The Complete Guide to Fujifilm's X-Pro3

By Tony Phillips

Written in plain English for Fujifilm’s outstanding X-PRO3 camera, this is EVERYTHING X-PRO3 explained in easy to understand language! It is the Manual on Steroids and much more… In it, I assume you are a photographer, so I don’t dive in to the basics of photography (except in an Appendix). Everything comes with clear tutorials and examples.

So if you’re uncertain about anything your X-PRO3 does, grab this book! It’s packed with clear tutorials and examples, with over 900 tips, tricks, and tweaks to help you master photography with your X-PRO3.

Get the most from your investment - Learn about the wonders of digital imaging and improve your creative eye at the same time!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781678189785

Book preview

The Complete Guide To Fujifilm’s X-Pro3

Expert Insights for Experienced Photographers

by

Tony Phillips

V 1

Firmware v1.04

ISBN 978-1-67818-978-5

Published by The Friedman Archives Press

Copyright © 2020 Tony Phillips.  All rights reserved.  No portion of this book may be reproduced either in print or in any digital format without express written permission.  Contact the author at [e-mail]

PDF VERSION: Hyper-Navigating

The PDF version offers many hyperlinks – including from the TOC (Table of Contents) to each section, and for cross references. Use the HOME and TOC links on the bottom of each page to rapidly jump to those locations.

FOR THOSE WHO BOUGHT PRINTED EDITIONS

There are a LOT of illustrations in this book that lose their effectiveness somewhat when converted to black-and-white print.

To offset these problems the Publisher offers a free, full-color, downloadable .pdf file of this eBook to all customers who bought printed books (either color or black-and-white). (The.pdf offers a far superior user experience. Think of it as the director’s cut – the way the author intended the work to be seen.)

To get your .pdf file, just email ([e-mail]). Attach the receipt of the book you bought (if you didn’t buy it from the FriedmanArchivesPress.com website, then Friedman Archives does not have your customer information), and we’ll send you a download link. 

E:\DesktopPhotog&Pics\Pics\Lornas Images Tas SA Albany\DSC01860m45mm.JPG

GRATITUDE

Thank you to my models, Jayne, Levi, Beth, Ben, Sarah, Sarah, Lincoln, Steven, Sophie, Serena, Mariah, Raylee and Steve.

Simply saying thank you isn’t enough. But I want to thank my wife Lorna for her enormous support. By now, she could surely write a book titled: Chasing a Shutterbug :-)

The Author

E:\Desktop\Pics\Family\SOURCE\07 Rear thru Canopy.jpg

E:\Desktop\Sony a57\Pics\zz My Pics for inclusion in book\LA\PA150926mTONY.jpg Tony is an author, photographer, pilot, teacher, and lecturer, and has a long-standing passion for photography. He has many published books on photography. Ten on Fujifilm X cameras and lighting. He is recommended by MirrorLessons as one of 6 Authors of Mirrorless Camera Manuals Whose Books You’ll Actually Enjoy Reading. His book on the X-Pro2 was headlined in Fujifilm’s blog as The Most Comprehensive Guide on the X-Pro2. He conducts photographic seminars on the fundamentals of digital photography through to advanced lighting.

Anyone can learn to take great pictures if they have the desire. And, it is not so much the equipment (though it is important), as the person, that makes those pictures great.

Tony is widely travelled, a businessman and entrepreneur. He spends much of his time writing, teaching, travelling, lecturing, and hunting great images.

Visit www.TonyPhillips.org to learn more. Or email Tony at: [e-mail] .

Tony’s YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/c/TonyPhillipsPhoto

Some of Tony’s other photography books.

Home Bookmark

A BIG THANK YOU

To thank you for buying this book, I’m offering THREE bonuses – usually $19.95 value.

The first is a free PDF copy of the 132 page eBook Mastering Flash with Fujifilm X Cameras (1st Ed). See Section 9.7 for more info.

I’ll also send you an .XLS spreadsheet with all the X-Pro3’s settings with brief explanations, my own personal settings, section references to this book, and a column to note your settings.

NEW for the X-Pro3 is a Phone Companion with notes on each menu setting. Essentially an easy to carry summary right in your phone!

To claim bonuses: Since I don’t know where you purchased this book, simply send a copy of your receipt to [e-mail] with XPRO3 book bonus in the subject and I’ll blast you your download links.

● This subject is very important since I run email sorting algorithms.

● Receipt must be pasted inline or attached as a file (PDF, JPEG). No online/cloud links please.

See Section 9.7 for more info on these bonuses.

Book Updates: From time to time I write updates covering MAJOR firmware releases. If you want to be notified when these are available, email [e-mail] with: "XPRO3 Update Notification" in the subject.

If you request bonuses, I automatically add you to the notification list.

THIS BOOK In this book I make the assumption you’re an experienced photographer, and don’t need tutorials on the basics. (I include an appendix for reference).  Nor do I delve into Fujifilm software or PC based editing. While many of the explanations for the camera’s features / functions are tutorial in nature with loads of examples and tips, about half of this book is reference – allowing you to dip into it at your leisure.

Table of Contents

The Author

Table of Contents

Chapter 1      x-Pro3 Key Features

1.1

      

Speed – Sensor & Processor

1.2

      

Focus Brilliance

1.2.1      Autofocus

1.2.2      Focus Tracking & AF-C Custom Presets

1.2.3      Uprated Face Detection

1.2.4      Focus Zoom

1.2.5      MF Assist - Crisp manual Focus

1.2.6      Pre-Shot ES (Burst) – Action Bracketing

1.2.7      Joystick & The AF Area – The Focus Lever

1.3

      

OVF, EVF LCD, Touch

1.3.1      Mega Electronic Viewfinder

1.3.2      Big Glass Viewfinder – The OVF

1.3.3      The Rangefinder – The ERF

1.3.4      Large Indicators

1.3.5      LCD - Keep Your Face out of the Mud!

1.3.6      Touch Screen

1.3.7      Sports Finder Mode

1.3.8      Night Vision Mode

1.4

      

Monitor with the Sub-Monitor

1.5

      

Classic Neg. (Film Simulation)

1.5

      

Multiple Exposures (9 shots!)

1.6

      

HDR – High Dynamic Range

1.7

      

Body, Buttons, Build, Styling

Chapter 2      Other Significant Features

2.1

      

Customization

2.1.1      The Q Button

2.1.2      Function Buttons

2.1.3      MY Menu – Customize your own menu!

2.1.4      Other Customizations

2.1.5      Back Up Camera Settings

2.2

      

Shooting Modes - DRIVE

2.3

      

Flash

2.3.1      Flash Sync Speed – 250X

2.3.2      On-Camera Flash

2.3.3      Wireless Flash

2.4

      

Video

2.5

      

Inbuilt Films - Film Simulations

2.6

      

Advanced Filter Effects

2.7

      

High-Speed Shooting

2.8

      

Hybrid Shutter – Mechanical, Electronic, Front Curtain

2.9

      

Memory Cards – 2 Cards & Fast

2.10

      

Wireless – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

2.11

      

Lens Corrections

2.12

      

Additional Features

Chapter 3      Camera Configuration

3.1

      

Essential Configuration

3.2

      

Customizing Camera Functions

3.2.1      The Customizable List

3.2.2      Customizing Fn Buttons & Gestures

3.2.3      The Q-Menu

3.2.4      Deciding What to Assign and Where

3.2.5      Select Custom Setting (BASE…)

3.2.6      The MY Menu

3.3

      

