accurate size comparison: Fujifilm X-E3 vs Sony A7c vs Fujifilm X-T30
I blog on FujiRumors since almost a decade now, and over all these years, I have heard many times announcements of the death of the Fujifilm X series since the launch of the original Sony A7. And the same “Fujifilm APS-C is dead” voices continue to come back, may it be the announcement fo the Nikon Z5 or the imminent announcement of the Sony A7c.
Now, I already showed which compromises “cheap” full frame cameras have to do, in order to compete with high end APS-C cameras. You can check it out in this article.
But today we talk about the Sony A7c, a camera that will be priced above $2k according to SonyAlphaRumors (hence more than twice the price of the Fujifilm X-E3).
Above you can see a size comparison between Sony A7c and Fujifilm X-E3 and X-T30.
And yet, it’s not only about price. Let’s check out 7 key differences between APS-C and Full Frame.
Disclaimer (read to avoid anger :) )
No matter if full frame, APS-C or medium format. There is not the perfect sensor size, and each system has its Pros and Cons.
However, this article is just an attempt to try to understand, why DPReview and Petapixel think that APS-C is the sweet spot. So I listed a few reasons, where APS-C could be considered better than full frame.
By no means I want to say that full frame or medium format is worse. All I want to say is that also APS-C has it’s strong cards to play in the current mirrorless war.
Tony Northrup has recently released 2 videos, stating that the Fujifilm X-T4 has a serious overheating issue. So much so, that he called the X-T4 “flawed”. I will share both videos down below.
Balbo42 was curious about it and tested the X-T4 overheating by himself. Turns out he could not back it up. Here is what he says:
Tony says the X-T4 overheats badly in video (in his video he calls the X-T4 “flawed” because of that)
potential buyers are of course scared by that, and might not buy X-T4 after such a negative review
he says that Tony ends up recommending buying a used Fujifilm X-T3, and Balbo42 points out that Tony’s video is sponsored by KEH, which sells used gear
[FR-admin: I don’t think Tony did it to drive sales to his affiliation partner. In the Fuji community, there is a good number of X shooters, who recommend to buy X-T3 over X-T4, unless you really want IBIS and longer battery life. Tony is just one of those.]
in the X-T4 manual, it’s written that it has 20 minutes 4K60p limit, which can be shorter in hot outside temperatures
he brought out his camera at 30˚ Celsius (86˚Fahrenheit) and shot at 4K60p
after 20 minutes the camera asks to be turned off
if you turn off at that point, and quickly switch on again, then you can record for 2 to 5 minutes again
he turned the camera off and let it rest for 30 minutes on his balcony (at 86 fahrenheit)
he then filmed for 19:30 again, before the camera turned off
another 30 minutes break on the balcony
he then filmed again 20 more minutes in 4K60p
he gets the same results at H265 and H264
no footage was lost. The camera always stored the file before shutting off
the camera is not flawed like Tony Northrup says. It’s just not designed to film hours and hours of content in 4K60p. It’s written also in the manual that it has a 20 minutes limit in 4K60p
4K60p is the most intensive for the processor
if he shoots at 4K30p, the manual says you can film 30 minutes (an arbitrary limit due to old EU tariffs). So it’s a software limit, not hardware limit
he filmed 30 minutes 4K30p, got not overheating warning
after 30 minutes, he just switched OFF and then immediately ON the camera again, and he filmed 30 more minutes, without any overheating warning
he switched OFF and ON again, and it filmed again 30 minutes with no warning
at 4K30p 30 minutes limit is purely software limit
usually he never shoots 4K60p for a long time, he just needs it to make some slow motion B-Roll
if you do not buy the Fujifilm X-T4 because of Tony Northrup, you will be missing out on an amazing hybrid camera
Now, I never run an torture test on my X-T4, but in all the long videos I filmed for my COVID-19 caused online lessons, my Fujifilm X-T4 was an extremely reliable film-partner.
The only thing that annoyed me, was that with my 64GB SD-Card, it recorded the video in 1 single clip, but when I switched to my 32GB card, it spilt the video in multiple smaller files. This is something that is written in the manual, and I forgot for a moment. So, from there on, I only used 64GB cards or higher, so I get one nice big file to work on in post.
