5252 AUGUST 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 378
FUJIFILM X-T30
★★★★★
£1,199•From http://www.wexphotovideo.com
FUJIFILMHASWONalot of fans with its
XT camera range,and deservedly so –its
approach of applying the same features from
more advanced models to cheaper cameras
has produced some greats. Just as the X-T20
was apared down X-T2, so the latest X-T30 is
ababyX-T3(Shopper375).
Featuring many of the same specifications
as its pricier big brother,which costs £1,699,
the X-T30 is ideal as atravel camera, abackup
camera forX-T3owners or just an all-round
good performer forthose who don’t want to
push their budget toofar.
With the same 26.1-million-pixel APS-C
X-Trans CMOS sensor and X-Processor 4
combination as the X-T3, the X-T30 should be
capable of delivering the goods, quality-wise.
The APS-C sensor might be smaller than the
full-frame chips in cameras such as the Nikon
Z6 (Shopper377)orCanon EOS R, but Fujifilm
clearly believes this size of sensor is the
perfect balance between portability and image
quality: big enough to capture lots of light,
but not requiring ahuge body to house it.
Other similarities that the X-T30 shares
with its sibling are its autofocus system and
fast burst mode of up to 20fps. Where the
X-T30 differs from the X-T3 is its buffer depth,
offering amore limited 17 frames (Raw)
before the camera needs to pause fora
breather; the X-T3 shoots up to 79.Ifyou’re
VERDICT
By distillingfeaturesfromtheX-T3intoa
smaller,lighterandcheaperbody,theX-T30
iseverythingyouneedinatravelCSC
MIRRORLESSCAMERA
from the ‘sprayand pray’ school of action
photography,this might not be the camera
foryou, but if your subjects tend to be more
static, it’s likely to be less of abother.
MINITHREE
Cameras in Fujifilm’s range currently fall
intoone of two camps: there’s the flatter
‘rangefinder’style of the X-Pro series, and
the more DSLR-like ‘XT’ style,which finds
the viewfinder in the middle of the topplate.
The X-T30 follows suit and is very much like
asmaller X-T3 in shape.
While the X-T30 uses the same sensor and
processor as its big brother,there are notable
differences in its design. The X-T30 is smaller
and lighter,which makes it great fortravelling,
but there are compromises. Agood example
is the lack of adedicated ISO dial; another is
its single SD card slot, which is unlikely to be
amajor problem formost enthusiasts, but
forthose who like to back up on the go,it’s
something to think about.
The good news is that there’s still a
number of direct access control dials and
buttons to satisfy tactile users. There’s a
drive mode dial on the leftofthe topplate,
while two more dials forshutter speed and
exposure compensation are on the right.
Something you won’t see on the more
advanced X-T3 is an ‘auto’ switch, but
there’s abig one on the X-T30 –good for
those who want the camera to take over
exposure with aflick of the finger.
NO JOY
Buttons on the back of the camera are scarce.
Our only major complaint is the positioning of
the Qbutton, used to fire up the quick menu.
It’s on the rear thumb rest, and we found it
extremely easy to accidentally push when
looking through the viewfinder; it arguably
would have made more sense to put it out
of the wayofwandering thumbs. The joystick
is handy formoving the focus point around
the frame,but again it’s awkwardly placed.
These are both issues that you’re likely to
learn to work with once you’ve been using
the camera foralong period, however.
The X-T30’s viewfinder is smaller and has a
lower resolution than that of the X-T3 –0.39in