Working with the Displays

3.3.1      Which Display?

3.3.2      Display Views

3.3.3      Configuring The Custom Display

3.4

      

Working With the Touch Screen

3.4.1      Shooting Stills with the Touch Screen

3.4.2      Shooting Movies with the Touch Screen

3.4.3      Movie Silent Control

3.4.4      Touch Screen and AF Modes

3.4.5      Playback Images with the Touch Screen

3.4.6      Overlays with the Touch Screen

3.5

      

AF Mode by Orientation

3.6

      

Shooting Style Ideas

3.7

      

My Personal Camera Settings

3.7.1      Shooting Menu Settings

3.7.2      Setup Menu Settings

3.7.3      Playback Menu Settings

3.7.4      Drive Menu Settings

Chapter 4      Quick Start Guide

4.1

      

Exposure Essentials – P.A.S.M Modes

4.2

      

Focusing Essentials

4.2.1      How does the camera know WHERE to focus?

4.2.2      Single AF / Continuous AF Focusing Modes

4.2.3      Instant AF & Back Button Focus

4.2.4      Focus Frame - Move & Zoom

4.2.5      Zone AF Trick for Portraits

4.3

      

Movie Essentials

4.4

      

Playback Essentials

4.4.1      Look At It This way - The Display Button

4.4.2      EXIF Image Information

4.4.3      Movie Playback Views

4.4.4      Magnifying the image

4.4.5      Thumbnail Views – Multi-Frame Playback

4.4.6      Image Deletion

4.4.7      Protecting an image or Movie

4.4.8      Slide Show

4.5

      

Battery Essentials

4.5.1      Saving Power

4.5.2      Batteries

4.5.3      USB Charging & Power

4.6

      

RAW Restrictions

4.6.1      Shooting Specifically for RAW

Chapter 5      Shooting Essentials

5.1

      

How a Camera Sees Light – Metering Modes

5.1.1      Multi (Multiple Zone Metering

5.1.2      Spot Metering

5.1.3      Center Weighted Metering

5.1.4      Average Metering

5.2

      

ISO Essentials

5.2.1      High ISO Noise Levels

5.2.2      Manual ISO

5.2.3      AUTO ISO

5.2.4      Auto ISO in Manual Exposure Mode

5.2.5      ISO Bracketing

5.2.6      ISO-Less Sensor

5.3

      

Soft-Switching ISO

5.4

      

White Balance (WB)

5.4.1      Auto White Balance and Pre-Set WB

5.4.2      WB Shift - Fine Tuning the 7 WB PreSets

5.4.3      Color Temperature – Kelvin

5.4.4      Custom White Balance

5.5

      

Autofocus Options - AF Modes

5.5.1      Single Point

5.5.2      Zone

5.5.3       Wide/Tracking

5.5.4      All

5.6

      

AF-C Custom Settings

5.6.1      AF-C Preset Variables

5.6.2      Five AF-C Custom Settings (Presets)

5.6.3      Icons are Your Friend

5.6.4      Cooking Your Own AF-C Custom Preset

5.6.5      Tracking VS Zone AF Mode & the Presets

5.7

      

Flash Essentials

5.7.1      Flash Control Modes

5.7.2       (TTL) Flash Modes

5.7.3      Flash Sync - Modes

5.7.4      Flash Compensation – TTL Flash

5.7.5      Flash Power – Manual Flash

5.7.6      Flash Types

5.7.7      Flash and Red-Eye Removal

5.7.8      Modeling Flash

Chapter 6      Film Sims, Filters, Curves, Color Chrome & Toning

6.1

      

Film Simulation

6.1.1      Film Sim Tone & Saturation

6.1.2      The Matrix

6.1.3      Photography Vs Softography

6.2

      

Shooting B&W

6.2.1      Acros Film Sim

6.2.2      Monochromatic Color

6.3

      

Tweaking the Tweaks

6.3.1      Color Chrome  & Color Chrome FX Blue

6.3.2      Grain Effect

6.3.3      Tone Curves

6.3.4      The Tone Curve Graph

6.3.5      Clarity

6.3.6      Noise Reduction (NR)

6.3.7      Other Ways to Reduce Noise

6.3.8      Color

6.3.9      Sharpness

6.3.10      Dynamic Range (DR)

6.3.11      D Range Priority

6.3.12      HDR – High Dynamic Range

6.3.13      Image Size (L 3:2)

6.3.14      Image Quality

6.4

      

Combining Sims and Settings

6.4.1      Cool Pastel

6.4.2      Tri-X High Contrast Monochrome (HCM)

6.4.3      Other Films – Tweaking Suggestions

6.5

      

Advanced Filters

6.5.1      Toy Camera

6.5.2      Miniature Mode

6.5.3      Pop Color

6.5.4      High-Key

6.5.5      Low-Key

6.5.6      Dynamic Tone

6.5.7      Soft Focus

6.5.8      Partial Color

6.5.9      Advanced Filter Restrictions

Chapter 7      Drive Modes

7.1

      

Still Image

7.2

      

Continuous ES (Electronic Shutter) Burst Shooting

7.2.1      Frame Rates

7.3

      

Continuous (Either MS or ES)

7.4

      

Bracketing

7.5

      

ISO Bracket

7.6

      

White Balance Bracket (WB)

7.7

      

Bracketing (AE, Film, DR, Focus)

7.7.1      AE Bracket (Automatic Exposure)

7.7.2      Film Simulation Bracket

7.7.3      Dynamic Range Bracket (DR)

7.7.4      Focus Bracketing (Focus Stacking)

7.8

      

HDR

7.9

      

Multi Exposure

7.9.1      Blending Modes - Multiple Exposure Control

7.10

      

Advanced Filter

7.11

      

Movie

7.12

      

Other DRIVE modes (Not in DRIVE menu)

7.12.1      Sports Finder Mode

7.12.2      Pre-Shot ES (Burst) – Action Bracketing

Chapter 8      Exterior Controls - Uses & Settings

8.1

      

Primary Exposure Controls

8.1.1      Program Shift

8.2

      

Aperture Ring

8.3

      

Shutter Speed Dial

8.3.1      250X - Flash Sync Speed

8.3.2      TIME

8.3.3      BULB

8.4

      

ISO Dial

8.5

      

Exposure Compensation

8.6

      

Manual Exposure Mode

8.7

      

Focus Mode Selector

8.7.1      AF-S (Single AF)

8.7.2      AF-C (continuous AF)

8.7.3      MF (Manual Focus)

8.8

      

Left Plastic flap

8.8.1      USB-C – Headphones, Charging, Connecting

8.8.2      Mic/Remote Release Connector

8.9

      

Viewfinder Diopter Adjustment

8.10

      

the Eye Sensor

8.11

      

DRIVE Menu & DELETE Button

8.12

      

AE-L / AF-L Button

8.12.1      AE Lock Only

8.12.2      AF Lock Only

8.12.3      AE/AF Lock

8.12.4      AF-On

8.12.5      Instant AF

Front & Rear Command Dials

8.13

      

Focus Assist – Rear Dial Press

8.14

      

Joystick – Focus Stick/Lever

8.15

      

Q Button

8.16

      

Playback Button

8.17

      

DISP/BACK Button

8.18

      

Fn Buttons & Gestures

8.19

      

Toggle OVF and EVF

8.20

      

Indicator Lamp

8.5

      

Film Plane Marker

8.6

      

