Fujifilm X-E3 Review

Overview

In 2012, Fujifilm courted experienced photographers on a budget with the Fuji X-E1, a compact system camera that took the APS-C X-Trans imaging pipeline of its much-lauded, enthusiast-grade X-Pro1, and placed it in a superb, more compact body with a significantly more affordable pricetag. And a year later, the company followed up with the equally impressive X-E2, adding swift on-chip phase detection autofocus into the mix, as well as a more powerful processor, a refined user interface, improved video capture capabilities and in-camera Wi-Fi wireless communication.

Since then, though, things have been relatively quiet for the Fuji X-E series, which has now lasted through over four years with only minimal changes to the formula. (2016's X-E2S differed from a fully firmware-upgraded X-E2 only in its subtly-restyled handgrip and a higher maximum ISO sensitivity, plus a newly-added Auto mode and motion detection system.)

But in late 2017, that all changed. Five years on from the line's debut, Fujifilm finally brought the X-E series right up to date with the arrival of the Fuji X-E3 -- and it's one very impressive camera indeed!

The X-E3's premium body is Fujifilm's most compact yet

Although it retains the familiar (and frankly, timeless) rangefinder-like styling of earlier X-E models, as well as their premium feel with precision-milled aluminum dials up top, the Fuji X-E3 is nevertheless a ground-up redesign. And while its predecessors already drew praise for their trim proportions, the X-E3 takes things to the next level.

Fujifilm has somehow managed to identify and trim away a little more fat, and the result is the company's most compact, lightweight viewfinder-equipped X-series interchangeable-lens camera to date, with dimensions of just 4.8 x 2.9 x 1.7 inches (121.3 x 73.9 x 42.7mm). That's about a third of an inch less wide than before and just a fraction less tall as well. Depth has grown by about 0.2 inches, likely due to a more generous handgrip, and weight has fallen by around half an ounce, to 11.9 ounces (337g) with battery and memory card, but without the lens.

A quick tour of the X-E3's new body

Seen from the front, the Fuji X-E3 looks a whole lot like its predecessors, despite its more compact proportions. There is, of course, still a Fujifilm X-mount dominating the front of the body, on which you can mount one of 26 different Fuji X-mount lens models as of this writing, not to mention a variety of third-party lenses or mount adapters intended for use with X-mount cameras.

The most immediately-noticeable changes other than the model number are its reprofiled, deeper handgrip, a relocation of the autofocus assist lamp to accommodate a new front control dial, and the fact that the swage line above the top of the leatherette trim which covers most of the front deck is now straight from end to end, where previously it dipped at one end to accommodate the model number.

Moving to the top deck, we see that the built-in, popup flash of the X-E2 is gone, leaving the hot shoe as the sole option if you want to throw a little more light on your subject. (An EF-X8 external flash strobe is included in the product bundle, ensuring that you have one if needed.) The hot shoe itself now has a couple of extra contacts, and sits over the central axis of the lens mount, where previously it was a little right of center. There's also a little more separation between the left and right microphone ports, which have also been moved directly above the lens for a more balanced look.

Subtle refinements to the top-deck controls

The basic control layout is unchanged, but the function button is now body-colored, and the exposure compensation dial sits a little taller, now standing proud of the top deck by a fair way. It also has a new C position allowing a +/- 5 stop range, greater than the +/- 3 stops which you can dial in directly from this control.

The shutter speed dial, meanwhile, still tops out at a fastest mechanical speed of 1/4,000-second, but now extends to a full second at the other end of its range, where previously it stopped at 1/4 second. (You can still opt for Time or Bulb positions as well.) The square knurling around the outside of both dials now starts further up, meanwhile, with a smooth portion at the base of each dial.

And there's also a new Auto switch, tucked in at the rear right corner of the shutter speed dial. This is used to enable the Fuji X-E3's fully-automatic Advanced SR Auto mode, great if you want to hand your camera off to a less experienced photographer for a while, or just want to quickly let the camera do the thinking for a bit. The shutter button and power switch, meanwhile, are unchanged, with the former still including provision for an old-school mechanical cable release.

