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full screenprintcontentsfull screenprint10 VIDEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 2019
10 minute record limit?!?
One of the most significant quirks
about this camera for video shoot-
ers is its record time limit. In 4K,
you get 10 minutes of capture time.
Additionally, when that clip is com-
plete, the camera buffers for a few
seconds. This means that if you needto capture something longer than 10
minutes, you will have a gap of a few
seconds between clips. In HD, you get
5 more minutes of record time for a
total clip length of 15 minutes.
With most cameras, we are frus-
trated with 30-minute clip limita-
tions; getting a third of that in 4Kis unfortunate. Some shooters can
deal with the limit more easily than
others since not all shooting situa-
tions require long clips. However, it’s
a big deal to video shooters capturing
any kind of event. As we said before,
the way to overcome the record limit
time is to capture with an external
recorder via HDMI.Up to 5-times slow-motion
The last perk we’re going to discuss
is the X-T30’s ability to capture up
to 120 frames per second in HD. For
most cinematic purposes involving
people, a top frame rate of 120 fps is
all you need. When shooting at 120
fps, there is an additional crop of the
sensor. It wasn’t a huge crop, but it is
enough that you’ll need to plan for it.
When shooting any frame rates over
120 fps, many actions simply take too
long after being slowed down.
To access 120 fps, the camera needs
to be set in high-speed record mode. It
does not capture audio in this mode.
The top frame rate for audio capture is
60 fps in HD.Who uses a
2.5mm mic jack?
The last quirk is a strange one. Fujifilm
put a 2.5mm mic jack on the X-T30.
We have more than a dozen different
camera mounted microphones here
at Videomaker HQ, and none of them
have a 2.5mm cable. They all have
3.5mm, the standard for on-camera
mics. This goes for shotgun, stereo
and wireless mics. A 2.5mm converter
to 3.5mm will set you back $4 on
Amazon, but the fact that you need it
in the first place is lame.
However, it’s not all negative
when it comes to audio input for the
X-T30. Even when you have a mic
plugged into the camera, you can
capture and adjust the gain for the
on-camera mic and an external mic
separately. Lastly, although it does
not have a headphone jack, for as lit-
tle as $10, you can get a dongle that
plugs into the USB-C port to providea 3.5mm headphone jack out. This is
a big deal as we always recommend
you listen to the audio you capture.
Being able to use the USB port this
way is fantastic. We just wish they
included the adapters with the cam-
era; they would be cheap enough to
supply in the box.Ergonomics of the X-T
How the camera feels in your hand
is only one aspect of the ergonomics
of a camera. Sure it plays a big role,
but there are so many other aspects
that need to be considered — like the
location of the buttons or how easy
the menu is to access and use. We also
consider the screen itself and whether
or not the camera provides the shoot
assists you need.Weight and size
Although the camera has a lot of
analog controls, the body is still
small and light. Excluding the weight
of the lens, the X-T30 weighs 383
grams for the body with battery and
memory card. That’s just 20 grams
less than its biggest competitor, the
Sony a6400. The a6400 weighs 403
grams for the body with battery and
memory card.
Both cameras are the same width
at 4.47 inches. The a6400 is slightly
shorter at 2.6 inches to the X-T30’s
3.3 inches. Lastly, the a6400 is deeper
thanks to its grip. The grip is very min-
imal on the X-T30 with only a slight
ledge to grip with your fingertips. Still,
it feels well balanced in the hand, of
course depending on the lens you use.
If it wasn’t for the location of the Q
button, the camera would be easier to
grip. Its small size and weight are just
asking it to be brought along, making
it great for street shooting.Buttons, joystick, menu,
touch and tap
There are two aspects to the usability
of a camera: where the buttons and
controls are located and how well they
execute the functions they control.Lens Mount: FUJIFILM X
Camera Format: APS-C (1.5x Crop
Factor)
Pixels: 26.1 Megapixel
Image Stabilization: None
Interval Recording: Yes
Recording Modes: MOV/H.
Internal Recording Modes: 4:2:0 8-bit- DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at
23.976p/24p/25p/29.97p [100 to
200 Mb/s] - UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at
23.976p/24p/25p/29.97p [100 to
200 Mb/s] - DCI 2K (2048 x 1080) at 23.976p/
4p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 to
200 Mb/s] - Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/
4p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p [100 to
200 Mb/s] - Full HD (1920 x 1080) at
100p/120p [200 Mb/s]
External Recording Modes: 4:2:2 10-Bit - DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) at
23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p - UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at
23.976p/24.00p/25p/29.97p - DCI 2K (2048 x 1080) at 23.976p/
4.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p - Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/
4.00p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p - Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 100p/120p
TECH SPECSRecording Limit: Up to 29 Minutes,
59 Seconds
Audio Recording: Built-In Micro-
phone (Stereo), External Micro-
phone Input
Focus Type: Auto and Manual
Focus
Focus Mode: Continuous-Servo AF
(C), Manual Focus (M), Single-Servo
AF (S)
Autofocus Points: Phase Detec-
tion: 425
Viewfinder Size: 0.39′′
Viewfinder Resolution: 2,360,
Dot
Monitor- Size: 3′′
- Resolution: 1,040,000 Dot
- Type: Tilting Touchscreen LCD
Memory Card Slot: 1 x SD/SDHC/
SDXC
Connectivity: 2.5mm Sub-Mini,
HDMI D (Micro), USB 3.0, USB
Type-C, X-Sync Socket
Battery: 1 x NP-W126S Recharge-
able Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 1260
mAh
Dimensions (W x H x D): 4.7 x 3.