Other Controls

Chapter 9      Lighting - Using Flash

9.1

      

Flash Options

9.1.1      Fujifilm Accessory Flash Models

9.1.2      Third Party Manual Flash Models

9.1.3      Third Party TTL Flash Models

9.2

      

TTL vs Manual Flash

9.3

      

TTL Flash

9.3.1      Flash Compensation

9.4

      

Manual Flash Mode

9.5

      

Getting flash off-camera

9.5.2      Commander - Manual IR Wireless

9.5.3      Radio - Manual Wireless Triggering

9.5.4      TTL - Fly by Wire – Cables

9.5.5      TTL – Fujifilm’s Optical wireless system

9.5.6      TTL – Radio Re-Encoding Triggering

9.6

      

FP High Speed Sync

9.6.1      HSS benefits

9.6.2      Flash Power

9.6.3      Shooting HSS

9.7

      

Mastering Flash - Go Further

Chapter 10      Lens Considerations

10.1

      

AF Range Limiter

10.2

      

MKX Cinema Lenses

10.3

      

Fast Glass

10.4

      

XF vs XC vs MXF Lenses

10.5

      

Fixed-Focal Length Prime Lenses

10.6

      

OIS - Optical Image Stabilization

10.7

      

Teleconverters

10.8

      

Adapting Lenses

10.8.1      M-Mount

10.8.2      Using Modern Existing Glass

10.8.3      Adapting Legacy Glass

10.9

      

Hankering for an X100V?

10.10

      

Lens Modulation Optimizer

Chapter 11      Movie Mode

11.1

      

The Quick Guide

11.1.1      Playing Movies on the LCD

11.2

      

To 4K or not 4K

11.2.1      What is 4K?

11.3

      

F-Log

11.4

      

Film Simulations for Video

11.5

      

Other Neat things the X-Pro3 Brings to Video

11.6

      

Focusing in Movies

11.6.1      Touch Screen Focus:

11.6.2      Manual Focus (Hollywood Style)

11.7

      

Controlling Movie Exposure

11.7.1      Automatic Exposure for Movies

11.7.2      Aperture Exposure for Movies

11.7.3      Shutter Exposure for Movies

11.7.4      Manual Exposure for Movies

11.7.5      Zebra Stripes

11.7.6      Thoughts on Lighting and Exposure

11.8

      

Other Movie Options

11.8.1      Metering for Movies

11.8.2      Movie Framerate

11.8.3      Movie Length Limits

11.8.4      Lenses And Movie Making

11.8.5      WB – White Balance in Movies

11.8.6      Film Simulation

11.9

      

Recording Audio & Microphones

11.9.1      Mic Adjustment & Other Audio Options

11.10

      

Movie Files

11.11

      

Editing

Chapter 12      Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wireless & Instax

12.1

      

Wi-Fi Remote Control

12.2

      

Manually Transfer Images to a Device

12.3

      

Automatically Transfer Images to a Device

12.4

      

Bluetooth Pairing

12.5

      

Instax Printing

12.5.1      Pairing with an Instax Printer

12.6

      

Other Wi-Fi Functions

12.7

      

Other Bluetooth Functions

Chapter 13      The Playback Menu

13.1

      

Switch Slot – for Playback

13.2

      

Raw Conversion – Edit Pictures in-camera!

13.3

      

Erase

13.4

      

Simultaneous Delete

13.5

      

Crop

13.6

      

Resize

13.7

      

Protect

13.8

      

Image Rotate

13.9

      

Red Eye Removal

13.10

      

Voice Memo Setting

13.11

      

Rating (Favourites)

13.12

      

Copy

13.13

      

Image Transfer Order

13.14

      

Wireless Communication

13.15

      

Slide Show

13.16

      

Photobook Assist

13.17

      

PC Auto Save

13.18

      

Print Order (DPOF)

13.18.1      Printing the Date on the Image

13.18.2      Removing DPOF & Resetting All

13.19

      

Instax Printer Print

Chapter 1

Chapter 14      The Shooting Menus

14.1

      

Image Quality Setting

14.1.1      Image Size

14.1.2      Image Quality

14.1.3      Raw Recording

14.1.4      Film Simulation

14.1.5      Monochromatic Color

14.1.6      Grain Effect

14.1.7      Color Chrome Effect

14.1.8      Color Chrome FX Blue

14.1.9      White Balance

14.1.10      Dynamic Range

14.1.11      D Range Priority

14.1.12      Tone Curve

14.1.13      Color

14.1.14      Sharpness

14.1.15      Noise Reduction

14.1.16      Clarity

14.1.17      Long Exposure NR (Noise Reduction)

14.1.18      Lens Modulation Optimizer

14.1.19      Color Space

14.1.20      Pixel Mapping

14.1.21      Select Custom Setting (C1-C7 presets)

14.1.22      Edit/Save Custom Setting (C1-C7 Presets)

14.2

      

AF/MF Setting

14.2.1      Focus Area

14.2.2      AF Mode

14.2.3      AF-C Custom Settings

14.2.4      Store AF Mode By Orientation

14.2.5      AF Point Display

14.2.6      Number of Focus Points

14.2.7      Pre-AF

14.2.8      AF Illuminator

14.2.9      Face/Eye Detection Setting

14.2.10      AF+MF

14.2.11      MF Assist

14.2.12      Focus Check

14.2.13      Interlock Spot AE & Focus Area

14.2.14      Instant AF Setting

14.2.15      Depth-Of-Field Scale

14.2.16      Release/Focus Priority – AF-S & AF-C

14.2.17      AF Range Limiter

14.2.18      Touch Screen Mode

14.2.19      Corrected AF Frame

14.3

      

Shooting Setting

14.3.1      Sports Finder Mode

14.3.2      Pre-Shot ES (burst) – Action Bracketing

14.3.3      Self-Timer

14.3.4      Save Self-Timer Setting

14.3.5      Interval Timer Shooting

14.3.6      Interval Timer Shooting Exposure Smoothing

14.3.7      Bracket Settings

14.3.8      Multiple Exposure Ctrl

14.3.9      Photometry (Metering)

14.3.10      Shutter Type

14.3.11      Flicker Reduction

14.3.12      IS Mode (OIS Image Stabilization)

14.3.13      ISO AUTO Setting

14.3.14      Mount Adapter Setting

14.3.15      Wireless Communication

14.4

      

Flash Setting

14.4.1      Flash Function Setting

14.4.2      Red Eye Removal

14.4.3      TTL-Lock Mode

14.4.4      LED Light Setting

14.4.5      Master Setting

14.4.6      CH Setting (Channel Setting)

14.5

      

Movie Setting

14.5.1      Movie Mode

14.5.2      Full HD High Speed Rec

14.5.3      Film Simulation (Movie)

14.5.4      Monochromatic Color) (MOVIE)

14.5.5      White Balance (Movie)

14.5.6      Dynamic Range (Movie)

14.5.7      Tone Curve (Movie)

14.5.8      Color (Movie)

14.5.9      Sharpness (Movie)

14.5.10      Noise Reduction (Movie)

14.5.11      4K Interframe NR (Noise Reduction)

14.5.12      F-Log Recording

14.5.13      Peripheral Light Correction (Movie)

14.5.14      Focus Area (Movie)

14.5.15      Movie AF Mode

14.5.16      AF-C Custom Setting (Movie)

14.5.17      Face/Eye Detection Setting (Movie)

14.5.18      Focus Check (Movie)

14.5.19      Zebra Setting & Zebra Level

14.5.20      Audio Setting

14.5.21      MIC/Remote Release

14.5.22      Time Code Setting

14.5.23      Tally Light

14.5.24      Movie Silent Control

14.5.25      Related Movie Settings

14.6

      

