Fujifilm X-T3 Review

IQ isn't really vague. X-T3's RAWs are soft compared to the latest FF bodies, at least according to the studio comparison tool.

I don't look to push technical extremes but I do shoot a lot in low light and do some high contrast landscapes. So these differences would be exacerbated in my catalog. The way I see it, a little pain/annoyance during shooting is worth a higher quality result, as in the end it's the photo, not the shooting experience, that I'm left with.

Check out the IQ page - the studio comparison.

Even at 160 vs 100 or 200 ISO, the A7RII far surpasses the Fuji in Image Quality.

Did they use a soft lens on the Fuji? It's not even close. At higher ISOs it's more obvious.

It may be a nice APS-C, however compared to the FF mirrorless, IQ is obviosuly less.

I thought it might be a fluke, but it looks like all the recent Fujis have similar IQ. They are not far off from the latest from Canon/Nikon/Sony APS-C either. FF is just that little bit crisper and more resolved, even with the same or slightly less megapixels. If I'm spending four figures on an ILC kit I don't really want to leave any IQ on the table.

If you need IBIS wait for the X-H2 - it will have the same, if not superior video-features and AF system, but with IBIS in a larger body.

As I never was a fan of these artificial PASM-wheels I love the direct control Fujifilm X-T offers dialin in my exposure.
Maybe you have to use it for a while or maybe people are just different...

Your question is like asking "what's so fun about doing this or that sport". Not everyone would enjoy football, but for everyone who enjoy it..they would have so much fun watching or playing it.
I could ask the same question, what so fun about PASM dials or looking your setting always from the screen? But I rather not do that because I know it's a personal preference.

For me with Fuji, at least I have options wether to use the physical dials or not.

"Too similar to the "cameras have to be big to not be a "toy" argument."
actually it's similar with the "cameras have to be relative big for proper ergonomics :)

The "fun to shoot" is simply as it sounds. And while for a professional the end result must be more important than this, for me as an enthusiast i simply take images for the fun of it. If i don't like how the camera looks and feels in my hand i simply let it in the hotel room or at home instead of shooting with it.

I have bought and just sold, regretfully, an E-M10II. A great camera, good looking and the IBIS for handheld videos is just amazing. But it was to small for easy operation, with too complicated and non-intuitive menus, frustrating ways of changing the options that i used... it was a cool camera but, personally, i didn't have fun using it. And as a result it just stayed in the bag most of the times and my old X-E1 got almost all the action :)

Long term Canon shooter here who never managed to get into Sony, as it always felt so terribly awkward in my hands. Got to try a Fuji into kind of by accident, and simply love how quick settings are tweaked with all these "old analog" interface elements. Now into the Fuji system as my travel cam, not regretting it at all.
I guess it's a personal/taste thing. It was simply made for me.

but i am interesting in both my still and video works :)) .. no type there

Sorry about that. Should now be fixed.

dpcane
Spelling =/= grammar

That should now work. Sorry about the delay (there's a manual step I forgot to apply).

FF yes, made in Japan is irrelevant, Dual Pixel AF whilst good is the most over-hyped feature of any camera ever. Premium brand I am not convinces on. They used to be but I'm not so sure anymore.

I would recommend going for the OIS zoom lenses if required or a gimball for video.

For most prime photos, IBIS nor OIS is required, as long as the shutter speed is not too slow. :)

@pixperfect
What are you talking about ???
https://img1-kakaku.ssl.k-img.com/images/maga/12697/img24.jpg

If you think it is plastic, you should get new eyes or just have a real look at what is called magnesium alloy.

What an odd deal breaker.

Maybe he's a spy and need to be able to stop a bullet with the camera.

"XT-3 send it back to drawing board"

Actually, just like the X-T2, the sensor used was made for both Fuji and Sony (A6300/A6500). Expect the A6700 to have the same sensor as the X-T3, but with better image quality. Just like what happened with A6300 vs X-T2.

