Amateur Photographer

Fujifilm X-T30

There have been many developments in Fujifilm's X series over the years. One such example has been the expansion of the company's X-T camera portfolio. Back in 2014, there was only the X-T1 to choose from if you fancied a Fujifilm camera that bestowed the traditional shape of a DSLR, with attractive styling and a centrally positioned viewfinder. We had to wait until May 2015 to see some of the X-T1's features filter down to a more compact X-T10. Since then we've seen the X-T series grow substantially. Double-digit X-T models such as the X-T20 continue to borrow a subset of the advanced features found in Fujifilm's single-digit X-T models, and to ensure there's a camera for all types of user, Fujifilm introduced the X-T100 for novices and those working to a strict budget.

With Fujifilm's so-called ‘little giant' we're looking at a smaller, lighter and more affordable alternative to Fujifilm's fabulous X-T3 that has been well received since its release last year.

Features

The X-T30 benefits from Fujifilm's 4th generation X-Trans CMOS 4 technology and is equipped with the same 26.1-million-pixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor you get in the X-T3. This chip has a back-illuminated structure, excludes a low-pass filter to maximise detail and partners up with Fujifilm's X-Processor that's 3x faster than the one used inside the X-T20. Whereas previously ISO 160 was only available as extended ISO, users will find it part of the native range of ISO 160-12,800 (expandable to 80-51,200).

The X-T30 shoots at 8fps using its mechanical shutter, which is 3fps14fps using its electronic shutter, faster continuous shooting speeds of up to 30fps are possible, but this does enforce a 1.25x crop of the sensor, resulting in 16-million-pixel images being captured. To help with composition, the Sports finder mode that marks the 1.25x cropped area in the viewfinder has been inherited from the X-T3. The fastest the X-T30 shoots at using its electronic shutter without the 1.25x crop is 20fps. Users can expect to record 32 JPEGs or 17 raw files continuously at 20fps, or 90 JPEGs or 18 raw files at 8fps – but this doesn't trump the X-T3's buffer performance.

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