User Experience: Jon Kerrin on the new Fujifilm X-T30 III

October 29, 2025

Jon Kerrin was recently invited by Fujifilm Japan to shoot with the brand new Fujifilm X-T30 III before it was announced globally. For those then looking for the low-down on Fujifilm’s latest, who else to tell us more but Jon? [Image of Jon by Lindsey Appolis]

Jon Kerrin

Hi Jon! Congrats, you were chosen by Fujifilm HQ in Japan to test and shoot with the new Fujifilm X-T30 III beforehand! A number of your photos are now featured on the global X-T30 III product page.

Thanks so much! It was a great honour being chosen by Fujifilm to work on this international campaign. I’ve loved shooting with Fujifilm gear for so many years, and it means a lot to be recognised for the work I’ve produced with their gear in my hands.

Tell us, where did you put the new model to the test?

Gear like this deserves to be tested to its limits and in a variety of conditions, so I decided to take it into a few different environments. The first was Kubu Island, in the middle of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana. Here I captured the majestic Baobabs under the day and night sky, testing it in extreme low-light locations.

Next, I took it to capture the seascapes of De Kelders. Seascapes are a great way to test the camera’s processing and speed ability, as well as its durability in salty, windswept environments.

Following this I hiked into the forests of Cape Town, testing its dynamic range capabilities, and subsequently realising how lightweight the camera was in my bag up those long steep trails.

After this I tested it in the Overberg region of the Western Cape while the fields of canola and wheat were coming into bloom. This is a colourful time of year in this region, and I thought it would be a brilliant way of showing off Fujifilm’s exceptional colour science.

Lastly, I took it into the Cederberg to test it once again in low-light conditions specifically for astrophotography.

What did you like most about the X-T30 III?

Its responsiveness, and I mean this in both its processing speed and its tactile feedback. I never felt like I was waiting for anything when using this camera. When I pushed a button there would be an instant reaction. And even though the camera is so small and light I felt everything was always at my fingertips. I never found myself searching deep in menus and always felt present in the moment.

The X-T30 III has the same trusty 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, but with the new X-Processor 5. Could you pick up an improvement in autofocus and processing?

Absolutely! Especially in the type of work I do, I noticed this in low-light situations. The autofocus was far better able to pick up objects and lock onto them. So much nicer than having to resort to manual focus!

When it came to landscape and then also astrophotography, what did you appreciate about the camera?

A number of things. Landscape and astro photography require you to travel, so having a camera that is light and portable and isn’t depleting any extra energy or space really helps a lot. This is one of the things I’ve always loved about Fujifilm cameras, and it’s nice to see them sticking to that ethos without compromising on quality.

This isn’t Fujifilm’s flagship X-Series camera, and it’s not pretending to be. And yet for a camera on this level it has remarkable features and capabilities. The camera’s performance under the night sky is really something quite special and shocked me at how well it performed.

You usually shoot in RAW, so how often then did you make use of the new Film Simulation dial?

Yes, I have always shot in RAW, however on this campaign I was limited to shooting in JPEG because of it being a pre-production camera. But this limitation encouraged me to use the Film Simulation dial to achieve certain looks and feels.

Whenever I have used Fujifilm’s Film Simulations in the past, they have always been in the menu system. But having it at the flick of a switch on the X-T30 III made it so much easier to visualise and capture. This made me use it more than I thought I would.

Who would you recommend the new X-T30 III to?

I think this is an amazing camera for anyone starting out in photography. It punches way above its weight and offers so much by way of portability and functionality.

I also think the X-T30 III is a brilliant option for nature or travel photographers looking for a more accessible second camera body to complement their primary body. I could easily see myself using this camera to run time-lapses while I shoot elsewhere with my X-T5. Or to have a different focal length lens on this camera for quick wildlife shots when my primary bodies lens isn’t the right choice for the moment.