That is your bias opinion

@timberD

Ha, love it when if someone doesn't agree with someone else, it's instantly a biased opinion. ;) Fortunately, here's some proof:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr18=lowlight&attr13_0=sony_a6300&attr13_1=fujifilm_xt2&attr13_2=sony_a6300&attr13_3=fujifilm_xt2&attr15_0=raw&attr15_1=raw&attr15_2=raw&attr15_3=raw&attr16_0=6400&attr16_1=6400&attr16_2=12800&attr16_3=12800&attr171_0=1&attr171_2=1&normalization=full&widget=1&x=-0.09120000000000013&y=-0.968520102651839

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr144_0=sony_a6300&attr144_1=fujifilm_xt2&attr144_2=sony_a6300&attr144_3=fujifilm_xt2&attr146_0=100_3&attr146_1=200_3&attr146_2=100_5&attr146_3=200_5&attr177_0=off&attr177_1=off&attr177_2=off&normalization=compare&widget=462&x=0.21013162101879817&y=0.47772376858758375

i just don't like xtrans
force to go sony

@Jefftan The sensor technology is just about the least interesting thing to consider when buying a camera. It has the very least impact on your photos of all other factors I can think of. Things like autofocus, dynamic range, high iso noise handling, color science, lens availability, lens quality and sharpness, camera ergonomics, overall speed, battery life, viewfinder - just to name a few things that came to mind in 5 seconds.

If you base your entire decision on the specific sensor technology the camera uses, then you need to take a step backwards and consider if perhaps you shouldn't spend your money on a new Playstation, a new car stereo or perhaps season tickets to your favorite sports team. Just use your phone to take photos with until you become aware of the factors that really matter for photographers.

Can't agree more @Michael! Those who bragging on sensor performance are usually amateur who drink marketing shits too much. Or they must have paid Sony trolls.

@PWP - I wouldn't hold your breath for a stacked sensor. Odds are very, very, very high that it will use the exact same 26MP BSI sensor that is found in this camera. The read-out rates are high enough that they can claim to be in "A9-like."

In any case, I don't deny that the A7000 will likely be a better camera than the X-T3 in terms of autofocus, buffer, IBIS, and maybe even video performance. But don't expect any real difference in image quality - this camera is the preview.

Calling it a "complete different level" is probably complete hyperbole, though. And the X-T3 obviously has a much better lens line-up than Sony's APS-C offerings for E-mount.

I don't really care what breathless rumour-mongers are desperately wishing the sensor in the new Sony A7000 will be.

All historical precedents suggest that the same sensor used in the high-end Sony APS-C camera as the high-end Fuji APS-C camera.

Fuji doesn't want to pay for the development of an all-new sensor by themselves, and Sony always wants high margins on their new gear, which they can achieve by amortizing sensor development prices over far more units.

I'm not sure if it's common sense, but it's definitely business sense...

The A7000 will have the same 26MP sensor as the X-T3.

there's no point comparing between a camera you can buy now vs a rumoured camera that might, or might not be released soon. because you can easily escalate the comparison between the Sony a90000 vs X-T9. what's the point? these companies leapfrog each other anyway.

@PWPhotography - new Sony will use the same sensor as Fuji. That is a given.

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-confirms-at-dpreview-new-a7s-and-new-aps-c-e-mount-cameras-are-coming/

A7000 or whatever called is coming so it's not some remote future but matter of next few weeks or few months so will be at the same generation of X-T3.

@Hellraiser Rumored A7000 may base on the same 26mp sensor but Sony could add stack layer as they did in 24mp A9 sensor. Sony has technology ready to create such APS-C stacked-sensor, no-blackout EVF , further tune up on current A7 III/A9 AF system and very deep buffer to create a pro level of sport/wildlife camera that truly can compete or exceed D500. As Sony did in A9 to compete to 1Dx II and D5, Sony will create such pro APS-C camera to compete to D500 and 7D II that both latter are due to be replaced.

Ugh, that site never saves the camera organization.

Notice the camera that's the size of a DSLR, yet not a DSLR. Being DSLR-size is not discreet.

well, being "discreet" is not a matter of being a DSLR or not. There are very small DSLRs as well. You could compare it against the Canon 200D, that is even smaller :)

I guess discreet means that you don't look like a paparazzi with a camera in your face.

