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karingottschalk · 5 years

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https://www.fujirumors.com/fuji-guy-billy-aps-c-crop-factor-cheating-f-2-x-mount-zoom-lenses-fast-g-mount-lenses-potentially-coming-and-more/

… XF16-80mm f/4

XF16-80mm f/4 is going to be an all in one beautiful lens, great for stills and video

coming later this year [September]…

Billy loves images with blown out background, and subjects to stand out, hence he brings prime lenses. Prime lenses also are sharper

Often Billy does not bring a zoom lens

Slowing down with primes, gets him more keepers

with zoom lenses he tends to get too lazy, just stand, zoom, and snap images

He would sacrifice primes to get 1 zoom for long hikes or so

He looks forward to XF16-80. Sharp lens, great all-rounder…

Zoom lenses can make things “easy”, but if you stick to constantly choose the frame, to work on the picture, you can get great images with zooms

If you struggle to find your frame, set your zoom to one focal length, and shoot only with that, so you start to take pictures more consciously…

Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens.

Commentary

Although I am primarily a prime lens user in whichever camera system and sensor size, zoom lenses containing just the right focal lengths are invaluable when the two-camera, two-primes solution or swapping prime lenses from camera to bag and back is out of the question when shooting documentary video and stills in fast-moving and intensive, highly immersive situations.

The Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR for Fujifilm’s APS-C/Super 35 cameras and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 Aspheric for M43/Super 16 cameras including those made by Blackmagic Design, Olympus and Panasonic are two such zoom lenses and both have been highly anticipated since their in-development announcements a while ago.

Fuji Guy Billy is a respected in-house commentator on Fujifilm’s hardware and firmware, and it is reassuring to read his own assessment of the Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS W, supported by videos featuring photographers working in different genres while using the lens.

I look forward to the Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS W’s arrival in-store and into the hands of well-qualified independent reviewers soon.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR

Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens with up to six stops of stabilization, equivalent in 35mm sensor format terms to 24mm through to 120mm focal lengths.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens.

Links

DPReview – Fujifilm XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR to arrive in September for $800

Fuji Rumors – Fuji Guy Billy: APS-C Crop Factor Cheating? :: f/2 X Mount Zoom Lenses? :: Fast G Mount Lenses Potentially Coming :: And More

FujiLove – FujiLove Podcast 44 – Billy Luong

Fujifilm X – FUJINON XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR

FUJIFILMglobal – Chris Upton x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR / FUJIFILM – video

FUJIFILMglobal – Huseyin Aldirmaz x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR / FUJIFILM – video, lens used fro travel and street photography on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 digital rangefinder camera, my first choice for documentary photography.

FUJIFILMglobal – Jens Burger x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR / FUJIFILM – video

FUJIFILMglobal – Pierluigi Orler x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR / FUJIFILM – video

FUJIFILMglobal – Rafa Pérez x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR / FUJIFILM – video

FUJIFILMglobal – Xtra Turbo: Scott Grant x XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR – Fly Fishing / FUJIFILM – video

jonasrask|photography – Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR first look preview – “The optical image stabiliser is the real show stopper with this lens. Fujifilm is promising a 6 stop OIS. But not only that, the OIS actually detect[s] when you put the camera on a tripod, and adjusts accordingly. Very nice feature to have.”

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FUJIFILM XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR Lens – B&H

Fuji Rumors: Fuji Guy Billy: APS-C Crop Factor Cheating? :: f/2 X Mount Zoom Lenses? :: Fast G Mount Lenses Potentially Coming :: And More ... XF16-80mm f/4 XF16-80mm f/4 is going to be an all in one beautiful lens, great for stills and video…

#APS-C #APS-C/Super 35 #Fujifilm #Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR #hybrid cameras #mirrorless camera lenses #mirrorless cameras #mirrorless hybrid cameras #Super 35 #Super 35/APS-C

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karingottschalk · 5 years

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Reviews of Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR Zoom Lens Are Mixed, Possible Problems When Shooting Video

The Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR wide-to-long zoom lens has been one of the most long wished-for, long-awaited optics for Fujifilm’s APS-C/Super35 system cameras in recent years, and early reports from Fujifilm X-Photographer have been positive, especially regarding its apparent parfocal lens design.