MY Menu

Chapter 1

Chapter 15      The Setup Menus

15.1

      

User Setting

15.1.1      Format

15.1.2      Date/Time

15.1.3      Time Difference

15.1.4      Language

15.1.5      My Menu Setting

15.1.6      Sensor Cleaning

15.1.7      Reset

15.1.8      Regulatory

15.2

      

Sound Set-Up

15.2.1      AF Beep Volume

15.2.2      Self-Timer Beep Volume

15.2.3      Operational Vol. (Volume)

15.2.4      Shutter Volume

15.2.5      Shutter Sound

15.2.6      Playback Volume

15.3

      

Screen Set-Up (Setting)

15.3.1      Eye Sensor Setting

15.3.2      EVF Brightness

15.3.3      EVF Color

15.3.4      EVF Color Adjustment

15.3.5      LCD Brightness

15.3.6      LCD Color

15.3.7      LCD Color Adjustment

15.3.8      Image Display

15.3.9      Autorotate Displays

15.3.10      Preview Exposure & WB In Manual Mode

15.3.11      Natural Live View

15.3.12      Framing Guideline

15.3.13      AutoRotate PB (Playback)

15.3.14      Focus Scale Units

15.3.15      Aperture Unit for Cinema Lens

15.3.16      OVF Image Display

15.3.17      Display Custom Setting

15.3.18      Large Indicators Mode – OVF/EVF and LCD

15.3.19      Large Indicators Disp. Setting

15.3.20      Information Contrast Adjust

15.3.21      Sub Monitor

15.4

      

Button/Dial Setting

15.4.1      Focus Lever Setting

15.4.2      Edit/Save Quick Menu

15.4.3      Q Menu Background

15.4.4      Function (Fn) Setting

15.4.5      Command Dial Setting

15.4.6      Shutter AF (Back Button Focus)

15.4.7      Shutter AE

15.4.8      Shoot Without Lens

15.4.9      Shoot Without Card

15.4.10      Focus Ring

15.4.11      Focus Ring Operation

15.4.12      AE/AF-Lock Mode

15.4.13      AWB-Lock Mode

15.4.14      Aperture Ring Setting (A)

15.4.15      Aperture Setting

15.4.16      Touch Screen Setting

15.4.17      Lock

15.5

      

Power Management

15.5.1      Auto Power Off

15.5.2      Performance

15.5.3      EVF Performance

15.6

      

Save Data Settings

15.6.1      Frame No.  (Frame Number)

15.6.2      Save Org Image

15.6.3      Edit File Name

15.6.4      Card Slot Setting (Still Image)

15.6.5      Select Slot (Stills Sequential)

15.6.6      Select Slot (Movie Sequential)

15.6.7      Select Folder

15.6.8      Copyright Info

15.7

      

Connection Setting

15.7.1      Bluetooth Settings

15.7.2      Network Setting

15.7.3      PC Auto Save

15.7.4      Instax Printer Connection Setting

15.7.5      PC Connection Mode (USB)

15.7.6      USB Power Supply Setting

15.7.7      General Settings

15.7.8      Information

15.7.9      Reset Wireless Setting

Chapter 16      Digital Imaging Topics

16.1

      

An Introduction to RAW

16.2

      

Shooting Exclusively for RAW

16.3

      

How Cameras Create JPEGs

16.4

      

Image File Types - RAW, TIF, JPG

16.5

      

JPG Artifacts

16.6

      

Shooting JPEGs

16.7

      

RAW Processing

16.7.1      RAW Conversion

16.7.2      Noise Reduction

16.7.3      Sharpness

16.7.4      Software Options

16.7.5      So what’s all that mean?

16.8

      

Fujifilm X RAW Studio

16.9

      

Image Resolution - viewing & Printing

16.10

      

Tone Curves

16.10.1      S-Curve – Adds Contrast

16.10.2      Reverse S-Curve – Removes Contrast

16.10.3      Brightening Curve

16.10.4      Darkening Curve

Chapter 17      Tech Topics

17.1

      

The Sensor

17.1.1      BSI – backside Illumination!

17.1.2      Megapixels

17.1.3      Phase Detect AF

17.1.4      No Optical Low Pass Filter!

17.1.5      X-Trans 6x6 Colour Filter Array

17.1.6      Micro-lenses

17.2

      

The X-Processor 4

17.2.1      14-bit RAW

17.3

      

Memory Cards

17.4

      

Sensor Dust – Checking & Cleaning

17.5

      

GPS GeoTagging - Alternatives

17.6

      

Fujifilm X-Acquire – Tethered Shooting and Settings Backup

17.6.1      Tethered Shooting

17.6.2      Settings Backup and Restore

17.6.3      Converting Images In-Camera

17.7

      

PC Auto Save

17.7.1      Setting up the Connection

17.7.2      Saving Images / Movies to your Computer

Epilogue

Appendix A      Additional Resources

A.1

      

Internet Resources

A.2

      

Tony’s Books

A.3

      

Publisher Offerings Of Interest

A.4

      

Cameracraft Magazine

A.5

      

Ways to ‘Wow!’ with Wireless Flash

A.6

      

High-Impact Photography Seminars

Appendix A

Appendix B      Condensed Guide to the Basics

B.1

      

Shutter Speed

B.2

      

Aperture (F/Stops)

B.3

      

ISO

B.4

      

Exposure Variables – The Tradeoffs

B.5

      

Program Shift

B.6

      

The Histogram

B.6.1      Brightness

B.6.2      The Histogram Exposed

B.7

      

The Secrets to Outstanding Images

B.7.1      Light

B.7.2      Composition

Chapter 1      x-Pro3 Key Features

Setting aside the original X100, the X-Pro3 is the noisiest Fujifilm camera to date.

There has been more hubbub, more talk, more rhetoric, more postulating about this camera than any other Fujifilm has released in recent years.

Ostensibly, it’s a rangefinder-like digital camera. With glass viewfinder to let you see a wide, immediate non-digital view, and yet a digital rangefinder like window (can) lurk in the bottom of the viewfinder to let you see your subject up close.

Indeed, the furore has centred around Fujifilm’s decision to release an articulating LCD that really hardly articulates at all. A screen that is intentionally obscured, that forces you to …………... well, the list is huge – if you listen to the furore, that is. But some words have bubbled to the top of the cauldron.

I am terrified to use the words pure photography. Because in some ways, that could strike at all the images that you and I have captured without this tool. And in other ways, just saying that ignores the fact that any camera is a tool to help you capture the images you want; it ignores the fact that the best tool for the job is the one that you are most happy to use. The one that handles the way you want it to. That seems logical to you.

But I very much like Focus on the Moment….

So we own an X-Pro3, you and I. What does that mean?

I guess, it’s the right tool for the job we have in mind. It brings something interesting to our photographic endeavours, it handles in a way that seems pleasing to us. That challenges us, that expands our photographic endeavours.

And above all, it produces wonderful images.

As photographers, we capture snaps – to remember things by; forensic images – to show what things were like; and artistic images – to create mood, feeling, emotion… to evoke a response from those who see.

But photography has changed a lot since the availability of high quality digital cameras, nowadays driven by more processing power than Armstrong had when the Eagle touched down in Serenity in 1969.