They think these cameras are discreet, because they are.
https://camerasize.com/compact/#800,779,ha,f

As Tommi K1 says, OIS can't correct for roll (and video looks odd if your horizon keeps rolling around).

In addition, OIS can correct the pitch (the front of the camera nodding up and down) but can't correct for translational movement (the whole camera moving up and down).

OIS can help but a good sensor-shift system is better for video.

Given these advantages, I hope for Fujifilm that they'll fix the jaggy movement when panning left-right. That looks pretty bad on the X-H1, it's like the camera sticks to a finite number of angles rather than panning smoothly.

Causio - I think the problem is that the camera initially tries to prevent/correct the panning motion before either reaching the limits of its travel or realising that the motion is intentional.

Fujifilm either needs to work on its panning-detection algorithm or have a panning mode that doesn't try to correct horizontal motion (might be a nice screen-swipe function). For now the X-H1 is best for static 'virtual tripod' shots.

Richard Butler,
"In addition, OIS can correct the pitch (the front of the camera nodding up and down) but can't correct for translational movement (the whole camera moving up and down)."
True for most OIS lenses, but not all :
https://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/canon_hybrid_IS.do
https://global.canon/en/imaging/l-lens/technology/hybrid_is.html

That's true. I'd forgotten about that, despite writing our story about it at the time.

...most OIS can't correct for...

Many thanks Tommy, Richard and Karroly!

I was pretty impressed with how the battery lasted (it was card capacity that's more frightening, when burning away at 400Mbps / 3GB per minute).

Ultimately it's a small battery in a small camera, so it's better suited to lots of shot clips, rather than extended running times. But it can now shoot to 20min at 60p and 29.59 in 30p without the need for the battery grip (not sure I'd rely on a single battery lasting quite that long, though).

Sensor Overheating issues anyone?

High quality is limited to 20 min continuous, while normal quality is the usual 30 min non-taxable limit, so most likely.

I agree Fuji colors are way better than Sony has. I was really surprised how much less I have to correct images after moving to Fuji from Sony. Real time saver!

@ ozy82 I agree with you. I did same and less time on computer.

Some good starting point for Sony RAWs:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1566435/0

Remember, RAW has no specific appearance. You're only limited by how software is programmed to interpret it. Add new profiles to that software, and your baseline changes.

@Richard - it would be great if you can do a continuous 4k 24p video test (press record after 30min again) with the new mirrorless bodies!
It's important to know for how many batteries we have to plan for e.g. 3h of interviews + b-rolls and if there are obvious overheating issues.

(For high data rates I would record external to ssd. SD gets expensive)

well, if you plan to shoot 3h continuously, i think the better approach is with 2 bodies at least. While recording with one you (or an assistant) can change the battery and card in the other one, and so on :)

Anyway for such high demanding tasks one is supposed to have at least a second body+lens at all times. This also mitigates an eventual overheating problem. And anyway... i would be terrible surprised if there was no serious overheating stressing such a compact camera so much.

You could use an external powerbank. But you still have the problem of the camera getting very warm, not meaning to the point of overheat or shutdown but hot enough that touching it is really unpleasant.

Maybe you're right. But things are not plain simple. In comparison of both my A7III and X-T2 video, it is clear that the Sony shows more details, probably a result of less contrast, in darker areas the Sony shows much more while the Fuji just shows black... It is as if Sony is doing HDR or Fuji just can't capture that DR or does it purposely.

On the other hand and not least important, everyone I show the videos, simply like the Fuji ones a lot more by a big margin. With the Sony the results are a little more similar to what you get when shoot on a sunny day. It lacks contrast and clarity.

I understand in the right hands, with editing, the Sony is a better "tool", I would even say a lot better. But if you want fast and pleasant results with no or minimum work, the Fuji is well ahead. The same can be said to photos.

Maybe this is like comparing a big car with many horsepower with a hothatch. One as least power but is way more fun to use?

For ULTIMATE image quality it's easy - go FullFrame.
But the Fuji is the better alrounder.

the ultimate image quality isnt so called full frame , its mf just now,or, if willing to forgo digital , a larger film format

Just laugh at people who offer easy shortcuts for ultimate images.

Image quality doesn't have a lot to do with the quality of an image ;-)

what is the output for your "ultimate image quality"?