A brand-new touch-screen interface and an eight-way joystick in place of the four-way controller

But it's on the back of the camera where you'll find the bulk of the changes. Here, Fujifilm has completely reinvented the control layout. The result is a much cleaner-looking, less cluttered body, and a user interface which does away with a four-way controller in favor of an eight-way joystick control which can be used to navigate menus and select the AF area among other things.

And gone is the column of buttons at left of the LCD monitor, which still has a 3.0-inch diagonal and a 1.04-million dot count, but now sports a touch-screen overlay, allowing it to serve as an input device. This, too, can be used to select the focus area, and it also allows for intuitive operation in playback mode. You can swipe to switch between images, and pinch to zoom or drag to pan, just as you would with your smartphone. You can also double-tap to zoom in, if you prefer. Perhaps most interestingly of all, though, you can also swipe up, down, left or right on the screen in record mode to access four different functions, effectively allowing the touch-screen itself to serve as a replacement for the four-way controller of earlier models.

Above and to the right of the LCD panel, you'll still find some buttons and a rear control dial, but there are now three buttons in a row here, rather than two. And to the right of the LCD, there's a column of three buttons beneath the new eight-way joystick control. Finally, you'll find two more buttons in the thumb grip, just as was the case in the earlier X-E series cameras. (One of these is the Q button, making a return to its position as in the original X-E1, after having been rehomed above the LCD in the X-E2 and X-E2S.)

And of course, there's still a built-in electronic viewfinder at the very top left corner of the Fuji X-E3's body. It uses a 0.39-inch 2,360K-dot OLED panel providing 100% coverage, a 35mm-equivalent magnification of 0.62x, and an eye point of 17.5mm. As you can see, there's a dioptric adjustment dial (-4 to +2m^-1) to its left, and a small window for a proximity sensor to its right, allowing it to be enabled or disabled automatically as you bring the camera to your eye or lower it.

One final note of interest is that the rear thumbgrip now has a leatherette-textured finish, matching that which lines most of the front and side panels. However, where earlier models saw this finish wrapped around most of the rear panel too, on the Fuji X-E3, this is no longer the case. Instead, the leatherette finish stops beneath the rear control dial, and the area surrounding the LCD is much smoother, with only a very subtle texture applied.

A new imaging pipeline inherited from the X-Pro2

On the inside, the APS-C sensor-shod Fuji X-E3 is an all-new camera as well. At its heart is a new imaging pipeline which looks to have been lifted almost unchanged from the flagship Fuji X-Pro2, although with more modest burst capture performance. In place of the 16.3-megapixel X-Trans CMOS II sensor in the X-E2, the X-E3 sports a significantly higher-resolution 24.3-megapixel X-Trans CMOS III image sensor.

The new image sensor still features the same unique color filter array shared by Fuji's other X-Trans imagers, which is designed to resist the unsightly moiré artifacts which can plague standard Bayer-sensored cameras. And just as with that in the X-E2, it includes on-chip autofocus pixels to provide for swift phase detection autofocus.

And just as in the X-Pro2, this sensor is paired with Fuji's latest-generation X-Processor Pro-branded image processor, which provides the performance necessary to deal with the significantly higher resolution, and the complexity of demosaicing X-Trans images.

Faster burst performance, startup and autofocus

Burst capture performance has risen from seven frames per second in the X-E2 to 8 fps in the Fuji X-E3, matching the X-Pro2 in this regard, albeit with a smaller buffer size of 25 losslessly compressed raw, 23 uncompressed raw or 62 JPEG frames, versus 33, 27 or 83 respectively for the X-Pro2. Burst speeds as high as 14 fps are possible with the electronic shutter. (Note that these are Fujifilm's figures. To see how the X-E3 performed in the lab, visit our Performance page.)

Shutter lag is still manufacturer-rated at just 0.05 seconds, just as in the X-E2 and X-Pro2, but startup time is said to have been reduced by 0.1 seconds to just 0.4 seconds. Autofocus performance is manufacturer-rated at 0.06 seconds, just fractionally besting the 0.08 seconds claimed for both the X-E2 and X-Pro2.

