FUJIFILM’S NEW X-T3 MIRRORLESS CAMERA UPGRADES EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS MOST

Fujifilm's has just announced the $1,500 X-T3, which is the latest addition to the company’s X Series lineup of APS-C mirrorless cameras. It’s the follow-up to 2016’s X-T2, a beloved camera — among Fujifilm shooters, anyway — that’s grown more powerful and capable over time thanks to a bevy of firmware updates. The X-T2 of today is an entirely different beast than when I first tested it. Its autofocus, video capabilities, and subject tracking have all been extensively fine-tuned. But having hit the ceiling for what it can get out of the X-T2, Fujifilm has decided that now’s the time for new hardware.

The X-T3 marks the debut of a new 26.1-megapixel sensor, it can shoot 4K video at 60 fps, and it promises the best auto-focus system that the company has produced yet. It goes on sale September 20th at a starting price of $1,499.95 (or $1,899.99 with the familiar 18-55 kit lens). The X-T3 actually costs $100 less than the X-T2 did at launch. To hit that price point, Fujifilm moved assembly of the camera from Japan to China, a decision that isn’t sitting so well with some of the company’s fans. Unlike the proud, prominent “made in Japan” that was stamped onto the back of the X-T2, the China acknowledgement is hidden away behind the rear LCD.

But after handling the X-T3 for a bit — and as someone who has tallied years of experience with the X-T1 and X-T2 — I think you can probably leave any negative assumptions or concerns over build quality at the door. This feels like an X Series everywhere I look and feel. Fujifilm has already produced several bodies and lenses between China, Thailand, and the Philippines, and there’s been no obvious disparity between them and the Japan-made units. The X-T3 shares the same body style and button placement as the X-T2, though it measures slightly larger and is a tad heavier.

The new backside-illuminated X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor is paired with Fujifilm’s X-Processor 4, a quad-core CPU that is three times faster than current X Series cameras. More power means the X-T3 refocuses and meters 1.5 times more frequently than the X-T2 does. The new processor is also more efficient, so Fujifilm has upped the estimate of shots you’ll get on a full battery from 340 (X-T2) to 390. That’s nice and all, but you’ll definitely still want to carry a spare.

Fujifilm has spread phase detection pixels — 2.16 million of them in all — across the entire sensor area. For single-point focusing, you can choose between seeing either 117 AF points or the overwhelming-but-very-precise 425. Offering such a comprehensive spread of phase-detect AF points might prove one of the X-T3’s best strengths. Low-light focusing could be another. The X-T3’s phase detect AF can focus down to -3EV compared to -1EV on the X-T2. Fujifilm also says that the camera’s face and eye detection have gotten better (with eye detection now available in AF-C). These changes all lead to much higher hit rates for the autofocus system across the board, the company claims.

Continuous autofocus using the mechanical shutter tops out at 11 fps; with the X-T2, you had to buy the expensive vertical grip to get that 11 fps burst mode, but now it’s all in-body; no accessories required. Switch over to the electronic shutter (and a 1.25x crop) and you can crank that way up to 30 fps of blackout-free continuous shooting.

All of Fujifilm’s usual film simulation filters are here — as is the company’s signature, phenomenal out-of-camera JPEG quality. And the X-T3 also picks up a new “color chrome effect” that boosts saturation and detail in shadows. This was already available on the company’s GFX 50S medium-format, but now it’s coming to the X Series. There’s also now an option to adjust monochrome shots between warm and cool tones to your preference.