Fuji X-T3 - Best Value in 2024?

[Destin]

Hey guys, I made a YouTube video giving a 5 year review of my experience with the Fuji X-T3. I believe that in 2024, not only is this camera still relevant, but it's actually the best value proposition on the used market among Fuji cameras. I'm also finishing up a video review of the Sigma 56mm 1.4 for Fuji x mount, which will be posted next week, and my goal is to produce 3-4 videos per month moving forward, many of which will revolve around photography, specifically Fuji gear.

I'd love your feedback on the video, as well as on my thoughts about the X-T3. What do you think is the best value on the market for Fuji cameras currently?



Note: If this violates forum rules in any way, I apologize.

 

[cgw]

X-T1-3 are stone-cold bargains--no argument there. But there's more than price.

You could stress what's unique about the design/build of this now 10yr-old product line. That's the hook for many who've never handled the cameras. Need close-ups of product with detailed feature walk-through.

What about Fujinon lenses? Ease of use with adapted optics?

Battery grips extend shooting and greatly improve ergonomics--at a price.

 

[SquarePeg]

I have a T3 and a T5 these days… the extra MP on the T5. are worth the extra cost for the cropping option alone for wildlife and macro. But for landscape, astro, portrait… the 2 & 3 are bargains!


Edit to fix typo it’s a T5 not 4

 

[Destin]

X-T1-3 are stone-cold bargains--no argument there. But there's more than price.

You could stress what's unique about the design/build of this now 10yr-old product line. That's the hook for many who've never handled the cameras. Need close-ups of product with detailed feature walk-through.

What about Fujinon lenses? Ease of use with adapted optics?

Battery grips extend shooting and greatly improve ergonomics--at a price.

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback. I agree generally, but wasn't intending this to be an in depth feature overview, since those have existed for many years. That being said, I think I definitely could have highlighted some of the features more and added more tight b-roll shots highlighting features.

 

[Destin]

I have a T3 and a T4 these days… the extra MP on the T4 are worth the extra cost for the cropping option alone for wildlife and macro. But for landscape, astro, portrait… the 2 & 3 are bargains!

Yeah, that's a very fair point. I very much enjoy the 40mp sensor in my x-h2 for the cropping flexibility, but I never missed it prior to having it.. but then, I don't shoot much wildlife - I'm mostly a landscape/portait photographer.

I think a feature that is really nice to have is the built in electronic teleconverter in the X-H2. I know it's just cropping in camera, but it's really nice to be able to frame your shot the way that you want at the time of capture. X-H2 review will be coming later this year once I've gotten more hands on time with it. So far I'm enjoying it, but definitely prefer the tilt out screen on the X-T3 for taking photos.

 

[cgw]

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback. I agree generally, but wasn't intending this to be an in depth feature overview, since those have existed for many years. That being said, I think I definitely could have highlighted some of the features more and added more tight b-roll shots highlighting features.

Point is the talking heads rarely offer anything beyond what's obvious. You've actually shot the camera extensively. Your experience is what's informed your take and that's what should make it worth a look.

 

[SquarePeg]

Yeah, that's a very fair point. I very much enjoy the 40mp sensor in my x-h2 for the cropping flexibility, but I never missed it prior to having it.. but then, I don't shoot much wildlife - I'm mostly a landscape/portait photographer.

I think a feature that is really nice to have is the built in electronic teleconverter in the X-H2. I know it's just cropping in camera, but it's really nice to be able to frame your shot the way that you want at the time of capture. X-H2 review will be coming later this year once I've gotten more hands on time with it. So far I'm enjoying it, but definitely prefer the tilt out screen on the X-T3 for taking photos.

The thing with the teleconverter on the T5 is that it shoots only in jpeg so use is somewhat limited. Maybe good for wildlife on good light Is it the same restriction with the X-H2?