And interestingly, Fuji says that the X-E3 sports a newly-developed image recognition algorithm which allows it to track moving subjects that are just half the size trackable by previous X-series cameras, or alternatively, subjects which are moving at twice the speed previously trackable.

The X-E3 is the first X-series camera with Bluetooth LE support

Another first for the Fujifilm X-E3 is to be found in the wireless connectivity department. The earlier X-E2 already sported Wi-Fi wireless networking capability, but the X-E3 now offers up a Bluetooth Low Energy radio. This is something which we've never seen in previous Fuji X-series cameras, and it's a feature which allows for easier pairing with the free Fujifilm Camera Remote app on your smartphone or tablet.

The X-E3 offers ultra high-def video capture

The more affordable Fujifilm X-E3 briefly bested the flagship X-Pro2 in the video department when it was first released. Here, Fujifilm has not only retained the Full HD (1080p60) capture of the X-E2, complete with support for the company's Film Simulation functionality and added the healthy selection of alternative frame-rate options (50, 29.97, 25, 24 or 23.98 fps) for Full HD video as in the X-Pro2; it has also added support for ultra-high definition 4K capture, something its flagship sibling initially lacked.

Now, we should note that the X-Pro2 did get 4K capture support through a firmware update (v4.00) released in late December 2017. But at launch, only the X-E3 was capable of recording 100Mbps, 3,840 x 2,160-pixel 4K video at rates of 29.97, 25, 24 or 23.98 fps.

The Fuji X-E3 has a clip length limit of approximately 10 minutes when recording 4K video to the internal SDXC/UHS-I-compatible storage card slot, and it also supports clean HDMI output with HDMI Rec Control, allowing you to record longer clips with both video and audio using an external HDMI recorder..

In addition to a Micro (Type-D) HDMI port, the Fuji X-E3 includes a Micro-B USB 2.0 port (which is compatible with Fuji's RR-90 Remote Release and supports in-camera charging), and a 2.5mm external microphone jack which still doubles as a remote release jack.

Like its predecessor and the flagship X-Pro2, the Fuji X-E3 draws power from a bundled NP-W126 compatible battery pack, specifically the newer NP-W126S variant, which we understand is designed for better heat dissipation when recording 4K video. Battery life is CIPA-rated to 350 shots with the LCD or EVF. A BC-W126 battery charger is also included in the product bundle, along with the aforementioned EF-X8 shoe mount flash strobe, a shoulder strap and a body mount cap. Available accessories include the X-E3 Metal Hand Grip (MHG-XE3) and the X-E3 Bottom Leather Case (BLC-XE3).

Price, availability, bundle and accessories

The Fujifilm X-E3 began shipping in the US market from late September 2017 in three versions, each of which is provided in black-only or two-tone black-and-silver variants. The Fuji X-E3 sells body-only for around US$900, while a kit with XF18-55mm lens retails for around US$1,300. Alternatively, you can pick up a kit with the XF23mmF2 R WR lens for around US$1,150.

Note: Since the X-E3 uses the same sensor and processor as the X-Pro2 , and Fujifilm USA has requested their loaner back, we have decided not to test the camera any further in the lab. We do however have X-E3 Performance test results, and our "First Shots" Still Life lab images. Please see our X-Pro2 test result pages for analysis of image and print quality as they should be essentially the same: Image Quality, Image Quality Comparison, and Print Quality.

In the Box

The Fuji X-E3 with 18-55mm lens retail kit as tested contains the following items:

• Fujfilm X-E3 Camera Body
• Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens
• EF-X8 Shoe-Mount Flash
• NP-W126S Battery Pack
• BC-W126 Battery Charger
• Shoulder Strap
• Body Cap
• Lens Caps
• Metal Strap Clip
• Protective Cover
• Clip Attaching Tool
• Owner's Manual
• Fujifilm 1 Year Limited Warranty

Performance

Field Test Part I

Field Test Part II

Fujifilm's mid-level X-series ILC delivers great image quality & style

By Jeremy Gray · 12/20/2017

Although Fujifilm has less expensive mirrorless ILC options, the X-E series, including this latest X-E3 model, has always been a reasonably-priced entry point into Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor cameras, all while packing a lot of advanced features from the higher-end models.