Myself and NO ONE I know shoots video at 0 sharpening and 0 NR. We all use reduced sharpening and minimum NR.

Maybe there is a case for showing the results of these mostly used settings as well?

I'd also MUCH prefer to see it at -4, what we all shoot at. Not that this is not highly appreciated!

If you want some custom settings, then you do those, if you want review to be based some special setings, then forget all reviews.

Good shot any decent camera from the past 2 years forward is capable of excellent to blistering sharpness in 4K. Things like compression artifacts and Log availability are more important.

@matthew saville

"...even though it's a step backwards at high ISO, "

Seriously, what comparisons are you people looking at? Are your monitors calibrated? Are you even looking at a monitor, or just a smartphone? It's impossible to miss that high ISO in this camera is the best of any APS-C to date.

Um, what? Did YOU not read this review?

Yes, and then I looked at the studio comparison, and the camera is better at high ISO than any other APS-C.

You must have been very careful to not compare the X-T3 against the X-T2, X-H1, or the Nikon D500 for that matter.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison/fullscreen?attr18=lowlight&attr13_0=fujifilm_xt3&attr13_1=fujifilm_xt2&attr13_2=nikon_d500&attr13_3=sony_a6500&attr15_0=raw&attr15_1=raw&attr15_2=raw&attr15_3=raw&attr16_0=6400&attr16_1=6400&attr16_2=6400&attr16_3=6400&normalization=full&widget=628&x=-0.06738335365177882&y=-0.953757225433526

X-T3 winning.

To whoever sees higher noise level in X-T3 compared to X-T2: yes, that happens in the shots with full light, that is at speeds like 1/1250s and up. Now, how often do you need to bump up the iso in order to achieve such speeds? Hmm. Then take a look at the low light shot comparisons, speeds like 1/40s, and observe which camera looks better ;) At high iso, we're seeing too high speeds in full light, vs speeds that *might* be too low in certain cases in low light. The truth is in the middle, that is the difference at high iso is negligible, if there's any.

What is the true ISO, do you even know how do they measure ISO?

With same poor camera control that does not offer direct access to many features and settings like Fuji does? If new Sony will bring with newer tech also additional front & back commad dials + joystick and WR, at least, + new lenses, then it may be the X-T3 competitor. Do not forget the $1500 body price.

Fujinon lenses are fly-by-wire, there's no hard stop and focus ring position changes with each on/off or focus reset.

my fujinon 14mm ,while FBW does have min\ max hard stops in mf

Adapt™

I am sure Fujifilm will introduce focus pull feature as GH5 has. Tap focus is an alternative, if you can select the focus speed. Manual lenses are always an option if habits are hard to die.

So, what is the point?

So is Sony the only company who can’t seem to make attractive looking images with their own sensors ?

Panasonic's GH5 only used H.265 for stills capture in 6K mode. Video is H.264 10bit 4:2:2. So yes this is the first H.265 camera after the NX1.

Um, no.

https://www.eoshd.com/2017/09/shooting-5k-h-265-panasonic-gh5-new-open-gate-mode/

The GH5 only does H.265 in anamorphic mode, not regular video mode, though usable with cropping to 16:9

BlueBomberTurbo
Um, no.

https://www.eoshd.com/2017/09/shooting-5k-h-265-panasonic-gh5-new-open-gate-mode/

Hey BlueBomberTurbo, Thanks very much for that link, i never knew the GH5 had that capability, `very interesting` read, thanks again my friend, great info!!

If you have a gimbal, this should easily beat the GH5 in IQ. More DR and less noise. Whether there are any quirks to the output has yet to be seen, though. I'm sure the GH5 has more videocentric features in FW, though.

No way, also not to mention that yeah Fuiji is 10 bit but it only has quarter color resolution when the GH5 has half which is a pretty big difference.

Yeah, but then you need a gimbal. Which has its significant cost associated with it, adds bulk and complexity to your shoot, has its own power supply to manage, and makes using manual focus lenses much more challenging.

I can certainly agree that if you can control the situation so that you have no need for IBIS, the X-T3 has real advantages.