Whichever photographic mode you prefer, capturing an image has become something of a process. A paradox if you like - between the desire to create substantively right-brain images and art, and the imperative to master scads of left-brain technology to get the job done.

So the Pro3 is not just a camera, is it?

It’s way more, with buttons, dials, knobs and menus. It’s a little computer with firmware and glass and internal programs driving all those fantastic features that combined, allow you to capture special moments in a way you like to work.

So what do all the controls and functions do?

And how do we use it ALL to create art and images?

I’ve spent months digging through everything to create this book in the hope of demystifying all the X-Pro3 can do. In these pages, I delve into all the camera’s features, providing what I hope are clear explanations of what everything is, what it’s for, and how to use it – even the hard stuff. There’s over a thousand tips and tweaks to help you get up to full speed with it and maximize your enjoyment, comfort, and skill with the camera – so that when you’re in the mud shooting, everything feels normal, and you know where to look for THAT feature you NEED right now to make the shot work.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride………………….

And cudos to Fujifilm for being daring……………

X-Aware users TIP: For readers well familiar with X cameras, notable changes/additions are highlighted in blue. Since there are many X cameras, I generally note changes from the previous generation – in this case, the X-Pro2.

1.1      Speed – Sensor & Processor

You heard what the man said… I feel the need, the need for speed!

At the heart of your new beast, is the fastest sensor and processor Fujifilm has released – by a long way. There’s a lot to be said about why this is important, and if you want the low-down on why extra speed makes your camera so great, dive into the Tech Topics chapter starting in Section 17.1.

But for the moment, consider this. The X-Trans CMOS 4 BSI sensor allows for 26MP at low noise, and it’s 1½ times as fast as the previous generation of Fujifilm sensors – which themselves, were twice as fast as their predecessor. Significantly, it has more phase detect pixels than ever before.

There’s no mystery about where those fast-focusing phase detect (PDAF) pixels are on the X-Pro3’s X-Trans Sensor. They’re everywhere! The PDAF area covers 98% of the sensor - up from 37% in the Pro2!

For a helpful view when you’re in the mud shooting, tab the joystick to briefly see the subtle overlay shown in Figure 1-1.

There are yet other technological goodies built into the X-Pro3’s sensor – like micro-lenses to help keep pictures sharp, and the absence of anti-aliasing filters.

Similarly, the quad core X Processor 4 is three times faster than the previous generation of Fujifilm processors. This allows for upgraded JPEG algorithms, faster processing of images, 14-bit RAW files, way better face detect algorithms, focusing in near darkness, and a very fast camera. It’s the processor that does the heavy lifting in the camera, running all the internal software to read data from the sensor and convert it into JPEG and RAW files to save to the memory card(s). Again, read up more on this in the tech topics in Chapter 17.

TIP: There are over 1000 tips sprinkled throughout this book in breakout boxes like this. Some are big, some small. Browse through, or search for TIP: if you’re impatient.

TIP: The X-Pro3’s speed/performance changes according to how you set MENU --> D:\Desktop\Fujifilm\IMAGES 4 book\Icons\SetupSpannerIconTransp.png --> Power Management --> Performance. Use Boost for high viewfinder refresh rates and the snappiest camera. Normal gives you a lower EVF refresh rates but conserves battery.

TIP: The OVF is the least power-hungry way to capture pictures.

TIP: ¥ The speed of the X-Pro3 processor is a whopping TWENTY times faster than the X-Pro 1!

TIP: Believe it or not, the faster processor is actually lighter on battery than any X camera prior to the X-T3 and Pro3.

TIP: The BSI sensor means base ISO is lifted to 160 in the PRO3 – from 200 in previous X cameras. This impacts F-Log video and high DR modes, which can now operate at ISO 640 – down from 800.

1.2      Focus Brilliance

1.2.1      Autofocus

I’ve shot with every X camera - and the X-T3 & Pro3 are the fastest focusing X’s! Period!

Additionally, the low light limit for phase detect autofocus has dropped significantly from -1EV to -6EV! What? That makes the fast focus effective even in very low light situations.

Notably too, this is the first X-Pro sensor to incorporate phase detect pixels across the entire sensor – and to provide AF tracking across 91% of the width, and 94.5% of the sensor height. No more wondering if your subject is inside/outside the PDAF area. It’s effectively everywhere!

As such, all this makes it a noticeable and worthwhile upgrade to your camera system.

Notably, the venerable X-T1’s sensor has 77 focus points with 15 phase detect points grouped at the centre of the sensor. Of these, 49 points are user selectable. Fast forward just a few years, and the X-Pro3’s X-Trans IV sensor has 425 focus points – all are phase-detect (PDAF), and all are directly selectable.

This allows for high-speed 11fps¥ stills shooting, autofocus as fast as most DSLRs, and focusing between shots during AF-C burst shooting. (¥ 20fps with electronic shutter.)

TIP: Not all lenses are born equal – and this means that some lenses cannot make full use of the X-Pro3’s fast focusing capability. But for all those that can, expect the PRO3 to not only keep what you are focusing on IN FOCUS, but also to track that subject around your composition! For more on which lenses give you the best AF results, see Chapter 10.

1.2.2      Focus Tracking & AF-C Custom Presets

When the X-T1 was released, the buzz was all about predictive tracking. Essentially, that camera uses what it knows about the speed and direction of a subject to predict where it should focus when the next picture is taken, and it adjusts accordingly. This reduces the time required to take the picture since the camera is now altering focus ahead of time to account for the usual delays implicit in focusing before taking a picture.

The X-Pro3 does all this, but the buzz has shifted, and now it’s about AF-C Custom Settings – predictive focusing presets, if you like. While the X-Pro3 is perhaps focussed toward documentary and street photography and not sports or action photography, the AF-C presets can offer great assistance across all these shooting styles.

Some modes are ideal for following the pace of action found on the streets. Others more suited to high-octane sport.

What the presets do, is attempt to refine the concept introduced earlier, by using your input to better understand what kind of subject the camera should be tracking. Indeed, for best results, it’s imperative to match the action you are photographing to the appropriate preset. Without this input, some presets work rather poorly when used in contrary circumstances.

These tracking modes are a boon for sports and wildlife photographers, allowing us to shoot all kinds of motion at burst speeds with a high degree of certainty that we will accurately capture the action we wish to follow.

You’ll find presets like these in other top-end cameras – and in spite of the apparent complexity when you first look at them, they are easy to use – and indeed, the icons are your friend, giving you a simple memory hook to match action-to-preset.

There are five AF-C Custom presets to suit the kind of action you wish to track, and one DIY CUSTOM setting too. Notably, the presets ONLY work in Zone AF, or Tracking AF focus modes.

Each preset is comprised of three variables, which determine:

1) how tenaciously tracking should stay locked on a subject;

2) how erratically the subject is expected to move; and,

3) which part of the AF zone to prioritise during focus.

Given these variables, it is imperative the correct preset be selected for the intended subject, in order to instruct the camera what to do with intervening obstacles, temporary loss of the subject, subject velocity and consistency, and what should happen with initial, and subsequent focus in the focus zone. Since the variables are not explained in the camera or manual, I include a full rundown on them in Section 5.6.1.

Custom Presets, but which Focus Mode is best? Since these presets can be used with Zone AF and Tracking AF modes, some consideration should also be given as to which of these AF modes will provide the most accurate tracking given subject movement – especially with respect to high-speed subjects. Indeed, Zone, is one of the variables already mentioned, and Zone AF mode gives good results. This is discussed fully in Section 5.6.