x 1.8′′ / 118.4 x 82.8 x 46.8 mm
Weight: 13.51 oz / 383 g (Body
with Battery and Memory)
Fujifilm X-T
REVIEW387 R02 Fujifilm X-T30.indd 10 6/25/19 9:15 AMVIDEOMAKER >>> AUGUST 2019 11
is unfortunate. Some shooters can
deal with the limit more easily than
others since not all shooting situa-
tions require long clips. However, it’s
a big deal to video shooters capturing
any kind of event. As we said before,
the way to overcome the record limit
time is to capture with an external
recorder via HDMI.Up to 5-times slow-motion
The last perk we’re going to discuss
is the X-T30’s ability to capture up
to 120 frames per second in HD. For
most cinematic purposes involving
people, a top frame rate of 120 fps is
all you need. When shooting at 120
fps, there is an additional crop of the
sensor. It wasn’t a huge crop, but it is
enough that you’ll need to plan for it.
When shooting any frame rates over
120 fps, many actions simply take too
long after being slowed down.
To access 120 fps, the camera needs
to be set in high-speed record mode. It
does not capture audio in this mode.
The top frame rate for audio capture is
60 fps in HD.Who uses a
2.5mm mic jack?
The last quirk is a strange one. Fujifilm
put a 2.5mm mic jack on the X-T30.
We have more than a dozen different
camera mounted microphones here
at Videomaker HQ, and none of them
have a 2.5mm cable. They all have
3.5mm, the standard for on-camera
mics. This goes for shotgun, stereo
and wireless mics. A 2.5mm converter
to 3.5mm will set you back $4 on
Amazon, but the fact that you need it
in the first place is lame.
However, it’s not all negative
when it comes to audio input for the
X-T30. Even when you have a mic
plugged into the camera, you can
capture and adjust the gain for the
on-camera mic and an external mic
separately. Lastly, although it does
not have a headphone jack, for as lit-
tle as $10, you can get a dongle that
plugs into the USB-C port to providea 3.5mm headphone jack out. This is
a big deal as we always recommend
you listen to the audio you capture.
Being able to use the USB port this
way is fantastic. We just wish they
included the adapters with the cam-
era; they would be cheap enough to
supply in the box.Ergonomics of the X-T
How the camera feels in your hand
is only one aspect of the ergonomics
of a camera. Sure it plays a big role,
but there are so many other aspects
that need to be considered — like the
location of the buttons or how easy
the menu is to access and use. We also
consider the screen itself and whether
or not the camera provides the shoot
assists you need.Weight and size
Although the camera has a lot of
analog controls, the body is still
small and light. Excluding the weight
of the lens, the X-T30 weighs 383
grams for the body with battery and
memory card. That’s just 20 grams
less than its biggest competitor, the
Sony a6400. The a6400 weighs 403
grams for the body with battery and
memory card.
Both cameras are the same width
at 4.47 inches. The a6400 is slightly
shorter at 2.6 inches to the X-T30’s
3.3 inches. Lastly, the a6400 is deeper
thanks to its grip. The grip is very min-
imal on the X-T30 with only a slight
ledge to grip with your fingertips. Still,
it feels well balanced in the hand, of
course depending on the lens you use.
If it wasn’t for the location of the Q
button, the camera would be easier to
grip. Its small size and weight are just
asking it to be brought along, making
it great for street shooting.Buttons, joystick, menu,
touch and tap
There are two aspects to the usability
of a camera: where the buttons and
controls are located and how well they
execute the functions they control.Starting with the joystick, we like that
it’s small yet easy to access. It can get
you through the menu navigation or
to place your focus point. We find
ourselves in a camera menu’s a lot
when reviewing a camera. The menu
button is just below the joystick, so
they make a good pair.
The menu button is also the OK or
execute button. Because they share
the same button, another button is
needed to exit or go back in a menu.
We would have preferred the menubutton to get you in and out of the
menu. Instead, it gets you deeper into
the menu. The display and back but-
ton located below the menu button,
which can take some getting used to.
If the menu button was also the
back button and the OK button was
placed on the click of the joystick,
we feel access and navigation in the
menu would be more intuitive. Wesay this because the menu layout and
organization is great — no complaints
there. It’s easy to find and change fre-
quently used options like resolution,
frame rate and bitrate so you can get
back to shooting.
Lastly, you can tap and touch the
monitor to take a picture or make a fo-
cus area selection as well as navigate
the menu.Button selection
We already mentioned we would
like the shutter dial on the top of the
camera to instead control ISO; that’s
because we’re video shooters. Other
exposure controls have either a lens
ring or dial. Three of the four lenses we
used during testing had aperture con-
trol rings on them. We then used the
index and thumb dials to control the
ISO and shutter. The dial on the top
sets the base shutter speed and allows
for slip up and down shutter speeds.
We are glad to have analog control
over the exposure triangle. It makes it
easy to change the ISO, shutter speed
or aperture quickly. And happily, the
shutter can be set to 1/48 for those
shooting at 24 fps. It’s the little things
that show Fujifilm cares about the
video function of their cameras.Fujifilm X-T
REVIEWTilting rear displayIT’S EASY TO CHANGE
FREQUENTLY USED OP-
TIONS SO YOU CAN GET
BACK TO SHOOTING.387 R02 Fujifilm X-T30.indd 11 6/25/19 9:15 AM