This latest version represents the biggest change to the X-E series since the original. The X-E3 has a redesigned camera body with a deeper grip, new front control dial, a new touchscreen interface, eight-way joystick, new imaging pipeline, faster performance, 4K video and more. The camera is very impressive on paper, so let's dig in and see how it performs in real-world shooting.

Key Features and Specifications

• APS-C mirrorless camera
• 24-megapixel X-Trans 3 CMOS sensor
• Native ISO range of 200-12,800
• Hybrid autofocus system with 325 total AF points
• 11.9-ounce (337 grams) camera body
• Touchscreen display
• 8 frames per second shooting
• 4K UHD video recording
• Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• $900 body-only

Camera Body and Handling

The X-E3 has a retro-inspired design and is a reasonably compact APS-C mirrorless camera. Don't let its small stature fool you, however, as the camera has quite a few physical controls and dials. There are rear and front command dials, both which can be pressed in as well. Along the top of the camera, there are shutter speed and exposure compensation dials and a function button. The dials all feel nice and have ridged surfaces to help provide grip. The function button on top is quite small, though, and can be difficult to press.

The buttons in general are quite small on the X-E3. To the right of the thumb rest, there are AF-L and Q buttons, which are not only small but sit nearly flush with the camera body. This makes them difficult to press when wearing gloves, even thin ones, which was a small issue during my time with the X-E3 here in Maine.

By far my biggest frustration with using the X-E3 -- which is mostly a very good experience -- is the directional joystick. There is no traditional directional pad on the X-E3, but instead only a small joystick control. When scrolling through the main menus, which cannot be used with the touchscreen functionality, it is very easy to move in the incorrect direction using the joystick.

On the topic of the touchscreen, it does work well even though it is not fully integrated into the X-E3's user experience. It works well for scrolling through images during playback, selecting an autofocus area when using the EVF or for touch AF/shutter when using the LCD to frame, but as I mentioned, you can't use the touchscreen to navigate the full menus. Fortunately, the Quick Menu, which is very useful, has touchscreen integration and is a great way to interact with the camera and adjust common settings. The touchscreen also implements four programmable function "keys" by swiping up, down, left or right in record mode which default to AF mode, ISO, film simulation and white balance respectively.

The camera also has an electronic viewfinder, which is a 0.39-inch OLED EVF with 0.62x magnification (35mm equivalent). It works well and looks good, although it is fairly small. Overall, the X-E3 handles well, although it's unfortunate that the joystick selector doesn't work better and that the touchscreen is not implemented more thoroughly.

Image Sensor and Image Quality

The X-E3 utilizes the same image sensor as is found in their top-end X-Pro2, which is impressive considering the X-E3's much lower price point. The 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor is a Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS III sensor, which has eight more megapixels than the sensor used in the X-E2. Though there are some slight performance differences, the X-E3 uses the same imaging pipeline as the X-Pro2, which means you should expect similar image quality.

Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS: 10mm (15mm eq.), f/7.1, 1.7s, ISO 200. I am a big fan how the Fujifilm X-E3 renders colors. Its color accuracy is good and it delivers images with good pop and vibrance without being oversaturated. Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.

The image quality from the X-E3 is definitely very good, especially when you consider that the camera body costs under $1,000. As is often the case with Fujifilm cameras, the colors are nice and the files are detailed. I will discuss Fujifilm's excellent Film Simulations in the next Field Test, but suffice it to say that they allow you to get fantastic images straight from the camera.

What about RAW file editing? Software support for the RAW files from Fujifilm X-Trans sensors has been steadily improving over time, but there are still some issues at times with getting the most from the Fujifilm RAW files due to the inherently different nature of an X-Trans sensor and its proprietary color filter array. With that said, when using supported software, the RAW files from the X-E3 provide a good amount of flexibility, and you can perform extensive editing without severely degrading the image quality.

