It’s not very often I’ll get sad about a line of cameras being discontinued, but I think it’s a shame that the beloved Fujifilm X-T30 II range has seemingly been abandoned. Although it hasn’t officially been discontinued, we haven’t seen a new camera since the release of the X-T30 II in November 2021 – which makes me think Fujifilm wanted to quietly drop it in the hope people won’t notice or care.
The appeal of the Fujifilm X-T30 II range came in the fact that it delivered the perfect combination of advanced features and exceptional image quality, all neatly packaged in a compact, retro-styled design. Since the release of the Fujifilm X-T1, the corresponding X-T10 / X-T20 / X-T30 range has offered photographers a versatile, affordable camera without having to compromise on performance. It was the shining little sister of the professional X-T range (without so many video features) and one of the cameras I recommended the most to enthusiast photographers when I worked at camera retailer Wex.
One of the reasons it appealed to so many is that it looked like cameras from days gone by, only it was packed with modern technology that rivaled more expensive models. Fujifilm was the pioneer of bringing back external exposure dials and lenses with aperture rings in them and, while the X-T30 range was configured a little differently to its bigger sibling, it still very much looked and felt the part.
Its unofficial departure means that photographers no longer have access to a compact mirrorless camera that punches above its weight in terms of functionality. There are alternatives, such as the Nikon Z fc or the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, but in my (slightly biased opinion) none of them quite hit the spot like the Fujifilm X-T30 II range.
I’m not going to write off the chance of Fujifilm launching an X-T30 III completely, but I’m also not going to hold my breath. We’ve already missed out on the X-T40 and X-T50 and, although Fujifilm is rumored to be launching three new cameras early in 2024, we predict that it's going to be the X100V replacement, the X-T6 and possibly a GFX 100S II, which means little room for the forgotten about compact range.
While the X-T30's discontinuation may be disappointing, I recognize that Fujifilm is doing what all camera brands must; acknowledging and adapting to the ever-changing photography industry. For now, you can still buy the Fujifilm X-T30 II brand new from most camera retailers – or if you want to save yourself some cash, older models are available on used camera retailers such as MPB and KEH. But I do fear that once the available bodies have been snapped up, they will disappear from the shelves forever – and that will be a sad day.
Take a look at the best Fujifilm cameras and also check out the best Fujifilm lenses as we round up our favorite primes, wide angles and telephoto zoom lenses that'll look the part on your camera
