When Patrick DiVino of Fuji Rumors shared the image of a Fujifilm X-Pro3 with a three-way tilting LCD screen instead of the camera’s hidden LCD screen with its reportedly fragile ribbon cable I wondered if somebody at Fujifilm Switzerland had gone off the reservation.
We chose not to invest in an X-Pro3 after trying one out and being less than thrilled with some of the design and manufacturing decisions made by Fujifilm in its quest to make the third X-Pro model into a camera for “pure photography” by “street photographers”.
Fujifilm would have been better advised to choose another word than “pure” given purity’s connotations in eugenics, religion and politics and we hope that the X-Pro4 will return to being a solid, reliable, innovative and versatile precision instrument for professionals, documentary photographers and photojournalists as well as enthusiasts seeking a unique optical viewfinder experience not possible with SLR-style cameras.
A Fujifilm X-Pro3 with 3-way tilting LCD screen?
As for the term “street photographers”, we may photographically document life in the streets every so often and even produce what might be described as “street photographs”, though there’s more to be seen in them than a street or, for that matter, a lone figure flitting between between sharply defined shafts of sunlight and shadow.
Like most photographers our interests extent beyond one genre, one subject, one style or even one strictly-defined set of design and content rules and regulations.
The thing we like the least about our beloved Fujifilm X-Pro2
Whatever our subject or approach, one of the things we like least about our X-Pro2 is its old-style fixed LCD screen and we would have preferred a fully-articulated or even a tilting screen instead.
When we needed good quality video for volunteer work at a human rights charity, we invested in Panasonic cameras with their fully articulated screens and found how useful they are for stills photography when working in tight spaces and needing to be discreet in potentially risky situations.
Since DxO added DeepPRIME XD to its support for Fujifilm X-Trans raw files in DxO PhotoLab Elite and related software we’ve been carrying our X-Pro2 almost every day instead of our Panasonic Lumix GX8 and we miss the latter’s fully-articulating LCD.
Then there’s our Lumix GX8 & DxO’s amazing software
When we absolutely must have the GX8’s tilting EVF and fully articulating LCD then of course that becomes our daily carry for the duration, or we attach the tiny Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS lens instead of its default Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro and carry it in our waist-pack alongside our X-Pro2.
DxO’s recently added support for Fujifilm X-Trans now means we can now process Bayer and X-Trans raw files from different cameras with the same film simulation or camera sensor profile and it is next to impossible to tell which camera shot what image.
We can choose from DxO’s Fujifilm-specific film simulations in the Color Rendering/Digital Films collection or from a vast range of other analog film and sensor simulations derived from DxO’s years of testing every piece of hardware and film stock upon which they can collectively lay their hands.
We can make our images look like they’ve been shot with, for example, an oldie-but-goodie Minolta 7D or a long list of other new and old digital cameras, or an almost as long list of colour transparency, colour print, black-and-white or cross-processed colour films and movie grading effects.
Our default choice continues to be DxO’s Fujifilm Astia film simulation for its excellent rendering of skin tones and colour transparency look and feel, at least for the time being.
Then depending on the specific look and feel a given project demands we may choose from amongst some of our favourite colour negative film simulations such as Fujifilm Superia in its several different versions or Kodak Portra 400 or 160VC.
We’ve been waiting for all this for so long and we’re ecstatic it’s now possible and that it works so well.
The real Fujifilm X-Pro3 with hidden flip-down LCD screen
What we’d like to see in the X-Pro4
- In-body image stabilization aka IBIS.
- 40 megapixel sensor.
- Larger, brighter optical viewfinder aka OVF.
- Dual magnification OVF.
- OVF bright lines for 18mm through to 56mm: longer than that, switch over to the EVF.
- OLED electronic viewfinder aka EVF instead of X-Pro2’s TFT EVF.
- Durable fully-articulating or tilting LCD monitor for working discretely in difficult situations and no failure-prone ribbon cable.
- Up to Cinema 4K recording on par with X-T5 – we prefer C4K’s 17:9 cinematic aspect ratio to television’s 16:9.
- Top-class autofocus.
- Larger battery than X-Pro2 so we don’t have to carry two spares for day-long documentary projects.
- Better, deeper built-in grip.
- Optional accessory hand grip for even more security in holding it.
- Dual SD card slots with UHS-II compatibility.
- D-pad for fast programmable access to functions instead of over-reliance on touchscreen gestures.
- HEIF – 4:2:2 10-bit.
- 5:4 and 4:3 aspect ratios for magazine and portrait photography and other commissioned work.
- Pixel-shift multi-shot images.
- Less reflective, darker and more durable black coating – I have no use for fingerprint-magnet Duratect coatings and colours.
- Monochrome live view option for the EVF enabling focus peaking to better be seen regardless of film simulation – on Panasonic Lumix cameras I use red focus peaking in monochrome live view and it’s very effective.
