The X-T3 in 2023

December 12, 2023 in Cameras

The X-T3 | X-Trans IV | 4K60 & 4:2:2 10-bit

I don’t think I will ever get rid of this camera. For stills, its my favorite go to camera of any of the ones I have ever owned.

To me, the X-T3 was the perfect stills camera from Fujifilm. It was a weather sealed body, with a beautiful sensor and processor. A 26MP BSI X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor which at the time of its release (2018) was new. It shoots 10-bit 4:2:2 4K60 and has a lower base ISO of 160 than the previous generation body. Still no IBIS but I also own an X-T4 which does do IBIS.

As far as form factor, it really hasn’t changed from the X-T2/1. Same battery…about 300 shots per…and controls are the same. Stock grip is a little small for me, I have the little extended grip on it buttttt I do love the battery grip on it when I use it. There did I confuse you? Did I say grip enough? Stock < extended < battery grip. How’s that? Does that make sense?

Images. Where do I begin. They are amazing. They are clean. They are beautiful. I can trust the SOOC (straight out of camera) jpg for my own socials or sometimes even to deliver to a client. Being able to narrow in the grain, the contrast, the colors in camera is great!

I do pair mine with a 50mm-140mm F2.8 or the 23mm F2. On occasion I do pair it with various Canon/Nikon/M42 glass. I think the Nikon 50mm F1.8 is probably the most used non-native glass. I just find it so pretty. For my weddings and longer days I usually pair the X-T3 with the Fuji Battery Grip. Two batteries plus the one in the body and I can achieve shooting all day with no issues. I don’t think its died on me ever when I have the grip on. Shooting 1000+ photos in a full day wedding or event.

I shot everything with this prior to buying the X-T4. For a minute I was shooting all my stills on this X-T3 and filming all my videos with the Sony A7Sii. Then I decided “Fuck it”, I want to just be on one system and I went all into Fuji. A decent trade out of my Sony gear for the X-T4 body and the 10mm-24mm F4 back in 2021? That became my dedicated filming set up especially now that I finally bought a SmallRig Full cage. I thought I could get by with a half cage but I kept having to put a different arm on to get the mic and the monitor and then it just became messy…but that is another story.

With the introduction of the “XApp” from Fujifilm, it really made the X-T3 better. I mean it made all things Fujifilm better. I really love the remote function with it. The live view shooting has controls you can actually use and control the exposure for.

Second, the timeline if enabled helps remind you of locations you shot and what lenses you used etc. Pretty helpful if you aren’t writing things down in a notebook or notes app.

The app supports everything from the X100V, X-E4, and X-S10 all the way to their GFX line! Sorry if you are pre X-T3, you have to use the old app and well….I don’t want to talk about that app. But I’ll just say, I’m glad I have the XApp because its WAY better. You don’t understand haha.

I really love that within the app you can update firmware. It tells you, you can say yes or no, and bam. It’s done. Makes it super simple now to update firmware. Works for lenses as well so all in all very convenient.

Should you buy one. It being the end of 2023 soon and with the options like the X-T4/5? Yes. Yes, I would recommend this to someone. At the end of the day, you should focus on glass. Camera body if its made within the last 5 years? 8 years? I would say are plenty adequate. I mean quiet honestly, anything from the last 10 years-15 years is still great. Maybe 15 years is pushing it? I know pro’s still shooting on D750’s, 5Dmiii’s. Its all going to come down to you and how you utilize what you have. Know how to edit, know the limitations of your gear. I think that’s something people failed to realize me being one of them before. But that is a video to come in 2024. Till then, see you soon.

The X-T4 and Why I Neglected it

December 12, 2023 in Cameras

When I first bought the X-T4, I bought it to be a dedicated filming camera. I really pushed it aside for the stills as I had the X-T3.

