Fujifilm X30 Image Quality

Fujifilm X30 Print Quality

High-quality prints up to 16 x 20 inches at ISO 100-200; Good 11 x 14 inch prints at ISO 800; and acceptable 4 x 6 inch prints are possible up to ISO 3200/6400.

ISO 100 prints look great up to 16 x 20 inches with lots of detail and great colors. Past this size, you're really pushing the limits of the 12MP 2/3-inch sensor with larger print sizes. That said, while you can see visible pixelation with 20 x 30 inch prints, they'd be fine for wall display at this ISO.

ISO 200 images are also quite nice up to 16 x 20 inches. Upon close inspection, there is a slight drop in very fine detail, but not by nearly a significant enough amount to drop the maximum print size.

ISO 400 prints again show a progressive, minor drop in fine detail, but noise is still not an issue at this ISO, and as such prints as large as 13 x 19 inches are perfectly usable. Overall detail is great and colors are pleasing.

ISO 800 images display noticeable softening at sizes larger than 11 x 14 inches. At this size, and better yet, at 8 x 10 inches, details are still sharp. Colors overall, also, are still nice and vibrant.

ISO 1600 prints begin to display a more noticeable drop in resolution and detail due to noise and noise reduction, and anything larger than 5 x 7 inches is difficult to consider acceptable. An 8 x 10 inch print would be usable, however, for less critical applications.

ISO 3200 images really top-out at 4 x 6 inches. Noise is definitely making the images soft and lack detail, and colors at this point are beginning to look drab and less vibrant. As before, a print size larger -- 5 x 7 inches in this case -- would be doable for less critical purposes, however.

ISO 6400 prints just squeak by with an acceptable 4 x 6 inch print, though it's really on the cusp of being too soft and lacking in detail. We'd recommend, if possible, using a lower ISO for printing.

ISO 12,800 images are very noisy, soft and have very drab, dingy colors. This ISO level, on a sensor of this size, is really best avoided for printmaking.

The updated Fujifilm X30 packs an updated exterior design, but maintains the same imaging pipeline and lens as its predecessor, the X20. As such, the relatively large 12MP 2/3-inch-type sensor does quite well in print department at lower ISOs. At base ISO and up to ISO 200, the X30 manages great 16 x 20 inch prints, but you can really push the sensor at base ISO for a 20 x 30 wall display print. At ISO 800, detail has dropped a bit, but noise is nevertheless under control, which allows for nice 11 x 14 inch prints. At high ISOs, however, the X30 begins to struggle, with ISO 3200 really being the maximum sensitivity we're comfortable with in terms of printing, though an ISO 6400 image can just manage a decent 4 x 6 inch print as well. Any larger print sizes at this point or a higher ISO level should really be avoided for prints.