I agree with Balbo42, the Fujifilm X-T4 is an amazing hybrid camera. Calling if flawed is… well… let’s say a “bold” statement.
But hey, this is FujiRumors. We share it all, and you guys make up your own mind.
I did my best to run FujiRumors during my holiday in South Italy, and I hope you did not notice all too much that I was busy with jumping into crystal clear water, eating ice cream and enjoying cool beers (my reward after months of COVID-19 caused home teaching).
But now I am at home again, and FujiRumors has all my attention again… so, get ready for some good stuff coming in August ;).
And in case you were busy with holidays too and missed some of our articles, here is a list of top ten July posts that you should better not have missed.
With that said, even on holidays, be careful, take your precautions and make sure to stay safe.
We just reported about how the Fujifilm X-T4 firmware 1.02 improved video autofocus performance in this dedicated article (with video comparison).
Now here is part 2 of our Fujifilm X-T4 firmware 1.02 coverage, and this time we focus on IBIS.
Down below you can see three videos. All three say that IBIS has indeed been significantly improved (and confirm our early report here).
However, kushagra K noticed that in one specific scenario, IBIS seems to be worse with firmware 1.02 compared to 1.01: Boost Mode! (that’s the mode used to emulate a tripod and should not be used when panning or moving the camera)
According to kushagra K, Boost mode now gives some wavy movements in the corners, that were not there with firmware 1.01. The Issue is more visible with wide angle lenses.
Again, mostly the feedback is very positive, but the thing with the Boost Mode has to be investigated further and, if confirmed, Fujifilm better quickly works to fix it.
There was not mention of anything autofocus related, but as FujiRumors reported here, one of the hidden improvements should be better video autofocus with DC motor driven lenses (such as the Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2, which until firmware 1.01 was a horrible lens for video AF).
Now the French channel Les Guides Fujifilm & Sony tested Fujifilm X-T4 firmware 1.02 using the XF56mmF1.2 and also compared it to firmware 1.01.
What he notices:
Firmware 1.01 – many hesitations and pumping
– not acceptable
Firmware 1.02 – walking faster: wow, it reacts pretty well
– when his subject walked slowly, it did not hesitate at all
– pumping movements he had with firmware 1.01 are mostly gone, almost perfect
– when his subject moves out of frame and then back in frame, the camera detects his face and does not hesitate when locking on his face
– the focus moves more gracefully
He rightfully wonders why Fujifilm didn’t mention this big improvement on his official firmware 1.02 page, but luckily there is FujiRumors for that ;).
Available Now here – JYJZPB NP-W235 2250mAh Replacement Battery for Fujifilm, 2-Pack Camera Batteries with Battery Charger for Fujifilm X-T4
Fujfiilm X-T4
The Fujifilm X-T4 hit the market a few months ago, but overall passed a bit unnoticed, as, you know, the world was busy handling with other issues in the last few months.
But the X-T series is and remains the one camera line, that gives Fujifilm the biggest financial success, and as a consequence the camera line most X shooters own.
So, today we dedicate a roundup to the Fujifilm X-T4, a camera that is giving great satisfaction to owners (me included).
In today’s roundup, we have:
X-T4 feedback we received from FR-reader Tom
comparisons with Sony A7III and Panasonic S1H
a review from a Sony user perspective
a review of X-T4 for wildlife photography
and much more
Some of the videos come with handy FujiRumors-made summary ;).
Of course each of these 4 motors has its Pros and Cons, you can read about it here.
Today we want to focus only the DC coreless AF motors, which are the best option if you have to move fast and big glass elements without making the lens too big. Some lenses that employ the DC coreless AF motor are the glorious Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 and the XF23mmF1.4. Of course it’s used also in not so fast lenses, such as one of my favorites mounted on my X-E3, the lovely XF27mmF2.8.
NOTE: FYI: 35/1.4 has a stepping motor
Why do we talk about it today?
Well, we recently shared a Fujinon XF video autofocus review by Philip Bloom, where he showed that the XF56mm F1.2 performs very bad.
What Fujifilm did not tell us, but luckily X guru Rico Pfirstinger told us, is that Fujifilm X-T4 firmware 1.02 also improved autofocus performance with lenses sporting a DC coreless AF motor.
It would be great if Philip Bloom could repeat his test with the XF56mmF1.2. He should notice a significant improvement.
