If I should judge from the amount of emails I have received in the last days, I’d say that you guys were more impatiently waiting for Fujifilm X-T3 firmware 3.00 rather than for Game of Thrones season 8 ;).
I promised you I will be ready to inform you 0.01 seconds after the firmware is published, and so I did.
Some already asked for animal eye tracking, which is offered by Sony. Well, I remind you that this forgotten Fujifilm digital camera offered pet detection almost 10 years ago, so let’s hope Fujifilm will bring it to the Fujifilm X and GFX series, too.
Fujifilm X-T3 firmware version 3.00 has just been released. You can download it here.
The firmware update Ver.3.00 from Ver.2.10 incorporates the following issues:
Strengthened the accuracy of face / eye detection AF performance
The AF algorithm has been improved along with the accuracy of face / eye detection AF. The ability to detect faces in the distance has been enhanced by approximately 30% and AF tracking is now more stable, even when an obstacle appears in the way. The improvements in AF are applicable to both still photos and video recording.
New Face Select function
The Face Select function has been introduced to provide priority auto-focus, tracking and exposure on a selected subject when multiple faces have been detected. The priority face can be selected by using the touch screen or focus lever.
Faster AF speed for subjects at a distance
A Double Tap Setting and Touch Function has been added to the touch screen settings*. The two settings must be set to OFF to provide a better touch screen response. These new settings allow a more intuitive touch operation when shooting, AF and focus area select.
Intuitive operation of touch screen
A Double Tap Setting and Touch Function has been added to the touch screen settings(*1). The two settings must be set to OFF to provide a better touch screen response. These new settings allow a more intuitive touch operation when shooting, AF and focus area select.
*1：By default, Touch Screen Setting, Double Tap Setting and Touch Function are set to all OFF. Touch Screen Setting must be set to ON to use the touch screen function.
Focus frame when EYE DETECTION SETTING
When using EYE DETECTION SETTING, only focus frame on eye is displayed.
Improvement of AF/AE area tracking when using EVF
When using the EVF, tracking function for AF/AE area movement by touch screen is improved.
Push function of the Focus stick when INTERVAL TIMER SHOOTING
The push function is disabled when INTERVAL TIMER SHOOTING.
FLICKER REDUCTION function
The options are changed from ON/OFF to ALL FRAMES/FIRST FRAME/OFF. And when choosing FIRST FRAME, the speed of CH countinuous shooting is imroved.
Message when IMAGE TRANSFER ORDER
If there is no image of TRANSFER ORDER when turing on a camera, no message appears.
HOT: the 50% discount on Capture One Pro 12 has been extended through April.
X Camera Deals
Fujifilm X-T30 (save $300*): BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, FocusCamera
*save $300 with purchase of XF23mmF2, XF35mmF2, XF50mmF2, XC15-45 or XF18-55
Fujifilm X-T2 (save up to $700*): BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, FocusCamera *save $700 on body only, save $600 on XF18-55 kit. Additional bundle savings vary from store to store
Fujifilm X-T20 (save $100*): BHphoto, Adorama, AmazonUS, FocusCamera *save $100 on body only or kit with XF18-55, XC 16-60 or XC 15-45. Additional bundle savings vary from store to store
The Fujifilm X-T3 grabs almost all the attention in the Fuji X world. And surely it deserves it, but it also overshadows other cameras, which might not be as new and impressive in terms of specs, but they are still reliable workhorses or travel companions.
So here is a roundup of articles and videos about the Fujifilm X-T2, X-H1, X-E3 and more.
dpreview – studio scene test of Sony A6400 and Fujifilm X-T30 added
Fujifilm X-T30
Fujifilm managers said that the X-T10 and X-T20 are Fujifilm’s worldwide best sellers. And it is pretty safe to assume that the brand new Fujifilm X-T30 will continue this success story.
The Fuji X-T30 is indeed a “little giant”. It offers almost everything the Fujifilm X-T3 offers, but for a cheaper price.
So time to dedicate to the Fujifilm X-T30 its own roundup.
Gerald Undone has often critiqued Fujifilm quite hard and never recommended to buy Fujifilm, except for the Fujiflim X-T3. He now reviewed the Fujifilm X-T30 and compares it to the Sony A6400.
Interesting to note that he gets better autofocus tracking results in stills with the Fujifilm X-T30 over the Sony a6400. But the a6400 is the better choice for video autofocus.
overheats much faster than X-T3 in video, hence shorter recording limit
X-T30 is a serious upgrade from X-T20
Mic/USB-C/HDMI ports are to close together. If you use one, you block access to the other. You don’t have this problem with Fujifilm X-T3
X-T30 battery life lasts 65 minutes when shooting 4K. You can 90 minutes when shooting 1080p
When used with external video recorder, the camera shuts down due to overheating after 31 minutes
to extend video-life up, turn boost mode off (it affects mainly brightness and EVF refresh rate), pull the LCD screen away from body, mount it on tripod (no hand-holding), less AF-C. He got up to 69 minutes recording this way
X-T3 is definitely worth the money if you shoot lots of video. But for shorter family/travel videos, the X-T30 is great
X-T30 Pros
Sony lenses tend to be a bit larger, hence X-T30 system is smaller
in video the X-T30 has higher bit rate (200 Mbps) whereas the A6400 shoots at 100 Mbps. But higher bit rate does not mean automatically better image quality
A6400 Pros
Sony A6400 tripod mount does not block access to battery door
A6400 has a better screen design (flippy selfie screen)
A6400 lasts longer when it comes to overheating and with high temperature setting enabled, it can last for hours
no recording time limits, so no external recorder required
true 120 fps at 1080p
3.5 mic jack (X-T20 has 2.5mm mic jack)
Sony wins for overall video recording usability
battery life is similar, but Sony is a little bit better (around 10 to 15 minutes longer recording time and 50 more stills)
A6400 Sony’s RAW buffer is about twice at large
Autofocus in Video
for Video, the Sony wins by a little bit
X-T30 offers eye detection in video (the Sony A6400 only face detection), but the X-T30 is just a tad slower to catch up to a subject when moving in and out from the camera. The Sony manages to maintain the focus better
Both are great, but side by side, you can see the X-T30 autofocus drift a little
You can improve this on the X-T30, by increasing autofocus speed, but then it makes focus transition a bit too jumpy. The Sony has a nice balance of offering nice transitions while still locking on the face
Autofocus in Stills
in burst photo shooting continuous focus, the Fujifilm X-T30 beats the Sony A6400. The Fujifilm X-T30 hit a 100% hit rate in his test, whereas the Sony A6400, even with more expensive full frame glass, hit about 80%. The X-T30 consistently nails focus
likely due to the lens he used, he got sharper results with the Sony A6400. He used the Sigma f/1.4 contemporary crop lens vs the Fujinon XF23mm f/2 [admin note: he uses Adobe, too. If he played with the RAW files, then Capture One Pro 12 or the new Adobe enhance detail feature would have given different results]
Fuji is 1 stop noisier, when equalizing the image brightness [admin note: comment about it below]
Conclusions
He recommends the Sony A6400 due to more flexibility: selfie screen, better battery life, better video capabilities, deeper grip etc.
X-T30 might be the better travel camera, since more compact
