Street photographers all over the world have just had their prayers answered as Fuji has confirmed the X-Pro3 – the replacement for the popular X-Pro2 – is designed and ready to be launched.
The surprise news came during a round table talk during the Fuji X Summit in Tokyo and was streamed to photographers around the world. Not only were images shared of the new camera, but we also got a pretty good idea of what Fuji’s designers have been spending their time working on.
First up is the news that the X-Pro3 will be made from titanium for enhanced durability. In fact, there will be three options; the titanium model, and titanium DURA Black / DURA Silver – the last two options have what Fuji is calling a special coating that will enhance even further the durability – in fact, Fuji explained this will make the camera’s surface ten times more resistant to scratches then standard stainless steel.
Also new is a redesigned hybrid viewfinder that combines an optical viewfinder and an EVF. The optical viewfinder is clearer than previous versions and also offers less distortion and a larger angle of view while the new EVF is higher resolution and features higher contrast and a higher frame rate.
The biggest change visually, and perhaps the feature to grab the headlines, is the redesigned LCD. In a move that’s sure to please the purist street photographers out there, the rear LCD has been swapped out for a tiny, minimalist LCD window that shows only basic exposure information ((shutter speed, ISO etc). However, flip the LCD panel down and a hidden LCD appears, aiding waist-level shooting and enabling photographers to properly review images already taken.
Lastly, Fuji explained that the X-Pro3 will include a new Film Simulation mode, which will be Classic Negative – bringing the film simulation count up to 10 options and enabling photographers to get creative in-camera.
You can watch the full round table talk here and photographers don’t have too long to wait until the full official announcement as this will be made on October 23.