For a small camera, the controls on the X-T30 are well
spaced with a logical design aimed at performance. The
main exposure controls are on the top: mode dial, shutter
speed, and exposure compensation. It includes a popup
flash not found on the X-T3. The exposure compensation
dial extends to 5 stops and a new switch (not found on the
X-T3) puts the camera in full automatic mode for moments
when you need to take a shot quickly without fumbling.
The top shutter speed is 1/4000 sec (1/8000 sec on the
X-T3) with a T shutter setting that lets you adjust the
shutter speeds using the rear control dial and extends the
shutter range to an impressive 15 minutes.
The X-T30 lacks a dedicated ISO dial, although the
ISO range of the two cameras is the same 160–12,800,
with extended values down to 80 and up to 51,200. The
mechanical burst speed on the X-T30 is 8 fps, but 11 fps
on the X-T3; however, the electronic burst speeds are
the same for both at 20 fps full-frame and 30 fps with
a 1.25 crop factor. Continuous AF works well at high
frame bursts. The X-T3 has the better EVF, with a 3.69
million-dot resolution and a magnification of 0.75. The
X-T30’s EVF has a resolution of 2.36 million dots with
a magnification of 0.62. Using Fujifilm’s “boost mode,”
both EVFs have a refresh rate of 100 fps, making con-
tinuous viewing without blackouts another big step for
a mirrorless camera. Both cameras use the same touch-
sensitive technology and LCD resolution; however, the
X-T3 articulates both horizontally and vertically, while the
X-T30 articulates only horizontally.
The X-T3 has two memory card slots using the faster
UHS-II cards. The X-T30 has a single SD card slot that
uses slower UHS-I cards. Like the X-T3, the X-T30 is
highly customizable; however, the X-T30 doesn’t have
the X-T3’s four-way navigation pad, but uses an eight-
direction lever for moving the focus point and scrolling
the menus. This leaves the X-T30 with 9 programmable
buttons while the X-T3 has 13. Both cameras have a pro-
grammable quick-access menu. The touch-sensitive LCD
lets you move the focus point, trigger the shutter and,
in playback, lets you swipe to the next image, as well
as letting you use your fingers to enlarge and navigate
images, which is more spontaneous and intuitive.
If you’re a videographer, the X-T30 takes a slight hit
shooting 4K at 30p rather than the X-T3’s 60p, and for
only 10 minutes at a time rather than the 20 minutes of
the X-T3. But, the X-T30 is close to having your cake and
eating it, too! n> KELBY ONE.COM
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