Update 2022: I just thought I had found the perfect pocket camera and was so excited. But at the same time, my husband decided that this pocket camera was a perfect podcasting camera. So now, my cute little Fuji pocket/purse camera sits atop a tripod in my husband’s office set up for podcasting. Now the search begins again for that perfect little (yet powerful) camera. Any suggestions are welcome!
After years of searching, buying, selling, and testing out little cameras, I think I finally found my perfect little “pocket” camera. Well…it doesn’t exactly fit in my pocket, but it is certainly smaller than my DSLR and my Sony Mirrorless with its giant 70-200 lens!
The Fuji X-T3 is just the right size to be (carefully) tossed into my purse so I can bring it along with me wherever I go. Small, but mighty powerful, with lots of special features. I was first drawn to the Fuji not because of all the amazing specs it can boast about, but because of the look of it.
It reminded me of my Canon AE-1 35mm film camera I had used back in the day. It was just a cool, classic look! As I began to research the Fuji X-T2, I decided I was going to need to save some money to invest in one of these little gems. Well…by the time I had done all my research, rented an X-T2 and played around with it, and saved up enough money to buy one, they announced the Fuji X-T3!
So I saved up a little bit more money and bought myself a Fuji X-T3. What an amazing little camera. Well…for the little bit of time I was able to use it. Since acquiring it a year or two ago, my husband has since taken it over for its spectacular video capabilities!
My sweet little Fuji X-T3 that was going to be my take with me everywhere camera, now sits perched on a small tripod in our study with a nice microphone and is all set up for podcast videos! The videos for Latenight IM have never looked better than they do now.
The things that are important to me are things like how it feels in my hand, where are the dials located, do the dials move quickly and easily, is the menu complicated, does it have a touch screen, does the screen tilt, etc… Not necessarily all the technical specs, even though I do want it to be fast with a good face/eye detection focusing system.
This Fuji X-T3 met all of my non-technical requirements, and it also just looks totally cool. I have the black and silver X-T3, and without fail, someone always asks me about my old film camera! Sure does look like an old school 35mm film camera, doesn’t it?
I usually shoot photo sessions with a Sony A7Riii, and shooting with the Fuji took some getting used to. Different feel, different sound to it, and most certainly, the coloring on the Fuji is different from my Sony. I can say (with 100% certainty) that I am very familiar with all of the menu items on my Sony, and I am not very familiar with all of the menu items on my Fuji.
There’s definitely a learning curve, and I don’t think I’ve spent enough time with it to fully understand all its capabilities and special menu options. I will tell you though that it is a great little camera that puts out some wonderful photographs, and my husband will tell you that its video capabilities are quite impressive!
If my husband ever gives me this camera back, I intend to learn more about it and become more familiar with its capabilities and special features. I’m sure I have barely scratched the surface with this gem!
In case you’re wondering what is so great about this little camera in more technical terms, I can tell you that it is a weather-resistant mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera that was announced in 2018 and is the successor to the X-T2 that was announced in 2016. It has a backside illuminated X-Trans CMOS 4 APS-C sensor with an X-Processor 4 Quad core processor. Crazy, big words, I know, but what that means to me is this is a powerful little camera.
Here are some of the specs they boast about:
- 26.1 megapixels (up from 24.3)
- New base ISO of 160 with ability to shoot RAW at 12,800
- Max resolution of 6240×4160 pixels
- 425-point hybrid autofocus system
- 3.69 million dot high-resolution EVF
- UHD 4K60 Video
- 2.16m-Point Phase-Detection Autofocus
- And so much more….
This article titled Fujifilm X-T3 review: a camera too good to be true (and yet, it is) is a great, detailed article with many more specs and details for you camera geeks out there. Check it out if you want more specifics… And be prepared…not only will you be wanting to buy an X-T3, I came away from his article wanting to check out the X100F as well! Not sure I need both of those cameras, and I’m an inter-changeable lens person. If you’re not, however, the X100 series from Fuji is definitely something to consider.
If I can help you out with some family, senior, or sports photos, you can find me over at Paula Mason Photography. Just let me know how I can help you.
Until next time…