Putting AF-C Presets to the Test: To test the presets, I headed trackside to a race meet. The sub-second sequence in Figure 1-4 shows the result.

When I first used the presets, I wasn’t expecting AF-C to perform well in these conditions, but as Figure 1-5 shows, the AF-C presets do a great job of focusing on the initial subject and ignoring the obstacle rapidly coming up on the inside – between subject and lens. This is AF-C Custom preset 2 in action, ignoring obstacles.

TIP: It’s worth noting that how well tracking works depends somewhat on how outstanding your subject is. A subject moving from shadow to sunlight can be lost. Likewise, picking out distant subjects in a composition doesn’t always work well.

Presets and Lenses - TIP: Which lens you use also impacts on AF-C tracking results. Heavier lenses have a lot more glass to move during focusing. Additionally, the newer range of Fujifilm lenses have uprated electronics and linear tracking motors which work synergistically with the X-Pro3’s faster processor. Read more about this in the lens discussion in Chapter 10.

Many pages are devoted to AF-C Custom Settings in Section 5.6.

TIP: While you can always visit MENU --> --> AF-C Custom Settings to select your preset, it can also be assigned to the Q-Menu, for rapid switching.

Assigned to a Function button gives quickest access to presets – especially in the early stages where the icons act as a handy memory-jog to get you to the most appropriate preset fast.

1.2.3      Uprated Face Detection

If you want to see how good face detection is, turn it on, and point it at a child. Watch how it finds faces and follows them across the viewfinder/LCD.

TIP: Alternatively, focus on your favourite TV rerun, and watch how the camera acquires faces, how much of the frame a face must fill, angles and obliques. A few minutes in, you’ll have a very good idea how well face detection works, and how you might get the most out of it.

New face detection algorithms and more processor speed mean a leap forward in Face and Eye detection accuracy. Which means the X-Pro3 has face detection that really works. Something I’ve never been quite willing to say about an X camera before these latest X’s – and something I never really used before because of the accuracy issues and limitations these modes place on the camera.

Not anymore. Better side detection, faster acquisition, better tracking, make this a mode to use. Especially for children on the go. So if you’re a pro doing this kind of work, or shooting your own tiny tribelings, go for it with Face Detect. Highly recommended. A first for me with my X cameras.

1.2.4      Focus Zoom

Focus Zoom is indispensable for eyeballing critical focus. It’s easy to use, and works in AF-S and Manual Focus modes. Just press the rear command dial and your view is instantly filled with the area under/around the focus frame. This works even if you’ve relocated the focus frame as in Figure 1-7b - you zoom that area, not the centre-of-screen. This is a very handy tool, and easy to use without taking your eye from the viewfinder.

Focus Zoom TIPS:

TIP: There are two zoom levels. Just roll the rear dial left/right to switch between 2.5 and 6x zoom, whilst zooming.

FOCUS ZOOM AND AF-S:

TIP: Focus Zoom is useful in AF-S autofocus mode to check focus is locked and loaded on the intended target. Just press the command dial and autofocus away.

In fact, you can autofocus (half-press the shutter release button), then press the command dial to magnify the composition – even while holding the shutter release half way. (Awkward, I know. But it works.)

TIP: Focus Zoom only works in Manual focus, or AF-S Single Point Autofocus Mode. The feature is inert in Zone, or Wide/Tracking AF.

1.2.5      MF Assist - Crisp manual Focus

The X-Pro3 provides great manual focusing aids for fine-tuning manual focus. All work in concert with Focus Zoom, meaning you can manually manage focusing with a high degree of accuracy in the least amount of time.

The first MF Assist option is Digital Split Imaging – somewhat reminiscent of DSLR split screens from days of yore – or youth, depending on how old you are willing to admit you are. With DSI you know your image is in focus when the panes line up. (Figure 1-8.)

The second – and new in the X-T3 and now X-Pro3 – is the Digital Microprism. And like the previous option, it reminds me of my old Pentax film cameras with microprism focusing screens. While I love the look, it’s not as useful to me as the previous method. But fun nonetheless. The image is in focus when the small squares magically melt away. (Figure 1-9.)

The third option is a very useful feature called Focus Peak Highlighting.  As you turn the focus ring, areas that have high contrast (which usually equates to sharp focus) are highlighted in coloured pixels.  (Figure 1-10.) 

Switch between these modes by long-pressing the rear command dial. A notification briefly flashes in the viewfinders alerting you to your selection.

You’ll notice a fourth mode as you toggle through these – Standard – which really means no MF Assist at all. Choose this and you are manually eyeballing manual focus in the viewfinder. Not very satisfactory unless you combine it with Focus Zoom.

MF Assist options have additional settings in MENU --> --> MF Assist. Your selection is saved, so from now on you can just use the rear dial for rapid selection. See 14.2.11 for more on these settings.

TIP: To quickly cycle between manual focusing aids, long-press the rear command dial for a second. This action advances to the next MF Assist method in the queue.

TIP: Page 77 in the manual states The MF ASSIST menu can be displayed by pressing and holding the center of the rear command dial. That’s not what happens. Rather, that action advances to the next MF Assist option as described above.

1.2.5.1      Digital Split Imaging

If you are sufficiently ancient enough (think wise… :-)) you’re likely to recall the heady days before autofocus existed, where split imaging was virtually the only way to achieve accurate manual focus.

Fujifilm has revived the concept with a digital split imaging system just for those of us hankering for the good ole days - or perhaps just used to the array of focusing screens available on high end DSLRs (See Figure 1-8). In some literature, Fujifilm recommends the use of DSI for macro and wide aperture work.

There are two ways to engage this feature. The menu way, in MENU --> --> MF Assist --> Digital Split Image, or, the speedy way, which only works when the camera is set to Manual Focus mode. Just long-press the rear command dial for a second. Repeat to cycle through manual focusing options.

I don’t use digital split imaging, preferring Focus Peak Highlighting with Focus Zoom for critical manual focus. Of course, autofocus is pretty good on this camera too!

TIP:  The DSI pane can be B&W or colour.  Select in MENU --> -->  MF Assist.

TIP: Focus Zoom makes DSI easier to use. Just activate DSI, then press the rear dial to fill the screen with only the DSI pane.

1.2.5.2      Digital Microprism

This focusing method is somewhat like the first of these methods, using out of phase pixels arranged into a faux microprism focus screen. Though now, instead of the camera resolving this, you get to  choose what they focus on.

It’s a grid, something like the Pentax microprism mentioned earlier. As you bring the composition into focus, the phase detect grid slowly melts to show you a clear, in-focus subject.

Having said all that, where this might really come into its own, is when actually using vintage glass such as that made for said Pentax. Bolt on a Pentax 50 1.4 Super Tak or similar, and the experience with Digital Microprism is somewhat like that which you had with those lenses and associated cameras in their heyday. Only now, the images are something else altogether.

I had fun using this with classic lenses – and pretending I was 17 again.

TIP: In a way, Digital Microprism lets us peek into how phase detection works, showing two sets of phase detect pixels out of phase. Grouped together in a grid as they are, they reasonably emulate the optical microprism. Mind you, the Pentax microprism was never fast to focus with either.

TIP: Because they are all manual, classic mechanical lenses typically have finer focus rings with a lot more turns – compared to modern lenses. They were built this way when there were no electronics to manage focusing, and everything was by eyeball. Fujinon fly-by-wire lenses emulate this behaviour electronically in MF mode.

