Battle of the X-Pros

But the practice is quite, quite different. And if we’re worried about people fooling themselves, it’s worth remembering that.

Sure…from the old site. The first is high iso, showing that the noise/grain is less crunchy and softer with the X-Pro 1. Much like higher film grain softens the image, the noise acts the same way here

In the second image, the green is more natural and less “dead” here with the X-Pro 1.

I think that some people like to exaggerate, no one thus far has mentioned "a world of difference" besides you. What I, and others, contend, is that we prefer the way the screen operates in the X-Pro3. Rather than going into menus every time you want to turn it on/off, you fold it up. Not sure what you mean by expensive repair, if you have the screen folded up. The practice is quite different, and I prefer it, simple. As I said, that is the way I operate the X-T4 as well, I have the screen folded inwards, less distractions while shooting and more protection.

I have an X-S10, same thing, l have the option of switching the display off or folding the LCD in. A screen protector is all you need for anything else, my X-Pro1 has one on it.

Well it does seem people get rather excited about a folding screen when you can do the same thing on pretty much any camera quite easily. The expensive repair is ribbon cable failure, clearly an issue with these cameras, good luck selling these cameras on in time. I'm just pointing the obvious things out, no-one needs to get excited about it.

Firstly, this is a thread comparing the three different models of X-Pro, so the “excitement” about the tilting screen on the 3 is specifically in comparison to the two fixed screen cameras that went before it, not just “any camera”. Personally I would rather shoot any X-Pro over an XS10 or XT4, that’s not a slight on those cameras which I’m sure are fantastic for those that enjoy them, but they are not for me and can’t replace the X-Pro for my needs.

On the ribbon cable, time till tell but all the evidence I’ve seen (including my own experience) is that the majority of these cameras survive just fine. There are more faults reported than there should be, absolutely, but they’re still a small minority of the cameras out there and there’s no pattern to suggest that these failures are inevitable for every unit (in fact lots of evidence that it’s happening relatively quickly to some and not at all to many others over 3+ years). As for needing luck to sell them on, a quick browse of the used cameras sites can tell you that not a lot of luck is needed, they sell well and for a high price.

Worth noting also that this “expensive repair” is now being done for free in many cases, and here in the UK would be covered by Fuji’s fixed price repair for around £200 tops in any case.

If we’re talking my needs Fujifilm could remove the screen entirely. I can make photos without it. No problem. It is, at times, convenient though. On the whole I’ll take a fixed screen over my ideal configuration, or none at all.

I have an X-S10 as well. Along with an X100V (with a screen protector.) My experience with these cameras informs my comment…and preferences. The X-S10 screen is folded to face the body 90% of the time. Despite the internet outrage, the articulated screen doesn’t bother me in my use of this camera. On occasion, I’ve even used and appreciated its ability to see around corners.

I wouldn’t want the fully-articulated screen on the X100V though. I use the screen on that camera as a waist (and overhead) viewfinder often. However, I would prefer that the screen pivot back to face inwards when not in use. Particularly on a camera that is so frequently tossed into a bag. (A non-camera dedicated bag.) The screen protector serves well enough, but I’d prefer to not think of the screen at all.

The XPro3 is the only model where the display can be hidden and protected. That to me is a big deal since I often take my XPro on horseback and as Forest Gump said, "it happens." The other two models have a big piece of glass screaming, break me. In fact while I prefer my Leica Q2M I will not carry it on horseback since the display cannot be physically protected. Personally I would just as soon Fujifilm would completely remove the display and invest in a good reliable phone app that can be used to replace the display and for quick menu changes the EVF can be used.

Truman’s off-road vehicle of choice is a horse. Mine is a Land-Rover. (Or a boat.) We share a need for gear that tolerates what I refer to as the casual nonchalance of field use. I’m not trying to break a camera. I’m not paying particular attention to it as an object either. It swings from a strap. Gets tossed into my pack. Or onto the passenger seat of the vehicle. Sometimes it falls from the seat and rattles around on the floorboards[1] until I can divert my eyes, and a hand, to recovery. As Captain Ron says, Well if anything's going to happen it's going to happen out there.