But then one might well expect brand ambassadors to wax lyrical and skip over possible…

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#APS-C #APS-C/Super 35 #digital rangefinder cameras #digital rangefinder-style cameras #Fujifilm #Fujifilm X-Pro1 #Fujifilm X-Pro2 #Fujifilm X-Pro3 #Fujifilm X-T3 #Fujifilm X-T30 #Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR #Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR #Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS #Leica M-Series #Leica M10-D #mirrorless cameras #Super 35 #Super 35/APS-C #the mirrorless revolution

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karingottschalk · 4 years

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Fujifilm Publishes Project #SOOC Videos Showing Film Simulations Made With New Fujifilm X-S10 Hybrid Camera

Fujifilm has been releasing a series of videos about its new Fujifilm X-S10 camera and I am pleased to note that three out of the six videos so far feature female photographers.

Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Australia.

That must be some sort of record for a camera company, most of which have a long way to go in terms of equal inclusion of…

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karingottschalk · 4 years

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youtube

“Is the Fujifilm X-T4 the king of APS-C cameras? We have the answer!…”

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR zoom lens.

Commentary

One design inspiration for Fujifilm’s X-T4? Leica Leicaflex SL with Summicron-R 50mm f/2.0, made in 1968. The SL2 is considered one of the best analog-era 35mm SLRs.

I missed out to seeing a pre-production Fujifilm X-4 at Fujifilm Australia’s event at Ted’s World of Imaging earlier this year when COVID-19 struck home and I could not attend due to highly susceptible family members.

Such touch-and-try preview events can be useful but production versions are the real deal when it comes to assessing potential new hardware purchases.

DPReview is in prime position for obtaining early production releases and recently published its two-hander video review of the Fujifilm X-T4 alongside an in-depth text review plus image gallery.

A cursory skim through confirms my initial assessment of the desirability of the X-T4 for documentary stills photography and video production as an independent self-funded practitioner without the means to acquire every bit of hardware that comes down the turnpike, so I will be forgoing an X-T4 unless circumstances change.

Should some of us wait for the X-H2? Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 battery grip and Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional zoom lens.

Or we just might win the lottery. Ha!

COVID-19 and its worldwide economic havoc and consequent uncertainty for independent creatives means more belt-tightening and skipping over new models while trying to get the best out of past purchases.

There is plenty to like about the X-T4 for stills and video, especially video, and it is clearly one of the current best options for available light documentary work in either.

It is excellent to see that Fujifilm has now entered the small camera IBIS era (in-body image stabilization) and is reportedly approaching the IBIS in Panasonic’s Lumix DC-GH5, DC-G9 and S-Series 35mm cameras such as the Lumix DC-S1H, DC-S1 and DC-S1R.

Cinematographer, director, producer, writer Emily Skye of She Wolf Films production company with Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 camera.

Some reviewers are speculating that Fujifilm may issue firmware updates to improve the X-T4’s IBIS, and that will be quite an achievement if they do so.

I have the most experience with the GH5’s stabilization in combination with non-stabilized autofocus lenses like those in Olympus’ M.Zuiko Pro range as well as manual-focus vintage lenses of East German design and German or Japanese manufacture, and can testify to the camera’s excellent IBIS for stills and video.

My baptism into the joys of IBIS occurred with my still-beloved Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 during a vacation away from Fujifilm cameras when the company had yet to get its head round video.

Australian photojournalist Daniel Berehulak using Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8’s fully articulated LCD monitor. Now we have full articulation in the X-T4!

The GX8 has an earlier, stills-only version of IBIS than the GH5, but I soon discovered how useful, essential even, stabilization is for available darkness documentary work and I cannot imagine ever going back to non-stabilized cameras or at least non-stabilized lenses on such cameras.

Subsequently I picked up a copy of the legendary though often overlooked Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS stabilized zoom lens and would have added the equally impressive Panasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4-5.6 Aspheric Mega OIS zoom, had I found a secondhand copy at a good price at the time.