100% crop of the modified image above. You can see that there is quite a bit of noise introduced when making the adjustments, but that isn't surprising considering the nearly full stop of increased exposure and the +100 shadows adjustment. With that said, if you look at the full modified image, you can see that there is some highlight data recovered even with the increased exposure, particularly in the top left corner of the image. That's impressive. [Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.]

Getting back to sharpness, straight-from-the-camera JPEGs deliver very good fine detail and sharpness. Below you can see a 100% crop from an unedited JPEG file and as you can tell, the camera is good at applying intelligent sharpening without introducing a lot of unwanted artifacts or other image quality issues.

What about low light performance? At high ISOs, the X-E3 is quite impressive, and the camera does a good job at reducing visible noise while retaining good detail in JPEG files. It is not the best APS-C sensor I've used, but it's an excellent 24-megapixel crop sensor nonetheless. I was able to comfortably shoot the X-E3 at ISOs as high as 6400, although for more critical applications, ISO 1600 or 3200 would be as high as I'd want to go.

Overall, the X-E3 delivers very good image quality, particularly for a sub-$1,000 APS-C camera. The 24-megapixel sensor delivers good, high-quality files and despite some RAW file compatibility issues with Fujifilm X-Trans sensors, the X-E3 is a versatile camera.

Performance

The X-E3 shares the same image sensor and processor with the X-Pro2 and despite costing $600 less (as of December 2017), the X-E3 delivers very similar performance to the X-Pro2. The continuous shooting speeds with a mechanical shutter are almost identical, and the RAW buffer depths are very similar. The only noticeable performance advantage that the X-Pro2 has its larger JPEG buffer and slightly faster buffer clearing. On the other hand, the X-E3 has the advantage of a 14-fps shooting mode with its electronic shutter and slightly better battery life when using the electronic viewfinder and LCD monitor.

The camera can capture full-resolution files at just over 8 frames per second, which is about a frame per second faster than the X-E2. The X-E3 has good buffer depth, too, at around 50 frames for JPEG images and around 25 frames for RAW, and buffer clearing times, provided you have a fast card, are pretty good. Your own results may vary depending on what you are shooting and the card you're using, but in my experience, the X-E3 felt plenty quick and snappy out in the field.

The X-E3 also offers an electronic shutter, which lets you capture images at over 13 frames per second. That's very quick. You can of course expect potential issues with rolling shutter when using the electronic shutter.

There aren't any serious downsides with the X-E3's performance, but I did find the battery life to be a bit wanting. It offers around 350 shots of battery life in the standard mode (260 shots in the High Performance mode). This is about average, but this means that you will need a spare battery for extended outings. Regarding the High Performance mode, it improves the refresh rate of the camera's displays (LCD and electronic viewfinder) and is said to improve autofocus, but I've never found that to be noticeably the case with Fujifilm cameras. I usually leave this mode off, but if you don't need the battery life, feel free to enable it.

Autofocus

Autofocus performance with the X-E3 is very good. The camera has 325 total autofocus points, 169 of which are phase-detect points, and the autofocus modes are plentiful and work well. The X-Pro2 offers the same number of phase-detection points, but provides less overall AF areas at just 273.

In most shooting situations, the autofocus was quick and accurate. The camera is able to quickly make small adjustments when your subject is moving and continuous autofocus performance proved to be pretty good in most cases. Low light autofocus performance is not that great, but it proved to be sufficient for me and was comparable to other Fujifilm cameras I've used, including the X-T20.

The X-E3's touchscreen works very well for autofocus and was my go-to method for moving the autofocus point around, particularly when shooting on a tripod. When shooting handheld, the new AF joystick is fantastic. While I found the AF joystick to be difficult for navigating the camera's menus, I found that it works very well for moving the autofocus point around the frame. With that said, you can use the display and touchscreen for moving the AF point even when shooting through the electronic viewfinder. You can set the camera's touch-sensitive area (AF Touchpad) to be the entire screen, either half or disable it entirely.