We’d like to see Fujifilm become the second hybrid mirrorless camera maker to adopt the EL Zone System formulated by Edward Lachman, ASC, after Sigma added it to the firmware of its Sigma fp and fp L 35mm sensor cameras.
Panasonic was first cinema camera maker to add EL Zone System to the firmware of its VariCam cinema cameras and a growing list of other companies making hardware and software for video production and post-production have already done so or are in the process.
Any hybrid mirrorless camera would benefit from the EL Zone System for accurate exposure and wouldn’t need traditional video exposure aids like scopes and waveforms.
Fujicron compact prime lenses for X-Pro4, new, improved & all rated for 40 megapixels
Fujifilm’s current Fujicron prime lenses are well-suited for use with X-Pro series digital rangefinder cameras due to their narrow front ends that minimize intrusion into the lower right of their optical viewfinders.
Haoge’s front tapering lens hoods help reduce the sometimes annoying OVF intrusion by longer plastic hoods while being more protective of the lens’ front element due to their aluminium construction that better protects than plastic.
The recently-released Fujinon XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro lens is spot on with its aperture ring lock and we like its fast autofocusing via linear motor so we’d like to see one or both added to revisions of current Fujicron lenses.
We’d also like to see Fujifilm round out its Fujicron compact lens collection and consider filling the gap between the currently unreleased 9mm and a possible new 14mm lens to replace the current non-compact 14mm.
- XF 9mm f/3.5 – Yet to be released at time of writing but would be useful for architecture and landscape photography.
- XF 14mm f/2.8 R WR – Current version is sized more like a Fujilux fast aperture lens and has manual clutch focus, which I love, but a smaller Fujicron version would complete this set.
- XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR II – I’d almost forgotten this one altogether as it’s far from my favourite focal length but current version needs an aperture ring lock.
- XF 18mm f/2.0 R WR – Previous pancake version was optically and mechanically compromised and the f/1.4 Fujilux version is not a replacement but an alternative better suited to larger cameras.
- XF 23mm f/2.0 R WR II – Current version has optical shortcomings close-up and needs aperture ring lock.
- XF 27mm f/2.8 (f/2.0) R WR III – Version II pancake lens suffers from same propensity as version I of its focusing mechanism to fail requiring costly repairs that may fail yet again: needs redesigning as a Fujicron lens with sturdy lens barrel and focusing mechanism as well as aperture ring lock, and should be upgraded to f/2.0 maximum aperture.
- XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR – First in the series to gain aperture ring lock and so far it looks promising as a 45mm-equivalent perfect normal lens slightly longer than 27mm (40.5 equivalent) perfect normal.
- XF 35mm f/2.0 R WR II – Needs aperture ring lock.
- XF 50mm f/2.0 R WR II – Needs aperture ring lock.
- XF 70mm f/2.0 R WR – Classic 105mm equivalent for portraiture, documentary and photojournalism but not as large and heavy as an f/1.4 Fujilux version would be: if f/2.0 maximum aperture leads to oversized lens then f/2.8 may be acceptable.
The compact size and affordability of these lenses also makes them attractive for owners of the Fujifilm X-T5 and other more affordable non-flagship cameras as well as older, smaller Fujifilm cameras.
Links
- B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
- B&H Affiliate Link – Fujifilm – X-H2 – X-H2S – X-Pro3 – X-T4 – X-T5
- B&H Affiliate Link – Fujifilm – X Series Lenses – Primes – Zooms
- Digital Camera World – Fujifilm faces lawsuit over falsely advertising X-Pro3 as being durable – “Jethro Inong claims defective ribbon connector cables in the X-Pro3 are causing the LCD screen and viewfinder to not work.”
- Digital Camera World – Fujifilm X-Pro3 review – “The Fujifilm X-Pro3 brings back an old way of shooting in the new digital world, but it’s likely to divide opinion!”
- Fuji Rumors – CURIOSITY: Fujifilm Switzerland Shows X-Pro3 without Hidden but Regular Tilt LCD Screen
- Fujifilm Switzerland – X-Pro3 – Screenshot above was made on Monday 27th March 2023.
- Fujifilm X Global – X-Pro3
- Unititled.Net – “Flippy”, “Floppy”, “Selfy” or “Tilty”: What Are The Different Types of LCD Monitor Screens on Fujifilm X Series Cameras? – Updated
- Unititled.Net – Fujifilm’s X-Pro2 Is Still A Great Documentary Camera, The X-Pro3 Was A Mistake & The X-Pro4 Must Do Better Than Both: Here’s How – Updated March 2023
- Unititled.Net – What Is The “Hollywood 28” Vintage Prime Lens & Why Is It Still So Highly Sought After? – The 28mm focal length is equivalent to 42mm in Super 35 and is thus perfect normal for video.
- Unititled.Net – Search results for “EL Zone System”.
- Unititled.Net – Search results for “perfect normal”.
UNITITLED.NET 