Panasonic DMW-XLR1 Microphone Adapter for Panasonic Lumix G and S-Series cameras. Fujifilm needs to make one of these for its more video-oriented cameras.

Without the pleasure of access to a production version of the Fujifilm X-T4, I am reluctant to express any opinions about it here so have added links to articles by well-qualified reviewers in the list of links below.

Fujifilm X-T4

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery grip and Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS kit zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery grip containing Fujifilm’s new larger NP-W235 Lithium-Ion batteries.

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery grip and Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS kit zoom lens, in portrait or vertical orientation.

Fujifilm X-T4 with vari-angle LCD monitor swung out.

Fujifilm X-T4 with Vario-angle LCD monitor in closed position, excellent for protecting the monitor when not needed.

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens.

Fujifilm NP-W235 Lithium-Ion Battery, rated at 7.2V, 2200mAh, much improved over the smaller batteries for the X-T3, X-Pro3 and other, older models.

Fujifilm BC-W235 Dual Battery Charger enables charging two NP-W235 batteries at the same time.

The Fujifilm X-T4 for moviemaking

Fujifilm X-T4 rigged for video production. Image courtesy of Fujifilm-X.com.

Links

Camera Labs – Fujifilm XT4 review

DPReview – DPReview TV: Fujifilm X-T4 review

DPReview – Fujifilm interview: ‘We will get through this crisis together’

DPReview – Fujifilm X-T4 full-production sample gallery

DPReview – Fujifilm X-T4 review

DPReview – Fujifilm X-T4 Review: Hands-on with Fujifilm’s newest flagship camera – video

DPReview – Fujifilm X-T4 vs X-H1: should you upgrade or hunt for a bargain?

DPReview – Fujifilm X-T4 vs X-T3: Which should I buy – and is it worth upgrading?

EOSHD.com – Canon 1D X Mark III Review // Filmmaking, video and cinema camera. Get the Fuji X-T4 instead?

Fuji Rumors – DPRTV Fujifilm X-T4 Review: “One of the Best Hybrid Cameras, But if You are a Video Shooter, Maybe Wait for Fujifilm X-H2” – excellent summary of major posts in the video.

Fujifilm-X – X-T4

jonasrask|photography – Fujifilm X-T4 first look preview – Closer to technical bliss.

News Shooter – Fujifilm X-T4 improves on an already solid camera

She Wolf Films – cinematographer, director, producer, writer Emily Skye’s production company.

Thomas Fitzgerald Photography – Thoughts on the Fuji X-T4

DPReview: Fujifilm X-T4 Review: Hands-on with Fujifilm’s newest flagship camera – Commentary "Is the Fujifilm X-T4 the king of APS-C cameras? We have the answer!..." Commentary I missed out to seeing a pre-production…

#dpreview.com #Fujifilm X-T4

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karingottschalk · 4 years

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https://www.ninjafilmmaking.com/minicourse

The current state of the world has posed challenges for all of us. As filmmakers, our challenges have been extra unique. Budgets are reduced, crews need to be smaller, and we are generally expected to work with less resources. That’s why we created the free Ninja Filmmaking mini-course: to show you how to create big results by outthinking your challenges. We’ll break down exactly how to plan out your story and be a far more proactive, stealth and intentional filmmaker.

Commentary

The Muse Storytelling folks have launched a free online short course under the title Ninja Filmmaking that is aimed at helping moviemakers cope and survive if not thrive in this pandemic-affected world.

If things were difficult enough for independent self-funded documentary moviemakers before the arrival of COVID-19, they are even more challenging now with personal income and resources radically reduced and yet even more need for us to produce compelling visual storytelling to production standards that are constantly growing higher and higher.

Luckily, we are in the post-DSLR filmmaking revolution era, the now well-established mirrorless hybrid era with high quality, affordable cameras that can record excellent stills as well as video footage to current UHD broadcast and cinema projection standards.

Moviemaking remains, however, a predominantly WASP, middle-class occupation except in places where those of us locked out of the system have banded together with the support of donors and mentors to equip and teach ourselves to tell our own stories.

