This is the Fujifilm X-T30. And for my money, this is one of the best cameras that Fujifilm make. Now I'm a big fan of this camera. I have big hands, so there are some issues with it.
We're going to go through the pros and cons of it, and why I think this is the most Fujifilm camera that has been made to date. Are you ready? Let's go.
This is my X-T30. This is actually the backup camera to what I'm currently being recorded on, an X-T4. Now, I love my X-T4, and in 2023, it's no slouch. However, when I'm doing paid work, I need a spare camera.
camera just in case. So I went with the X-T30. This camera is tiny and in comparison to the X-T4 it shares the same processor, it shares the same sensor.
That means the X-T30, and this is the Mark 1, there is a Mark 2, the X-T30 comes in at half the price currently and still has the same sensor that is currently being used by Fujifilm in the X-S20. So when I show you images from any of my cameras they all could be made on the X-T30. So what's the camera missing?
Okay, out of the box it is only a single card slot camera and it isn't weather sealed. Other than that it doesn't have IBIS. That said, and with Fujifilm's crazy price fluctuations, this camera was half the price of my X-T4.
I got this for around 500 UK pounds, however Fujifilm's prices fluctuate wildly day to day but currently this stands as the cheapest way to get onto the X-Trans4 processor and sensor. The main differences between this and the X-T30 Mark II are that the X-T30 Mark II has slightly longer record times, a slightly improved rear screen, some autofocus improvements and it also includes two different Fujifilm film simulations. Now one of them is Bleach Bypass so unless you're making a rendition of the Zack Schneider film 300 you're probably not going to need that one and the other film simulation is classic negative now this is one that I am quite fond of and I do use in my XT4 but overall you get in a pretty good package for the price and you do make quite a save in picking up the XT30 again at current Fujifilm values these things change all the time now in Fujifilm's marketing they actually refer to the XT30 as the little giant a baby XT X-T3 and they're absolutely right. Now the X-T30 can do 4k video and it does boast some pretty incredible burst rates for a camera of this size and price. However if you want all the specs I'll list as many as I can here but I'm going to talk about why it's a different experience to some of the other Fujifilm cameras out there.
Now for reference I've had an X-Pro1, an X-70, an X-S10, the X-T4 and this X-T30. So I've got a bit of experience with the Fujifilm brand and I've been using them for around nine years now. When people move over to the mirrorless format from DSLR the main reason they do this is because of size. With the recent trend in mirrorless cameras and the aim for a do-it-all hybrid camera, the X-T4 falls into that bracket as does the X-H2 line, we are finding that cameras are getting bigger and bigger again and for me that's one of the reasons I actually went with Fujifilm.
because I wanted something small and compact. This thing's bloody tiny. I'll do a comparison shot of this next to the X-T4, but it's not until you get it in hand you realize how much smaller it is. Now I do have big hands, so initially it did feel a little bit cramped. I actually purchased the Lensmate Thumb Rest just for a little bit of extra grip, and that's made this feel perfect in the hand.
I did consider one of the hand grips that you can get, but that would just add to the overall bulk of the camera, and At that point you may as well try and spend a little bit more and get an xt3 Now for me the size was an important factor. I love having a small camera and Having it with my 35 mil 1 4 on it. It's very similar in size to the Leica q2 a camera I absolutely adore but I do not adore the price.
So I'll stick with my xt 30 and my 35 mil for now I also tend to mount on this my TT artisans 27 mil now I think this looks like such a killer combo and that lens does pretty well. Maybe I'll do a review of it at some point but yeah keeping this small form factor it's very pleasing. Now another reason this camera is so much more appealing than some of the other Fujifilm offerings is this has a good selection of dials.
I would go as far as to say this actually has the best selection of dials on a Fujifilm camera. Now some of you guys are gonna get triggered at me saying that but hear me out. The main things I want on a camera, shutter speed and an exposure compensation dial. Okay?
After that anything else is a bonus. Now on the left of the X-T30 we actually have a drive dial which has the continuous high and continuous low function that I do use quite regularly on paid work. It has bracketing and it also has a switch to take it straight to movie mode. Next to that we have a flip up switch for the built in flash.
That's something that a lot of Fujifilm cameras don't have. With this I am finding I'm using it more. On my X-S10 I didn't really use the built in flash much. On the right hand side of the camera we have a fantastic shutter speed dial and that is stacked on top of an auto switch.
Now I call this the panic button. You flip that switch to auto and it will auto everything. So this is a really really great option if you want to give the camera a little bit camera to someone that's not comfortable with cameras and get them to get a picture of you or your family or just let them have a go with the camera.
You can give them this and they're going to get pretty great results straight out. Now that auto does only work in JPEG so it shoots out JPEGs regardless of what other settings you've got going on. That is something I would love to see Fujifilm address in an update but so far it's JPEGs only.
Next to that we've got your on off switch with a threaded shutter release which is very nice and then we have the three stop exposure compensation but you can change this to C and get up to five stops in camera using the dial. We also have a function button on the top plate as well. We have front and rear dials on this camera and they are both able to be used as buttons by pressing them in as well.
And on the back we have a selection of pretty normal Fujifilm buttons at this point with the exception of no D-pad on this model. You use the dial to navigate around the menus however you can use touchscreen functions if that's not something you prefer. For me, I don't really like touchscreen functions in camera. So the viewfinder has a refresh rate of 100 hertz and it's 2.3 million dot OLED. So it's a reasonable viewfinder, nothing crazy, certainly not as good as the one on my X-T4, but it more than gets the job done and it's reasonably color accurate.
The screen is average. It can be flipped up and down a little bit, but I honestly don't bother using that feature at all. And the battery is one of the original Fujifilm batteries, the NP126, I believe. They're not great at this point, but I always have spares anyway.
However, this processor is much more efficient than they used to be on it, so you do get a little bit more life out of it. The other thing this camera has is the front focus selector switch, which most of the premium model Fujifilm cameras have. And some more recent cameras have actually started to remove, so it's no longer on the X-S10 or 20. It's not on the X-E4, and it's not on the X-H2 cameras either.
Fujifilm users such as myself, this is a feature that we expect to see on all Fujifilm cameras because it's really easy to not even have to look at the camera while you're switching between manual single point focus and continuous focus. You always know where you are. The other point I want to touch on with these dials is they are the crispest, cleanest dials that I've actually used on a Fujifilm camera to date. These feel so pleasing and tactile that I actually much prefer them over the dials on my X-T4 and that's considered to have some of the best build quality in the entire Fujifilm lineup, these dials feel absolutely phenomenal in comparison.
So if you're looking to get into the Fujifilm ecosystem and you don't want to spend a thousand pounds, you want reasonable 4k footage, decent autofocus and small form factor along with those retro dials, this might be the one to look for. For me, I am growing on this camera. When I got it, it felt a little bit small and cramped.
I put the Lensmate thumb rest on there and now... that's made a massive difference. I've got hands like a monkey so it helps me out a lot but I do love the size of this thing and I am gravitating towards wanting to take this out on photo walks over my X-T4 just because of the size and the weight difference.
But yeah I just wanted to give a shout out to a camera that I think gets very little praise on the internet even though apparently the X-T10-20-30 lines have been particularly successful sales for Fujifilm. And overall I could get an X-100V if I wanted something with weather. a ceiling in a small form factor but I do prefer the option to be able to change lenses and I do prefer the 35mm f1.4 over the X100V's 23mm f2.
Okay guys, I hope this helped you, I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please like and subscribe. Comment if you've got an X-T30 or an X-T30 Mark II. Alright, thanks for watching, I'll see you next time.
Peace.