It’s finally time for my in-depth review of the Fuji X-Pro 3. (see amazon.com)
I understand why many of you don’t harbor any warm, fuzzy feelings for this camera. If your focus as a photographer is portraiture, landscape, food, studio, architecture, night photography - any of these and more - this camera isn’t for you. We can agree on that point.
But, as a documentary, street, or event photographer, this camera is absolutely top shelf.
In this review, my goal is to dig beneath the surface and unearth the nitty-gritty aspects of shooting with this camera. And shooting in the way it was intended to be shot. We could compare it to the Fuji X-T3 as an everyday, do-everything type of camera, but that’s not what this camera was built for. Instead, I'll be reviewing this camera from the perspective of a documentary photographer.
Here are some of the key features that make the Fuji X-Pro 3 unique.
Hybrid Viewfinder
Hybrid Viewfinder
This is the center-piece of the camera. So much of the cost, R&D, and love that Fuji put into this camera was centered around this hybrid, viewfinder. A fair review of this camera would have to involve and in-depth understanding of this feature. I realized I couldn’t just shoot this camera the same way I would my Fuji X-T3. (see amazon.com)
So, for the past few months, I’ve focused on using and understanding this viewfinder.
(Now you know why it’s taken me so long produce this review. )
This viewfinder is, first and foremost, a feature for the purist. It brings together the experience of shooting with film rangefinders and the power of shooting with a modern mirrorless camera. With the Fuji X-Pro 3, you get a more realistic view of the world around you with the addition of OLED frame lines and other useful data.
Unfortunately, this optical viewfinder was problematic when using wide lenses, telephoto lenses, and most zoom lenses. There were several issues:
1) The lens covers too much of the viewing area.
2) You have a very small set of frame lines.
3) The image will be affected by the parallax effect.
For instance, with my 16mm F1.4. (see amazon.com) , arrows popped-up indicating that the frame lines were outside the bounds of the viewfinder. If you wanted to use a 16mm or wider lens with the optical viewfinder, you’d only see a parallax of what the lens is seeing. You’d just be guessing. This optical viewfinder is more for people who shoot ‘Leica style’ with smaller, rangefinder style prime lenses.
There are two lenses I have found that pair well with this feature: the 35mm F2.0 and the 23mm F1.4. (see amazon.com)
Space around the frame lines
Mounted on the X-Pro 3, the 35mm F2.0 lens was great. It’s a short lens and so it didn’t invade too much into the the optical viewfinder. It balanced well on the X-Pro 3 and I appreciated seeing some space around the frame lines.
(Fuji includes a sports shooting mode for the electronic viewfinder (EVF) which also allows you to see past the edges of the frame lines.)
I also enjoyed using the 23mm F1.4 with this body. This lens provides a perfect focal length for an optical viewfinder; the frame lines are close to the edges without going outside the bounds. I’d recommend using a vented hood (see amazon.com), with this combination so that the hood interferes less with your view. If you like to manually focus, having the ERF focus patch on the bottom right is helpful. It’s a good placement since that area is covered by the lens anyway.
If the hybrid viewfinder is the centerpiece of the X-Pro 3, I would have loved to see higher specs in the EVF to match what’s available on the market. The 3.69m-dot resolution combined with 100 fps is nice. But Leica viewfinders really lead the race in this area. (Their SL2 model rocks a 5.76m dot EVF.)
Two sets of frame lines
Adapting Lenses
When it comes to adapting lenses, the hybrid viewfinder produces some difficulties. When you use adapted lenses with the optical viewfinder, you’ll see two sets of frame lines. These show you the close focus and far focus bounds. The framing will change between those two sets of frame lines depending on where you’re focusing.
The problem? Fuji’s X-Pro 3 doesn’t know where you’re focusing so it can’t update the frame lines as you focus.
For me, this was too much guesswork. The focus peaking was easier and faster to use than the small, ERF focus patch in the corner. Plus, I could always switch to the Sports Finder feature. I couldn’t find any advantage to using the optical viewfinder when adapting lenses.
The only other reason I found to choose the optical viewfinder (OVF) over the EVF was battery life. We all know that Fuji X bodies struggle when it comes to battery capacity. Just try shooting an all-day event. But with no battery grip for the X-Pro 3, it would have been nice to squeak a few extra shots out of a single battery. I didn’t have much luck. When shooting only with the OVF, I managed to snag 70 more shots on a full X-Pro 3 battery than on a full X-T3 battery.
Flip-Down LCD Screen
If the viewfinder is the centerpiece of this camera, the LCD screen is definitely not. You can see it in the design.
Fuji has pretty much stated that the X-Pro 3 design was intended to encourage the use of the hybrid EVF/OVF. But people don’t usually like being told how to shoot their own camera. They don’t want to have features removed as if Fuji knows how to use their camera better than they do.
