Tenba has expanded its Cooper bag collection. The bags-that-don’t-look-like-camera-bags lineup has expanded with two new backpacks, a smaller over the shoulder plus a slimmer 15” laptop shoulder bag. Tenba bill their Cooper line as a collection of luxury – fine materials including leather accents and trim are used to construct them. It seems something of a right of passage for all bag manufacturers – functional bags with more focus on stylish aesthetics; we did a whole article on the very subject back in November 2016. The Tenba Cooper line originally existed as a select few different-sized shoulder bags. The newly announced products are a more compact shoulder bag, a slim 15” laptop compatible shoulder bag and two backpacks. The Cooper 6 is now the smallest in line – it’s designed for mirrorless/rangefinder cameras with 2-3 lenses. Designed primarily for stills but really compact video systems could work with this. Like all the Cooper shoulder bags the Copper 6 features the prominent front designer zip. The Cooper 15 Slim is self explanatory – a slimmer version of the Copper 15. “An exterior built with military-grade CORDURA® canvas and waterproof leather delivers serious protection. CORDURA® canvas blends INVISTA nylon fibers with cotton to achieve an abrasion resistance four times greater than 100% cotton canvas. This gives the bags a long-term, allweather durability that is critically important to photographers and filmmakers. Hand-riveted leather zipper pulls add a distinctive touch.” Perhaps more importantly is announcement of the Cooper Slim Backpack and Cooper DSLR Backpack. The difference between the two is size – the Cooper Slim is designed for mirrorless/compact DSLR systems with 2-3 lenses. The Cooper DSLR Backpack is 20-30% bigger. Other than that the feature list is very much like for like. Both Backpacks are a split design – compartment at the bottom with dividers for camera kit plus a personal compartment at the top for everything else. The top compartment has the aforementioned Cooper designer zip; the bottom compartment is a single leather-look piece, overall contributing to quite a stylish look. What’s nice about the camera compartment (as with many Tenba bags) is that the dividers are removable, meaning in seconds you can take out your entire camera section to place in another bag, or make room for something else. The top compartment has built-in top access pockets, great for small accessories (pens, glasses, phone etc.); there is also space on both models for a 10” tablet. Specifications on all 4 new Tenba Cooper bags: Cooper 6 Weight: 1.1 lbs(0.5 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 9.75W X 6.5H X 4.5D in. (25 X 17 X 11 cm) Interior Dimensions: 9W X 5.5H X 4D in. (23 X 14 X 10 cm) Cooper 15 Slim Weight: 3.5 lbs(1.6 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 16W X 11.5H X 5.5D in. (41 X 29 X 14 cm) Interior Dimensions: 15W X 11H X 4D in. (38 X 28 X 10 cm) Fits a laptop up to 15 inches Cooper Slim Backpack Weight:2.4 lbs(1.1 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 10.5W X 17H X 5D in. (27 X 43 X 13 cm) Interior Dimensions: 9W X 5.5H X 4D in. (23 X 14 X 10 cm) Laptop Compartment: 10W X 8.5H X 0.25D in. (25W X 22H X 1D cm) Fits iPad or similar tablet up to 10 inches Cooper DSLR Backpack Weight: 3 lbs(1.4 kg) Exterior Dimensions: 11,5W X 19H X 6D in. (29 X 48 X 15 cm) Interior Dimensions: 10.5W X 8.5H X 4.5D in. (27 X 22 X 11 cm) Laptop Compartment: 10W X 10H X 0.25D in. (25W X 25H X 1D cm) Fits iPad or similar tablet up to 10 inches All these products are ready to ship, prices below.

