Fujifilm reveals X-Pro3

Fujifilm has unveiled the latest in its X Series and it promises to deliver a rangefinder experience like never before.

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 was announced online to the world back in September, but not a lot of detail was revealed apart from the camera’s rugged finish and its ‘hidden’ monitor. Now the camera has been officially launched and headline features include a 26.1-megapixel sensor, working in conjunction with the X-Processor 4 – the same duo found in the X-T3 – a new hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, an improved AF system and a new Film Simulation mode, Classic Neg.

But that’s not even scratching the surface, which takes me neatly back to the camera’s finishes. The X-Pro3 is available in three options: standard black, which is available at £1699, body only, and two super-tough options, Dura Black and Dura Silver, both of which retail for £1879, body only. The Dura options feature titanium top and bottom plates and a Duratect coating, a surface-hardening cold plasma technology that is tougher than quartz and almost ten times tougher than stainless steel. Add 70 environmental seals and you have a camera with the credentials to withstand the most arduous conditions.

 

We mentioned the hidden monitor earlier and it’s worth explaining this in more detail. Look at X-Pro3’s back and there is no monitor, just a square 1.28-inch LCD, protected by toughened glass Fujifilm calls a Memory window with information reminiscent of a film memo holder. You have the option of having the Film Simulation mode and ISO set showing or camera setting info and this shows even when the camera is switched off.

To view an image, use live view or make menu adjustments, the 1.62-million-dot, three-inch touchscreen monitor folds down and behaves like any typical touchscreen for menu set-up, viewing and playback. In normal mode, however, it faces into the camera body, so there is immediate image review. Of course, many cameras with vari-angle monitors let you do the same if you prefer to work this way, but on the X-Pro3 it is the only option, which means the camera’s viewfinder has to deliver a great experience.

Fujifilm knows that and the X-Pro3 sports a new electronic/optical hybrid viewfinder. The EVF uses an OLED panel with 3.69 million dots, which is brighter and more contrasty than that found on the X-Pro3’s predecessor, the X-Pro2, and shows 97% of the sRGB colour space with a frame rate of 100fps. The boost mode also has a smoothness priority, which is advised when shooting action or erratically moving subjects.

The optical viewfinder features newly designed optics, has less distortion, a higher viewpoint and larger angle of view compared with the X-Pro2.

Toggling between the EVF and OVF is done by a lever on the camera’s front and a third option is an optical image with a smaller electronic inset, so you can preview the effect of the camera’s settings.

The sensor/processor is the same as that found in the successful X-T3, but the X-Pro3 has some additional benefits, namely an improved AF performance, which now works down to -EV6, and an AF range limiter function where you can set in-camera preset focusing distances on all XF lenses. There are extra features available, too, including up to nine multiple exposures, an HDR shooting function where shots of different exposures are combined in-camera and additions to Fujifilm’s set of Film Simulation modes, Classic Neg. and Monochromatic Color.

The X-Pro3 Black is available from 28 November at £1699 body only, while the two Dura options cost £1879 body only and are in-store from mid-December.

To find out how the camera performs, read our hands-on first-look review, or check out the key differences between the X-Pro2 and X-Pro3.

For more information, please visit the Fujifilm website.