The last such organization located in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Paddington shut its doors several years ago after charging high fees for equipment rental and training during its later years.

Any free or affordable training by well-qualified moviemakers is welcome and I am for grateful Muse Storytelling’s ‘Ninja Filmmaking’ online course and advice on what for current production standards by one-person bands.

Moviemaking remains costly

As Drew Turney of Filmism.net shared in a recent newsletter:

We all know moviemaking is an inherently expensive exercise. Even the amount of money we’d consider low (or no) budget filmmaking would be enough to get the average middle class family out of debt for the rest of their lives.

Drew bounces between Perth in Western Australia and Los Angeles, and is doubtless aware that moviemaking is an even more costly exercise in Australia than it is in the USA, with our exchange rates, lack of importer and retailer competition and local unavailability of many key items as well as non-representaion of a number of useful, even essential, brands.

Nonetheless the equipment list shared by the Muse/Ninja folks is a good one based on the currently most affordable and versatile feature-quality Super 35 hybrid camera, the Fujifilm X-T4, supported by microphones from Australia’s own world-famous audio equipment maker, Røde Microphones, along with other currently popular lighting and grip products.

A good starting point

The list is a useful starting point though I would recommend considering alternatives from brands like 3 Legged Thing, Olympus, Panasonic, Rotolight and others.

I will add them to my list lower down this page over the coming days.

Production hardware recommended by Ninja Filmmaking

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens.

Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional Red Badge standard zoom lens.

Fujinon XF 35mm f1.4 R prime lens

Røde VideoMic NTG Hybrid Analog/USB Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone.

Roland R-07 Portable Audio Recorder.

B&H – Countryman B3 Omni Lavalier Mic, Standard Sens, with TA5F Connector for Lectrosonics Wireless Transmitters

B&H – DJI Mavic Mini

B&H – DJI Ronin-SC Gimbal Stabilizer

B&H – FUJIFILM X-T4 Mirrorless Digital Camera

B&H – FUJIFILM XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Lens

B&H – FUJIFILM XF 35mm f/1.4 R Lens – known by Fujifilm as the “God Lens”, though my personal preference for documentary video work is Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R moderate wide-angle.

B&H – GNARBOX 2.0 SSD 1TB Rugged Backup Device

B&H – Lowepro Whistler Backpack 450 AW II

B&H – Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod

B&H – Rode VideoMic NTG Hybrid Analog/USB Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone

B&H – Rode Wireless GO Compact Digital Wireless Microphone System

B&H – Roland R-07 Portable Audio Recorder

B&H – Rycote Undercover, Lavalier Wind Cover and Adhesive Mount

B&H – SmallRig 2164 Multifunctional Crab Clamp with 3.5″ Ball Head Arm

B&H – SmallRig Cold Shoe Mount Top Handle

B&H – Westcott 6×6′ Scrim Jim Cine Kit

B&H – Westcott Bi-Color Flex Lights

My own recommendations

coming soon

Links

3 Legged Thing – “The most technologically advanced tripod system in the world.”

Apple – Final Cut Pro X

Blackmagic Design – DaVinci Resolve – “DaVinci Resolve 16 is the world’s only solution that combines professional 8K editing, color correction, visual effects and audio post production all in one software tool!”

Muse Storytelling – Ninja Filmmaking

Røde Microphones

Rotolight – “From the very first LEDs to offer the shoot what you see benefits of continuous lighting and High Speed Sync flash all-in-one, to the brightest 2×1 soft light ever made, Rotolight LEDs streamline the workflows of imagemakers across the world.”

Muse Storytelling: Ninja Filmmaking – Commentary The current state of the world has posed challenges for all of us. As filmmakers, our challenges have been extra unique.

#3 Legged Thing #coronavirus #COVID #COVID-19 #DaVinci Resolve #documentary filmmaking #documentary moviemaking #documentary video #Final Cut Pro X #Fujifilm X-T4 #Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR #Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR #independent filmmaking #independent moviemaking #pandemic #Peak Design #Røde Microphones #Rotolight #Westcott

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karingottschalk · 4 years

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When the folks at Fujifilm Australia’s PR consultancy asked if I wanted to borrow a Fujifilm X-H1 and some lenses I leapt at the chance to put this intriguing camera through its paces and to see how well Fujifilm’s first effort at XF camera in-body image stabilization aka IBIS and increased dedication to video production had turned out.