I purchased the X-T4 in 2021? I don’t even remember. Maybe late 2020 during covid but this is besides the point. I have always had the X-T4 rigged out, with a half cage and mic and monitor on it. I recently bought a Full Cage (SmallRig) and decided to take the camera with us to San Diego over the thanksgiving holiday. I was very pleased with what I got out of it.

Being the camera nerd that I am, I knew of its capabilities but I never used it for stills. My X-T3 was always my go to stills camera. Days that I would use the X-T4 for stills were few and far between. Even for weddings it was the B cam and usually had a prime attached to it. Granted the images I was getting out of it were amazing but I never really looked at using it for an A Cam or a stills only cam.

When we went to San Diego, it was paired with the 23mm F2. My favorite choice when it comes to an all day carry lens. It’s small, light, and sharp. It isn’t too wide, it isn’t too narrow. I think the focal length is perfect for my travels and everyday needs. Plus the iPhone is in my pocket and quite honestly, the RAW’s out of an iPhone are pretty good.

We went to Irvine California, Huntington Beach, and it was awesome. Shooting around the house, the stores, wherever we went. One of the things I really enjoy about the Fujifilm series of camera’s is the form factor. They are compact, but mighty. I think the capability of these cameras is on par with the full frame equivalents of Sony and Canon granted the low light performance isn’t close (I haven’t used the X-H2/s) but I feel as though my workflow has gotten better with the Fuji system.

So back to Why I neglected my X-T4. For me, the X-T4 had IBIS, it had a “better” sensor, it had the tilty-flippy screen for video, the pre-amp for audio was better it was quieter so I did not want to have to take it on and off and in and out of the camera cage to use it for stills. So I left it alone. It sat, shot videos, collected dust, and hung out on my top shelf regrettably. I was lazy.

Look at the SOOC this takes with recipes from FujiWeekly. They are gorgeous.

The Fujifilm X100S

November 23, 2023 in Cameras

It’s a point and shoot. But it isn’t just a point and shoot. It’s so much more. Here is why I like it.

The images that you get from this 10 year old camera are incredible. For a film shooter like myself, its a happy medium between shooting 35mm film and digital.

You have to slow down when you use it.

Remember. This AF system is 10 years old. It’s good. It isn’t horrible. But it does take a second to find that focus. It does find that focus. It’s definitely not a touch screen.

One of the complaints from its owner (I am borrowing this camera for the time being but have to return it) is that the focus was off and slow. It would struggle to find the focus. I took it apart. Removed some dirt and dust from the inside and put it back together.

Now what I am finding is that, coming from a X-T3 system…there is no touch point, there is no eye detection. So yeah. It does take a minute to focus. But it will get it. You, the user, has to find that patience.

Film Simulations

The film simulations are why I really love it. You get 3 with the X100S. If you are familiar with Fujifilm cameras, you have that ability to save certain presets and as the custom slots on these cameras. I have 2 color simulations and one B&W. Courtesy of Fuji Weekly.

If you don’t know or have been living under a rock, Fuji Weekly is a large curated collection of Film recipes for all types of Fujifilm cameras. He has an app, a website, and its one of the most useful tools I use on a regular basis to shoot those SOOC (straight out of camera) shots. I really try my hardest to not touch them. I shoot them in JPG. So all I do is take the memory card out, there is no app compatibility, upload to my iPad or phone with a dongle, and post. I don’t go in and retouch or try and alter the photos at all so that it’s just straight out to you.

The compact size is perfect. It fits in my bag. It goes everywhere with me. I EDC a backpack or a sling bag. I have no reservations about just grabbing my wallet, my keys, my phone, and this camera and walking out my door. It has a leather camera strap that I have no idea where it came from or what. I’ll ask Josh and see if its the Fujifilm camera strap they come with.

Although it was a fun camera, it didn’t fit into my workflow. To be completely honest. I love the images my Panasonic point and shoot takes. That one’s broken and held together by some tape because guess who dropped it and busted the flash….thats right. This guy right here.