Fujifilm X-T30 vs X-T3(4)

Sizwe wrote:

Hello.

A good day to you.

I am looking for a camera to buy because I am taking up photography as a hobby. I don't really have any modern experience with photography to speak of but I am keen to learn.

I have been reading quite a bit and it seems Fujifilm has been making great cameras off late, hence my strong interest in those. For a beginner, it seems sensible that I buy the X-T30. Of course, there is the X-T3 and X-T4 are also great options, and the only reason I am eyeing those is because I would not want to buy another camera for another 5 years since this will be just a hobby.

(I do wonder if there is any difference in image quality between the X-T30 vs X-T4, I can't be sure but it looks like the sensor is the same. Could be wrong.)

For now, I think I would start off with landscape, outdoor photography and maybe less on people's faces :-). But who knows, I might get invited to the occasional wedding.
Anyway, please let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

Kind regards,

Sizwe (greetings from South Africa)

Sizwe, I would recommend either the X-T3 or T4 simply because they offer a shutter that has Electronic First Curtain Shutter (EFCS), the X-T30 does not. This is a shutter technology that has now been adopted across the board by mirrorless camera companies to reduce shutter shock image degradation that occurs generally between shutter speeds in the range of 1/40 to 1/250 second. The effects also vary depending on lenses used and so results can become very unpredictable which in my book is not good.

My own X-T30 tests with the 80/2.8 tripod mounted showed the issue was at it's worst at 1/125 but it was not as bad as earlier issues I experienced with my Olympus mirrorless cameras with only mechanical shutters some years ago. All the same why not avoid the issue now while you can before you make that purchase decision.