The Fujifilm X Pro 4: A Street Photographer’s Wishlist
It’s that time again. Fujifilm has been hard at work feeding the rumor mill, and we’re looking at a couple of new cameras very soon. The creators I follow have, of course, been all over the Fujifilm x100VI, and although I’m interested to see where they take the x100 line as well, this blog is focused on another camera that I have been anxiously awaiting for years.
The Fujifilm X-Pro 4.
This article isn’t going to be a rumor and speculation roundup, there’s enough of that out there already. We’ll touch on it briefly because I think the specs are pretty close to correct at this point, but instead, I want to talk about my wishlist for the new entry in the Pro line.
I want you to tell me if you agree with my list, so without any further adieux, let’s talk about what I hope they keep from the Pro 3, get rid of, and change entirely.
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How I Use Fujifilm’s Pro Line
For a little context: I am a street and travel photographer traveling full-time (i.e. living out of suitcases). I am a professional photographer, and while it’s not my main source of income, I take photography very seriously.
I’ve also been a Fujifilm X-Pro 3 owner for a little over two years. I picked up my Pro 3 used, just like you might (no brand deals or Fuji affiliation), and it quickly became my favorite camera for all kinds of situations.
At the time, I wanted an x100v form factor, but also wanted to be able to change lenses, and the X-E4 was missing a couple of features. Sound familiar? I hear that story a lot from pro-line owners.
My homemade “Fuji x100v”
I’ll also mention that I do have a second body (the Fuji X-T5, soon to be the X-H2s) for professional work and video. The Pro 4 for me, if I pick one up, will be a street photography and walkaround body. Something I’ll throw in my bag on days when I’m moving fast and traveling light. The Pro 3 is often the only camera I have with me, but I don’t use it as a professional tool, and that won’t change with the Pro 4.
So it’s with that perspective that I’ll be speaking on my hopes and dreams for a future Fujifilm X Pro 4.
Keep that in mind while you’re reading, deal?
The Elephant in the Room 🐘
Let’s be honest. There are a couple of things that Fuji just needs to fix with the X-Pro 4.
And those things all have to do with the screen.
The Fuji X Pro 3 Screen
Safe to say–the X-Pro 3’s screen was not everyone’s cup of tea.
On top of that, it’s been known to break.
I insure my cameras so I’m not too worried about it financially, but my lifestyle makes it very hard to send a camera out for repair, so it would still be extremely inconvenient if mine tapped out on me. And I use my screen a lot.
That brings me to my next point. I don’t actually hate the X-Pro 3 screen design (hidden, but folds down).
I find it actually works just fine for 90% of what I want to do with it, and it does encourage me to use the viewfinder more which I consider to be a positive thing. That said, I don’t love it, and I’ll go so far as to say I see why other folks hate it.
So let’s get it out of the way: They have to change the screen.
I would be incredibly surprised if they didn’t put a regular tilt screen like what you see on the X-E4 or x100v line. One important note, I doubt it will flip all the way up or out to the side into ‘vlog mode’ because it’s never been a video or content-creator-focused camera.
If you’re hoping to vlog with the next Fuji X-Pro entry, I strongly suspect you’ll be disappointed.
I will also say that I think the screen has enough of a cult following that there’s a (small) chance they just keep it the same and hopefully fix the ribbon cable issue that is causing Pro 3’s to die.
The Body Design & Video Features
Fujifilm’s pro line has always been a classic rangefinder design aimed at photographers who do not need video capability. That is evident as well from the lack of IBIS, and how much time it takes to switch the drive mode from photo to video.
To be honest, it actually is a very capable video camera simply because it shares a sensor with the X-T4, the issue lies more in ergonomics and usability. I’ve actually used it for video before, and it’s not amazing but does get the job done, and the results aren’t half bad.
Rumors
Here is the most popular (rumored) Fujifilm X-Pro 4 spec list I could find floating around:
40MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR BSI Sensor
X-Processor 5 Image Processor
4K 60p 4:2:2 10-Bit Video
7-Stop In-Body Image Stabilization
425-Point Intelligent Hybrid AF System
3.69m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
ProRes & Blackmagic RAW via HDMI
Keep in mind, this is not from an official Fujifilm source, or even very reputable, but I wouldn’t expect the actual spec list to vary too much from what we see here.
Fujifilm X Pro 4 Video Specs
Frankly, I’m not all that enthused about the video features. It feels like 4k 60p is obvious, but you’ll notice you aren’t seeing 6.2k resolution or oversampling on there as you do with the X-T5 and the X-H2s.
I’m glad that they are (hopefully) sticking with the photographer-first mindset. We have plenty of hybrid cameras to pick from, we’ll be just fine if the Fujifilm X-Pro 4 only shoots up to 4k 60p, I promise.
In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
I think a lot of folks were surprised that the Pro 3 didn’t have IBIS. I think a lot of people think of IBIS as a video feature nowadays, but the reality is that it was invented with low-light and other challenging photography conditions in mind.
