Excellent image quality; Crispy 4K video; Compact body; Lots of controls to hand;

Tiny rear buttons; Not much for larger hands to grip;

While the X-T3 remains the more powerful camera, particularly if you’re a video shooter, the X-T30 does a brilliant job of distilling the pricier model’s essential appeal into a cheaper, more compact body. If you’re coming to mirrorless cameras for the first time and wondering which brand to go for, Fujifilm might not seem the most obvious choice. Panasonic and Sony are bigger players, it’s true, and the mighty Canon and Nikon have finally jumped off the fence in a manner that suggests they’re serious about mirrorless – but cameras like the X-T30 are a stark reminder of how well Fujifilm goes about its business. Not only is this richly-equipped when it comes to both video and stills shooting options, it’s designed so that photographers have lots of control at their fingertips. And its image quality is superb. If you’re a seasoned photographer who knows their way around a camera but is making a first foray into mirrorless or video recording, or the owner of an older, cheaper Fujifilm X series looking to step up to something with a bit more depth and versatility, this camera would make an excellent choice.

Excellent image quality; Crispy 4K video; Compact body; Lots of controls to hand;

Tiny rear buttons; Not much for larger hands to grip;

The Fujifilm X-T30 follows a tried-and-trusted recipe now on its third generation, delivering the same sensor, processing and autofocus of the flagship X-T3 in a smaller, lighter and much more affordable body.

The X-T30 has a couple of handling quirks that are practically inevitable in a camera this small, and it has no in-body stabilisation, but these are the only faults we can find in a camera with superb external controls, a great 26.1-megapixel sensor, superb autofocus and powerful 4K video recording...

Excellent image quality; Powerful and effective autofocus; Traditional exposure controls; Small size

No in-body stabilisation; Placement of Q button

The Fujifilm X-T30 is Fujifilm's mid-level APS-C mirrorless camera with an electronic viewfinder (EVF). The X-T30 features the same 26mp BSI CMOS sensor as the X-T3 , and is an update to the X-T20 , which is Fujifilm's best selling X series camera, striking a balance between high-performance, and...

Same 26mp sensor as X-T3; Excellent image quality; High-speed continuous shooting; Rapid focus; and numerous options; CINE 4K video recording; Price

Easy to accidentally press the Q button; Short video recording times

Editor's note: If you're looking for a new compact system camera, the Fujifilm X-T30 is a strong new contender – and is nearing its release on 20 March 2019. I've spent 12 hours with a final production version of this miniature version of the X-T3 in Rome, so here are some extra impressions of the...

The Fujifilm X-T30 is a new mid-range mirrorless camera that's smaller, lighter and a lot cheaper than the flagship X-T3 model, yet in some ways is actually slightly more advanced than the X-T3.

What We'd Change. While the Fujifilm X-T30 has all the makings of an awesome APS-C camera, it does leave a few things to be desired. Low-light performance needs improvement; autofocus is a little wobbly when there's not enough light, and noise handling isn't great.

Much-improved AF; Improved Eye and Face Detection and Tracking; Better grip; Joystick; Supersampled 4K; F-log recording on hand; Eterna color profile; Monochrome Adjustment for Acros and B&W; Affordable price tag; Charcoal grey color available

AF unstable in low light; No 4K at 60fps; No IBIS; Battery life could be better; No weather sealing; Higher ISO noise handling is not great

Stay tuned for our upcoming full review of the Fujifilm X-T30 once production models are available for testing.

Fujifilm’s X-T series has been refreshed, but does this new arrival hit the sweet spot of what enthusiasts want for under £1,000? Michael Topham finds out