1.2.5.3      Focus Peaking

If you’re new to this, you will find this fun and useful. Using it is simple. Just rotate the focusing ring, and things that are in-focus (have high contrast) are highlighted in a snow of red, white, blue, or yellow. Of course, since it’s really highlighting high-contrast outlines in these colourful snowflakes, it’s not entirely foolproof. But it is quite good.

There’s a good array of highlight colours to choose to suit most shooting situations, and you can set contrast intensity in MENU --> --> MF Assist --> Focus Peak Highlight --> (colour + High or Low).

I combine Focus Zoom with Focus Peaking for the best in manual focus, with peaking set to ‘Low’ for critical focusing.

TIP: ‘Low’ gives you the least number of snowflakes to contend with by selecting areas of highest contrast, and ‘High’ selects areas with a wider range of contrast – giving you a higher number of coloured snowflakes, and potentially a little less accurate focus.

MF in AF mode TIP - Peaking & AF+MF: If you’ve enabled AF+MF in MENU --> --> MF Assist, you can manually fine tune focus in autofocus (AF-S) mode (like you can with most DSLRs), and both Focus Zoom and the MF Assist features work as described in this section. See Section 14.2.10 for more on this feature.

AF in MF TIP: In manual focus mode, you can autofocus anyway by pressing the AF-L button! This instantly focuses on the subject behind the focus frame, then returns to manual focusing. Many people permanently operate their camera in this mode. This uses either AF-S or AF-C for autofocus, according to Menu --> --> AF/MF Setting --> Instant AF Setting.

TIP: You can assign the function of the AE-L/AF-L button to any function button. Use either  AF Lock Only, or AF-On. See Section 8.11 for the merits of these functions.

TIP: You may find Focus Peaking easier to use in B&W shooting. Red stands out well. If you’re shooting RAW+JPEG, you’ll have a B&W and colour image.

TIP: Combine Focus Peaking or Digital Split Imaging and Focus Zoom. Just enable Focus Peaking (say), then press the rear dial. Voila!

TIP: Magnification levels vary when combining Focus Zoom with MF Assist options. Split Imaging only zooms the area of the split image frame. Microprism does much the same. Focus Peaking with zoom has higher magnification since it is the area under the much smaller focus frame. Plus, there are two magnification levels. Roll the rear dial to switch between 2.5 and 6x zoom.

1.2.6      Pre-Shot ES (Burst) – Action Bracketing

Fujifilm has included an action bracketing mode in the X-Pro3. They don’t call it this, rather, Pre-Shot ES. This terminology does not adequately describe what this function does.

What it does is capture the precise moment of action in a high speed action sequence. It does this by buffering images from the moment you half-press the shutter button, and saves images to the card from this buffer once you full-press the shutter. Keep pressing to save more images.

In this way, you surround your high-speed event with a high-speed sequential burst of images so that you might capture the precise action you are looking for. Because of this, I think of this mode as Action Bracketing – which I know is nowhere near as technically accurate as Pre-Shot ES.

Read up on Pre-Shot ES in Section 7.12.2.

TIP: How many buffered images are saved? I counted 11 frames. There is no way to set this.

TIP: The ES part of the name indicates this function requires the Electronic Shutter to pull off its magic.

1.2.7      Joystick & The AF Area – The Focus Lever

If you don’t use the touchscreen, the 8-way joystick is the ONLY way to move the focus frame.

If you focus-recompose, you might find yourself modifying that behaviour now there is a joystick. I mean, focus-recompose is a work-around around a camera limitation, isn’t it! If the camera knew what you wanted to focus on, the focus point would be in the right position every time. Of course it doesn’t, so the next best thing is rapid relocation of the point when you have the time to do so. This works well except for fast moving subjects. Once you become used to this way of working, you may never want to look back.

MENU --> D:\Desktop\Fujifilm\IMAGES 4 book\Icons\SetupSpannerIconTransp.png --> Button/Dial Setting  --> Focus Lever Setting offers three settings to alter the joystick’s behaviour. Alternately, long-pressing the joystick is the fastest way to change these settings. Since anything other than On just neuters the joystick, I keep this On.

TIP: To rapidly centre a relocated focus frame, just press the joystick twice in quick succession from a shooting mode.

1.3      OVF, EVF LCD, Touch

It’s no good having all those high-octane internals, and touchy-feely goodness if you can’t see what you’re getting, right? The X-Pro3 has a plethora of ways to let you see what your camera is up to. And some new ways of shooting too.

1.3.1      Mega Electronic Viewfinder

This is Mega – more pixels, that is. Now 3.69 million dots – up from 2.36 in the X-Pro2 – and all at 100fps in high performance Boost mode! EVF lag is a thing of the past, and what you see in the viewfinder, is what you get. (WYSIWYG, for the old-timers among us!)

Of course, the big deal with an electronic viewfinder is you see a live view of what you are shooting, overlaid with shooting info you usually only have on a rear LCD.

Fujifilm brings creative thinking with EVF shooting information rotating when you turn the camera on its side. Enable this in MENU --> D:\Desktop\SetupSpannerIcon2.png --> Screen Set-Up --> Autorotate Displays --> On. This effects both the EVF and LCD, so if you swap between displays info is just where you expect it.

What makes the electronic viewfinder so good?  It’s an Organic L.E.D. (OLED) display as used on high-end smart phones. They’re brighter, have wider colour gamut and a faster refresh rates than the camera’s rear LCD. 

TIP: Boost mode not only switches the viewfinder from 60 to 100fps, release lag also drops. Of course there’s a corresponding 25% battery hit!

Apparently part of the logic behind the closed LCD focused around reducing chimping. If you find the need to view your images after shooting though, you can do this with the LCD open, or in the viewfinder. Set your preferred review option in MENU --> D:\Desktop\SetupSpannerIcon2.png --> Screen Set-Up --> Image Disp. Of course, you can just press the Playback button to review images in the EVF.

The various viewfinder and LCD display modes are covered in Section 3.3, and Section 15.3 digs into all Screen Set-Up options.

Chimping TIP: The smoothest viewfinder centric review process is to press PLAY with your eye at the viewfinder. Press the rear command dial to zoom the played image.

TIP: Finding it hard to find the PLAY button with your eye at the viewfinder? Sacrifice the front FN button (in the viewfinder selector lever), and assign it to PLAYBACK. This button is easy to find with your eye at  the viewfinder.

TIP: There is no VIEW MODE button on the X-Pro3 to control what happens with the EVF/OVF and LCD when your eye is near the infrared sensor. There is a relatively limited set of options in the menu though – at MENU --> D:\Desktop\Fujifilm\IMAGES 4 book\Icons\SetupSpannerIconTransp.png --> Screen Set-Up --> Eye Sensor Setting. See Section 15.3.1 for explanations.

TIP: With Shooting set to ON in the above TIP, the EVF remains off, conserving battery power till your face gets near the viewfinder’s IR sensors, before turning on. There’s little lag, so if you’re an EVF lover, this is a good way to go. Of course, the sensor is triggered just as easily by fingers, jackets etc, so this might not be the best when using a neck or shoulder strap.

TIP: The OVF overlays toggle on/off with the above setting too.

