With the X-pro 3 you also have the option to use the Optical viewfinder and have the electronic viewfinder visible down in the lower right corner so you can see what the image will look like. At the same time, I can still see the histogram in both the optical and the electronic viewfinders, which is a key element of a mirrorless camera. It gives me both options and the choice to go back and forth or stick with whichever one suits the situation and the lens I have on the camera. The optical/electronic viewfinder is one of the main reasons I love this camera so much. On the X-Pro 3, the viewfinder works as both an optical and an electronic viewfinder depending on your preference–and in large part depending on what lens you have attached to the camera. Similar to other rangefinders the main feature and overriding design element is an optical viewfinder on the left side of the camera. That is hard to explain but there are only a few other cameras on the market that share this effect. When you pick it up, there is an immediate tactile feeling and responsiveness that makes me want to go out and shoot with this camera. With that said, choosing the X-Pro 3 isn’t just about having a lightweight, small camera. I could have easily taken my Nikon Z6 along with a small 24-70mm mm lens with me but when you are cutting of the end of your toothbrush and counting the ounces in your pack, no full-frame 35mm mirrorless camera can compete when it comes to weight versus image quality to a high-end APS-C camera that is dialed in to this level.
As a working pro, the X-Pro 3 may not be my main working pro camera but there are certainly times when I want to take a smaller, lightweight camera on a shoot (like on my recent mountaineering trip in Nepal).
I realize many might be asking why would I work with an APS-C camera like this one–especially considering the other cameras at my disposal, notably the FUJIFILM GFX 100 and the Nikon D850.
By comparison, the X-Pro series seems like a modern update to the manual focus rangefinder cameras and it is eminently easier to use than any manual focus rangefinder. I think many photographers drool over the Leica rangefinder cameras (both the older film models and the new digital versions) but few of us can afford them and also if and when you actually use one with the manual focus lenses you realize fairly quickly just how slow and limiting those cameras actually are to use compared to modern digital cameras. The old-school look and feel of the X-Pro series cameras, paired with an incredible optical and electronic viewfinder makes for a very unique feature set offered by no other camera manufacturer. I have been eyeing the FUJIFILM X-Pro series of cameras for years now–long before I ever started working with Fujifilm on the GFX 100. While the X-Pro 3, like the Leica rangefinders, are designed for photojournalists and street photographers specifically, it also performs exceptionally well in outdoor adventure situations where a lightweight, tough-as-nails camera can lend itself to storytelling and also keep the photographer somewhat inconspicuous. The X-Pro 3 is also an aesthetic choice, much like the Leica M series rangefinders. While the X-Pro 3 does have very respectable AF capabilities (identical to the venerable FUJIFILM X-T3) it is a different kind of camera that blends an old-world form factor with a modern mirrorless camera design to create a unique, elegant and more considered style of camera. Most, if not all of my cameras have been chosen specifically to capture fast-action or for their ultra-high-resolution sensors. The FUJIFILM X-Pro 3 is a departure from my normal cameras. My thanks to Fujifilm for loaning me a camera and a few lenses. I was not paid for this blog post or to try out the camera. Over the last month, I was loaned an X-Pro 3 prototype and took it to the Himalayas on a climbing expedition to test it out.
While working with that camera, I grew to love the smaller form factor and eagerly awaited the X-Pro 3. I originally tried out the X-Pro 2 in May 2018 while speaking at the launch for the GFX 100 in Japan. Disclaimer: I have a working relationship with Fujifilm, and as many of my readers already know I shot some of the marketing materials with their flagship GFX 100 camera last year.