The already very versatile Passport Silder from RigWheels just got better. With the introduction of the Passport 2 slider, which comes as a complete and travel-friendly system, RigWheels implemented lots of improvements based on user feedback. The RigWheels Passport 2 slider. The tracks are included! (but the AMIRA isn’t) They also introduced a so-called Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit, which is exactly that: Mount any modestly sized camera to your car’s windshield, fuss-free. RigWheels Passport 2 Slider If you’re a working professional and thus travelling a lot with your gear, you’ll know the dilemma: A) Bring all the gear and risk unjustifiably high cost at the airport or B) Reduce your equipment to only the bare necessities but that way you might miss some of those nice shots on location.. So what do you do? When it come to tracking shots, the RigWheels Pasport 2 slider might be a reasonable compromise between cost/bulk and versatility. The whole system, 6.3″ (1,95m) of tracks, the slider carriage itself, end-brackets and ball-head adapters, comes neatly packed in a custom Pelican 1610 case. Shoving it onto an airport scale will result in a 50lbs (23kg) readout and happy faces on both sides of the counter. The new Passport 2 slider now sports a new baseplate, called the RigPlate Pro which enables easy mounting of dedicated 75mm and 100mm bowl adapters, as well as a mitchell adapter plate. This makes the whole system much more versatile in terms of mounting different types of tripod heads to the baseplate. It also reduces the footprint and lowers the center of gravity since the tripod head now sits directly on the baseplate itself. The new RigPlate Pro with various mounting plates for different tripod heads. If you need your camera to be at a certain height, just two tripods and mount the Passport 2 onto these. Otherwise you can use 2 cases (maybe another Pelicase 1610?) or just put the slider on the ground. As a bonus, the way the Passport 2 slider carriage is designed, it can double as a high-hat stand for your camera. Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit Another neat addition to your kit might be this mounting kit. It enables you to mount your DSLR or other small(ish) camera to a car’s windshield with ease. No suction cups involved here.. and these can be nasty fellows from time to time! The whole system works with strong (and rubber coated) magnets in order to keep your valuable gear in place. These magnets, called RigMount 100, can hold up to 100lbs to a solid steel surface but this is the strength that was necessary to hold a DSLR through glass. The Kit contains several neat components such as the cold shoe adapter with a tiny version of a standard grip head attached to it. That grip head lets you position the camera where it needs to be and then it locks down to the windshield with one magnet inside and another one outside the car. To strengthen the whole setup and keep it in place even on the bumpiest road, another set of magnets attach to the 1/4″ thread underneth the camera using a small magic arm. Now you have to rock-solid mounting points which is enough to hold your camera in place, backlash-free. Originally this mounting kit was announced at NAB 2016 but according to RigWheels CEO Lance Lundstrom they were too busy developing the Cloud Mount and had to delay the production of the Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit until now. Pricing and Availability Both, the Passport 2 slider system and the Magnetic Windshiled Mounting Kit are expected to ship early-mid April. The Passport 2 is $2.500 including everything you need (expect tripods) and it comes in a neatly customized Pelicase 1610. If you want to upgrade your existing Passport slider you can do so for $599. That upgrade kit includes the new RigPlate Pro, a 75mm, a 100mm bowl adapter, a mitchell adapter and a set of 4 3″ stand offs. The Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit is $250 and includes 2 sets of magnets, a cold shoe adpater, a mini grip head and a magic arm. Links: RigWheels Passport 2 | Magnetic Windshield Mounting Kit What do think? Would one (or both) of these neat products be worth a closer look? Share your thoughts in the commetns below!

The new Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lens ticks a lot of boxes: fast, ultra wide, lightweight. Combined with very capabale optical performance, this lens might deserve its place in your bag. The Laowa 9mm sports a 113° angle of view, very little distortion and – surprisingly for such a short focal length – a 49mm filter thread. Furthermore, this little guy only weights around 215 grams (0.5 pounds). Venus Optics Laowa 9mm f/2.8 The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D is the third member of the Laowa ‘Zero-D’ line-up. A 15mm lens (read the article here) and a 12mm lens (review here) are already available. What’s new here is the very short focal length of just 9mm (35mm equivalent: 13.5mm). With ultra-wide-angle lenses you often end up with some unpleasant side effects like vignetting, barrel distortion, field curvature or chromatic aberration. Venus Optics has managed to get these optical difficulties under control surprisingly well. This (very) compact fully manual lens comprises of 15 elements in 10 groups, including 2 aspherical elements and 3 extra-low dispersion elements. The optical design successfully fights distortion and chromatic aberrations, but since there’s no such thing as the perfect lens the Laowa 9mm suffers a bit from vignetting and field curvature when shooting wide open. At f/4, the field curvature disappears completely, while a slight vignetting remains visible. image credit: Venus Optics / Jeffrey Poon Despite its massive angle of view, this lens is tiny. It measures just 2 inches (about 53mm) and since it weighs very little, you won’t notice it in your bag. Yet when mounted on your favorite mirrorless APS-C cameras, the Laowa 9mm unveils a whole new view of the world around you. Shooting with ultra-wide lenses is a lot of fun and the minimum focus distance of just 12cm (4.7″) enables you to capture stunning footage. The Laowa 9mm comes in three different mounts to cater all major mirrorless brands: Sony E, Fuji X and Canon EOS-M. Since we’re talking about about a rectilinear lens here, the Laowa 9mm sports a 49mm filter thread. Such short focal lengths often come as fish-eye lenses which can’t be equipped with ordinary screw-on filters. image credit: Venus Optics / Jonas Rask Furthermore, the first 100 orders will get a set of Laowa 49mm filters for free (CPL + UV + ND 1000). Shipping is expected to start from early April on. This fully manual lens might be a great addition to your bag and with its size and weight it seems to be perfect for drones and gimbals. Remember: This APS-C lens does not cover full frame sensors! Links: Venus Optics What do you think of this lens? