Battle of X-Trans Sensors: X-Trans 1 vs X-Trans 2 vs X-Trans 3 vs X-Trans 4
November 5, 2021

Battle of X-Trans Sensors: X-Trans 1 vs X-Trans 2 vs X-Trans 3 vs X-Trans 4

For many years, we photographers only looked forward when it came to cameras, always buying the newest gear and getting rid of the old. But recently there’s been a trend of looking back: did the old sensors have something the new ones don’t? X-Trans 1 and X-Trans 2 cameras in particular have become very popular to buy again. I did the same, and here’s my take on the Fujifilm X-Trans sensors.

X-Trans 1

This was the sensor that got the Fujifilm X-mount cameras started: a 16-megapixel sensor, a decent start but not perfect. It was found in the Fujifilm X-E1, X-M1 and X-Pro1.

Pros:

  • I like the golden colors it produces, which are great for autumn photos. That’s something X-Trans 3 and newer have lost.
  • It has a bit of that filmic look; highlights and shadows just look different from newer sensors.

Cons:

  • Dynamic range and high-ISO noise are worse than on newer sensors.
  • The sensor only supported contrast-detect autofocus, meaning super slow autofocus.
  • The colors can be good, but they’re almost too “vintage” for my taste.
  • Images look a bit soft.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-E1: a good example of X-Trans 1’s strengths and weaknesses. Nice golden colors, but terrible noise when raising the shadows and poor dynamic range (even though I shot it very underexposed).
Shot with the Fujifilm X-E1: a good example of X-Trans 1’s strengths and weaknesses. Nice golden colors, but terrible noise when raising the shadows and poor dynamic range (even though I shot it very underexposed).
Shot with the Fujifilm X-M1: not a very special photo, but it shows the film-like quality of the X-Trans 1 sensor. The colors are very nice, but the image is also a little soft.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-M1: not a very special photo, but it shows the film-like quality of the X-Trans 1 sensor. The colors are very nice, but the image is also a little soft.
View from Mellieħa, Malta – a good example of how to get very film-like photos with X-Trans 1. I raised the shadows and lowered the saturation. Shot with the Fujifilm X-M1 + XF 35mm f2 R WR
View from Mellieħa, Malta – a good example of how to get very film-like photos with X-Trans 1. I raised the shadows and lowered the saturation. Shot with the Fujifilm X-M1 + XF 35mm f2 R WR

X-Trans 2

This is a great 16-megapixel sensor, and the one that got a lot of people hooked on Fujifilm. It was found in the Fujifilm X-T1, X-T10, X-E2, X100S, X100T, X70 and others.

Pros:

  • The colors from this sensor are absolutely great, probably my favorite. Yellows get this golden look, and the blues are lovely too.
  • Dynamic range is actually pretty good for such an old camera, close to the newer ones. ISO noise is also fine as long as you stick to lower ISOs. Of course, at high ISO this sensor isn’t as good as newer sensors, but that’s to be expected.

Cons:

  • Autofocus is a lot better than on X-Trans 1 thanks to phase detection, but it’s still not something you can use for fast-moving subjects. It’s fine for photos of friends and family, but not for sports.
  • This sensor isn’t the best for low-light night photography. It’s not only the ISO performance but also something about the colors. I prefer newer sensors for night photography.
Shot with the Fujifilm X100T: there’s just nothing like the golden colors from X-Trans 2.
Shot with the Fujifilm X100T: there’s just nothing like the golden colors from X-Trans 2.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T10: I just can’t recreate those golden colors with other sensors, and I don’t buy it when YouTubers like Tony Northrup claim that color science is a myth.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T10: I just can’t recreate those golden colors with other sensors, and I don’t buy it when YouTubers like Tony Northrup claim that color science is a myth.

X-Trans 3

This was the sensor that made Fujifilm usable for professional photographers, with fast autofocus and good high-ISO performance. It was found in the Fujifilm X-T2, X-T20, X-E3, X-Pro2, X100F and others.

Pros:

  • Good high-ISO performance; some tests even show X-Trans 3 beating X-Trans 4.
  • Good autofocus, usable for fast-moving subjects. The sensor also had phase detection, but the processor was faster, so autofocus worked better.
  • 24 megapixels vs. the older 16 megapixels gives a bit more sharpness and more room to crop later.

Cons:

  • Like other more modern sensors, X-Trans 3 lost some of the magic colors the older sensors had. It renders more realistic colors, which is good for some things but not for others. I miss those X-Trans 2 colors. On the other hand, I like the colors of X-Trans 3 (and newer) for night photography. I also liked the dark blues it produced (royal blue, I think the color is called).
A good example of the very nice dark blues the X-Trans 3 can produce.
A good example of the very nice dark blues the X-Trans 3 can produce.
Shot on the Fujifilm X-H1: a good sensor for night photos.
Shot on the Fujifilm X-H1: a good sensor for night photos.

X-Trans 4

The latest X-Trans sensor when I wrote this in 2021 (it has since been followed by X-Trans 5), found in the Fujifilm X-T3, X-T4, X-T30, X-E4, X-Pro3, X100V, X-S10 and others. I tried to find a photo in my collection that shows off the X-Trans 4 colors well, but couldn’t, so no photos here.

Pros:

  • Autofocus is now even better than the DSLRs it was competing against for years. Subject tracking works great, and fast-moving subjects are no problem.
  • 26 megapixels, 2 more than the previous sensor. I can’t tell the difference, but it’s still an upgrade.

Cons:

  • Even flatter and more boring colors than the X-Trans 3 sensor.
  • Some tests suggest it performs slightly worse than X-Trans 3 at high ISO. I haven’t noticed it myself, though.
  • The sensor sometimes performs very poorly in Lightroom, with poor shadow recovery and sharpness. If you run into this problem, try Capture One.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 + XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS. Yes, it looks fine, but personally I really don’t like the yellow/orange colors from the X-Trans 4 sensor compared to X-Trans 2.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 + XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS. Yes, it looks fine, but personally I really don’t like the yellow/orange colors from the X-Trans 4 sensor compared to X-Trans 2.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 + XF 90mm f2. The X-Trans 4 has more “boring” colors, but in good light (like this) the sensor can still produce some very nice colors. And most importantly, it has fast autofocus, which is often more important than colors if you’re shooting moving subjects.
Shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 + XF 90mm f2. The X-Trans 4 has more “boring” colors, but in good light (like this) the sensor can still produce some very nice colors. And most importantly, it has fast autofocus, which is often more important than colors if you’re shooting moving subjects.

Conclusion

I really love X-Trans 2 for its colors in daytime photography, I love X-Trans 3 for night photography, and I love the snappy autofocus of X-Trans 4. For me, the cameras of choice are the Fujifilm X-E2 / X-T10, the Fujifilm X-H1 and the Fujifilm X-T3.

I also made a video comparing the X-Trans sensors, with many more example photos:

Update 1: I’ve only tried X-Trans 5 cameras briefly, but they seem to produce the same kind of colors as X-Trans 4. And if you’re wondering about Fujifilm GFX, I wrote a blog post about trying the Fujifilm GFX 50S II. To me, its colors are worse than any of the X-Trans APS-C sensors and remind me more of Fujifilm’s budget Bayer-sensor APS-C cameras.

Update 2: Prices have gone up quite a lot for X-Trans 1 and 2 cameras, probably because people are realizing there’s something special about those sensors.

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