With all of the big mirrorless announcements lately from Nikon and Canon, it’s easy to forget that Fuji were expected to also announce a new camera this week. Fuji X-T3 rumours have been floating around since at least July, but now it’s finally here. And, on paper, it seems like it’s everything we hoped it would be.
The X-T3 really appears to be a completely brand new camera from Fuji. It has a new sensor, as well as a new processor and massively improved video capabilities with a major focus on speed.
26MP X-Trans 4 BSI CMOS sensorISO 160-12800 (80-51200 extended)Quad-core X-Processor 42.16 million AF points (425 selectable)New face and eye detection algorithms3.0″ 1.04m-dot tilting touchscreen LCD30fps blackout-free mechanical shooting (electronic shutter, 1.25x crop)11fps continuous shooting (mechanical shutter, full sensor)4K DCI 60 frames per second (1.18x crop)4K DCI 30 frames per second (full sensor)1080p 120 frames per second (1.29x crop)10Bit 4:2:2 external video10Bit 4:2:0 internal videoh.264 and h.265 codecsHDMI, USB, WiFi & Bluetooth connectivityDual SD Card slotsWeather sealed magnesium alloy body
That speed results in the big news of 30 frames per second continuous high speed shooting, with no blackout and autofocus/exposure tracking. Of course, this does come at a little expense. You do have to drop to 1.25x crop mode or “Sports finder mode”. This brings the crop down to around 1.9x compared to a full frame 35mm sized sensor. So, just a tad larger than Micro Four Thirds. But that still results in a 16.6MP image. You are using the electronic shutter in this mode, but the rolling shutter is supposed to be drastically improved in this model. In regular mechanical shutter mode, the camera shoots a still impressive 11 frames per second. The speed of the X-T3 is possible partly due to new quad-core X-Processor 4. It has 3x the processing power of that found in the X-T2. This means it has more capability for processing autofocus data, as well as the images shot with the camera. And speaking of the autofocus, the X-T3 features 2.16 million pixels that work as phase detection autofocus covering 100% of the sensor. Yes, that’s right, it has 2.16 million autofocus points, with 425 of them being user-selectable. The autofocus & exposure systems also now work independently of each other. As explained in the video above, the way it used to work is that they would essentially timeshare CPU power. It would autofocus a bit, then meter a bit, then af a bit, meter a bit. Now, the two are completely independent and both autofocus and metering happen simultaneously, so one isn’t slowing down the other.
For manually focusing, Fuji have added a digital microprism. While some users might find this somewhat unusual or frustrating, this will be nothing new to those old school film shooters. It’s an interesting idea, and I’m curious what people will make of it in the real world once the camera becomes available. Does it compare to a real 35mm SLR microprism? Or is it just a useless gimmick?
The video capabilities are also vastly improved, even over the video-centric Fuji X-H1. It’ll shoot 4K DCI at 60 frames per second and up to 400Mbps with a 1.18x crop. 4K DCI at 30 frames per second uses the entire sensor. It also shoots 1080p slow motion at 120 frames per second with a 1.29x crop – with no interpolation like the X-H1. For exposure, zebra stripes have also been added, along with the existing focus peaking for checking focus. The X-T3 can also output video at 10Bit 4:2:0 internally, thanks to the H.265 codec, and 10Bit 4:2:2 through the HDMI output for those using external recorders. With Panasonic & Fuji now capable of 10Bit internal recording, and even the Nikon Z6/Z7 & Canon EOS R capable of 10Bit 4:2:2 HDMI output, the pressure will be on Sony to step up their 8Bit video game. I think Fuji shooters looking to upgrade, especially if that reason is speed, will be rather pleased with the X-T3. It will be available in black & silver, body only or packaged with an 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens.
Fujifilm X-T3 Body only (Black) – $1,499Fujifilm X-T3 Body only (Silver) – $1,499Fujifilm X-T3 & 18-55mm f/2.8-4 (Black) – $1,899Fujifilm X-T3 & 18-55mm f/2.8-4 (Silver) – $1,899
Pre-orders open up on September 7th, and will ship on the 20th. You can find out more about the camera and see complete specs on the Fujifilm website.