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Canon M50 was recently announced, and I had a chance to review a pre-production version of it. Is Canon’s first attempt at a 4K mirrorless camera also the best vlogging camera out there? Let’s have a look. A Beginner’s Camera I can’t stress this point enough before diving deep into the camera’s functions: this is a beginner’s camera and its price point (below $800 or €600) makes it a great deal compared to the competition. So, whenever I lament about a missing function, you should keep this in mind. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison with the more expensive entry-level camera from Sony, the a6500, which is almost twice as expensive. Tiny Footprint The Canon M50 has a tiny footprint, and is sturdily built around Canon’s EOS M lens mount. It is a smaller version of the EOS lens mount, and is also backwards-compatible but requires an adapter. The camera feels very sturdy despite its entry-level status and it feels like it can take a beating. It seems like Canon designed this as a “family camera” that can be in anyone’s hand from time to time. The flip-out screen makes it very convenient to use from every angle. It gives a lot of nice flexibility that its higher-end DSLR offerings are missing – lightness and the flexible screen, plus a decent viewfinder which can of course also be used for video. “Of course” because this is a mirrorless camera: on Canon’s DSLRs, the optical viewfinder becomes useless when you switch to the video modes because the mirror blocks your view. Sensor Size & Crop Factors The M50 has an APS-C-sized sensor, just like the Sony a6500. This means it has an approximately 1.6x crop compared to 35mm full frame. This is not a big concern for a camera at this price point, especially considering the fact that APS-C is pretty much the same size as Super35 sensors in high-end cinema cameras. It’s a decent size and certainly allows for professional filmmaking. However, the full sensor can only be used for photos or HD video recoding. As soon as you switch to the 4K (UHD) mode, the sensor crops A LOT more. We know this phenomenon from the Canon 5D Mark IV, and the reason behind it is probably a lack of processing power in the camera. In the case of the M50, the problem is that we end up with a 2.56x crop compared to full frame cameras. This is a MASSIVE crop factor. Everyone who knows the micro Four-Thirds crop factor of the Panasonic GH5, for example, knows what I am talking about – and that is only a crop factor of 2x.   Autofocus, Rolling Shutter Canon has the best autofocus on the market – its Dual Pixel Autofocus – which is a big plus over all the other manufacturers. It also works brilliantly for video, when most of the competitors fall short on good autofocus for video (with the notable exception of the Sony a7R II and subsequent cameras). HOWEVER, for some reason, the 4K mode of the M50 cannot make use of the Dual Pixel Autofocus, having to rely instead on a rather bad version of contrast-based autofocus. And apart from a massive crop and a bad autofocus, the 4K mode of the camera suffers badly from rolling shutter, which is just as bad as in Sony’s a6500 entry-level competitor. Slow Motion The Canon M50 has slow-motion functionality built in, meaning you can shoot at 100 fps (in PAL) or 120 fps (in NTSC) and immediately play it back at 25 fps (or 30 fps) to see the slow motion effect. However, this mode is only 720p and also suffers from heavy aliasing. It looks like Canon footage from a 5D Mark II when recording like this. There is a 1080p 50fps mode for normal recording, so this could be slowed down to a 2x slow motion in post production. There is no higher frame rate mode in 4K. Video Functions and Picture Profiles The Canon M50 has no further special picture profiles optimised for filming: there still is no C-log, so existing picture profiles need to be modified to get a higher latitude in post production. For the test shots in my review, I usually went with a a neutral picture profile. The camera has no further video functions like peaking or zebras, which we have come to expect from video-capable cameras. The digital stabiliser in the camera is quite good and makes it possible to use this camera handheld quite easily, especially of course if compared to an optically stabilised lens. An in-body stabiliser of the camera would have been nice but it would also have increased the size of the camera. Photo Functions This is never our main focus, but of course this is predominantly a photo camera, and it comes with the new Canon CR3 raw format that, at the moment of writing, is not yet supported by any photo editing software I know. The JPEGs from these RAWs looks great though for a camera of this size. Conclusion The Canon M50 is a nice, powerful and affordable little entry-level camera for people who want an interchangeable lens camera without having to schlepp around a huge amount of kit. The video function is very good mainly because of the incredible Dual Pixel Autofocus in HD, but the 4K is clearly an afterthought and can’t really be used in practice much because of the crop and the lacking Dual-Pixel AF. The main purpose of this camera will be uncomplicated family shots or vlogging, for both of which HD is enough. It can be used for entry-level filmmakers who want to start working with interchangeable lenses, as long as they are happy with a 1080p output. What are your thoughts on Canon’s first 4K mirrorless camera? Will you consider getting it to do some work? Share your opinion with us in the comment section below.

