I have been a fan of the XE line since the XE2. I love my XE3 but video capabilities are somewhat limited. I need a small versatile fuji camera mostly for video applications to compliment and broaden the services of my drone business. I had been anticipating the new XE4 announcement and was hopeful this camera would fill that niche but I am a little underwhelmed with its design changes. I'm leaning towards the X-T30 which is a little bulkier but has a solid reputation for video applications.
Some things that I have considered include:
1) IBIS is no big deal because I own a Zhiyun Crane V2 Gimbal, slider and small dolly system. Since neither camera has IBIS it isn't much of a factor.
2) I will be recording to an external 4K HD/Monitor so the 10 minute time limit on the XT30 is also not much of an issue.
3) Is F-Log really available on the XE4? The only place I have seen F-Log mentioned is on the DP Review announcement. This was not mentioned on the Fuji press release or any other review I have seen so far. This is a pretty important feature for me as I will need to color match footage from my DJI Drone (which also has log capabilities).
4) Size and weight - The XT30 is a little bulkier than the sleeker XE4. Weight of the XT30 is only 11 grams more. I believe the added dials and function buttons of the XT30 might offset the bulkier size.
5) EVF - I am right eye dominant when shooting photos so the EVF located in the center is a limitation on XT30.
6) I do love street photography and feel my current XE3 with the new 27mm /2.8 WR might be an awesome set up but I would hate having only that camera on hand if I come across a video shot I might miss for my stock library. Does anyone know if the RR Recipe for Eterna on an X-Trans 3 is a close match for the Fuji Eterna Film Sim available on the X-trans 4 cameras? Being able to shoot in an "Eterna" look would minimize color grading and the limitations of post processing 8 bit 4:2:0 video files. Maybe I'm over thinking this point and will love the shooting experience with the XT30 so if I just pop the new lens on that camera it might be an all in one solution. Any thoughts from those have have both the XE3 and XT30 and use them for video would be appreciated.
7) Price - This is not much of a factor with the XE4 coming in at $849 and the XT30 is $899 with BH Photo also offering an accessories kit with the XT30 that includes a Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB SD card.
8) Availability - the X-T30 is available now and with free expedited shipping from BH I will have it in a couple of days. It is unclear when the XE4 will actually ship.
So those are my primary decision making factors. The more I think about it the more the X-T30 feels like the right choice for my needs. Any additional thoughts or considerations are welcome.