Fujifilm’s new firmware for the X-T3 gives it the AF performance of the X-T4

It’s always the way with Fuji, just after they announce a new camera and owners of its predecessor get all excited and pre-order, they release a new firmware to update the old one to perform almost as well as the new one. And, they’ve done it again with the Fuji X-T3, this time with the v4.00 firmware update that they claim gives it the same autofocus performance of the new Fuji X-T4.

According to the notes for the new V4.00 firmware, which replaces the previous V3.30 firmware…

1. The update will improve the autofocusing performance of the X-T3 to the same level as the “FUJIFILM X-T4”(X-T4).
   1. The fastest AF speed has been improved from 0.06 seconds to 0.02 seconds, equivalent to the performance of the X-T4.
   2. The algorithm for predicting subject movements has been updated.
   3. AF tracking performance has been doubled*. Press the shutter button halfway down when a subject is in the focus area to maintain focus on the subject with a higher level of accuracy.
   4. The Face Tracking / Eye AF performance has been upgraded. The algorithm has been re-written to double* the tracking performance of the Eye AF in continuous shooting modes.
   5. The update allows the camera AF to work in low light levels down to -7EV**, facilitating fast and highly-accurate phase detection AF even in near darkness.
   6. The new firmware adds the “Focus Limiter” function which gives a pre-define specific focus range.
      * When compared with the Firmware Ver.3.30.
      ** When using the FUJINON Lens XF50mmF1.0 R WR.
2. Other improvements.
   1. The size of the Single AF point can be adjusted during video recording.
   2. Photo ratings can be read by third-party software, allowing users to find their favorite pictures quickly.
   3. The focus point can be changed by the focus lever during AE lock.
   4. The default setting of the AF-S PRIORITY SELECTION in the RELEASE/FOCUS PRIORITY of the SHOOTING menu is changed to FOCUS from RELEASE.
3. Fix of minor bugs.

The V3.20 firmware released at the beginning of this year already added some significant boosts to the X-T3’s autofocus system, but this essentially now brings it in line with the X-T4, with a substantial boost in speed, along with Facial and Eye AF tracking performance, regular tracking performance, and better low light performance.

Early adopters on YouTube seem to be very impressed with the new firmware so far, stating that the X-T3’s autofocus has been “greatly improved” over previous versions.

If you’re an X-T3 shooter, you can download the new v4.00 firmware for free on the Fujifilm website.

I’m not sure why people keep buying new Fuji cameras. It seems like if you just wait long enough, Fuji will get around to giving the old ones the new features anyway.