Fujifilm X-T3 Review

They have a medium format system that is about the same size as a mirrorless DSLR so they have no reason to go FF with the X series. APS-C is great- smaller lenses and IQ is better than most people really need. It's not about the body, it's about the lens + body size/weight. APS is smaller and lighter than FF will be.

If you were expecting that you haven’t been paying attention. Fuji have a very well established APS-C based system that holds up well against FF on IQ and beats it squarely on price and portability. They also have MF for the ultimate IQ. For them, entering FF with yet another new system would be crazy.

Why would Fuji do a Full Frame mirrorless? They would have to build an entirely new lens system for it. Besides, good APS-C and Full Frame are virtually indistinguishable in many situations and the few full frame advantages (slightly better DR, slightly better noise at high ISO, slightly greater compression/bokeh) are either important only in certain circumstances, totally irrelevant for many shots or made unimportant with the emphasis on social media sharing of photos.

APS-C is the perfect sensor size IMO. Big enough to destroy phone size sensors and to handle most situations adequately, small enough to stay compact and easy to handle.

How many rolls of film would we have had to carry to match the battery life of this camera? Have we become that spoiled?

That's the price we pay for a small body and extra demands mirrorless puts on the battery. Compare the capacity of the X-T2 with the Z6/Z7 and it's pretty good. Compare it to a Canon 1D and it doesn't look good but it's not a reasonable comparison. And yes, boost mode eats through the battery faster. Maybe the X-T3 won't need boost mode to have reasonable auto focus. That's the only reason I use boost, certainly not for more fps. Time will tell.

@bolt2014
Since you don't have any clue what are my photography or videography uses, I kindly suggest you avoid that kind of contemptuous comment.

I almost never take bursts.
(BTW, doing bursts you can take hundred of shots.)

On the opposite, I take a lot of time waiting for 'the right instant'...and this drains the battery a lot.
I also used to use adapted tilt&shift lenses on another body. I would like to try it on my Fujifilm camera now that suitable adapters (Fringer's) are available. Using such a lens can requires a lot of fine tuning, using the viewfinder and/or LCD, and once again this drains the battery quickly.

I also used to live in Nothern Europe (Finland) when I bought my X-T2 and the low temperatures were reducing an already short battery life. Even keeping the camera in the bag as long as possible so the battery does not become too cold.
(BTW I admit that me freezing fingers were also limiting. :D )

Long battery life is not only for people taking thousands of shots.

A Nikon package including the Nikon D7500, Tamron 100-400, Tamron 90mm macro, Tamron 35mm1.8. Total price $3,195, Price for the x-t3 with 100-400, 80mm macro and 35mm 1.4 $4,698. My guess is that the images from the x-t3 are not 47% better. If you shoot stills like I do, the value proposition with the Nikon is much better.

I agree with your point about considering value, but not your method of price comparison. Nikon lens prices (instead of Tamron) and the Fuji 35/2 which is more closely matched to a 35/1.8 lens would be more objective.

In terms of IQ you won't gain much. The D7200 is still among the best APS-C sensors out there. However, if you like how Fuji's system renders images then that could be a gain for you. In terms of Video the X-T3 is a way better in pretty much every aspect. In terms of battery life the X-T3 can't compare to your D7200. Fuji does have very nice lenses but so Nikon so that's more or a less a wash. From a size standpoint the Fuji will only be smaller if you shoot with primes and don't use the battery grip. With the grip on and when using their zooms it's more or less the same size as your D7200. One last thing is handling. You get more dedicated dials with the X-T3 and a lot of people really like that but the D7200 is pretty easy to use so that one is also a personal preference.

PS I've went from a D750 to an X-T2 and finally a A7RIII and can say this:

The D750 was the easiest to use. The controls were the most simple and most intuitive. For me the X-T2 and A7RIII are more or less the same.

The X-T2 rendered images the nicest and was the most fun to use.

The A7RIII has the best IQ and is the most flexible. I decided to go back to FF to get the added DR and high ISO performance along with increased resolution the A7RIII offered. Basically I get the benefits of the D750 and the X-T2 plus double the resolution with it.

It might depend on how many Nikon lenses you have and what you intend to use the X-T3 for. I also have the D7200, but only a few lenses, and I'm not convinced the X-T3 is a huge leap from the D7200, for stills. I don't use video so that removes a large number of the improvements. I'm going to wait for the reviews for the Z6 when it comes out and then decide whether to upgrade. If I was a professional, then that's a completely different discussion.

he has a d500 which is also apsc, so his 600mm is 900mm. Z7 has so many megapixel that you can just crop it to be an aps-c. Probably has DX mode on like other nikon.

