Photography News Issue 65

Camera test 18

Photography News | Issue 65 | photographynews.co.uk

FujifilmX-T30 Following in the footsteps of a successful product is always a challenge, but the latest Fujifilm camera is destined to be a winner

Specs

Prices X-T30 body only £849, X-T30with XC15-45mm lens £899, X-T30with XF 18-55mm lens £ 1199. Black and silver models available now; charcoal silver fromMay Sensor 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 Sensor format 23.5x15.6mm, APS-C ISO range 160-12,800, 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 SRAuto Exposure compensation +/-5EV, autobracketing up to nine frames Monitor 3in, 1.04million dots Viewfinder 2.36million dots 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, USB3.1, 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 (1-999 steps) Storagemedia 1 x SD/SDHC/SDXC Dimensions (wxhxd) 118.4x82.8x46.8mm Weight 383g body with battery Contact fujifilm.eu/uk Images The X-T30 is smaller and lighter than the X-T3. It also has built-in flash, an Advanced SR mode, a lower resolution EVF, a two-way tilting monitor, a smaller buffer and a slower top shooting rate of 8fps. Blackandsilvermodels availablenow; charcoal silver (shown here) fromMay

The X-T3 was the first model to feature the 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS4 sensorwith theX-Processor 4 image engine. Now we have the X-T30 using the same combination. The X-T3 costs £1349 body only and the X-T30 is £849. The winner here is the buyer who can enjoy Fujifilm’s very latest sensor at a great price. Leaving the sensor and processor aside, the two X Series cameras have several key features in

common, including the same native ISO range, top burst shooting speeds with the electronic shutter and phase detection AF with 99% format coverage. Of course, aside from price, there are important points of difference between the cameras, too. The X-T30 is smaller and lighter, it has a built-in flash and there’sAdvanced SRmode. It also has a lower resolution EVF, a two-way tilting monitor, a smaller buffer and a slower top shooting rate of 8fps with the mechanical shutter. But enough of the comparisons. Let’s concentrate on the X-T30 in more detail. Fujifilm broke the sensor concept mould when it came out with the X-Trans sensor with its ‘random’ pixel array. So, instead of the 2x2 pixel grid of the Bayer design sensor (used by everyone except Sigma) we have a 6x6 pixel grid, which means there’s a very low risk of moiré patterning and false colours. This also means there is no need for an artefact-defeating but resolution-sapping optical low-pass filter, which impacts on quality. Hence, resolution is as good as it can possibly be from that sensor. The fourth generation of the

Words by Will Cheung Rome images by Pete Townsend

The X-T30 is smaller and lighter, it has a built-in flash and there’s Advanced SRmode

There is much to be said for keeping it simple – and that’s Fujifilm’s philosophy when it comes to its X Series. In previous generations, we’ve seen the same sensor used across several cameras, with their market position determined by features and price.