Sub-Monitor
While I may not agree with Fuji’s reason for this design, I do love the flip-down LCD screen. I don’t usually review my event or documentary photos until I’m back at a computer so having a large, beautiful LCD screen is irrelevant for me. I prefer to keep my eye on the viewfinder.
The other reason I prefer the X-Pro 3 LCD for documentary work is because of the sub monitor design. It’s useful to have some information at a glance.
Unfortunately, the sub monitor isn’t backlit. This was especially annoying in low light situations. In order to glance at my settings, I had to sort of move it around to catch the light. Having the option to swtich a back light ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ would be amazing.
Shooting from the Hip
One complaint I have about the LCD screen is that it only opens one way - down. If you’re shooting above your head this is inconvenient. (You can always flip the camera upside down for an over-the-head shot.)
However, I shoot low or from the hip all the time. Here, the Fuji X-Pro 3 has a strong advantage over the X-T3. If you compare how much screen is visible when shooting low or from the hip, you miss quite a bit with the X-T3. The X-Pro 3 will reveal more of the scene and give more information. You can easily see the whole screen.
The screen also flips down smoothly and quickly. As a documentary photographer, I much prefer the single, smooth motion needed to engage the ‘hip-shooting’ mode.
The X-Pro 3’s LCD screen is not without it’s faults, but it performs well overall for documentary photography.
ISO Dial
This is the first time I’ve complained about a very old Fuji-X design. Though the ISO dial design is cute, it’s neither practical nor quick. I would firmly classify it as a gimmick.
If the design of this camera was all about the EVF/OVF hybrid viewfinder, why would a designer add a feature that requires the use of two hands and taking the camera away from your eye to manipulate? This is a complete contradiction in design philosophy. I’ve chosen to map the front dial to ISO, which works well. I just wish it wasn’t necessary.
(On the bright side, the exposure compensation dial is amazing.)
Classic Negative
Lens Adaption Software
One X-Pro 3 feature I love is the software that supports adapting or using third party manual focus lenses. Right now I have a “small” collection of manual focus lenses that I use often. I love that I can add both the name of the lens and its focal length into that EXIF data.
Maybe Fuji could allow more than 10 lens options…. And add this feature to all their cameras….
Fuji Superia
Classic Negative or Fuji Superia?
If there’s one film that I dislike more than any other color negative film, it’s probably Fuji Superia. I just can’t abide the heavy-handed green cast that haunts the shadows with this film. For me, there’s only a few times I think this look works well. When you’ve got a lot of light to work with and you overexpose by a stop or two it can work. Otherwise, I can’t stand it.
(Please, don’t hate me.)
Guess what? The X-Pro 3’s Classic Negative mimics this affect almost perfectly. I’ve never seen this look duplicated digitally until now. So, all you Superia shooters can rejoice. You’ve found the digital equivalent you’ve been waiting for.
Summary
Here are a few more pros and cons to round out my Fuji X-Pro 3 review.
Pros
The face selection feature is nice, especially if you regularly photograph a family of five rambunctious kids. Choosing a face to focus on is extremely valuable. Thank you Fuji.
With the -6 EV focus, my 56 mm F1.2 (see amazon.com), can now focus quickly and decently in the dark. Wow. This is a true advancement and makes another strong case for low-light event photographers to consider the X-Pro 3.
This camera is lighter than you think. Some people think titanium sounds heavy. It’s not. I can carry this camera body all day with no issues.
Cons
Fuji designed a lovely device that encourages the use of the EVF. So, I should be able to navigate all the buttons by feel. Unfortunately, a couple of the buttons, including the Q-menu button, are flush with the camera body. This means I have to pull my eye away from the viewfinder to locate the right button. (Sorry Fuji, I can’t read braille.)
Whenever I shot from the hip and put the camera too close to my body, the screen went dark . The camera settings assumed I was switching to my EVF and shut down my screen. Really!? If the LCD is down, I’m not using the EVF. This needs to be fixed.
The camera’s grip is wonderful for small lenses but when I use a large lens, gripping the camera became difficult. I’m tempted to attach an external grip whenever I use this camera with larger zoom lenses.
Finally, the Dura-coated finish on the paint really shows finger prints. I don’t mind a little patina on my camera. It’s a badge of honor - a testimony to how much my cameras get used. I’m not afraid to let some titanium show through over the years I’ll be shooting with this X-Pro 3.
My Thoroughly-reviewed Fuji X-Pro 3
Now you know some of my deep thoughts and complex emotions that are tied to this camera. In short, I feel about my X-Pro 3 the way I feel about my wife: She’s not perfect. There are some things she does that can drive me crazy. But after being together long enough to finish each others’ sentences, I’ve come to appreciate how lucky I truly am.
That’s all for this review of the Fuji X-Pro 3. I recommend giving this camera a try. Find your Fuji X-Pro 3 on amazon.com
Remember, kindness before cameras. We’ll talk to you again real soon.