As I said, I'm sure a GH6 will be coming soon. You would certainly hope that a newly released camera would be better than a 2-year old one.

@Androole

"Yeah, but then you need a gimbal. Which..."

But unless you're shooting a GoPro 7 Black, you're still going to need a gimbal or slider for smooth movement in any level of professional work. IBIS will help to smooth transitions, but it's not going to replace any decent gimbal. Unless you're shooting GoPro. ;)

Yeah, IBIS and a gimbal aren't interchangeable. They're two pretty different things. IBIS has potential to just look like bad warp stabilizer where you will never get that with a gimbal.

tbcass
Is this a GH5 killer?

Ermmm!! Nope!!

Tom_A

Seemingly the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is an `AWESOME` new piece of new tech, it would appear that so far it is blowing the competition clean out of the water (picture-wise) from what i have read about it!!

6D shoots 4K?

6 years old 6D feels like 9 years old 6D at this point. Now, the 6D II, THAT feels 6 years old. ;)

Gahd, unprofessional nerds and their constant talk about sensor size. It really doesn't matter these days.

Yup, the 6D's sensor size is what makes it so terrible. Barely keeps up with something half its size:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison?attr18=lowlight&attr13_0=fujifilm_xt3&attr13_1=canon_eos6d&attr13_2=sony_a7iii&attr13_3=canon_eos6dmkii&attr15_0=raw&attr15_1=raw&attr15_2=raw&attr15_3=raw&attr16_0=6400&attr16_1=6400&attr16_2=6400&attr16_3=6400&normalization=full&widget=1&x=-0.08068269976726153&y=-0.9779779108175063

Lol!!

Fellas ı am not talking about video quality or any other good features of X-T3. Of course 6d cant catch up x-t3

By the way ı was working for fujiflm 3 years ago and ı was the first person ın my country shooting and testing x-t1. I know what fujifilm is.

And ı am working freelancer nowadays and big sensor is beast as always....

That's a really nice comparison BlueBomberTurbo. The 6d is way sharper than both the A7iii and XT-3 and has more contrast. And grain in the XT-3 is bigger than on the 6D. The 6D only has more more color noise than the A7iii. But you have more detail so...

What do you mean by "6d is way more sharper"?

Yeah the A7 iii is winning at smudged detail. Pure win!

Why is it Fuji has usually started at ISO200? For people wanting the highest IQ and resolution, isn’t a camera starting From a base of ISO100 better?

My Fuji XH1's ISO1600 is like A7III's ISO800 (brightness at the same aperture and exposure time). So I guess there is still that difference.

Plenty of misinformation here.

A digital sensor has no ISO. It has an amplifier gain. At "base ISO", the gain will be 0dB to give maximum dynamic range. Then the manufacturer approximates the brightness of JPEG to correspond to that "base ISO" (there are couple different standards that can be applied for this). The end result JPEG can have applied digital gain and/or contrast curve that affect the end result brightness.

What Fuji does compared to Sony is that they use different saturation (brightness) point of that same sensor. There's nothing wrong in it, it only moves headroom. That is, on Sony cameras you have very little headroom for highlights, where as on Fuji cameras have about 1 stop of headroom for highs - Fuji tolerates overexposure better and underexposure worse than Sony and viseversa.

This means that using same shutter speed and aperture at base ISO you either need pull Fuji X-T2 ISO200 by 1 stop, or push Sony A6500 ISO100 by 1 stop, this will result to same end result

Wrong.

I shoot for a client in the agriculture field, and I am not allowed to use lighting, and my conditions are mostly pretty dark.

I shoot at 10,000 - 25,000 ISO very often.

You shouldn't be considering a Fuji or any other APS-C camera then for your work. Says the X-H1 and X-M1 owner. Or any current Canon camera. The cameras fit for purpose are:

Sony A7S II
Nikon D850
GFX 50S
Sony A7 III
Nikon Z6
Nikon Z7
perhaps the Pentax flagship (haven't checked)

Those are the only current cameras which shoot at 25600 acceptably well. All full frame or medium frame.

@UncoyDP - A person can dream... I had the XT2 but sold them and went with Sony A7R II. I tried the XT2 and it's a very capable system, but just not quite there yet.