Best Fujifilm X-Pro3 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

With its hybrid targeting system, the Fujifilm X-Pro range is unique. The “hidden” screen of the X-Pro3 drives the point home and offers a photographic experience that goes beyond the good performance of the device.

Presentation

Three years after the release of the X-Pro2 , its replacement was long overdue. It must be said that since, Fujifilm had developed its XT range equipping the X-T3 and X-T30 with an APS-C X-Trans 4 sensor and a more powerful X-Processor 4 processor. The two devices have thus increased their rates in burst and video.

These developments are now benefiting the X-Pro3, which is also equipped with the 4th generation X-Trans / X-processor duo sensor, displaying a definition slightly higher than that of the X-Pro2, going from 24.3 MP to 26, 1 MP. In video, the device now allows recording in 4K DCI, but only 30 fps while it climbs to 60p on the X-T3. 

The autofocus is also progressing. More sensitive, it is also faster while the burst climbs to 11 fps in mechanical shutter and up to 30 fps in electronic shutter with cropping in the image. If the X-Pro3 inaugurates a new mode of film simulation “Classic Neg”, it is mainly in its ergonomics and its handling that the device stands out from its predecessor. 

Its viewfinder now has an Oled panel of 3.69 Mpts identical to that of the X-T3 and new lenses for its optical part, while at the rear a dual screen system results in less frequent use of the touchscreen.

Best Fujifilm X-Pro3 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. Fujifilm X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera – Black (Body Only)

2. Fujifilm X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Dura Silver – Bundle with Camera Bag, 128GB Memory SDXC Card. Spare Battery, Peak Camera Cuff Wrist Strap,Tripod, Compact Charger, Software Pack and More

3. Fujifilm X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Dura Black – with Flashpoint Zoom Li-ion R2 TTL On-Camera Flash Speedlight for Fuji

4. Fujifilm X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Dura Black – Bundle with Camera Bag, 64GB Memory SDXC Card. Cleaning Kit, Screen Protector, Card Reader, PC Software Package

5. Fujifilm X-Pro3 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Dura Black – with Vanguard Alta Pro 264AT Tripod and TBH-100 Head with Arca-Swiss Type QR Plate, Cleaning Kit, Microfiber Cloth

X-Pro2 users will not be disoriented by a first glance at X-Pro3. The two boxes have practically the same dimensions and a fairly similar grip, which is based on the presence of adjustment knobs. The handle of the X-Pro3 is slightly more marked and the thumb rest with non-slip coating seems slightly more effective.

Difficult to get an idea of ​​the main difference that lies in the manufacture of the chassis, and we did not try to destroy the device to assess the gain in resistance! Nevertheless, we noticed that the less shiny coating of the X-Pro3, which gives it a slightly more modern look although its design remains pleasantly retro, is quite sensitive to scratches. The Black version corresponding to our loan model is less resistant than the Dura Black and Dura Silver versions to which it will therefore be preferable to turn for intensive use, but at a price of € 200 higher…

Secondary display

In less than a week of use and despite systematic storage in a bag with padded compartments, we also found a slight scratch on the small screen on the back of the device. This accessory is the great novelty of this X-Pro3. The main display screen, a 7.6 cm and 1.62 Mpts LCD panel which becomes tactile, tilts 180 ° downwards, but turns facing the device in the storage position so that it does not appear than a small square secondary screen 3.3 cm diagonal.

The X-Pro3 has no backlight. Its brightness is very low, but it is sufficient to read the few information that it displays. In Classic mode, it uses the principle of the 135 film carton that was slipped into the slot on the back of the devices and consequently displays the film simulation mode used, the value for adjusting the white balance and the ISO sensitivity used. 

In the camera menu, it is possible to modify this information to switch to Standard mode and choose between a Photo or Video display showing the main shooting parameters such as exposure time, aperture value, correction exhibition, etc. Its presence is more of a gadget than essential, but we must admit that its presence is not unpleasant.

More

It is especially the fact of not constantly seeing our photos displayed that we appreciated. The eye in the viewfinder, which switches between the optical or electronic display thanks to the lever on the front, we were more attentive to our subject and less to the fact of checking the shots taken. This is another shooting experience that is more like the approach you can have when photographing with a Leica. Fujifilm however did not push the experiment to the point of eliminating the screen as the famous German manufacturer did with its M-10D .

However, the orientation of the screen only downwards is not very pleasant when shooting with a tripod … or for shooting vertically. The screen orientation mechanism of the X-T3 is then much more comfortable.

The hybrid viewfinder, still placed on the left shoulder of the camera is much more pleasant on version 3 than on version 2 of the X-Pro. Wider, it offers greater eye relief that will be appreciated by spectacle wearers. Most of the time, we used it in electronic aiming mode in which we were able to appreciate the gain in definition which brings a feeling of clarity and superior detail and which offers a fair display of the exposure parameters, the adjustment of white balance and the film simulation mode used, for black and white shooting, for example. 