TIP:  If you find the EVF to be a little dark (or bright) right out of the box, you can increase/decrease the brightness to +-1 for a subtle change, right out to +-5!  Do this in MENU --> D:\Desktop\SetupSpannerIcon2.png --> Screen Set-Up --> highlight EVF Brightness (now put your eye up to the EVF) --> +1 (brighter). 0 is default.  There’s a similar setting for the LCD.

Preview and Contrast - TIP: You can use the EVF for more than just previewing your image. Switch to RAW+JPEG, and Acros film sim, and more easily see what’s happening with the tones in your image. This is great for monitoring contrast in a scene for accurate metering, and the RAW gives you colour, and all the data to work with for greatest exposure management too.

1.3.2      Big Glass Viewfinder – The OVF

The Optical aspect of the viewfinder is pure genius, and a pleasure to use. It’s bright, with an astounding field of view that lets you see well outside your image frame. This is helpful for several reasons: You can easily see other potential framing without moving the camera; and it’s a snap to spot things which might imminently enter or impede your composition before it happens. Anticipating the precise moment to press the shutter button becomes just that much easier too, due to this wider field of view.

There’s the same wide range of shooting information available as a digital overlay onto the OVF. And like the EVF, you have control over how much info you want to see in the OVF. Use the DISP button to cycle through the two OVF screens. Perhaps it goes without saying, but you must be in OVF mode for this to work. Meaning you must have your eye at the viewfinder when you press the DISP button. Fortunately, the button is in a good location when holding the camera to your face.

OVF, Focal Length, and the Compositional Frame - TIP: The OVF displays a white frame simulating the field of view at the current lens focal length as shown in Figure 1-14. It’s easy to see what focal length does to this frame by rapidly zooming a lens between its extremes. Do that, and it will instantly become apparent that you cannot effectively use the OVF for large zoom lenses. I mean, strap the 100-400mm lens on your camera, and even at 100mm the compositional frame is small. At 400mm, it becomes a dot in the viewfinder.

While this is not the Bright Frame simulation, it does demonstrate the same thing. Read on for more on the Bright Frame Simulation.

TIP: Fujifilm has changed the OVF in some ways since the X-Pro2. One notable way is the fixed 0.52x magnification – IE, the absence of a drop-in glass element to zoom the OVF with longer focal length lenses. In practice, this means the OVF is good for lenses between 23 and 50mm. Any longer focal length, and the compositional frame shown in Figure 1-14, becomes quite small. Shorter focal lengths exceed the OVF field of view. What does all this mean? The OVF is optimised for documentary and street photography.

1.3.2.1      Parallax Error

There’s another bit of special magic worth considering. Because the X-Pro3’s OVF is offset from its imaging sensor, it is not at all like a TTL (Through The Lens) OVF found in some DSLRs. This offset leads to parallax errors in both image framing and the location of the focus frame as you look through the viewfinder. This becomes more pronounced the closer your subject (focal point) is to the camera.

Fujifilm’s engineers have tackled this conundrum by moving the digital frame overlay within the available OVF field of view once you have locked focus – causing both the image (compositional) frame and focus frame to apparently move with reference to the entire OVF field of view. Of course, these frames don’t really move. It only appears this way as the display attempts to account for the difference between what your eye sees from its offset position left of the lens, and what the sensor sees directly behind the lens.

And the reason it appears to move? Once it locks focus, the camera knows the distance from the sensor to the focal point in your composition and can now redraw the display (both image and focus frame) accordingly. As this distance shortens (your camera moves closer to the subject), parallax error increases, and the apparent movement of the frame becomes much more pronounced.

Corrected AF Frame TIP: This tremendously helpful option is buried in the menu, and I recommend you find it now and permanently enable it via:  MENU --> --> Corrected AF Frame --> ON. (See Section 14.2.19)

Put your eye to the OVF now and you’ll see the two possible extremes (caused by parallax error) of the central focus point (actually 50cm to infinity) depicted as the centre white rectangles (left). (So you don’t miss these the yellow arrows above point to the hard to see markers that delineate the nearest focal length.)

Once you achieve focus lock, the actual focal point will appear as a third green focus frame (right), likely situated somewhere between the two extremes. All this exists to help you enjoy the value of an OVF, and yet avoid the pitfalls of parallax error caused by the OVF’s offset from the lens.

TIP: Corrected AF Frame doesn’t work with third party manual lenses – since the lenses cannot report the focus distance.

1.3.2.2      Bright Frame – A Simulation

TIP: It will help if you know, that by Bright Frame, Fujifilm mean the compositional frame visible through the OVF – as pictured in Figure 1-14.

The X-Pro3 is one of a very few digital rangefinder cameras with interchangeable lenses. What might not be immediately apparent from this is the difference between your view through the OVF with a non-removable fixed focal length lens, versus the view you see with a zoom lens at the extremities of its zoom range, or different focal length prime lenses attached.

The Bright Frame simulation simulates the field of view of various lens focal lengths so you have an indication of the resulting image capture in the OVF at certain focal lengths – and therefore know what would be in your composition at those focal lengths.

If you only use this feature with prime lenses, think of it this way. You can now see the field of view the sensor would see with a different lens attached, and change lenses to suit the desired field of view.

To display the bright frame simulation, hold the OVF selector lever to the right for three seconds.

If you experiment with this, you can easily see that the OVF/ERF is most suited to focal length between 23 and 50mm. Longer lenses and the OVF are not well matched. But happily, there is always the EVF for these situations.

1.3.3      The Rangefinder – The ERF

The OVF has more to offer with its digital rangefinder like feature allowing you to see what is behind your focus frame in a digital overlay right in the optical viewfinder. But that isn’t the end of it. Manual Focusing aids work on the overlay view too!

Of course, one of the primary reasons rangefinders existed at all was to allow critical focusing with light camera bodies. Fujifilm’s digital version of this has taken the idea so much further with the inclusion of focus peaking, digital split imaging, and focus zoom right in the ERF window.

Rangefinder TIPS:

TIP: If you use the ERF in the OVF, it can show the entire compositional frame, or zoom to magnify the area around the focus frame. Just press the rear command dial to switch between these.

TIP: As focal lengths approach 50mm or longer, use of the ERF is almost mandatory. Indeed, the zoomed ERF is the digital rangefinder mode in operation.

To use the ERF, Fujifilm has further multi-tasked the viewfinder toggle. Dabbing it left whilst looking through the OVF toggles the digital rangefinder on/off. Now you can see the area behind the focus point right in the rangefinder window. Pressing the rear command dial zooms the ERF overlay. If you have AF+MF turned on, you can fine tune AF focus with the added benefit of MF Assist features to aid in critical focusing.

Wrapup:

The X-Pro2’s hybrid viewfinder is one of the quintessential ingredients that bring the benefits of Fujifilm’s outstanding X-Pro3 design together to make great images.

With the EVF:

1.      You can see how your image will look before you shoot (exposure, white balance, tweaks, depth of field),

2.      There’s a live histogram,

3.      There’s great tools for manual focusing (Focus Zoom, Focus Peak Highlighting and Digital Split Imaging),

4.      You have compositional guidelines and a digital level,

5.      You can customize screen information,

6.      The EVF is not hopelessly dark shooting in low light,

7.      Best for long focal-length lenses.

With the OVF:

1.      Your field of view exceeds the limits of the image frame allowing you access to activities that might enter or impede your composition,

2.      The OVF also displays shooting information,

3.      You have a live histogram,

4.      Compositional guidelines and a digital level are available,

5.      You have parallax correction via the electronic overlay,

6.      View