Finally Found a Fujifilm X30!
Approximately once a week for the past five or six years, I have been searching online specifically for a Fujifilm X30 camera. I finally found one the other day and jumped on it within minutes of the ad being listed! After years of weekly searching, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to purchase this lucky find.
These cameras were produced in 2014 so they are quite long in the tooth for digital cameras but this camera is special. Actually, now that I think about it, my Sony cameras are about this old too... hmmm... Anyway, this Fuji X30 compact camera is old with a rather old and relatively small sensor. It is a larger sensor than most compact cameras had back in 2014 but it is relatively small by today's standards. It does have some very appealing characteristics and specifications though which makes it a highly sought-after camera even in 2023.
Each production run of this camera sold out quickly and, within a few short years, the camera was discontinued by Fujifilm. Presumably (my own personal assumption), it was discontinued because they ran out of the 2/3 inch sensors used in these cameras. This camera, however, has become quite the collector item ever since it was first produced.
One of my other Fuji cameras, the S100FS (produced in 2008), also uses a 2/3 inch sensor and I have created many outstanding photos from that camera. I've always loved the photos that camera produced in most cases but this newer X30 camera definitely has more settings and controls for getting the most out of these sensors so a 2/3 inch smallish sensor is not a negative specification to me. I have quite a bit of experience with these 2/3 inch sensors already and I have no major complaints. The only nit-pick I have is that it is more difficult to get effective background separation than compared to cameras with much larger sensors.
Fujifilm was selling these little compact rangefinder-style cameras at around $600-650 back in 2014. In the used market over the past few years and especially more recently when new cameras are exceedingly hard to find (due to the ongoing pandemic), I regularly see these used cameras ranging in price from around $800 to $1800. I've always wanted one of these little compact cameras but a used price of over $800 wasn't something I felt was reasonable no matter how badly I desired this old little camera.
So, approximately once each week for the past five or six years, I would get online to search for one of these cameras in good condition at a reasonable price... once a week for five or six years! This dedication should be an indication of how badly I wanted this camera and my consistent searching finally panned out this past Sunday.
I was doing my usual weekly search while sitting on the couch Sunday evening... scrolling through the few cameras that were for sale on a few different websites... seeing very beat up cameras being offered at absurdly high prices... I was thinking this was another typical unproductive weekly search. Before leaving eBay after a quick and unproductive search, however, I decided to refresh my search results sort of like pulling the handle of a slot machine one last time... maybe I felt lucky at that particular moment or maybe I was just grasping at straws after being frustrated yet again by no viable options but this refreshed search result showed a new listing the moment I refreshed the search results!
This camera appeared to be clean in all the photos and the price was great. Well... honestly, it was a little dirty but it appeared to be in excellent condition for a camera from 2014. I knew I had to act quickly so I immediately and quickly scanned the description to ensure all was good with this particular camera (whether it is functioning well, condition of the lens, any known problems, number of shutter actuations, etc) then quickly checked the seller's rating... everything looked good. Within just a couple of minutes of this camera being listed, it was in my cart being purchased by me! Two days later, our mail carrier, Christine, handed me my new-to-me-but-almost-antique camera... finally!
When I pulled this little compact camera out of its original box, I was immediately taken with its weight. This camera has a magnesium body so it is built like a tank like all classic cameras from the past hundred years. It isn't a camera with a molded plastic body. This camera is all metal and it feels like a quality camera. I had the same feelings when I first picked up my Sony a7. Some cameras just ooze quality when you hold them in your hands. This Fuji X30 is one of them.
The next thing I noticed is that it was indeed a camera in excellent or better condition! The lens looked perfect. The rear LCD screen looked perfect with not a single scratch on it! The body didn't appear to have a single scratch on it!
I immediately laid the new-to-me camera on my desk under my magnifying lamp and then went to retrieve some Q-tips, isopropyl alcohol, and a cleaner to restore the original shine of the camera. I quickly got down to work.
Even though the camera appeared to be in great condition, I still expected the Q-tips to come back quite dirty. I carefully cleaned the body using the isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips but the Q-tips only came back with some light dirt and grime on them in the expected places on the grip and around the knobs on the top panel. When I finished my cleaning, the camera appeared to be a new camera in pristine condition!
These compact cameras are highly sought after due to their classic rangefinder styling, high quality body, exceptional lens, great viewfinder, very fast auto-focus and, perhaps most importantly, their highly regarded Fujifilm film simulations that work so well with this particular smallish 2/3 inch sensor. These little cameras are very well known for their stunningly sharp, lush and rich images with beautiful tonal quality.
