Big test
PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURE LATITUDE Exposure brackets were taken in a wide variety of lighting conditions and then the Raws were exposure- corrected in Adobe Lightroom. In this scenario, the +3EV frame fared poorly and the exposure-corrected frame had washed out, veiled
SPECS › Prices £1299 body only, £1399 X-T50 with XC15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, £1649 with XF16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR › In the box X-T50, body cap, NP- W126S lithium-ion battery, strap, USB-C cable, headphone adapter › Resolution 40.2 megapixels › Sensor X-Trans CMOS 5 HR, 23.5x15.7mm (APS-C), 6864x5152 pixels (4:3); 7728x5152 pixels (3:2) › Image processor X-Processor 5 › Image formats 14-bit Raw, JPEG, HEIF › Storage media One SD/SDHC/SDXC, UHS-II › ISO range 125-12,800, expanded to 64, 80, 100, 25,600, 51,200 › In-body image stabilisation Five-axis image sensor shift with 7EV benefit › Shutter Mechanical: 15mins to 1/4000sec in S/M mode, B up to 60mins. Electronic: 15mins to 1/180,000sec in S/M mode, B 1sec fixed. Flash sync with mechanical shutter: 1/180sec or slower › Exposure system PASM, 256- zone multi, centre-weighted, spot, average › Exposure compensation +/-5EV in 0.3EV steps › Monitor 3in tilt-type touch panel, 1.84m dots › Viewfinder 0.39in OLED, 2.36m dots › Focusing Intelligent Hybrid AF, 117/425 AF points in 13x9/25x17 array, zone AF in 3x3, 5x5, 7x7. Subject detection AF: animals, birds (the setting to use for insects), cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes (use this for drones) › Drive modes Mechanical shutter: up to 8fps, up to 56 frames in lossless compressed Raw. Electronic shutter: up to 13fps, up to 21 frames in lossless compressed Raw. Electronic shutter: up to 20fps (1.29x crop) up to 31 frames in lossless compressed Raw › Pre-shot mode Electronic shutter: up to 20fps (1.29x crop) › Video MOV and MP4 formats. 6.2K 6240x3510 23.98p/24p/25p/29.97p. DCI4K HQ (17x9) 4096x2160 23.98p/24p/25p/29.97p. DCI4K (17x9) 4096x2160 23.98p/24p/25p/ 29.97p/50p/59.94p › Battery One NP-W126S, up to 305 shots in normal mode › Connectivity HDMI Type D, USB-C, 3.5mm microphone socket, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth › Other key features (still) 20 Film Simulation modes including new Reala Ace, autoexposure bracketing, Film Simulation bracketing, focus bracketing, multiple exposure up to nine frames, HDR mode, Advanced Filters, Grain Effect, interval timer › Dimensions (wxhxd) 123.8x84x48.8mm › Body weight 438g (with card and battery) › Contact fujifilm-x.com
highlights as well as a slight cyan cast in the sky. There was no issue with the +1EV and +2EV shots that looked identical to the correctly exposed frame. Underexposure was well-handled, though the -3EV frame showed a minor increase in grain, especially evident in areas of even tone like the sky. The -1EV and -2EV shots responded well to correction; the results looked identical to the correctly exposed shot.
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Now, back to the Film Simulation dial. This features eight pre-assigned berths; three are customisable (FS1, 2, 3), while C allows you to choose the Film Simulation mode in the menu. The Acros setting can be set to one of the four looks on offer: Std, Ye, R and G. In total, this means you have 12 looks at your disposal – but only in C can you individually fine-tune, for example, the Grain, Clarity and two Chrome effects. Bring these extras into play and the effects are across the board – unless you delve into the menu each time you change style. Perhaps a future firmware update will enable the three FS settings to store individual recipes. Use the physical dial and a virtual dial appears on the monitor and EVF – a nice touch – so it is extra clear
is no dedicated movie record button, assigning this button to perform that function makes handling sense. The camera’s back is home to the usual line-up of menu, playback and function buttons. The Q quick menu button is a bit more awkward to reach, as it sits on the protruding thumb ledge, and the focus joystick is too low for my taste. Using both does mean you need your left hand to take the camera’s weight while you make the quick grip rearrangement. The same can’t be said for the AF-ON button, which is excellent, prominent and easy to use. With many camera makers taking the fully articulating route with their monitors, the X-T50’s screen folds out for low- and high-level shooting, but it can’t be set to face forwards for convenient vlogging and selfies.
POOR LIGHT, NO PROBLEM The X-T50’s IBIS helps get pin-sharp shots when shutter speeds drop. This street scene was shot at 1/8sec at f/4.1 and ISO 3200 with the Raw processed via default noise reduction
Issue 116 | Photography News 27
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