Yesterday, Fujifilm held its livestreamed X Summit event, showcasing what the Japanese camera maker has been working on. The star attraction on the day was the new large format GFX50S II model that will likely appeal to the pros. For the more causal photography crowd, the new X-T30 II will be of interest, with details on the mirrorless camera’s local arrival also being shared by Fujifilm South Africa.

This new iteration is the follow up to the model that Fujifilm released in 2019. When we reviewed it, the camera quickly became recommended as an every day carry device.

As for what Fujifilm has improved on for the compact X-T30 II, the autofocus and image quality have been enhanced and are comparable to the X-T4, the company explains.

“The X-T30 II is equipped with the 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and the X-Processor 4 high-speed image processing engine to enable advanced phase-detection AF across the frame (approximately 100%). The X Series’ fastest AF speed of 0.02 seconds is coupled with an impressive AF tracking performance to capture decisive photo opportunities. This while it’s able to focus in near darkness at -7.0EV, achieved when the camera is mounted with the Fujinon XF50mmF1.0 R WR lens,” notes a press release sent to Hypertext.

“The camera can output 4K/30P video at 8 bit 4:2:0 onto an SD card, and 4K/30P video at 10 bit 4:2:2 to HDMI. Furthermore, it now supports Full HD/240P high-speed video, capable of replaying a momentary action of a fast-moving subject in slow motion in up to 10x. All this can be viewed on the high-resolution 1.62-million-dot LCD monitor on the rear panel, an upgrade from the previous model’s 1.04 million,” it adds.

While a specific date has not been touted, Fujifilm South Africa says the X-T30 II is expected in October, with the body retailing around the R15 500 mark and the option bundled with a 18-55mm lens costing roughly R21 500.

As for the much higher specced GFX50S II, it too is expected in October, with the body estimated at R83 000.