The annual Japan BCN rankings are in and Canon emerges as the winner of some major categories, including DSLRs. Canon also wins the 2nd place in the category “mirrorless” and thus points Sony to 3rd place. Photograph credit: Jakob Owens | unsplash.com What are the annual BCN rankings, you might ask. The winners of one of the many categories are determined by multiple factors, as the Japanese company behind it, BCN (Business Computer News), explains: The “BCN AWARD” is an annual (January 1st – December 31st) sales comparison of BCN, which collects the current sales data of large electronics wholesalers nationwide, PC specialty stores and Internet shops. It is a system for rewarding a manufacturer’s cumulative numbers. These awards can be seen as an indicator of the (Japanese) market situation regarding all kinds of electronic goods, including digital cameras and lenses which renders the outcome interesting for us. The 2018 BCN Awards This year the big winner is: Canon! In both categories, “digital camera (with integrated lens)” and “digital camera (DSLR)” Canon can grab the first place. In regard to the DSLR category, the numbers are pretty impressive: 61.1% market share secures Canon’s triumph. Nikon is ranked second, with only 34.4%. What’s really interesting is the “digital camera (mirrorless)” category: Canon tops Sony by 0.9%, bumping them down to second place in that market. Olympus is the overall winner with 27.7% for mirrorless shooters. Different Markets Mind you, these numbers only reflect the Japanese market! Still, the results are pretty impressive and Canon is certainly happy about them. Companies such as Casio, which ranks third in “digital cameras (with integrated lens)” are not really present on the European or US market. To flip it around, FUJIFILM – quite poular in the US – doesn’t have a real impact on the Japanese numbers. Another interesting category is the one labeled “interchangeable lenses”, from which, again, Canon emerges victorious. As a close second, Sigma comes in. The astonishing fact here is this: Nikon is not on the list! Canon’s market share dropped from last year’s 24% down to this year’s 21.9%, while Sigma’s share rose from 14.3% to 16.2%, and for 2018 Tamron replaces Nikon with a 12.5% market share (link). Of course, these figures can’t be translated 1:1 to other markets such as European or US ones. However, it’s really interesting how well Canon is doing over in Japan, especially in the mirrorless devision, despite the fact that they still don’t have a pro camera line in their mirrorless repertoire. Still, their lineup of full-sized DSLRs are their crowd-puller in terms of market share, but let’s see if they have some surprises ready for one of the upcoming shows! And don’t forget: most buyers are mainly still buying Canon for the photo functions alone, which means that the lack of pro video functionality (compared to the competition) sometimes doesn’t matter so much. Links: BCN awards (jp) | Google translated version What do you think about Canon’s lineup of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and lenses? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

With an integrated lightweight structure, good battery life, innovative balancing system and higher payload, the Nebula 4100 is probably the most flexible of the 3-axis Nebula gimbals. Filmpower has been designing film-making equipment since 2010, and was behind “the first full metal gyroscope stabilizer in the world” – the Nebula 5000, back in NAB 2014. Since then, Nebula gimbals have become a valid tool for many independent filmmakers requiring a hand-held gyroscope stabilizer for their productions.  The Nebula 4100 is the newest in the line of one-handed stabilizers, and offers some cool features that can definitely make a filmmaker’s life easier, especially in one-man-band productions. Main features and improvements Weight and payload At 700g, the Nebula 4100 Slant weights less than previous models, and is the most compact gimbal in the whole Nebula series. Furthermore, the payload of the gimbal is higher (1.8kg), thus supporting a variety of mirrorless cameras.  Balancing mechanism The balancing mechanism is straightforward, and the whole process of balancing the camera is faster and easier thanks to its 3 points (gravity center, pitch point and roll point). No screen blocking Although not an improvement specific to this model, this is a very important feature when shooting with one-handed 3-axis gimbal since it gets over the painful limitation of having the camera screen blocked by the gimbal while shooting.  