Fujifilm is regenerating its double-digit XT line with the X-T50, a hybrid photo body with an APS-C sensor which takes up most of the technical specifications of its big brother, the X-T5. Its electronics are therefore known: a stabilized 40 Mpx X-Trans CMOS sensor (7 speeds) driven by the X-Processor 5, the chip at the heart of all 5th generation Fujifilm cameras. If you’ve ever seen files from the X-T5, X-H2 or the X100VI, you know what to expect.
This imaging duo is integrated into a more compact case than its big brothers. And less armored, since at no time in its press release does Fujifilm mention all-weather protection. A more general public and less adventurous version, which only includes a single SD card slot and sees its electronic viewfinder limited to a small 2.36 Mpx (compared to 3.69 for the X-T5).
But it is no less capable in terms of image: the minimum shutter speed (1/180,000th of a second!), the autofocus speed and the maximum video definition (6K) are all similar to the previous models above of range. The gusts are at two speeds. The device is also similar in bitrate (13 fps) and very close in electronic shutter buffer depth. However, the mechanical shutter is no longer at 1/8000th, but at 1/4000th, and therefore seems borrowed from the X-S20. Limited to 8 fps in mechanical shutter, the X-T50 however offers a shooting depth much greater than the
A wheel dedicated to film simulations
The ergonomic novelty of this case is the appearance of a new dial which allows you to quickly select different film simulations, one of the strong points of Fujifilm cameras. Although it cannot display the 20 available simulations, it does provide pre-recorded access to eight modes, offers three programmable positions (FS1, FS2 and FS3) and a position that allows you to quickly choose by hand.
Here, Fujifilm was smart: its color renderings were popularized by the success of the X100V. Providing quick access to these modes will allow you to quickly switch from visual rendering to screen/viewfinder control without having to delve into the mysteries of the device’s menus. Menus recognized for their somewhat labyrinthine character!
This consideration of a less experienced audience is also manifested by the presence of increasingly rare equipment in the boxes: a flash. Housed in front of the viewfinder, it is deployed using a ring serving as a base for the film simulation mode wheel. Be careful though, unlike XH bodies equipped with classic PASM dials, the dials placed on the right are indeed Fujifilm dials. Namely an under/overexposure dial and a speed dial + ISO ring. Which doesn’t even place the case among the devices intended for beginners.
New premium kit optics
This X-T50 is an opportunity for Fujifilm to introduce a new premium kit lens. Besides the entry-level XC 15-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ (motorized but quite slow, mediocre optically) and the XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR (trans-standard quite expensive), Fujifilm mainly delivered its XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS as a kit. Although the optics were very popular for a zoom kit, they were 12 years old and were not up to the 40 Mpx of this generation of sensor.
It therefore gives way to a new XF16-50mm f/2.8-5.6 LM WR, which has the good taste of being both protected against the weather and a little wider angle. We can bet that what it loses in brightness at the end of the zoom, it will gain in resolution power.
The X-T50 will be marketed from June 17 in three versions:
- X-T50 bare case at €1,499 (three colors: black, silver and gray)
- X-T50 with the XC 15-45 mm at €1,599 (black, silver and gray)
- X-T50 with the new XF 16-50mm f/2.8-5.6 LM WR (black, silver and gray)