Again, I recognize the value that some of us attach to the stowable screen.

[1] I’ve finally shock mounted a Peak Design Capture Clip to the bulkhead between the seats. This helps immensely in keeping the camera off the floor — when I take the time to use it. Of course it also locks the camera in a somewhat vulnerable screen-up orientation.
¯\(ツ)/¯

I'll just come out an say it - I like the way the X-Pro3 looks with the hidden screen and the mini "film simulation" screen. Apparently I'm as vain as the day is long...

Thanks, I definitely see the color, noise and resolution differences. I do wonder if they could be made more similar by tweeking the film sumulations or in post, with NR - not that I'm asking you to do that, just thinking about how close you could get with some adjustments.

Photography is a process of which the image is only the end product. You should work with the tools that you find comfortable and that inspire you, at least to the degree possible. That’s not vain. It’s art. (Or at least craft.)

Most likely could be done with a bit of effort.

Clearly the ribbon cable is a weakness on these cameras, and will depend on how often you use the camera and how often you open the screen up. Eventually they're all going to fail because it's obviously a design fault, I've seen similar ribbon failure issues on other cameras, and they all go the same way in the end. I'm pretty sure Fuji aren't going to repair them for free indefinitely, and even £200 is still an expensive repair for something that shouldn't happen. The X-Pro 3 is the one Fuji camera I'd never buy based on what I've seen so far on it's failure rate. No-one knows exactly how many have failed but I've seen more than enough evidence to suggest it's always going to be an issue with these cameras. Implementing a ribbon cable on a folding screen was a stupid decision, they have a track record for failing on moving parts and splitting over time and the fact they've been failing in relatively short period is a rather big clue as to how they're likely to fare in the long run.

Clearly you haven’t looked into this, as there have been endless discussions between those who use the screen constantly and those who don’t, and those whose screens failed early on and those that didn’t, and there’s absolutely no consistency or pattern to support the idea that this is inevitable or tied to either usage or age. It’s simply something that has happened to some cameras - a minority. There are plenty who have used their screens constantly for three plus years who are fine, and others whose broke practically out of the box. None of the breakages are acceptable, but neither are they are a certainty or any clear evidence of a design flaw, as opposed to isolated component failures or assembly errors.

Literally every folding screen on every camera uses a ribbon cable somewhere, there’s nothing remotely unusual in that.

Fuji seem to be doing more free repairs on this now than they were to begin with, so it’s trending in the right direction as far as I can see. IF they have a change of heart in the future, AND I’m one of the minority who are affected by this, then I’ll pay £200 to get it fixed. That’s an acceptable risk when weighed up against the many benefits, as far as I’m concerned.

Not especially difficult to get in the ballpark. This is an SOOC X-Pro1 jpeg (L), and an X-Pro3 RAW (R) with a quickie (eyeballed) custom profile applied in Lightroom. Not perfect, but way closer to the X-Pro1 jpeg (which is what people seem to want) than the Standard/Provia profile for the X-Pro3...

Well l have looked into it, and it's clear it has been reported over all the well known forums.

www.thephoblographer.com/2021/10/09/how-bad-is-the-fujifilm-x-pro-3-sub-monitor-issue/

I'm pretty sure fully articulating LCD's don't use a ribbon cable due to their design, and they seem to last in my experience. However, l guess we'll see over time how the X-Pro 3 lasts. Personally it's too expensive for me to take that risk, but each to their own.

Not being funny but have you actually read the article you quoted? Because it doesn’t seem to support any of the firm conclusions you’ve drawn. The fact that lens rentals doesn’t seem to have registered it at all as an issue certainly suggests that it isn’t either widespread or intrinsically linked to wear and tear.

Perhaps, but just looking at Fuji there’s the XT1, XT2, XT3, XT5, XT10, XT20, XT30, XT100, and XH1 all with - shock horror - folding screens and partially exposed ribbon cables. Most of these cameras sold in much higher numbers than any X-Pro too. The XP3 is not their first rodeo.