Fujifilm South Africa was kind enough to give me a new Fujifilm X-T4 to test for a week. I wasn’t all too excited. I read the specifications when the camera was released and my first thought was that Fujifilm made some minor changes to the body and rebranded the Fujifilm X-T3 as the X-T4.
Hey, These Specs Are All The Same!
The X-T4 still uses the same BSI-CMOS and X-Processor 4 that was used in the X-T3. The X-T4 features the same 26 megapixels, ISO 160 – 12800, and 425 AF points as the X-T3. The maximum shutter speed is also 1/8000 sec which is the standard for most interchangeable lens cameras these days. You do have the option of using the electronic shutter for a maximum speed of 1/32000 sec. Yes, exactly the same as the X-T3. The flash sync speed is 1/250 sec on both models.
The video specifications are largely the same too. The X-T4 shoots 4K 60p video and 10-bit internal recording just like the X-T3 does.
Has Anything Changed?
The X-T4 Body is slightly bigger. It is much easier to hold and operate than the X-T3. But that is not the only thing you will notice on the body. Fujifilm has incorporated a 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen that makes the camera much more vlogger friendly. A camera with a vari-angle screen is much easier to use on a gimbal. You can turn the screen any way you need to be able to see it on the gimbal.
There is a new NP-W235 battery that lasted us over 500 shots in testing. This is a big improvement over the X-T3 that sometimes only gives you half of that. However, you do not get an external charger in the box. The camera only comes with a USB charger. If you want an external charger, and you do, you will have to purchase it separately.
You can also get the Fujifilm VG-XT4 battery grip which adds duplicate vertical controls and two extra batteries to effectively triple the battery life. Fujifilm did not have the grip in stock for us to test the camera with it but a grip is an accessory that I would always recommend for mirrorless cameras.
Then it got good, real good!
It did not take long to realize why Fujifilm South Africa gave me the X-T4 to test. You only come to realize how good and how much better the X-T4 is than the X-T3 once you get to use it.
The X-T4 shoots continuously at a very impressive 15 frames per second. With the value for money and quality of fujifilm’s longer range lenses this could become the camera of choice for some wildlife and sport photographers. You can use the electronic shutter at up to 30 frames per second in the camera’s 1.25x crop mode if you want even more speed.
The camera also has much better Face and Eye detection than the X-T3. I struggled to get it to loose track of the eye and face of my subject. Her movements had to be very erratic before I lost focus and even then it was only for an instant.
The most impressive feature that I tested is the amazing in-body stabilization. Fujifilm claims up to 6.5 stops of shake compensation. I tested it with both Fujifilm’s zoom lenses and a few of their non-stabilized prime lenses. In many cases, it was as good as using a gimbal. It is without a doubt the best in-body stabilization I have tested.
Conclusion
I must hang my head in shame. I judged a book by its cover. I have never been more wrong about a camera.
The Fujifilm X-T4 is not only superior to the X-T3 but to any other camera in its range. If you are looking to replace your DSLR with a mirror-less body or if you are looking to upgrade to a new mirror-less body in this range you should seriously consider this camera.
The Auto Focus and tracking system combined with the best-in-class in-body stabilization will impress still photographers and videographers alike.
It is without a doubt the best in its class and better than a few models a price range above.
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