Camera test 39
Photography News | Issue 50 | photographynews.co.uk
Performance: ISO
This low light scene was shot with the X-E3 fitted with the 23mm f/2 lens and tripod mounted. The base exposure was 1sec at f/5.6 and ISO 100. The in-camera noise reduction was set to zero and the Raws processed in Lightroom CC with default noise reduction set. Shoot at ISOs of 800 and under and you are guaranteed images packed with detail, with deep blacks and sparkling highlights and free of digital noise. By ISO 1600 faint signs of noise appear
but even this speed is still capable of excellent image quality and big enlargements. Digital noise is more evident at ISO 3200, especially in the shadows, but detail remains crisply clear and the noise itself is neutral, and filmic it still looks good. Many cameras don’t make it to ISO 3200 with low noise pictures and even fewer get to ISO 6400 without really obtrusive noise, but the X-E3 does. If the light is that bad, you
can set ISO 6400 on the X-E3 safe in the knowledge that image quality is still high even though noise is clearly visible in the shadows. Images have plenty of crisp detail, blacks remain solid and saturation still rates as good. By the time you get to ISO 12,800, the level of noise is much higher and the obvious grain effect populates the highlights as well as the shadows, but it’s still a decent showing for such a high sensitivity.
ISO 200
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
Original image
ISO 6400
ISO 12,800
ISO 25,600
ISO 51,200
Above images The X-E3 shares the same sensor and image processor as other X-series cameras so we expected, and got, high image quality even at very fast ISO speeds.
too. You can use it to shoot, just focus or to select AF point – in the latter case, you can’t use the touchscreen to chooseAFpoint while the eye is up to the EVF. You just have to rely on the focus lever for this. I tried the X-E3 for some street shooting with an 18-55mm and the 18mm. Touch AF proved very useful – even with a fixed monitor – while shooting from the hip with Wide/Tracking mode and face detect selected also worked well. By its nature, this form of shooting is inevitably hit-and-miss but the X-E3’s success rate was pretty good. Generally, I thought the X-E3’s AF performed well in most situations and the many options help you to fine-tune the system to the situation. The X-E3 has good continuous shooting credentials without the need to select a boost mode (which isn’t available anyway) or a battery grip. With the mechanical shutter, top shooting rate is 8fps. When tested, using a Lexar 1000xmicroSD card and with Raw and Fine JPEG shooting selected, I got 9fps and a burst of 32 frames at that rate. The camera then slows down to about 1.5fps, and the buffer took about 25sec to clear.
Set the electronic shutter, and you have the continuous shooting option of 11fps or 14fps. On test, I got 14fps –with the same parameters as before – for 24 frames before the camera slowed down to 5fps for a few frames before slowing down further. With Fine JPEG only set, I got 70 frames at the top shooting rate before slowing down to around 6fps. The X-E3 is not sold as a camera aimed at the action shooter, but despite that it’s pretty capablewhen it comes to continuous burst shooting. While all is well with the X-E3 I found a few minor detractions but these are not peculiar to this model and are present in other X-models. The low magnification of Raw previews so you have to shoot JPEGs too, the self-timer cancelling every time the camera is switched off and the menu not returning to the last used item. I’d also like the lock feature found on the X-T2. This lets you select key controls to take out of use and it’s very useful. One of Fujifilm’s famous firmware fixestosortthosewouldbewonderful and make the excellent X-E3 even better because it’s a very fine camera that is great to use and turns in top quality images too.
I thought the X-E3’sAF
performed well in most situations and the many options help you fine-tune the system to the situation
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