The Fujifilm X-H1 APS-C/Super 35 mirrorless digital camera and accessories. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

Big lenses need balancing with big rigs. Fujifilm Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR wideangle zoom lens on Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

The loan also provided an opportunity to compare two of Fujifilm’s smaller wide-angle lenses, the Fujicron-style Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR and the semi pancake-style Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R.

Since experiencing the many joys of using vertical battery grips on DSLR-style mirrorless cameras with Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GH4, DC-GH5 and DC-G9, I have been in the habit of always requesting vertical battery grips with loaner cameras that have them.

Unfortunately, a Fujifilm VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip wasn’t available so I used the camera ungripped and found, despite that preference for adding hand or battery grips to all Fujifilm cameras, the X-H1 acquits itself well without one when used with smaller lenses.

On the other hand, I suspect a gripped X-H1 with larger, heavier Fujinon lenses attached such as the Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR illustrated above would be easier to carry and operate all day long compared to the same lens on an X-T3 or X-T4, gripped or not.

It is, simply, a matter of balance.

Fujifilm X-H1, Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR and XF 18mm f/2.0 R

Fujifilm X-H1.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR “Fujicron” prime lens.

Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R prime lens.

By the time the loan opportunity arose, there were rumours the Fujifilm X-H1 was about to be listed as discontinued and that soon occurred with heavily discounted camera, vertical battery grip plus lens packages appearing in foreign camera retailer websites shortly followed by similar deals in Australia.

Now the X-H1 and its camera-specific accessories are no longer available on the retail websites that I checked this morning, and I am in two minds about that.

If I were offered longterm loan of an X-H1 with VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip, I most certainly would not say “no”!

Fujifilm X-H1

Photographs courtesy of Fujifilm.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional standard zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS kist standard zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R WR zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-H1.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS kit zoom lens and Fujifilm VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujifilm VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip.

Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip in portrait/vertical orientation and 3-way tilting LCD monitor untilted.

Fujifilm X-H1 with 3-way tilting LCD monitor flipped up for portrait aka vertical shooting.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R WR zoom lens.

Fujifilm Fujinon XF 200mm f/2 OIS WR telephoto lens on Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip.

Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip and Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR telephoto zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon MKX 18-55mm T2.9 cinema zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with Fujinon MKX 50-135mm T2.9 cinema zoom lens.

Fujifilm Wide Eyecup EC-XH W.

The X-H1 was an innovative camera but its release suffered from unfortunate timing, falling as it did between the X-T2 and the X-T3 and thus having the same sensor as the Fujifilm X-T2, the X-Trans CMOS III sensor as well as its own CPU, the X-Processor Pro.

At time of writing, the Fujifilm X-Pro3 and the X-T4 contain the latest generation sensor and processor, the X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and X-Processor 4.

When I attended the Fujifilm X-Pro3 First Look Touch & Try Event at Ted’s World of Imaging in Sydney on Wednesday November 6 last year, a staff member there was keen for me to share my experience of recent Fujifilm cameras with a female customer.

There are all too few female camera store staff members hereabouts and possibly not so many with my particular background so it is understandable male staffers might point her my way.

She ended up taking advantage of the end-of-production-run X-H1 special offer after I gave her the pros and cons of the X-H1 and X-T3, and I hope she is doing well with her purchase.

The Fujifilm X-H1’s in-body image stabilization unit aka IBIS, the first iteration of it to appear in Fujifilm XF APS-C/Super 35 cameras. Has its design drawn from the larger IBIS unit of the Fujifilm GFX100? Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

She told me she already had a Fujifilm X-Pro2, loved it and relied on it for most of her work but there were occasions when she needed to photograph in low light and at night so was interested in the X-H1’s in-body image stabilization aka IBIS.

