Photography News Issue 64

First look 23

Photography News | Issue 64 | photographynews.co.uk

FujifilmX-T30 The small and perfectly formed FujifilmX-T30 builds on the considerable success of the X-T20 and offers much of the impressive feature set of the pro-spec X-T3, but in a compact form and at a killer price

Specs

Prices X-T30 body only £849,

X-T30with XC15-45mm lens £899, X-T30with XF18-55mm lens £ 1199 Sensor 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 Sensor format 23.5x15.6mm, APS-C ISO range 200-12,800, expanded ISO 80, 100, 125, 25,600, 51,200 Shutter range Mechanical shutter 30secs to 1/4000sec, electronic shutter 30secs to 1/32,000sec, flash sync 1/180sec Drivemodes Mechanical shutter 8fps top speed, 20fps with electronic shutter, up to 30fps electronic shutter with 1.25x crop Metering system 256-zone, multi, spot, average, centre-weighted Exposuremodes PASM, Advanced SR Auto Exposure compensation +/-5EV, autobracketing up to nine frames Monitor 3in, 1.04milliondot Viewfinder 2.36million dot OLED, 100% view Focusing Intelligent hybrid AF, (TTL contrast/ TTL phase detect AF) Focus points 13x9 or 25x17 zones. Zone AF 3x3, 5x5, 7x7 from91 areas on 13x9 grid. Wide tracking AF (up to 18 areas). Single and All Video 4K 4096x2160 29.97p, 25p, 24p, 23.98p, 200Mbps/100Mbps up to tenmins, Full HD Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, geotagging, USB 3.1, HDMI micro Other key features 16 Film Simulationmodes, eight advanced filters (toy camera, miniature, soft focus, etc), in-body Raw conversion, ISO, film simulation and focus bracketing (1-999steps) Storagemedia 1 x SD card Dimensions (wxhxd) 118.4x82.8x46.8mm Weight 383g body with battery Contact fujifilm.eu

Words by Terry Hope

In the eyes of many, small is beautiful – and for a number of very good reasons. For a start, the more compact a camera is, the more likely you are to carry it around with you. There’s also the advantage that it will take up less space in your luggage if you’re travelling, and it’s going to be lighter carry for long periods. For sure, there might be an assumption that a ‘serious’ camera needs to be a certain size to have credibility, but then again, if you look at the feature set offered by the latest Fujifilm X-T30, then you’ll quickly understand this is not necessarily the case. The Fujifilm X-T20 has proved itself to be one of the most successful cameras in the company’s history, and the design team has clearly taken note. So it is that the formula hasn’t been messed with and the new X-T30 is remarkably similar in appearance and size, with just a little shaved off thanks to a slimmed- downLCDscreen. Fromthe front, it’s virtually identical, while on the back

news is the X-T30 comes with around 90% of the feature set of the more expensive, but still highly popular, X-T3, while being more compact and around 65% of the price. It features the same updated 26.1-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor as its big brother, backed up by the latest X-Processor 4 with Quad-Core CPU, which is around three times faster than the previous version. The camera weighs in at just 383g (body only) and feels light and well balanced in the hands. For those with sausage fingers, it might almost be a tad too compact since the various buttons are, by necessity, very close together, but I found it easy to find my way around and very similar in operation to the X-T20. For those who know that particular camera, this will be a logical step up, and Fujifilm is building on a proven success that offers just that little bit extra.

the only really noticeable change is the welcome addition of a focus lever to make negotiation of the menu a little simpler. Most of the updates have happened internally, and the good

The X-T30 comes with around 90% of the feature set of the more expensive, but still hugely popular, X-T3

Left The FujifilmX-T30 sports the company’s latest APS-C sensor: a 26 megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4

A pro’s view: Marianne Chua

Professional photographer Marianne Chua was given an X-T30 to use, and she passed on her comments about the camera at the launch. “About 90% of what I cover is weddings,” she says, “and the remainder is corporate and press events. I received an X-T30 in January and, although I didn’t have any weddings taking place then, I had a couple of trips lined up. I took a pre-production camera with me on these, fitted with the XF18-55mm lens.

“For me the experience was highly enjoyable and I loved the freedom of being about to walk around with a camera that was so compact I hardly felt like I was even carrying anything. I could tuck it under my coat while I was walking around Istanbul, so it was inconspicuous. “Though I love taking pictures and really enjoy my professional work, I have to say that, making my living from photography, I’m not so keen

on picking up my professional X-T3 camera on my days off. However, working with the X-T30 was different and liberating, and I was more than happy to be walking around taking pictures for my own pleasure. It didn’t feel like work – I was like an enthusiast, looking for pictures and shooting for myself. “The speed of the autofocus and the eye and face detection was amazing and I did a little whoop of delight when I realised the new

camera had a focus lever, which was something I’d fed back to Fujifilm I was looking for. It’s great to think their designers might be taking on board the comments of its users. “As a professional, I’ll be sticking with my X-T3 cameras for weddings, but the X-T30 will certainly have a role to play as a back-up body, and it’s also a camera I’ll be using extensively for my personal projects.”

mariannechua.com