Fuji x-e3 . A few questions

I have both the X-E2 and X-E3 so I have a good point of comparison. I prefer the joystick of the E3 to the D Pad of the 2. I have problem goi g back and forth between the two..

Are you on Mull or Skye or another Isle? I love both. We stayed at Dervaig and drove the coast road to Iona. It was a great drive!

Screen use is a bit hamstrung love the happy stick

Hi I live on the Isle Of Seil

Yours Ian

I have the X-E3 for a month now and come from Nikon so I can't compare the 2 modes. I find the joy stick very easy to use. It is quick and accurate. On the other hand, I am not a touch screen guy and turned that function off because I found myself inadvertently changing functions or taking a photo. All the functions I need I can quickly bring up with buttons on the camera, I have set up the ISO and WB for quick access and the quick menu is easy to use.

ianastronomy said:

Hi I am thinking of getting this camera . I know it has no d pad . How do you find using the screen and the joy stick to change the settings .

I have the x-pro2 and was looking for a lighter camera . I can not try it out in a camera shop as there is non in the western isle of Scotland

Thanks Ian

Click to expand...

Hi Ian,

In view of your nick I just wanted to point out that the X-E3 doesn't have a tilting screen, something that might be an issue if you want to use it for astrophotography. I'm a n00b at astro, but I used my X-T2 for my first couple of trips out and would have been very frustrated had it not had a tilting screen. If you will be pointing it up at the stars, you might be more interested in the X-T20 or an X-T100, also light cameras, but equipped with tilting screens.

The joystick works very well for me and I don't miss the D-pad for navigation. I do however miss the latter's role in providing buttons for shortcuts. I don't get on with the touchscreen and like Gaber above, have disabled mine (insofar as its possible to do this), and have assigned its swipe functions to the 'My' menu'.

For general use, I find the X-E3 to be fantastic and I'm really enjoying mine. I love its size and flexibility. I use it mainly with the f/2 primes and the 18-55mm zoom. As Sandeno recommended above, I'd buy a grip as well. The Fuji one is expensive but beautifully crafted. Given how robust it is, it may well make sense to pick one up second hand. Even the clumsiest seller would have had a hard time buggering up the Fuji grip. Alternatively, there are the cheaper third-party grips, many of which seem to get good reviews.

The official grip may not look particularly pretty or significant when attached, but it really does provide the camera with more secure handling. Combined with a good wrist strap and a lens that's not too heavy, it's very easy to carry the X-E3 around for a whole day.

[Edited for sense]

ianastronomy said:

Hi I am thinking of getting this camera . I know it has no d pad . How do you find using the screen and the joy stick to change the settings .

I have the x-pro2 and was looking for a lighter camera . I can not try it out in a camera shop as there is non in the western isle of Scotland

Thanks Ian

Click to expand...

The joystick on the XE-3 is brilliant. It takes literally no getting used to. It's kinda instinctive. I reckon you'll love it.

The colour the X-E3 captures is excellent too.

SigmaChrome said:

ianastronomy said:

Hi I am thinking of getting this camera . I know it has no d pad . How do you find using the screen and the joy stick to change the settings .

I have the x-pro2 and was looking for a lighter camera . I can not try it out in a camera shop as there is non in the western isle of Scotland

Thanks Ian

Click to expand...

The joystick on the XE-3 is brilliant. It takes literally no getting used to. It's kinda instinctive. I reckon you'll love it.

The colour the X-E3 captures is excellent too.

Click to expand...

Best served as a small prime lens camera eg the f2 series ..............for me I use the 35mm 1.4 even the 14mm seems a bit large

The touch screen is a hindrance to photography. It's annoying to use, and accidental changes are far too easy. I disabled all touch screen functionality after a short test period.

The joystick is good for accidentally moving the focus point, and good for restoring it to the centre by double-clicking. It's alright, but so is a D-pad.

Fezhat said:

SigmaChrome said:

ianastronomy said:

Hi I am thinking of getting this camera . I know it has no d pad . How do you find using the screen and the joy stick to change the settings .

I have the x-pro2 and was looking for a lighter camera . I can not try it out in a camera shop as there is non in the western isle of Scotland

Thanks Ian

Click to expand...

The joystick on the XE-3 is brilliant. It takes literally no getting used to. It's kinda instinctive. I reckon you'll love it.

The colour the X-E3 captures is excellent too.

Click to expand...

Best served as a small prime lens camera eg the f2 series ..............for me I use the 35mm 1.4 even the 14mm seems a bit large

Click to expand...

Hmm. The XE-3 is certainly light, but I wouldn’t call it fragile. I know we sometimes equate weight with quality. My previous kit was a Pen-F, which was heavier and felt more “substantial”. However, I’m appreciating the lighter weight of the XE-3. I find it easier to handle, and the Lensmate thumb grip makes it fantastic.

I’ve owned an X-Pro 1 in the past, and find the joystick much better. As others here do, I’ve assigned all my function buttons. The screen swipe implementation is “ok”.

I hate the X-E3 joystick and buttons and screen swipes. I have had to disable them all as they were getting pressed by mistake. I get things wrong with the joystick when changing settings, D Pad was better.

Much preferred the X-E2 which was a joy to use ergonomically, nicer grip and EVF too. I dislike the EVF on the X-E3 with manual lenses, being a glasses wearer. The only external improvement is that the EVF's rubber doesn't mark my glasses anymore.

Internally the X-E3 has worse battery life than my X-E2, but it has more film simulations and megapixels and slightly faster focus, so the X-E3 wins. I like small rangefinder style bodies, if it weren't for Acros I would probably switch systems to Sony's A6000 series.