Overall, the Fujifilm X-E3 delivers good autofocus performance in low and normal light situations, particularly when using AF-S. When using continuous autofocus, performance drops off a bit, especially in low light, but remains pretty good nonetheless. The touchscreen functionality for autofocus works great, and the new AF joystick is very good.

Field Test Part I Summary

The X-E3 delivers improved ergonomics, great image quality and good performance

What I like:

• Stylish and compact APS-C camera
• Joystick control works well for moving the AF point
• Very good image quality
• Impressive continuous shooting speeds

What I dislike:

• No four-way directional pad makes full menu navigation a bit difficult
• Touchscreen is underutilized
• X-Trans RAW file support is getting better but is still an issue
• Mediocre battery life
• Continuous AF is only okay

So far so good with the Fujifilm X-E3. The new camera delivers great image quality with its 24-megapixel X-Trans sensor, and the camera is generally a joy to use. It's not perfect, however, but it's impressively good considering its price point and the sheer number of improvements it has over its predecessor.

In my Field Test Part II, I take a closer look at the shooting experience with the X-E3 and discuss video and wireless functionality. Click here to read Part II now!

Field Test Part III

4K video in a compact, attractive and affordable package

By Jeremy Gray · 01/23/2018

Recap of Field Test Part I

In Field Test Part I, I looked at the new camera body, image sensor, performance and autofocus capabilities of the Fuji X-E3, and the camera generally impressed me. In this second field test, the focus will shift toward the shooting experience, video performance and a discussion of other smaller features in the X-E3, including wireless functionality.

Shooting Experience

Film Simulation

Fujifilm's Film Simulations are one of my favorite aspects of their cameras, and the X-E3 has this feature fully implemented. With the X-E3, you can select from Provia (Standard), Velvia (Vivid), Astia (Soft), Classic Chrome, PRO Neg. Hi, PRO Neg. Std., Acros, Monochrome and Sepia. Acros and Monochrome are both black and white Film Simulations, and you can select from standard, yellow, red and green filter variations. You can also further modify the look of your images by adjusting highlight tone, shadow tone, color, sharpness, noise reduction, grain effect and dynamic range.

With the different Film Simulations you can greatly alter the look and feel of your images, and it's an awesome feature. Fujifilm cameras typically produce some of the best-looking JPEG images straight from the camera and the X-E3 continues this trend.

Metering

Metering performance with the Fujifilm X-E3 is strong for both exposure and white balance. The camera utilizes a 256-zone TTL metering system with multi, spot, average and center-weighted metering. The camera offers +/- 5 EV of exposure compensation as well. I found that the X-E3 was consistently good with respect to metering. It wasn't unusual for me to have to use +1/3 or +2/3 exposure compensation, but importantly, the camera was consistent.

Wireless Shooting

The X-E3 is the first Fujifilm X-series camera with Bluetooth LE support and its overall offering of wireless functionality is impressive. After going through the pretty straightforward connection process, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-equipped X-E3 offers a lot of options for wireless control.

From within the free Fujifilm Camera Remote app, you can control Film Simulation, white balance, flash mode, self-timer, ISO, exposure compensation and more. You can also browse the images on the camera, perform geotagging and transfer images. The connection is stable and the remote view works well. As far as wireless apps and functionality is concerned, the X-E3 has some of the better offerings out there.

Video

The Fujifilm X-E3 is one of Fuji's stronger efforts when it comes to video features and performance. The camera shoots 4K UHD video (3840 x 2160) at up to 30 frames per second, which is a relatively new offering for Fujifilm. In the past, their cameras have generally underwhelmed me with respect to video. I think that the X-E3 is certainly an improvement in the video department, but some issues still persist, including poor autofocus performance.

With 4K UHD comes the ability to capture very detailed video, as we'll see below, but the X-E3 also has some somewhat odd omissions. There's no histogram or zebra warnings during video recording, for example, and there is no Face Detect autofocus when recording 4K video. While not exclusive to video, the lack of a tilting screen is particularly notable during video recording and is certainly an unfortunate omission.