Integrated structure The new integrated structure design has helped expedite the time-consuming process of assembling the gimbal. In the words of Filmpower: “Just open the box, mount the camera and go shooting”. Double side use This feature is useful when shooting with a camera with a flipped screen. It improves the shooting experience, making it much more comfortable and efficient. Instant manual adjustment The Nebula 4100 Slant allows to manually change the position of the camera to different views while shooting, and thus change the shooting angle. Auto face-tracking This very cool feature enables face-tracking with the help of  the dedicated iPhone app. There are a few face-tracking applications out there, so it is worth waiting to see the accuracy and speed in the case of Filmpower’s application. Battery life Filmpower claims major improvements on battery life. The Nebula 4100 Slant smart battery promises 8-10 hours of life, meaning one can shoot all day long without the need of replacing the battery. Specs: High-Torque motors with built-in encoders 1.8kg camera payload 700g weight 8-10 hours battery life Supports direct charge Ergonomic handle Hidden cable design 360° unlimited rotation for all 3 axes Joystick, one key recording, one key back to the midpoint Fore more detailed spec information check our the screenshot below. I feel that these 3-axis one-handed gimbals impair freedom of movement and kinetics. Personally, I love to shoot with a steadicam to get a much more organic movement, but what about you? Would you consider  using this gimbal? Let us know in the comments below.

Today is a Sony announcement day that sees the unveiling of the Sony a7R III and 24-105mm f4 zoom, and the announcement of an upcoming 400m f2.8 G Master lens. Sony a7R III The wait is over: Sony has finally unveiled the first in the new generation of the A7 series. As always, the Sony a7R III comes at the vanguard of the new announcements – ahead of the A7 and S models – and this time brings a host of improvements to existing features and a few new surprises. As expected, the new Sony a7R III brings a high pixel-count sensor, with its 42.4MP of resolution once again making this the model aimed primarily at professional stills photographers. The camera’s back-illuminated Exmor R and BIONZ X processor make this model capable of capturing 10 still frames per second, for a buffer of 76 continuous compressed RAW or JPEG images. ISO is available from 100-32000, and Sony claims that noise has been reduced by up to a full stop. All of this with the advanced autofocus capabilities we have come to expect from this line’s R model, thanks to its 399 phase-detection AF points across 68% of the image, in addition to 425 contrast-detection points. Sony also claims that the camera’s Eye AF performance has been improved when the subject is moving, backlit or looking down. What about video? Just like with the II, the new Sony a7R III is capable of recording internal 4K in both full-frame and Super 35mm modes. As you may remember from some of our camera tests of the previous generation, the A7R II offered a better 4K image in crop mode, so it remains to be seen whether this will still be the case with the a7R III (take a look at some comparisons here, and our review here). It’s worth mentioning that the camera also supports proxy recording for easier editing of high-resolution videos, particularly useful when dealing with the relatively processor-intensive XAVC codec. Additionally, one of the biggest improvements to the video capabilities of the camera is the ability to achieve an increased resolution of 5K in Super 35mm mode thanks to an oversampling of a 15MP section of the sensor. The new a7R also now offers Slog3, a feature only found in the previous generation’s S model and that promises up to 14 stops of dynamic range. This picture profile, along with that camera’s low-light capabilities, made the S the favourite among filmmakers, but now that the R also offers Slog3, it becomes much more of a crossover camera. This of course can make the decision for potential buyers that much more difficult, so let’s just see what unique features the a7S III has to offer when it’s eventually announced! Another important video aspect of the camera is that it will offer Sony’s Instant HDR workflow thanks to its support of the Hybrid Log Gamma picture profile, allowing for HDR capture and reproduction with compatible displays and requiring no colour correction. This is a feature recently available in other Sony cameras such as the FS5 (read our article about it here). Hardware a7R III – New dual SD slots Although the camera body itself doesn’t seem to offer much of physical overhaul, there are a couple of enhancements. The most significant is the addition of a second SD card slot, allowing for simultaneous or relay recording, separating saved media by kind (for example between RAW and JPEGs, or between stills and video), and copying data between cards. Dual card slots can turn a camera into much more of a professional tool, and is one of the features that made some people consider moving over to the Panasonic GH5 camp. The Sony a7R III will take the new NP-FZ100 batteries introduced with the Sony A9, meaning an improvement over the battery life that you may be used to with earlier A7 models. Another