New Fujifilm X-Pro3 leak points to improved autofocus and HDR shooting

To quell the rumors from flooding the internet, Fujifilm introduced us to the X-Pro3 at the company's X Summit held in Tokyo in September this year, highlighting some of the physical changes being made to the rangefinder line-up. Fujifilm even told us when the official announcement will be, with a countdown clock ticking down the seconds to October 23.

What we didn't know at the time was the internal specs, but reliable and prolific camera leaker Nokishita has found a bunch of the X-Pro3's product images and a document that reads like a press release for the new snapper.

According to the document, the X-Pro3 will house a 26.1MP back-illuminated X-Trans 4 CMOS IV sensor (as opposed to the 24MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor in the X-Pro2) which will work alongside the fourth-generation X-Trans image processor. This will bring the upcoming camera on par with the X-T3 and give it the processing power it needs for 4K video recording and improved autofocus (AF) performance.

Fujifilm has also, apparently, improved the AF algorithm for the X-Pro3, potentially giving the snapper the ability to focus at -6EV (Exposure Value). To put that number into perspective, the X-Pro3 should be able to focus on a subject in practically pitch-black conditions.

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Until now, autofocus range limiters have been a feature on many high-end lenses, but not a camera. The X-Pro3, according to the leaked document, will bring with it an AF range limiter with two preset values to choose from. When a particular value is chosen, the camera assumes you're interested in subjects within that range, and will only attempt to focus within that distance. This improves AF speed and accuracy as the camera isn't trying to guess where you want it to focus.

The leaked document also claims that X-Pro3 will debut with a new HDR shooting mode that will combine multiple shots taken at different exposure settings into one to bring out every detail possible.

The camera will also be able to combine up to nine multiple exposures in the Additive, Average, Comparative Bright or Comparative Dark modes that were taken at different times and from different viewpoints. If you want to get creative, the document states that you can apply Fujifilm's superb Film Simulation modes to each frame before combining for a multi-layered collage.

Speaking of the Film Simulation Modes: looks like Fujifilm has added a "Classic Neg" mode to the options which emulates images shot on color negative films, adding chromatic contrast to the results. A black-and-white adjustment function first introduced with with X-T3 and X-T30 cameras will also make its way to the X-Pro3, although it will now be called the Monochrome Color function. This should help you add warmth or cool tones to monochrome images.

And that is only just a few of the improvements made to the shooting modes in the X-Pro3, with features like "clarity setting" (to accentuate textures and outlines of subjects) and Grain Effect (to simulate film photography) also making its way into the menu options.

You shoot me down... I am titanium

As we already know, Fujifilm has used titanium for the exterior of the camera, making it corrosion resistant. It will be weather-sealed at 70 different points, so this little beauty should be able to brave the elements while it travels with you.

We also know the viewfinder has been given a refresh. Users will be able to switch between an optical viewfinder (OVF) and an electronic one (EVF) with a 3.60 million-dot resolution and a high contrast ratio of 1:5000. A couple of display options have also been built into the EVF's performance mode, which might come in handy when shooting fast-moving objects.

The so-called 'hidden' rear LCD display shares the same 1.62 million-dot resolution of the X-Pro2, but this time it's a touchscreen which will flip 180 degrees so you can shoot from different angles. The smaller 1.28-inch display on the back is a color LCD protected with toughened glass that will display shooting information regardless of whether the camera is powered on or off.

The leaked document also claims that the quick menu (Q button) functionality has also been improved to display 4, 8, 12 or 16 icons. And looks like we might be getting a USB Type-C port (USB3.1 Gen1) for both fast file transfer and in-camera battery charging.

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 will be announced on October 23 at 1am EDT in the US (that's 6am BST / 4pm AEDT), but with practically every detail already leaked online, there doesn't seem to be any surprises left for us to discover.