I related my experience with the camera’s IBIS and added that I could comfortably carry either the smaller X-Pro2 or the slightly larger X-H1 around in my hand all day long in a way that I found I could not with the X-T2’s more minimalist and less sculpted body shape.

The Fujifilm X-H1’s “firm-hold design allowing the index finger to concentrate on shutter release actions”. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR zoom lens. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

As above, Fujifilm describes the shutter release button and grip area of the X-H1 as a “firm-release design”, having the same configuration as other mirrorless and DSLR cameras which is more often described as a “trigger” or “pistol” grip by aficionados of the latter types of cameras.

My first digital camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, has the same configuration and, despite that camera’s bulk and weight with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L USM kit zoom lens attached, its “pistol grip” and soft-touch shutter release button made carrying and using it in the field on documentary projects easier than one might think.

It was, simply, a matter of balance. And then the kit zoom’s notoriously poor manufacturing quality control left me without a lens until I adapted a couple of vintage manual focus M42-mount lenses via a Gobe M42 Lens Mount to Canon EF & EF-S Camera Mount adapter.

The X-H1’s shutter release button is more sensitive than that of previous cameras like the X-Pro2, X-T2 and the like, the increased sensitivity apparently being aimed at professional photographers needing minimal lag between hitting the button and making the image.

In practice I found this lag minimalization to be very effective for portraiture, photojournalism and urban documentary photography, ensuring a higher percentage of selects than usual, as well as reducing subtle camera shake at the start of clips when shooting video.

The leaf spring switch of the Fujifilm X-H1’s feather-touch shutter button. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

Having now experienced both types of shutter release button, I much prefer the one on the X-H1 and hope to see it used in more Fujifilm cameras for its speed gains, boosted stability and lack of a threaded cable release hole that can attract dirt.

Fujifilm X-T2 in black and graphite versions, with their prominent exposure compensation dials falling under the right hand’s thumb. Photograph by Jonas Rask, courtesy of Fujifilm.

In contrast, the lack of an exposure compensation dial on the X-H1 slowed down my shooting speed and efficiency somewhat compared to the ease and speed with which I can set exposure changes on X-Pro and X-T cameras.

Pros and cons where you gain speed in one aspect of the X-H1’s design yet lose speed on another.

The X-H1’s IBIS bestows two overlapping advantages, being able to shoot at shutter speeds slower than can usually be handheld, and having the confidence that one can resort to it if one must.

As anti-IBIS pundits are always keen to tell us, shooting moving objects while stabilized at shutter speeds too slow to handhold unstabilized will result in at least something being blurred through movement.

But the contrast between unblurred and blurred through movement can be a wonderful creative device to draw attention to the main and unmoving object in the picture.

Other advantages of the Fujifilm X-H1’s design and manufacture

Photographs courtesy of Fujifilm.

The Fujifilm X-H1’s “grain size of the exterior coating has been improved to achieve scratch resistance equivalent to 8H surface hardness”.

The Fujifilm X-H1’s body is “made of magnesium alloy, 25% thicker than previous models. The lens mount’s structure has been revised to achieve a compact and lightweight design that is also of high precision and more resistant to shock or damage than other models in the X Series”.

The Fujifilm X-H1’s shutter shock absorption mechanism. I found myself using its mechanical shutter far more than I would for other Fujifilm cameras.

With the exception of the Fujifilm X-H1, all Fujifilm cameras need hand grips or vertical battery grips. Fujifilm Finepix X100 with hand grip. Photograph by Karin Gottschalk.

Four more features of the Fujifilm X-H1’s design stand out: the black 8H coating making it more scratch resistant than its predecessors, its magnesium body that is thicker than its predecessors and its stronger lens mount that takes the strain off the body when mounting large, weighty lenses such as the Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR, XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR and XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR Lens with XF 1.4x TC F2 WR.

Although I have yet to experience any of them, I suspect that the Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR and XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR professional red badge zoom lenses would also benefit from the X-H1’s strengthened lens mount as well as its stronger body and better balance achieved by attaching the VPB-XH1 Vertical Power Booster Grip.