I don’t think FF shooters would go back to APS-C. Size of FF cameras has dropped significantly with ML, the z7/6, large VF, some say better than D850’s, smaller than a D7500, eith incredible lens potential, are hsrd to beat. I’m one moving to FF, after 11 years with APS-C.

@rhlpetrus The FF bodies are getting smaller but the lenses are still large so Fuji is a good option for those of us who want/need a smaller overall system. I've been a Fuji owner since the X100S days and I can't wait to finally have a good focusing camera again (compared to my old Canon 1DX).
I'll admit the Nikon Z and EOS-R are tempting during this time of marketing hype but I have to keep reminding myself how much nicer it is to travel with my lighter Fuji. That 18-55 is a fantastic zoom for travel. If focus is on par, finally, I have no reason to switch back. AND two SD card slots which neither the Nikon or Canon has.

@RussW, Traveling lighter is a major factor for me. I've lugged (2) Pelican cases filled with 600mm, 500mm, 400mm, 300mm primes for many years as a pro. I understand the big glass benefits and issues very well. I'm semi retired now and do not need to cover all bases with lenses as before. That said, I would want more than 400mm (600mm 35mm equiv). After 50 years with Nikon I'd like a change and like what I see so far on this Fuji. a couple fast primes, a short and long zoom would fill all my needs.

I own the Fuji 100-400 and though I like the lens, its performance is weakest at 400mm. It would be nice if there were some other telephoto options for Fuji. The only times I ever think about buying Canon is when I look at that telephoto lens lineup.

I think bringing down the cost of it's MF would be a much better move.

Bringing down the cost of MF is weeks away according to the rumors.

FF is the only domain that matters.

FF is just a crop of medium. Saying "FF is the only domain that matters", as if its some kind of holy grail, is silly. If you don't believe me, check out any of the numerous A7III vs A6500 comparisons out there. Other than better DR at the fringes and a little more bokeh, the images are basically identical for all practical purposes.

May be it's your monitor?

Bayer also has more green diodes than red or blue...

Fuji is going to announce a new medium format camera.

Announcing at a trade show means that news is quickly buried under the onslaught - and once it disappears from the front-page of websites it might as well be gone for good. Announcing on your own means that you get the spotlight. First we had Nikon for a week. Then Canon for a couple of days. Now Fuji. Next up is Sony.

This is actually one of Fujifilm's strenghts: firmware updates do not only correct bugs, Fujifilm listens to their customers and provide them with new features.

Do they offer silent, FAST 20-35mm lenses which incl OIS?

It seems that deciding to not include IS in the 16-55/2.8 is biting back pretty bad...

@Indik. I have been talking about his for ages. It really sucks. I also have the Xt20. I don't see anyone complaining about how big the grip is on the Sony A6500 or their A series, but I see a lot of complains about how small the fuji camera grips are. I am with you.

I have brick size hands!

@Tical, agree: It is not the amount of blurriness that makes an interesting image.
Only problem I have when I see the 16-55 images is, that the out-of-focus areas are really distracting at times. Just like with my stone-age Canon 17-55 2.8.
If the out-of-focus areas where simply smoother, that would help a lot. Honestly, would be a little unhappy with the 16-55.

Two turkeys do not make an eagle.

The M50 is not a turkey and the X-T3 is not an eagle.

@jaap51

Where the heck did that comparison come from?!

But I will play this game as well, if you don't need 4K then you can get 3 Sony a6000's for the same amount of money.

Anyone else?

You could buy 12 Canon Ixus 185s for that price!

I know about the stupid EU rule, I wonder if they have removed it for the rest of the world.

If Sony managed to surpass D500, I don't see why Fuji can't.

What does the X-T2 have to do with the X-T3? This is like the whole fake news thing. The T3 has a new BSI sensor and and faster, quad core prosessor and does 240 af calculations vs 60 with the older processor. It also can focus down to -3 EV. If that all that doesn’t help auto focus, I don’t know what else will.

This is a new generation camera. Not an update to the older OS.

What it has to do with the X-T2 is that when it was released it was supposed to be AF killer and it turned out to be quite a bummer. It's really not that hard to deduce that there's no phase detect in AF-C (on the account of all the seraching for contrast) and Fuji is simply lying about it in their specs, jsut as they did with ISO before that. So what is does have to do with X-T2 is that claims about X-T3 come for a company with history of deception about their products.

