Colorful Hampton Inn Lobby – Tulsa, Oklahoma

Ever since I bought my Fujifilm X-T10 last year and decided to go deep with Fuji, I was going to get a newer, more capable camera someday. The X-T10 is great, and I’ve made perfectly good images. In fact, I counted 87 blog posts over the last year featuring pictures from it, which surprised me. However, it’s a 5-year-old design, and there were a few limitations. Primarily in focusing speed, while adequate, it was slower than what I was used to with Olympus.

I logically assumed I would get the X-T30, which is the same size with nearly identical controls. It has a 26MP sensor, updated image processor with faster focusing. But, unexpectedly, I changed my mind. I bought the X-E3 instead. It has a slightly smaller range-finder styled body with the technical specifications more in line with the X-T20. After shooting with the chunky Fuji GFX 50R for a while, I’ve come to appreciate its form factor — the X-E3 is a shrunken version of the GFX 50R. Or, more accurately, the GFX 50R is a scaled-up version of the X-E3. The X-E3 was released a year earlier than the 50R in 2017. Either way, with similar controls, I have two Fuji’s that work seamlessly, though their sizes are comically different.

I purchased the Fuji X-E3 used like all my Fuji X cameras and lenses, this time from KEH.com. At less than $450, it was also half the price of a brand new X-T30. That was all the way back in July, but I didn’t get to test it for real until this Tulsa trip in August. I stealthily posted two photos from the X-E3 over a week ago from Buc-ee’s. Remarkably for me, I took only two small cameras on this trip — the Canon G1X Mark II and the Fuji X-E3 with the 15-45mm lens.

I made this colorful photo at the Hampton Inn that we stayed at in Tulsa — the same place that I stayed 4-years-ago when I came with my older son. The big downside of most Fuji cameras is the lack of in-body image stabilization, which is finally starting to be rectified. I used the 15-45mm, which has lens stabilization to make this image at 1/4 of a second, handheld. The 14-45mm is a modest kit lens, but with surprisingly good image quality and compact size. Paired with the X-E3, it makes a small package with a capable 24MP APS-C sensor.

The X-E3 and G1X Mark II worked well together, each complimenting their weaknesses. The G1X Mark II has a longer 24mm to 120mm equivalent zoom range. It has a flip-up screen for emergency selfies and has a popup flash. The X-E3 is faster, and my selected lens goes wider, starting at a 22.5mm equivalent. Also, with an EVF, the Fuji worked better for bright sunlit Texas. On the first day, I mostly used the Canon, while the Fuji got used more on the second and third days. I’ll make a quick image quality comparison tomorrow.

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