My Days with Fujifilm XT3
- Prajwal Khade
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
My Experience
I started my professional work with this beautiful camera offered by Fujifilm — the XT3. There was so much that the XT3 introduced me to, from learning the technical side of manual controls to understanding light and composition in a more involved way. But one thing that will always stay with me is the very experience of shooting. It’s a camera that doesn’t just take pictures, it makes you feel the process.
The colours were an absolute pleasure, always. If you get your exposure in place, the camera will deliver colours as real as life in front of the lens. It taught me the importance of getting things right in-camera, and rewarded me every single time I did. There’s a certain charm to how the XT3 handles colour and contrast, especially when paired with Fujifilm’s film simulations, which often gave my work a cinematic and aesthetic feel — straight out of the camera. It’s not just a tool, it’s an experience, it was the perfect companion to begin my journey as a professional.
One of the most satisfying things about using the Fujifilm XT3 is its tactile dials. They’re not just there for show — they genuinely make shooting more intuitive and enjoyable. The dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation give a very hands-on, connected feel with the camera. You don’t have to dive into menus — just twist, set, and shoot. It’s like going back to the roots of photography. The dials were a joy to use, these little things made things easier on the go. There were times, I could not thank enough to fujifilm for putting these dials on top of the camera and making them so handy.
Flaws
Well, with all the good things I have said so far, there are a few things that bothered me over the period. If I have to be honest, the autofocus bothered me the most. Now, was it always bad? No. In fact, under decent light and with a bit of patience, it held up well. But since my majority of work revolved around photographing people — moments that are quick, expressions that shift in a blink — that’s where it struggled at times. There were moments when the camera just wouldn’t lock focus fast enough, or would catch the background instead of the subject. It made me slow down, sometimes in a good way, but other times it cost me the shot. If you're going to use it for more static work, like landscapes, still life, or even street photography with some breathing space, it should not bother you much. But if your work relies heavily on capturing fleeting human moments, this is one area where the XT3 demands extra attention.
Another thing that made things hard at times was the EVF (Electronic View Finder). It may not be a big deal for many, but for someone like me who prefers to shoot through the EVF, it mattered. There’s something personal and immersive about looking through a viewfinder — it isolates you from the outside world and pulls you entirely into the frame. But with the XT3, the size of the EVF never quite felt enough. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t satisfying either. It lacked that immersive depth where you feel the composition unfolding in front of you. It kept poking at the joy of photographing, every once in a while — not enough to ruin the experience, but just enough to notice.
I would not go into the other specific technical details of FPS or on-paper specifications, as that’s never been the way I look at a camera. All I wish to share is my own experience — how it felt to hold, shoot, miss, and capture with it. For me, a camera is less about numbers and more about the relationship you build with it over time — and the XT3 definitely gave me one worth remembering.
Why let go of it?
Well, that is a hard question, but I will try to answer. I held on to this beautiful piece of technology, XT3 for almost 5 years. I shot some of my most favourite photos with it. I cant really say I had any love-hate relationship with it, as there was nothing as such worth hating. But over the period Fujifilm launched cameras that were simply technologically advanced.
The issues that I felt with XT3 could be resolved with these recent cameras. So I decided to move on and shifted to another beautiful camera from Fujifilm, XH2.
Shot with Fujifilm XT3 over the years.