 

[Destin]

The thing with the teleconverter on the T5 is that it shoots only in jpeg so use is somewhat limited. Maybe good for wildlife on good light Is it the same restriction with the X-H2?

I'm not actually sure, I'd have to check. I'm very much still learning the camera.

I don't view that as a limitation necessarily, since you can always crop the raw to match in post, but you still get to shoot with the vision of what that end goal will look like. It's the same as film simulations basically, where even if you shoot in one that's monochrome, the RAW file still records color. I almost like that the RAW is uncropped, that way if you accidentally chop your subject off at the edge of the frame, you can still recover that data.

If I'm being honest, I almost never touch my RAW files anymore. Even shooting client work, the jpg files are so good that I generally edit and deliver those directly. I only shoot raw as a backup in case I need to do some extensive recovery of shadows/highlights, which is rare in the age of mirrorless cameras.

 

[Dave Maciak]

I have a T3 and a T5 these days… the extra MP on the T5. are worth the extra cost for the cropping option alone for wildlife and macro. But for landscape, astro, portrait… the 2 & 3 are bargains!


Edit to fix typo it’s a T5 not 4

Agree. With both a XT-2 and XT-5 and more lenses (which was the expensive part) of a switch from Nikon.
XT-2 used mainly for street photography--miss my X100T. The 5 produces amazing images.

 

[CherylL]

Great job on the video. I went from the XT-2 to XT-4 and now have the XT-5. I liked the screen articulation on the 2. The 4 had the side flip screen which I didn't like. Two reasons I went from the 4 to the 5 was the screen flipping and the 40mp. I shoot video, but prefer to tilt the screen up indiscreetly when on vacation. The files are huge on the 5 which is good for cropping. I am more selective on my keepers due to taking up space.

 

[SquarePeg]

Great job on the video. I went from the XT-2 to XT-4 and now have the XT-5. I liked the screen articulation on the 2. The 4 had the side flip screen which I didn't like. Two reasons I went from the 4 to the 5 was the screen flipping and the 40mp. I shoot video, but prefer to tilt the screen up indiscreetly when on vacation. The files are huge on the 5 which is good for cropping. I am more selective on my keepers due to taking up space.

Great job on the video. I went from the XT-2 to XT-4 and now have the XT-5. I liked the screen articulation on the 2. The 4 had the side flip screen which I didn't like. Two reasons I went from the 4 to the 5 was the screen flipping and the 40mp. I shoot video, but prefer to tilt the screen up indiscreetly when on vacation. The files are huge on the 5 which is good for cropping. I am more selective on my keepers due to taking up space.

Yes on that last point! Really has made me stop and look to see if I got the shot and then move on instead of taking more.

 

[cgw]

Yes on that last point! Really has made me stop and look to see if I got the shot and then move on instead of taking more.

Guess I'm still haunted by the constraints of film shooting(24, 36 for 35mm; 15, 12, 10 for MF)even with trailing edge 16-24mp cameras loaded with big cards. That conditions what and how I shoot. Have done enough to see and compose before finalizing in the VF and hitting the shutter. Never take my cameras off "S." Never a spray+pray shooter.

 

[Destin]

Great job on the video. I went from the XT-2 to XT-4 and now have the XT-5. I liked the screen articulation on the 2. The 4 had the side flip screen which I didn't like. Two reasons I went from the 4 to the 5 was the screen flipping and the 40mp. I shoot video, but prefer to tilt the screen up indiscreetly when on vacation. The files are huge on the 5 which is good for cropping. I am more selective on my keepers due to taking up space.

Thank you! And yes, I agree about the screens - for photography, I vastly prefer the tilt out style screen on the X-T5. For video work though, especially filming myself, the flip-out screen on the X-H2 is better. This made choosing between the X-T5 and X-H2 very difficult, but ultimately I wanted to start the YouTube channel which meant filming myself, so I went with the X-H2. I also prefer the deeper grip, which I really missed when switching from my old D810 to my X-T3.