Video Quality

The Fujifilm X-E3 shoots video from ISO 200 to ISO 12,800. This is a good sensitivity range and it allows for versatility with respect to the lighting conditions in which you can record. Considering the 4K video below, in which I shot the same scene across the ISO range, I found that the X-E3 is usable across much of its native ISO range.

Fine detail is very good from ISO 200 through ISO 800. There's a slight drop at ISO 1600 and we can also see a bit of noise in smoother areas of the frame. At ISO 3200, there's another noticeable drop in detail with an accompanying increase in noise. Further, the in-camera noise reduction processing becomes more apparent as out of focus areas start to take on a digital, blocky appearance. At ISO 6400 and ISO 12,800, the noise is readily visible, but fine detail surprisingly remains pretty good. Across the entire ISO range, the 4K video is reasonably sharp and detailed, although from ISO 3200 to 12,800, the visible noise is considerable. There's a lot of false color at ISO 6400 and 12,800, so that's something to keep in mind. Your best bet is to stay at low sensitivities -- below ISO 1600, ideally -- if possible. With that said, considering the X-E3's price point, I find the 4K video quality to be very impressive.

Autofocus

What is a lot less impressive with the X-E3's video performance is the autofocus. Let's get this out of the way right off the bat, the continuous autofocus with the X-E3 during video recording can be bad.

In the video below, I utilized single point autofocus and used the touchscreen to move the point around from foreground to background. Not only was the camera indecisive, something that was readily apparent during much of my video recording experience with the camera, but it was slow. There were times when it would not lock focus despite shooting in favorable conditions with good contrast and bright light. When the camera locks in, we know that the quality is good and there's nice, sharp footage. But here's the rub, the camera sometimes does not want to lock in.

In the videos below, the autofocus can be seen making numerous small adjustments as I zoom in the lens. This isn't unusual, but it can be a bit distracting if you're focused in on the fine details in the scene. On the other hand, the light was fairly low and the camera did manage to lock in focus reasonably quickly.

Overall

Overall, video quality is quite good from the X-E3 but the camera is dragged down by its poor continuous autofocus performance. If you want a camera that is as good at recording video as it is at shooting stills, the X-E3 is not the camera for you. However, if video is not the primary purpose for the camera but you would like to shoot 4K video, the X-E3 could work very well. Considering its price point, the inclusion of 4K is notable. Plus, when considering that the video quality itself is pretty good, the X-E3 is a solid multimedia camera.

Field Test Part II Summary

The Fujifilm X-E3 produces pretty good 4K video but is hampered by poor autofocus performance

What I like:

• Fujifilm Film Simulations are as good as ever
• 4K UHD video quality is good

What I dislike:

• Lack of tilting screen is notable during video recording
• Some useful video features are absent
• Poor continuous autofocus performance during video recording

The Fujifilm X-E3 is an affordable 4K-capable camera and for that it should be lauded. However, video has never been Fujifilm's strong point and that trend continues with the X-E3. With that said, the X-E3 and other recent Fujifilm cameras have certainly made impressive strides by adding 4K UHD video recording and including more videographer-friendly features. Video quality is good, so I hope that Fujifilm continues to work on its autofocus performance and adding video-specific features to its cameras.

Overall Field Test Summary

In Part I, I had many positive things to say about the Fujifilm X-E3. It is stylish and easy to use. It captures good images, has good stills autofocus, can shoot reasonably quickly and is a versatile camera.

Part II has proven less positive as I looked closer at video recording with the X-E3. With that said, the Fujifilm X-E3 does a lot right and it does so at a consumer-friendly price. I've long been a fan of Fujifilm cameras for their user experience and that is very much present with the X-E3.

Simply put, the camera is fun to use. It may not blow you away with any one specification or feature, but it does many things well. The X-E3 is an excellent blend of old and new and a very good APS-C mirrorless camera.

Conclusion

By Jeremy Gray · 05/07/2018

The Fujifilm X-E3 is a vastly different camera from its predecessor, and its many new features and changes represent numerous improvements. The X-E3 has a redesigned body, new front control dial, a touchscreen, an eight-way joystick, a new imaging pipeline and 4K video recording capabilities. During our testing, the camera proved to be very capable and an impressive X-Series camera.