Here is my new-to-me Fuji X30 compact camera after cleaning it up...
The camera also came with two brand new batteries and a charger. I know the batteries and charger were brand new because they were still sealed in their original box and neatly wrapped in the usual new product bags and interior boxes. That was a pleasant surprise too!
What I found interesting is that the button layout on this camera, seen in the photo below, is very similar to the button layout on my Sony cameras which lightens the learning curve a bit. There are a lot of features in this little camera so it does still require some additional study but the button placement is very familiar to me. There are also a few odd quirks of this camera as I've learned in the past day which I'll briefly mention later.
I was shooting a few photos out our living room window yesterday (it is too cold out there for me so I shoot from the window while staying warm) and the first three photos I shot were grossly over-exposed. At the time, I couldn't figure out why the camera was over-exposing. I started to worry that maybe this camera was in need of repair.
I checked each of the over-exposed photos and the settings that the camera chose to see if I could spot a problem. I quickly noticed that the ISO was high and the camera's shutter only went as fast as 1/1000th of second. Well, this explained the over-exposure and I knew I would need a far faster shutter speed so I was wondering if maybe the auto-exposure wasn't working or if maybe the shutter was broken.
After a quick search online, I found that in bright light, this camera must be stopped down to any aperture slower than f2. If the aperture is wide open at f2, then the shutter speed is limited to 1/1000th of a second at the fast end. So, then I stopped the lens down to f8 and the subsequent images were properly exposed.
I tested the lens and camera at all apertures and it seemed to be working as it should. The quirky thing of note is the shutter speed being limited to 1/1000th of a second only at f2 and recording a grossly over-exposed image as a result. Now that I know that the camera does this, I could definitely live with that since landscape photos, especially ones in bright light, should be shot stopped down to f8 or so anyway. I had it set to f2 only because I forgot to change it after shooting some images inside the rather dark house. So, really, these over-exposed images were partially due to quirky camera operation and partially due to user-error.
Fujifilm is known for their films. They are still one of the few camera companies still making film today. They still produce instant film, 35mm film, medium format film as well as disposable film cameras. To continue in this classic tradition of film photography, this X30 compact camera comes with 11 preset Fujifilm film simulations that are available in only Fuji cameras. Below are just three example images of these film simulations.
This first film simulation is Fuji's Monochrome and their monochrome definitely can rival my favorite black and white films from Ilford...
And below, the last one for now, was shot using the Provia film simulation which is a little bit richer than the Pro Negative High above...
I hope to get better acquainted with this camera over the weekend. I plan to shoot in each of the film simulations so I can better choose which ones I prefer in specific situations. I also need to get better acquainted with the extensive menus and settings in this camera. At some point, I'll figure out how to save the few film simulations I prefer with the settings I prefer. I know this camera can do that but I don't yet know how to do it nor do I know how to retrieve those settings I had saved. I'll figure it out at some point though.
Kenzie will be with us this weekend so I hope to get plenty of practice shooting portraits with this camera. I hope to get some photos while we are out and about with Kenzie this weekend as well as maybe get some studio and/or outdoor portrait work done with this camera too. This will allow me to shoot a wide variety of types of photography. I also plan to somehow get some landscape photography done this weekend too.
As far as true film goes, I actually prefer Ilford film but my color landscapes do look stunning in Fujifilm's Velvia which I do plan to utilize on this camera. And, contrary to popular opinion (I am often contrary to popular opinions), I do not care for Kodak films. I never have and I still don't care for most of Kodak's old discontinued films. I do, however, love Kodak digital sensors from the early 2000s before they went bankrupt and dissolved. Those old Kodak sensors, in many ways, remind me of these Fujifilm sensors.
With the Fuji X30, for portraits, I'll probably go with the lower contrast Astia film simulation but with my own adjustments to suit my own tastes. Architecture always seems to look better in Monochrome. Well, actually, I like all types of photos in Monochrome when done right. I abhor Sepia though so you won't see any examples of that from me! The Classic Chrome film isn't one of my favorites either but it does get used occasionally by me. I just find the Classic Chrome film simulation to be a bit flat and boring.
I also plan to print some of my better images shot with this camera to Instax print film. I have a little Instax printer that I often throw into my camera bag and use occasionally but I hope to use it more and more. My Sony cameras print beautiful photos on this Instax film. This Instax film is even more appropriate for this classic compact camera though as both are made by Fujifilm.
So far, I'm very impressed with this old classic camera. I now understand why it has become such a highly sought-after camera and considered a classic in just a few short years. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to shooting with this camera whenever ideal circumstances arise.
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