD-mount AE-P1, and the E3 has very similar interface.

The front dial can be set for ISO - push it in to action, turn to select ISO, push it in again to lock, simple and no menu diving necessary. The only disadvantage next to the XP2 is that the dial isn't marked (eg only the screen or evf will show the current setting) but then you generally use one or the other to shoot.. on the flipside actually adjusting ISO should be much easier.

Good to know. thanks guys. Miki I need to try your EC dial trick. What exactly do you set the ISO at? Do you leave it in Auto mode? I exclusively use the lens aperture, as I have a 40mm 1.4 Voigtländer and 24mm 2.8 OM Zuiko. And the shutter seep dial. Most times setting them before even turning on the camera... I find it good practice to see how well my eyes can meter the light, and get a desired depth of field. It also save on battery life.

Hi Dominik, I can only tell you how I use the EC dial in Auto ISO when I set a specific aperture and a specific shutter speed on my camera. I half-press the shutter which displays the calculated ISO value, when I am more or less happy with that ISO value, but, I'd prefer, for example, some gentle brightening, I simply turn to the right +1/3, +2/3 or even +1 value. When I am shooting for Instax printing, it prefers slight underexposure, so I turn down to -2/3, -1 or even -1.1/3EC. If I am totally unhappy with the ISO value, I start adjusting the fundamental exposure factors: iris or shutter speed. Is this something you were interested, Dominik?

I have to say, I've been looking at Xpro2 mainly because of the evf. This is a good design for those like me.

EVF in the left? Because people have noses. 🙃

My nose is on the other side...

Many will prefer this form factor, plus it improves on the XT20 in a few areas (more functional touchscreen, joystick, Bluetooth..)

I'm a big fan of corner EVF. I have both the A6000 and the X-E1. I'm so glad Fuji has decided to continue wit the X-E# series because I much prefer corner EVF over center EVF. It's just more comfortable to have at your eye because your nose never gets in the way of the back of the camera. No nose smudges on the rear LCD. On a mirrorless camera, there's no need for a center viewfinder! That's just a hold-over from the SLR era. Mirrorless manufacturers should definitely offer at least one model with corner EVF.

I'm a left eye shooter (I have a macular hole in the center of right eye), yet I still prefer a left side viewfinder over a central one.

0.62x - specifications are already listed on the Fujifilm site:
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_e3/specifications/

Yes, in other words, a knat's ass difference.

Whe will people stop bitching about where an object is made ? Who gives a damn as long as the quality is there FFS ??!!

Artem Holstov - that's just Big Taco's person opinion because he needed one to explain why Made in China. He assumes XE3 will sell like hotcakes. I am not sure.

Samistuin: Because Fuji itself CULTIVATES THE IDEA BY PRINTING IN BIG LETTERS, not on the bottom like other products from other manufacturers, but in BIG LETTERS, PROUDLY, "MADE IN JAPAN" usually on the back side of their cameras. You know when Nikon or Canon makes a camera in Japan, it is written in small print on the bottom. Why do you think Fuji prints MADE IN JAPAN in large letters on their cameras?? Because 'who gives a damn"? You see how your statement makes Zero sense when it comes to Fuji's own marketing?

Doug: true on all point