Design

The Fujifilm X-E3 employs a rangefinder-like design, giving it a generally compact form factor. With that said, the camera has a redesigned grip compared to the X-E2, which is deeper and offers a better hold. The X-E3, like most Fujifilm X-Series cameras, has a fair number of physical controls. The camera has dual command dials, a physical shutter speed dial and an exposure compensation dial in addition to a standard assortment of buttons.

The camera feels good in the hands, and the controls work well. However, the joystick on the rear of the camera can be a little finicky. Further, a few buttons sit nearly flush with the camera, making them a bit difficult to press, particularly if you're working in cold weather and wearing gloves. The camera doesn't offer a traditional directional pad, either, so you will need to use the joystick to interact with the full menus. The touchscreen is nice, but not fully integrated into the user experience (can't navigate full menus, but can interact with the Quick Menu), so ultimately the joystick will be necessary at times.

Offset toward the left edge of the camera, the 0.39-inch OLED electronic viewfinder works nicely. It has only 0.62x magnification (35mm equivalent), but it nonetheless works well in most situations. That's the trend with the X-E3 in general, it is well-designed and mostly pleasing to use. A traditional directional pad would have been a welcome inclusion, but otherwise, it's easy to use and features ample physical controls.

Image Quality

Equipped with a 24-megapixel X-Trans CMOS III sensor, the X-E3 captures sharp, pleasing images. The X-E2/S had a 16-megapixel sensor, so the X-E3 is a substantial upgrade with respect to resolving power. The X-E3 produces detailed images at base ISO and maintains very good image quality for much of its ISO range. Further, the RAW files from the camera are quite flexible and easy to manipulate in RAW processors. In-camera sharpening and noise reduction can be a little heavy-handed at times, although by processing RAW files, you can bring out a lot of fine detail in high ISO images and selectively apply noise reduction where necessary.

The X-E3 meters images well with respect to both exposure and white balance and struggles only in low light situations. The camera offers many ways to customize the overall look and feel of your images and through the use of Film Simulations, the X-E3 is capable of producing great images straight from the camera, even if they are sometimes a bit over-sharpened at lower ISOs and lacking some fine detail at higher ISO settings.

Importantly, the X-E3 produces better images than its predecessor and certainly is right up there in terms of image quality with other 24MP Fuji cameras such as the X-Pro2 and X-T2. If you want high-end APS-C imaging performance, the X-E3 is a very good candidate.

Performance

In our lab, the Fujifilm X-E3 generally showed very good performance. The camera shares much of its processing pipeline with the flagship X-Pro2 camera, so speedy performance isn't surprising, but to get this level of performance from a camera that costs under $1,000 for the body is a bit surprising. The X-E3 can shoot images at up to 8 frames per second using its mechanical shutter, and its buffer depth was 48 frames and 26 frames for JPEG and RAW, respectively. The buffer also cleared reasonably quickly with a fast card, making it a good choice for fast-paced shooting. In the field, it felt snappy and processed images swiftly. If you want even faster shooting, the camera can shoot at up to almost 14 fps using the electronic shutter.

The camera also produced fast autofocus speeds in the lab and in the field, although continuous autofocus was an area of some weakness for the X-E3, as it occasionally struggled to maintain focus on fast, small subjects. Another area of weakness is its battery life, which is rated up to 350 shots (or 260 with "high performance" mode). This is about average for a compact mirrorless camera, but if you want to shoot for extended periods or record much video, plan on bringing an extra battery.

Overall, the X-E3 has very good performance across many areas, including shooting speeds, autofocus speeds and shutter lag.

Summary

The Fujifilm X-E3 does many things very well. It produces nice JPEG and RAW images from its 24-megapixel X-Trans sensor and can capture images at impressive speeds. While buffer depths and clearing times are only decent, the camera has very good performance for its class. There are a few notable weaknesses, particularly with respect to sluggish continuous autofocus performance and middling battery life, but all in all, the X-E3 is not only a substantially better X-E series camera than its predecessors, it's also a very good camera for the price. An easy Dave's Pick.