A typical BS comment, Fujifilm Basher lakkot, DR is better than a ancient A6000. Already the older Fuji Gear, Reviews and YT Videos showed, that Fuji does have much DR.

Someone must be angry with its block-design body, unergonomic haptics, plasticky build quality, and limited lenses selection, speaking of APS-C Sony.

Oh, and i've almost forgot to mention the abysmal, inferior so-so 1.44 MP EVF onto the A6000, even my NEX6 EVF is better - and 2.36 MP.

Anyway - Haters gonna hate, ignore such Trolls here posting by new Fujifilm Gear. Lakkot, enjoy your A7 III, but don't bash here into the Fujifilm Gear Thread.

@mark petzold, please leave lakkot alone I know him from a previous discussion and he really needs his moment of hate from time to time, it makes his finance and stuff more bearable. So yes lakkot, Fuji sucks, it’s a company that lies all the time, it is the cause of Ebola, natural disasters and all the terrible things in this world, but I am sure you’re comments will right all that and make the world a better place. We are truly blessed to have ( can’t wait for your comment back, already popping some corn)

entoman, I think if I were shooting action on this I'd set it for auto ISO, minimum shutter speed as appropriate, and just work the aperture ring. That's pretty close to what I already do on my RX10 IV (except you can't set a mininum shutter speed, just "fast" or "faster" which is actually less helpful because sometimes it'll force an unnecessarily fast shutter and crank the ISO to do it) and it works really well. So no concerns there on my end.

@bolt - A lot. Nikon DX00 series and canon 7D series. The extra reach of the cropped sensor is very nice and desirable and/or saves a lot of money on the lenses.

The key would be having a recall button or a memory setting that allowed you to get the camera into a pre-set "action mode" right away. On the RX10 IV, I have a custom hold assigned to that. If I'm out doing general shooting and see an animal, I have a custom button which when held down will put the camera into shutter priority mode with a 1/800s shutter speed, allow the ISO to go a stop higher than normal if necessary, switch the drive mode to high-speed burst, and engage tracking autofocus. As soon as I let go the camera returns to normal. It's pretty sweet. I haven't looked at this Fuji closely enough to know if something like that is an option, but I'd hope so.

I also admit that IBIS is a godsend for photography (I’m posting from mobile and cannot edit previous comments, sorry).

I wouldn't go so far as to say that you only need IBIS for video, but I think you can argue that it's video that most clearly benefits from it. In stills, IBIS isn't definitively better than in-lens IS, and it tends to add some degree of size, weight and cost.

If Fujifilm ends up offering parallel X-T and X-H models without and with IBIS, respectively, then each user can make their own choice. If enough people vote with their money, I doubt any company will take a hard line on the matter.

H1 too large, don't need LCD on top, want my exposure dial, too expensive.

IBIS isn't definitively better than in-lens IS for stills, but many lenses don't feature in-lens IS...

I for one don't care about IBIS. It makes the camera more direct.
Think about it as automatic transmission vs full manual. If I blur my images, I pretty much now what I did wrong. Do I like dropping my exposure from 1/30th to 1/125th and lose 2 stops? no, but that way, everything is sharp.

IBIS 👍👍👍

I'm not saying IBIS is better than in lens IS, I'm saying IBIS is better than a lens/body combination with neither. As great as Canon's 28-70/2 & 50/1.2 may be, neither will be stabilised - which is why I left them in the first place.

@ Richard: I am very much looking forward to the IQ comparison as I have high hopes for this BSI sensor. Sure you don't want to make any assumptions at all? ;-)

That's fair enough: to each their own. But, even though I'm personally excited about the X-T3 because it looks like being such a strong stills and video camera, I think Fujifilm has done a decent amount even for dedicated stills shooters. The AF is significantly improved, the viewfinder is better and the battery life it a bit longer.

I guess my point is that the X-T3 feels, to me, like a surprisingly big step forward. Surprising because I already really like the X-T2.

don't forget the improvements in processing and 2 high speed card slots. huge deal.

The 3.6 Mpix EVF is way more than enough of an upgrade for me. Long overdue in my opinion.

Doesn’t have to be big and chunky as long as it has a decent grip. I have a lumix g85 as my light camera for trips and hikes. I did dislike the XE2-S for its ergonomics even with the optional grip. Though great colours. Never felt I had to change anything in post. I mentioned a couple of points with the XT2 that seem to be fixed with the XT3. It’s also a bit deeper for a better grip. ;)