Fujifilm X30 – A premium prosumer compact with retro good looks

Introduction

Camera manufacturers are stepping up their game for the high-end/ prosumer compacts segment, with Canon releasing its PowerShot G7 X and Panasonic throwing in a Four Thirds sensor in the Lumix LX100 that's aimed at the pros. Being one of the first camera vendors to spearhead the retro camera aesthetic, Fujifilm has been pretty quiet since its X20 prosumer compact from last year. Fortunately for Fujifilm fans, its successor, the X30 was launched a couple of months back.

We managed to spend a short while with the X30 during an earlier preview session, and the things that stood out was the X30's electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a few design changes. Now that we've had time to take the final retail model for a good shooting session, read on to find out more about Fujifilm's latest prosumer compact.

Design and Handling

The Fujifilm X30 is slightly larger than the X20, but has a reassuring heft to its size. The bad news is that with the smaller Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III possessing a larger sensor in a smaller body, and the Panasonic LX100 having a larger Four Thirds sensor in a body that’s not much larger than the X30, the Fujifilm camera feels unnecessarily large and cumbersome when compared. Fortunately, the camera does not look or feel cheap, and comes with a more pronounced hand grip on the front and a larger thumb rest on the rear (compared to the X20). You can certainly get a reassuring grip of the X30 no matter how of you handle it.

Another reason why the Fujifilm X30 is slightly bulkier is probably because its using a a different battery pack than its predecessor. Fujifilm’s NP-95 battery is rated to be good for 470 shots which puts the X30’s battery life well above the competition which averages about 300+ rated shots. For heavy shutterbugs, this may even be a deciding factor to go with the Fujifilm X30 as it gives you more shots before requiring a battery swap.

The Fujifilm X30 brings with it a couple of changes compared to its predecessor, with one being the 3-inch tilting rear display. Having a tilting display helps a fair bit when you’re shooting from a low or high angle, so it's definitely a welcomed addition. Also, the screen's resolution has been bumped up from 460k dots to 920k dots, which makes the X30’s screen much sharper. It isn’t a touchscreen though, so you will still have to rely on the D-Pad to set the focus area.

Similar to the X20, you turn the zoom ring on the lens to power up the camera and there’s also the new control ring around the lens, which you set to control white balance, ISO, drive mode or Film Simulation mode. There’s no shortcut to set this though, as you will have to access the menu if you want to change the control ring’s function, so it might be a hassle to change the control ring’s function between shots.

Similar to DSLR lenses, you twist the lens barrel to zoom, and it’s definitely a much faster way of getting close or zooming out when compared to the standard zoom lever on a compact. The X30 comes with a separate mode dial and an exposure compensation dial, which does hasten the shooting process by a bit as you won’t have to rely on the camera’s UI to adjust exposure compensation.

Fujifilm has also cut down on the number of controls found on the rear and rearranged the button layout. The scroll wheel around the D-Pad has been removed, and there’s a good degree of customizability as you can assign functions to the Fn button as well the as D-Pad buttons.

The X30 also comes with a now obligatory quick menu button which brings up a menu of shooting settings when pressed, and saves you the trouble of accessing the various tabs in the main menu. There’s also a dedicated dial to adjust exposure compensation.

The optical viewfinder on the X20 has been replaced by an electronic OLED viewfinder (EVF), which provides 100% coverage as opposed to the X20’s 85% coverage. It’s quite big for a camera in this class and is pretty sharp as well, with a resolution of 2.36 million dots. Refresh rate is good, so you won’t see any ghosting or lag unless you’re shooting in darker areas where the EVF slows down just a bit. But the EVF most definitely comes in handy when you’re shooting in bright light and don’t want to deal with reflections on the rear display.

User Interface and Camera Performance

The Fujifilm X30’s interface follows the tabbed menu format, so it won’t be that difficult to make your way around the interface. There’s also a Q button which brings up a list of commonly-used settings so you won’t need to access the main menu. The X30 comes with built-in Wi-Fi, so you can transfer your images to your smartphone wirelessly. You can also control the camera wirelessly, and unlike some of the simpler wireless camera apps, the Fujifilm app allows you to set the aperture and/ or shutter speed, depending on the mode you’re shooting in. One drawback is that if you want to transfer images after using your smartphone as a remote control, you will have to disconnect and reconnect to the camera again.

While the X30 does not have a large sensor like some of its peers, its X-Trans CMOS II sensor apparently does help in keeping graininess to a minimum while retaining details. In our resolution resolve testing, the X30 scored 2,000LPH (vertical and horizontal), and its noise control software didn’t get too overzealous until you hit the higher sensitivity range. The edges of objects start to blur at ISO400, but it’s nothing to be concerned about yet; things do start to smudge from ISO1000, but it’s still manageable (at smaller resolutions) until you hit ISO3200. The Fujifilm X30’s white balance does a good job of keeping colors natural, especially if you’re shooting with natural light.

Below are sample photographs shot with the Fujifilm X30. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images.

Conclusion

This year has seen the prosumer/ premium digital compact camera segment evolve considerably, with manufacturers making attempts to differentiate their products. Require something compact? There’s the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III. If you're priority is in preserving details with top-notch imaging quality and lots of control, Panasonic's Lumix LX100 fits the bill. Need a jack-of-all-trades? Consider the Canon Powershot G7 X.

But that’s not the say the Fujifilm X30 is an inferior camera. Fans of the retro aesthetic will definitely find the this camera attractive, and the exposure compensation dial, twist-barrel lens and customizable buttons make the X30 easy to shoot with. Its tilting rear display also adds more points in terms of usability. Not to forget, its probably the only camera in its class to offer a much higher stamina battery battery that's rated well above the competition and is supposedly good for up to 470 shots.

Overall, the Fujifilm X30 is a niche camera that will appeal to a select crowd. It might have been an outstanding entry a year ago, but the competition it faces today is quite stiff with capable contenders. It might not be the best, but if you like the combination of retro good looks, manual controls & zoom, high battery stamina and are a fan of Fujifilm cameras’ color reproduction, then the Fujifilm X30 will appeal to you.

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