FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)

Where were we? Yes, the dodo. This is the second blog post covering my visit of the NHM on a Monday morning.

I took two days off and wanted to see something beautiful. It was sunny but very cold that’s why I came here. This has been one of my standard location to test out new gear. The museum doesn’t change at all but the light does. This time there was a lot of light from the windows which made it a little difficult to get a balanced exposure.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1600)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO800)

The very first time I came here to take pictures was with my Nikon D200. Back then I put my camera on a massive tripod in order to be able to shoot at base ISO. Of course a tripod is not allowed here for obvious reasons but since I was in company of one of the scientists here I got away with it.

Now there is no need for a tripod anymore. In fact there is no need for a camera if you only share the images in social media. My iPhone takes excellent images here. The reason I mention my iPhone is because it nails exposure and white balance all the time no matter how tricky the situation is. In that regard the Fuji X-Pro3 is similar. It simply is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and that is still not something you can take for granted.

After I finished my round though the museum I called Harald (the scientist) to come down from his office to join me for coffee. He also recently got a Nikon Z6 (I bought one for my mother in law and played with it for a little over a month) and so he raved about mirrorless. He was used to shoot with a Nikon D4 so the Z6 was a revelation regarding weight.

We agreed that the Z6 is an excellent camera but in two important aspects it doesn’t hold a candle against the X-Pro3. The first one is the ability of the X-Pro3 to get white balance and colours right on every shot. The Nikon Z6 auto-white balance is good but there is a difference in between good and excellent. And the second one is the EVF. The EVF on the Z6 is also very good but it is laggy. He told me that he can’t get used to it. So I ask him to try out the EFV in the X-Pro3. He agreed that this on another level. The EVF of the X-Pro3 is really excellent and it almost feels like the real thing. Strangely I didn’t find this one covered by the reviews. Everyone seems to focus on the hybrid viewfinder and almost forget to mention how good that EVF is. I think it plays a big part of the excellent shooting experience with the X-Pro3.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)

So I already raved about the auto-white balance and out of camera colours. About the excellent EVF and about the very competent and sure footed autofocus (in the first part of this trip to the museum) but I think I have to mention the matrix metering too.

When you look at some of the postings on dpreview it seems that it is extremely hard to get exposure right or to get even sharp images with Fuji cameras. I have honestly no idea where this comes from. Since 2016 when I switched to the Fuji X-Pro2 I have hardly any miss focused shots at all. The only exception are reflective surfaces like mirror, metallic paint or reflections of the sunlight on water or snow. So far I haven’t had a single miss focused shot with my X-Pro3!

The other amazing thing is how good the matrix metering has become. There is no need to change to spot metering and there is hardly the need to use the exposure compensation dial. To shoot with a camera like the X-Pro3 almost feels like cheating if you know what I mean. It’s like the famous advertising slogan from the other big film maker: “You press the button, we do the rest.”

I think the main reason behind the vastly improved AF, matrix metering, auto-white balance of modern cameras is processing power. The new imaging processors are true power houses. Similar to the monster processor that sits in our smartphones. The unwanted side effect of those powerful processors is battery consumption. The X-Pro3 also consumes batteries like they are cookies. Of course you could turn off “boost mode” but that would be crazy. Because the general performance of the camera would suffer and most of all the EVF experience. I have a ThinkTank battery sleeve in my camera bag that holds 5 spare batteries. If I have to change the battery the empty one gets into the pouch with the electrical contacts on top. That way I can tell how many full batteries I have still left. Even on my most busiest days I never ran through more than three batteries. For the museum shooting one fully charged battery was enough.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO1600)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2, 1/60 sec, ISO250)

If you think that this reads like the typical review where the reviewer raves about the camera in order to motivate you to make a purchase via a link from his website you are welcome to search for the “order now”-button on my blog. Or for the Fuji banner or any banner. I honestly don’t care at all if you buy this camera or any other camera and I don’t have to care if manufacturers like what I write about their gear. Many reviews on the web read like material straight from the marketing department and the reason is simple: Reviewers want to get cameras to test when they come out. Write an enthusiastic review and you will be the first in line.

I was very negative when the X-Pro3 was announced because I didn’t like the screen design. Now I discovered that it is not a big deal for me. I’m a viewfinder shooter but now I have a comfortable option for low level shooting. I still think the small square screen at the back is goofy. For a RAW shooter it doesn’t hold any meaningful information at all and if you shoot with JPEG film simulation it looks like a hipsters wet dream.

In my opinion the whole titanium thing is pointless if it doesn’t safe weight. And while the dura tech coating might be complicated and impressive from a technological point of view it is nor more than an answer to a question no-one has asked. Fingerprints stick there forever and sooner than later the whole camera will be coated in a disgusting mix of skin oil and dust. My 6 year old X-Pro2 is still looks like new and I hope that the black paint on my new X-Pro3 looks like that after a couple of years of heavy use.

Those strange, Leica inspired ideas make it easy to overlook the fantastic camera behind all those gimmicks. And a fantastic camera it is.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4.5, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO200)

After coffee we went for lunch but Harald needed to grab his coat so we went upstairs to his office first. One of the coolest office buildings on the planet but his office is a mess. There is stuff everywhere. With stuff I mean boxes with bugs and minerals and every desk real estate that wasn’t already occupied by microscopes or computers. I put down my camera bag to avoid to wipe a couple of those samples off the desk with it.

I wanted to document his office but I had no intention to expose him. At the end I found a good compromise. I left out the main desk and focused on the tables in the middle and the view from the window. At the end this is a real scientists office not the office of Mary Poppins.

After lunch in one of the few original Viennese coffee houses left in the area I took his portrait in front of the window. And then I knew why I always enjoy to meet Harald in his museum. Because it feels like a time travel.

The museum, the old coffee house and Harald, they are all seem like they have fallen out of time but in a good way. I’ll be back!

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/120 sec, ISO160)