improvement is an enhanced 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system, which allows for a shake compensation of up to 5.5 stops. The camera also features a USB 3.1 Gen 1 connection via a USB Type-C connector, allowing for high-speed data transfer, particularly useful for high-resolution tethered stills shooting. Another nice improvement: the addition of My Menu, a customisable menu folder where you can store your favourite settings for easy access, saving you from navigating through those endless Sony menus. The new Sony a7R III seems like a real step up from its predecessor, offering some solid improvements for stills and video shooters alike – and can perhaps prove to be a competitor to Sony’s own flagship A9. The Sony a7R III will be available by the end of November for just over the $3,000 mark. For more information, head over to the Sony product page. New Sony Lenses In addition to the a7R III, Sony also announced a couple of new additions to its lens line-up. FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Most notably, Sony now joins the 24-105mm club, offering this popular zoom now natively. The FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS offers a small and compact design which will undoubtedly seem even more so for those used to shooting with similar lenses on Sony cameras via an adapter. This very useful focal length range offers flexibility from wides to telephoto, and the optical image stabiliser makes it also a good option for video. This zoom will be available for $1,300 and will start shipping next month. FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS In addition, Sony also announced that a new G Master lens is currently under development. The FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS Super-Telephoto will be joining Sony’s top range of professional lenses, and will be an ideal addition for sports and wildlife shooters. It is expected to hit the market in Summer 2018. So there you have it – a day of important Sony announcements that will no doubt have shooters considering what they will be adding to their wishlist this holiday season. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

With the new FUJIFILM X-E3, FUJIFILM continues the tradition of the X-E series while adding some improved features. The FUJIFILM X-E3 is the newly-announced successor to the X-E2 and, although it may seem very similar to its older version, there have been a number of improvements under the hood of this trendy retro-style silver and black mirrorless body. Most notably, there has been a jump in sensor resolution, with the 16MP of the X-E2 giving way to a much nicer 24MP of effective pixels. This updated X-Trans CMOS III sensor, in conjunction with the new X-Processor Pro imaging processing engine, make it possible for the FUJIFILM X-E3 to be capable of improved image quality, autofocus speed, subject tracking and overall camera response. FUJIFILM X-E3 – What about video? However, in terms of video, the most important update is the leap to 4K from the X-E2’s HD capabilities. Available frame rates go from 23.98p up to 29.97p at 100Mbps, although unfortunately with a recording limit of only around 10 minutes. 1080p recording increases frame rates up to 59.94p, though data rate caps at 36Mbps and recording is limited to around 15 minutes. You won’t see the standard 30-minute recording limit unless you go down to the 18Mbps of 720p. Also available in black. As with other FUJIFILM cameras, the X-E3 can make use of FUJI’s Film Simulation modes for more pleasing-looking images, although there is no mention of the F-Log mode found in the X-T2. Also interesting for video shooters is the presence of a micro HDMI port for clean video output. Could we perhaps see external F-Log implementation in the future? Additionally the camera features a microphone input jack, though bear in mind that it is a 2.5mm jack rather than the standard 3.5mm. Other general improvements include touch-screen implementation for easier operation, Bluetooth connectivity and the inclusion of a Focus Lever like the one found on the X-Pro2. This is quite a handy feature for photo mode that allows you to change the focus area without the need to take your eye from the viewfinder. A minimal design approach to the back panel. Note the new focus lever by the LCD. The video features may not be anything to write home about, but if you’re in the market for a compact mirrorless to take with you on your travels – and especially if you’re already in the FUJIFILM ecosystem – then the new FUJIFILM X-E3 may be one to consider. It is available for pre-order for $1,299.95 with the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 kit lens, $1149.95 with the 23mm f/2 prime, or $899.95 body only, and will be officially released on September 27th. For more information, check out the official press release HERE. Does the FUJIFILM X-E3 tickle your fancy? Let us know in the comments below!