Speaking of Rico…
Rico is offering online workshops (in German). They are usually sold out quickly, with long waiting lists on top of it. But it happens that there are a few last spots left for 2 of them.
Keep in mind, the workshops are in German language.
It’s done, I made it. An unreal school year is over.
It was A LOT of work for me, to teach online, but I took it also as an opportunity to explore new creative ways of teaching.
And surely it came to my help, that I can use Final Cut Pro X, I have several tripods and cameras etc, as this allowed me to have the tools and skills to translate into video my creative ideas.
But in a part of Italy, where a German minority lives (video of my province). This is why I speak both languages, Italian and German, fluently.
Also, I am a primary school teacher, so I teach German to kids that belong to the Italian language group. Hence German is their second language.
And since my “customers” are kids, I’ve tried to always throw something fun into my lessons, just to put some lightness into a situation that was very hard for them.
For example, in one video, I triplicated myself and made up a fun conversation between three Patrick’s during Grammar lesson, as you can see from the screenshot here.
That’s something I could have never done in the classroom, and only the online teaching allowed me to do.
I started by filming everything with my X-E3, but once I got the X-T4, I switched to it as my main camera, and it has surely served me better than my X-E3, because:
the selfie screen was useful and practical
ETERNA was glorious
longer recording times
better video quality
more creative tools (like super-slow motion)
IBIS for when my wife had to film me handheld for stable footage
solid battery life
So, my first impact with the X-T4 was pure love! Everything I needed, it did it better than my X-E3.
But life is not only video…
X-T4 for my Passion
Last weekend I drove down to Tuscany with my wife (it’s a 4 hours drive only from my home), as a little reward for a frankly extremely busy time.
On that trip, I used the Fujifilm X-T4 only for photography.
Here is what I liked, and what not.
Loves
overall performance… it’s a beast
shutter sound is so buttery smooth
battery life: it just kept running, and running, and running… awesome!
I have my ISO dial back
oh… a D-Pad, how nice is that
Hates
no more one handed operation (on my X-E3 every button and dial is on the right side of the camera and can easily be operated with the right hand only)
bigger and heavier (although with some lenses this is actually better)
for reviewing images on LCD, I always have to flip screen out. On the other hand this helps to review images less, like with the hidden X-Pro3 LCD
And the Selfie Screen?
Well, the selfie screen deserves a special chapter.
I found some unexpected love for it, as well as one hate.
Loves
keep it tilt inwards protects the screen
keep it tilt inwards makes the camera look so wonderful vintage
keep it tilt inwards and you’ll review images way less, like on X-Pro3
keep it tilt inwards and you won’t accidentally activate the touch screen, which happens to me now and then on the X-E3 (I keep the touch LCD always deactivated on my X-E3, but it activates if I accidentally touch the upper right part of the screen)
for my video lessons, I just loved it
unlike the X-T100 screen, the X-T4 can tilt also in portrait mode
Hates
I use the Peak Design Leash camera strap, and when I tilted out the screen, sometimes the strap covered the screen, so I had to move the strap behind the screen. Hence, not only it takes a bit more time to tilt out the screen (as opposed to only flip it out on X-T3), but then also fiddle around with the strap. This was probably the most annoying aspect of the selfie screen. So much so, that I think I am considering to get Peak Design Cuff camera wrist strap and solve the “problem”
Conclusion?
Well, if it wasn’t for the selfie videos I had to do, I’d still consider the X-T3 and X-H1 screen design superior for my needs. But on the other hand the selfie screen has some advantages, that you can’t get with X-T3 screen, especially if you use mostly the EVF and want to keep the LCD tilted inwards.
Hence, I am happy with the X-T4 screen.
Images Anyone?
So, how was my Tuscany mini-trip?
Awesome!
And although we had only one day of good weather, and the other two were rainy and misty, I had lots of fun to be simply out and photograph again.
I shared one image on my Instagram page already, where I tested Classic Negative.
Classic Negative is great. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all, but when it works, it’s just awesome. In street photography it will surely shine, but also in landscape photography, as you can see below, it can give lovely results.
Now I have to get some paperwork done for the end of the school, and after that, I might share more images of my trip on Instagram… and bring you with me on my summer holidays, where so far I have planed nothing actually, except to climb my beloved Dolomites.
take care and have fun with your photography,
Patrick
