Fujifilm X-Pro 3 Hands-On: First Impressions From A Leica User

Fujifilm has finally released the new X-Pro 3 and we took it out on a nice, sunny day here in Singapore. We really liked the X-T3 and a lot of the technology in that camera is present in the X-Pro 3, in more of a rangefinder format.

The body is made of titanium now, resulting in a more durable chassis, with a new DuraFinish on the matte silver and black coatings. You can also get the normal black finish that’s a little glossier and which might end up with scratches.

The silver model appears more champagne gold than silver, so don’t expect titanium that looks like the material you get on watches. It looks and feels solid, with great robustness to it.

The dials feel clicky and nice but the colour of the dials don’t match the titanium that’s used on the main body, which is a bit disappointing when you consider how much the camera costs. The devil’s in the details, and we do wish Fujifilm had paid a bit more attention here.

There’s a grip area which is quite reminiscent of other rangefinder cameras. It makes handling the camera with a single hand easy, which we love. What we don’t love is the use of plastic for the grip and the main black area of the body. It makes it feel a bit cheap for the price, and it would have been nice to have leatherette or even a higher quality plastic used here.

There’s a small screen at the back which displays which film simulation the camera is currently set on, and that flips out to reveal a hidden screen where you can adjust your settings and we love this. It’s great for not nitpicking on photos, but if you want to do some waist-level shots, you’ll have something to help you frame your photo.

It also helps protect the display by keeping it folded in against the body instead of having it out in the open. There is also a USB-C port and a 2.5mm jack for a microphone or shutter release on the left side, with two UHS-2 card slots on the right that are backwards compatible with UHS-1.

We feel that the hybrid viewfinder is a bit of a gimmick now. It’s nice to have the optical viewfinder but with electronic viewfinders now so much better, we don’t really use the optical option much anymore.

It might not be the highest resolution EVF out there, but it’s about the same as the X-T3 and it’s sharp enough.

The processor and sensor are the same as the X-T3 and there are some enhancements in software, with new film simulations included.

Classic Negative is our favourite and we’ve been using it extensively. There are times when it gets a bit too cool, but there’s a nice warmth to skin tones. Classic Negative profile isn’t available on Lightroom Classic just yet, but is available on Capture One.

The menu system on the X-Pro 3 is the same one on all of Fujifilm’s cameras, but it sticks out more on this camera because the X-Pro 3 is marketed as a simple camera to use. But while the menu system allows for a lot of customisation, the average shooter out there won’t take advantage of those settings.

To add onto what we mentioned previously about the dials, the ISO and shutter speed controls are integrated into the same dial. It can get a bit cumbersome for those who aren’t used to how the two-in-one dial works, but we do feel that this could have been a bit more thought out.

Overall, Fujifilm hit a lot of expectations with the X-Pro 3, but they missed the mark a little as well. Hopefully with the X-Pro 4, Fujifilm will go all out and make it their luxury camera with more premium materials.