I have focused here on the X-H1’s design and manufacturing qualities because the DSLR style is not my first choice when it comes to cameras for documentary photography and yet many aspects of the X-H1’s body design work for me in a way I have not experienced with Fujifilm’s X-T3 series cameras.

I have used the X-H1 alongside my X-Pro2 on day-long documentary projects where I have walked and walked and walked with a shoulder bag or backpack full of gear, and not once have my hands been fatigued in the way I have experienced with the Fujifilm X-T1, X-T2 and X-T3 cameras whether equipped with vertical battery grips or not.

Fujifilm has got the design of the X-H1 body closer to perfect for me, at least, than that of the X-T series.

Fujifilm, please seek inspiration from Panasonic and Olympus

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 with Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric zoom lens. Photograph courtesy of Panasonic.

Which is not to say that Fujifilm does not have some way to go with its X-H, X-T and X-Pro series cameras.

The Fujifilm x100 camera radically improved digital photography for me but its poor video quality and that of subsequent cameras meant I had to look elsewhere and I settled (solely) on Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds cameras for their great stills and video quality and (mostly) Olympus’ M. Zuiko Pro lenses for their manual clutch focus and excellent optical and mechanical qualities.

Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 with Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric zoom lens. Photograph courtesy of Panasonic.

As good as they already are, Olympus’ M.Zuiko Pro professional lenses for video and stills would be even better with the addition of an aperture ring that can be used clicked or declicked at the flick of a switch.

I chose the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro over the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspheric Power OIS kit zoom lens due to the former’s manual clutch focus mechanism, its all-black metal barrel and smoothly operating zoom and focus rings and its slightly longer focal range, forgoing the optical image stabilization of Panasonic’s standard zoom alternative.

The Lumix zoom’s OIS would have been useful for the IBIS-less Lumix DMC-GH4, but optical quality and excellent manual focusing comes first in my opinion.

Nowadays, I probably would have chosen the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4.0 IS Pro as my first Micro Four Thirds zoom lens for the non-IBIS cameras in my collection, or the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro plus the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 Pro for my available darkness work with IBIS-equipped cameras.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 Pro, Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 Pro and Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 Pro professional prime lenses with manual clutch focusing, brilliant for shooting video or stills where accurate focus is absolutely critical.

The Fujifilm X-H1 for moviemaking

Coming soon.

Fujifilm’s Super APS-C camera system is one of the most affordable Super 35 platforms for professional moviemaking including feature-quality documentaries and narrative feature films. The two MKX cinema zoom lenses are amongst the most affordable of their kind, though Fujifilm needs to upgrade its prime lenses for serious video production. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

Fujifilm cameras, photojournalists and World Press Photo 2020

Fujifilm GFX100 medium format digital camera with Fujinon GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR prime lens. Photograph courtesy of Fujifilm.

I first spotted a Fujifilm X-H1 in use by an expatriate Australian photojournalist, Jack Picone, alongside an X-T2 when shooting in available darkness and events like World Press Photo show that more and more photojournalists are relying on Fujifilm cameras for their daily work.

Fujifilm first used former Leica aficionado National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey to promote the X-Pro2 and he is now using the X-Pro3 in his magazine work.

I and others in the magazine and newspaper spheres have also relied on non-rangefinder-style cameras to supplement our rangefinder cameras over the years and it is interesting to note how many World Press Photo award-winners are Fujifilm users this year.

Yasuyoshi Chiba uses Fujifilm X-H1 and GFX100 in-body image stabilized cameras for his available light photojournalism work, testimony to the cameras’ capacity to handle challenging environments and terrible light.

Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR and Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R

Photograph made with Fujifilm X-T3 and Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 OIS kit zoom lens at 18mm setting, equivalent to 28mm in 35mm sensor format. The 28mm focal length is perfect when one needs enough width to depict figures in landscapes and interiors, but without the exaggerated, attention-grabbing perspective of wider focal lengths such as 24mm and 21mm, 16mm and 14mm respectively in the APS-C sensor format. Photograph by Karin Gottschalk.

Up close and personal with Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR Fujicron-style prime lens. The lens’ 24mm equivalent focal length can boost the feeling of being mere inches away from your subjects at the cost of exaggerating perspective.