What did not prevent us from appreciating to easily switch to optical sighting thanks to the lever on the front face, at night for example, when the electronic sighting becomes too noisy. VS’ Optical aiming is most pleasant with a wide-angle lens, because with a longer focal length, the frame becomes really small. Fujifilm’s viewfinder design allows you to take advantage of the superimposed shooting settings and the selected autofocus area.

Reactivity

We appreciated the speed gain between the X-Pro1 and the X-Pro2 , which doesn’t stop the X-Pro3 from doing even better. The camera starts quickly and the promises made by Fujifilm of a faster and more sensitive autofocus are kept.

Our measurements were carried out with the EXF 23 mm f / 1.4 R lens and a SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC 64 GB class 10 memory card at 300 Mb / s. The start-up is very fast and the autofocus is almost as good reactive in bright light only under our lighting of only 3 lux. The results in low light are perfectly comparable to those of the X-T3 and the X-T30 , and turn out to be better than the measurements that we carried out on the Sony A6400 .

Still, if the X-Pro3 is enriched with an autofocus mode with face and eye detection, which we have been able to check for proper operation, it remains less swift than that of Sony. The X-Pro3 also does not offer the same quality of subject tracking in autofocus.

However, it has many burst modes. The highest rate is obtained in electronic shutter, with a crop of 1.25x. Our measurements then made it possible to exceed the 30 i / s announced by Fujifilm. In electronic shuttering without cropping, we again exceeded the value of 20 fps announced. But this is without autofocus tracking, because once the camera placed in AF-C mode via the selector on the front, our measurements show a rate barely more than half.

Image quality

Unsurprisingly, the X-Trans 4 and X-Processor 4 sensor duo already at work in the X-T3 and X-T30 delivers good image quality and offers a sensitivity range which extends from ISO 160 to ISO 12,800 in standard mode and ISO 80 to ISO 51,200 in extended mode. All these values ​​are accessible in Raw as in Jpeg.
Not being able to open the Raw files of the device at the time of this test, we could not carry out a measurement of the latitude of exposure and must be satisfied with an observation of the Jpeg files coming from the device.

The latter are very clean and the image quality is constant up to ISO 1600. At ISO 3200, we observe a loss of detail which is only visible because we compare the images with each other. In practice, the device can be pushed up to ISO 6,400 without worry. At ISO 12 800, the degradations become much more annoying.

The pleasure of photographing with this X-Pro3 also comes from the quality of image rendering in the different film simulation modes offered. The new Classic Neg is not the one that seduced us the most, but, like the other modes, it will certainly find its followers, while our pleasure lies in the Acros mode that electronic aiming allows to appreciate from the shooting.

Video

The X-Pro3 is not a device designed for video use, and this statement takes on its full meaning as soon as you try to start recording: there is no shortcut for video recording and you have to browse the options of the Drive key so that the video function appears at the bottom of the proposals. It’s a shame, because if the X-Pro3 does not offer a rate of 60 fps in 4K like the X-T3 , it should not be ashamed of its possibilities.

It offers recording in 4K UHD and 4K DCI at 30p as well as in Full HD 60p and has many assistants such as exposure zebras or the highlighting of clear areas during manual focus. Logging is also possible for a wide range of calibration work. The film simulation mode is also accessible.

STRONG POINTS

  • Comfortable hybrid viewfinder.
  • Many customizable keys.
  • Touch screen and tilt.
  • Increased autonomy.
  • Two UHS-II card slots.
  • Burst at 30 fps.
  • Excellent image quality.
  • Numerous film simulation modes.

WEAK POINTS

  • No stabilization of the sensor.
  • Loaded menu.
  • Screen tilting down only.
  • RAF files supported by little software.
  • Lack of regularity in bursts.
  • Ergonomics perfectible in video.

CONCLUSION

Without changing the recipe that made the success of X-Pro2, Fujifilm is making good progress with its hybrid reporting device. We liked the ergonomic evolutions and the fact of adopting a different photographic approach by focusing on the viewfinder rather than on the screen. The autofocus proved to be efficient in all light conditions and the image quality of Jpeg files is excellent. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible for us to comment on the Raw. And it is a recurring limitation of the X-Trans system which requires using software capable of taking advantage of the specific architecture of Fujifilm sensors. 

In photographic reporting condition, the camera would have obtained the maximum score, but the burst gave us a hard time, the autofocus tracking didn’t isn’t the fastest in its class and the video is anecdotal. For a more versatile use, we will prefer a X-T3 . The Sony A6600 that we have not yet had the opportunity to test brings stabilization of the sensor while for an equivalent price, or even less, we can buy a 24×36 hybrid like the Canon EOS RP , Nikon Z6 or Sony A7 II . But the photographic approach will be different, which makes this X-Pro3 a unique camera.

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