Rangefinder is a member of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), which has contracted with the imaging test lab Image Engineering (IE) for detailed camera tests. Here are their results for the Fujifilm X-T30.

Fujifilm’s X-T30 looks superficially like its predecessor but as with people, so with cameras, it’s what on the inside that counts. The X-T30 uses Fujifilm’s fourth-generation, 26-megapixel APS-C-sized X-Trans CMOS 4 image sensor for improved image quality and ISO performance. It also employs a new X-Processor 4 Quad Core-CPU to drive twice the auto-focusing speed of the earlier X-T20.

Speaking of speed, the X-T30 incorporates an electronic shutter that enables some very fast burst modes. You can hit 30 fps in continuous shooting (with a 1.5x crop) when using the e-shutter. Switch to a mechanical shutter and the camera slows to 8 fps for up to 90 JPEGs. 

The X-T30 also establishes a lower base ISO than its predecessor, at 160. The max native ISO is 12,800 with extendable settings of 80 and up to 51,200. The camera features phase detect autofocusing with 100 percent of the frame covered. It supports face and eye detection, including, for the first time, in AF-C mode. The low-light sensitivity of the AF system has also been improved to -3EV.

Fujifilm has been honing the video performance of its most recent mirrorless cameras, and the X-T30 is no exception. It can record 4K/30p (4096 x 2160) or full HD video up to 120 fps. The X-T30 can also output a 10-bit, 4:2:2 4K signal from its HDMI port. You’ll have the option to record video using Fujifilm’s film simulation modes as well.

On the design front, you’ll find a focus lever and a 3-inch touch display. You can also frame your scene through a 2.36-million-dot OLED EVF. There’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy for smartphone connectivity. 

Resolution and Texture Loss

At ISO 160, the camera captures 104 percent of its theoretical resolution (out of a total possible score of 120 percent). That tops its major APS-C rival, the Sony a6400, which could only resolve 96 percent of its sensor at base ISO.

At ISO 400, the X-T30 files show nearly the same excellent resolution, resolving 103 percent of the theoretical maximum. The camera’s resolving power remains consistently strong as you push into higher ISO levels—you can resolve 94 percent of the sensor’s theoretical maximum at ISO 6400. 

While the camera’s resolving power is excellent, IE found that texture reproduction is just decent in the X-T30. You’ll really start to see a loss of fine detail above ISO 1600, particularly in low-contrast portions of an image. 

Visual Noise

Visual noise would be observable in images made at all ISOs when viewed on a monitor at 100 percent. That trails the performance of the a6400, which only began to show visual noise in this viewing condition at ISO 400. At ISO 6400, noise would be obvious and unsurprisingly becomes disturbing at ISO 12,800. 

When viewing X-T30 images on a postcard-sized print, noise is all but non-existent at all ISO values outside of the expanded settings. It’s an impressive performance and on par with the test results from the Sony a6400. 

When viewing X-T30 images as a print that’s 15 inches tall, noise only becomes noticeable at ISO 12,800, the top of the native ISO scale. That bests the a6400, which would show visible noise at ISO 6400. According to IE results, you’re most likely to see noise from the camera in darker tones.  

Dynamic Range & Color Reproduction

At most of the native ISO range, dynamic range is between 9.1 and 9.5 f-stops (that is, 9.5 f-stops at ISO 160, 9.3 at ISO 800 and 9.1 at ISO 6400). The a6400 had a wider dynamic range of 10.6 stops at ISO 6400. At ISO 12,800, dynamic range drops to 8.2 f-stops.

When it comes to color reproduction, however, the X-T30 is nearly unmatched. It showed zero strong deviations from IE’s reference colors. Only one other camera passed through the IE labs has pulled that off: Ricoh’s new GR III. Color reproduction is consistently excellent as you scale up the ISO values. (IE tests Fujifilm cameras using the Standard film simulation setting on JPEG images.) 

On the flip side, IE found that the X-T30’s automatic white balance was “not particularly good.”

Video

When recording video, the X-T30 can resolve 100 percent of its sensor’s theoretical maximum at both high and low ISO settings. IE also found that the camera does an “extremely good” job at reproducing high-contrast details at lower ISOs when filming. 

The X-T30 does a surprisingly excellent job suppressing noise in video, too. Noise is invisible in video until you hit high ISOs where it becomes “just barely observable” when viewing a 100 percent enlargement of a video frame. 

Dynamic range is better when shooting video than in still images at 11.0 f-stops at low ISO and 10.7 at high ISO. However, both color reproduction and automatic white balance are worse in movie mode than in still images.

Speed

The total shooting time including autofocusing in bright light takes 0.4 seconds, of which the autofocus takes 0.3 seconds. In low light, the autofocus in Live View takes 0.3 seconds, for a total shooting time of 0.4 seconds. Shutter lag was clocked at 0.1 seconds. Startup time was measured at 1 second. All in all, these are pretty solid results for a mid-range mirrorless.

Price: $899 (body only)
fujifilmusa.com

Related: Fujifilm X-E3 Technical Review

Fujifilm’s X-T30 Delivers Rapid Autofocusing & DCI 4K Video for Under $1,000

Camera Review: Sony a6400