I don’t really care if it has IBIS or not personally, but I’m sure it will. There really isn’t a whole lot more to upgrade in the Pro 3. As with many cameras on the market, we’re nearing the point where further improvements are not really necessary from a practical perspective.
Fuji X Pro 4 Viewfinder Resolution
The Fuji X-Pro 3 already had a 3.69 million dot viewfinder. If that sounds a little too technical for you, just know that’s pretty good. That’s also the same resolution as the X-T5 which is a newer camera in the lineup, and ALSO aimed at photographers.
For this reason, I’d be surprised to see much improvement there, and I don’t really think we need much anyway. I really highly doubt they’re going to put a higher-end viewfinder than what you see in flagship cameras like Sony’s A7IV, and the viewfinder looks fantastic on the Pro 3.
Optical Viewfinder
On that note, the Pro line also offers a hybrid OVF/EVF which is very cool and something that very few cameras and even fewer non-Fuji cameras really offer.
The reason is, that EVFs are more practical in a lot of applications, and you could actually hurt your eyes with old film camera OVFs if you weren’t (aren’t for those of us who still shoot film) careful about aiming it at the sun. It’s true, happened to an internet friend of mine!
So for these reasons and also simply the added expense and moving parts associated with a hybrid viewfinder, most brands elect not to include one. It’s great that Fuji does, and I hope they keep it on the Pro 4. I think it also helps set the pro line apart from other cameras out there, and even in Fujifilm’s own lineup.
Is it going to be the reason I buy one? Nope, but still cool.
X Trans 5 Sensor Resolution (40MP)
If you’ve read my article on the X-T5, you’ll already know where this is heading.
I don’t want, need, or like to have that much resolution. I don’t like editing photos from the T5. The results I get are completely different, and all that extra resolution has done is made my editing process far more tedious, take up way more storage, and kick my MacBook Pro fans on far more often.
I know it excites a lot of people to have 100MB+ uncompressed raw files, or just not fully utilize the sensor you, ya know, dropped all this cash on… but I don’t think many APS-C Fuji shooters need that resolution.
Remember, 26mp gets you all the way to 30” x 40“ or even 40” x 60” if you don’t crop the original file. I have printed X-Pro 3 files up to 24” x 36” and was perfectly happy with those results. How many mid-level aps-c Fuji shooters are doing billboards? Plus, it doesn’t make any sense in a line that already has more professional bodies with the GFX line or the XH2. At the very least, I think the extra resolution should be an optional upgrade, not a mandatory feature.
And again, my question is not, “Why would anyone need that much resolution?”, it’s “Why do people looking at $1,500 APS-C Fuji cameras need this much resolution?”.
Is this the camera people are hooking up to a telescope? Creating billboard ads with? Doing upper-level, high-pressure paid work with? I just don’t think so, and let’s be honest: It’s not marketed as such either.
So why are all of us now forced to put up with twice the resolution we need?
I know it’s probably a logistical nightmare, but look at Sony, or even Fujifilm itself! You have the base hybrid camera with 33 MP (A7 IV) which is a little more reasonable, and then you can go up from there with the R bodies if you feel you’ll benefit from the resolution. Fuji even has the 40 MP X-H2 and the 26 MP X-H2s.
I don’t hate the idea of a Fujifilm X-Pro 4 and an X-Pro 4s or r or something that has a little extra kick.
As a street and travel photographer, I just do not need to zoom into anyone’s soul or see each individual roof tile on a building 150 meters away.
~End rant.
Fuji X Pro 4 Battery
The last thing on my wishlist is more battery life.
One of the few things I enjoy about shooting with the X-T5 is that the larger battery and improvements to hardware and software efficiency mean I really only need to carry one spare around.
NP-W126S battery (left) beside the larger NP-W235 (right)
And there’s a good chance I won’t even use it, even shooting photos and video for hours on end.
I would love to see the same battery and efficiency in the next X-Pro camera, and I know folks have wanted a more ergonomic grip for a while, so maybe that’s how they’ll make room for it, but as of now, I can’t see how they’d jam the larger battery into the existing body.
Battery Theories
Part of me wonders if they plan to upgrade the smaller NP-W126S battery that is currently used by pretty much everything but the T and H cameras. That would make sense ahead for the Fuji x100VI announcement as well, and plenty of their other cameras would benefit as well, but I think it’s more likely they just stick to the same small batteries they’ve been using forever.
Wrapping Up
I think that does it. I’ll come back and add more if I think of anything else, but the Fujifilm X-Pro 3 is a fantastic camera and there are really very few changes I would make to it.
If Fuji stays on course with the form factor, perfects the screen situation a bit, and maybe just keeps the resolution a little lower, there’s a good chance I’ll step up to the next entry in the Pro line. If it doesn’t happen the way I hope it does? The x100VI might end up in my kit after all!
Like I said, I want to hear what you think, so if you have thoughts on this article, head over to Instagram and shoot me a DM. That’s always the easiest way to get a hold of me.
Thanks for reading!
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