What I want to see in the Fujifilm X-H2

Coming soon.

Links

B&H Explora – WPPI 2018: Fujifilm Launches Stabilized X-H1 Camera and MKX Series Cine Lenses

British Journal of Photography – The story behind Yasuyoshi Chiba’s World Press Photo of the Year – the award-winning photograph was made with a Fujifilm X-H1.

Fuji Rumors – Fujifilm X-H1 Snaps Top Winning Image at the World Press Photo Awards, but Canon is Still Top

Fujifilm X – X-H1

Instagram – Yasuyoshi Chiba

Olympus – M.Zuiko Pro professional Micro Four Thirds lenses

World Press Photo 2020 – World Press Photo of the Year, Yasuyoshi Chiba – made with Fujifilm X-H1 and unspecified 16mm lens.

Considering the Fujifilm X-H1 Camera with Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR and 18mm f/2.0 R Lenses When the folks at Fujifilm Australia's PR consultancy asked if I wanted to borrow a Fujifilm X-H1…

#Fujifilm X-H1

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karingottschalk · 4 years

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https://www.fujirumors.com/vote-now-the-sigma-lens-you-want-for-fujifilm-x/

In a recent interview, Top Fujifilm manager Toshihisa Iida said that Fujifilm is opening X mount to third parties, and that Tokina will be the first company to offer autofocus lenses for the Fujifilm X system….

Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery grip and Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 R LM OIS kit zoom lens.

Fujifilm X-Pro 3 with MHG-XPRO3 grip and Fujinon XF 35mm f/2.0 R WR prime lens.

Fujifilm X-H1 with VPB-XH1 battery grip and Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR professional zoom lens.

I have placed my vote for the two current Sigma APS-C lenses most want the company to redesign and make for Fujifilm X-Mount cameras, and if more than two votes were permitted by Patrick DiVino’s survey then I would vote for several more.

The two Sigma APS-C zoom lenses I most want to see redesigned for Fujifilm X-Series cameras

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | A APS-C zoom lens.

Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM | A APS-C zoom lens.

There is little doubt that these two APS-C/Super 35 zoom lenses have proven popular amongst users of a range of camera systems and sensor formats for stills photography and video, whether adapted or in native mount versions.

Australian cinematographer/director Paul Leeming with his Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, 8Sinn cage and Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art zoom lens attached with Metabones Speed Booster EF-to-MFT adapter.

The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art zoom is the most popular of the two and is often seen in use in its Canon EF-mount version attached to cameras made by Blackmagic Design, Panasonic and Fujifilm via adapter or natively.

The lens is designed for APS-C/Super 35 sensor-equipped cameras, and is currently available in Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sigma SA and Sony A mount.

Both Art lenses are also made in three-gear cinematography versions in Arri PL, Canon EF and Sony E mounts, available for purchase at B&H separately or as a pair with customised hard case.

Both lenses are also available at B&H as a kit for Sony E-mount cameras with Sigma MC-11 Mount Convertor /Lens Adapter to convert Canon EF to Sony E.

If a similar kit were already available with Sigma convertor/adapter for Fujifilm X-mount cameras, one might be sorely tempted.

But it is not, and there are good arguments for both lenses being redesigned and made native with typical X-mount features such as aperture rings but that can be used clicked with 1/3-stop detents or completely clickless, your choice set with the flick of a switch.

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens

Equivalent in 35mm sensor camera terms from 27mm through to 52.5mm, this lens includes some of my most-used stills and video documentary focal lengths such as 28mm, 35mm, 40mm and 50mm.

With a maximum aperture of f/1.8, it is well-suited to the indoors available darkness in which I often find myself.

It would become my most-used lens for documentary work, to be supplemented with Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R for scene-setting shots, or, if talking Sigma APS-C lenses then the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM may be suitable provided a Fujifilm X-mount version is made.

In 35mm sensor terms, the Fujinon is equivalent to 21mm and the Sigma zoom is equivalent to a range of 15mm through to 30mm.

Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens

I have long been hoping Fujifilm would release one of my favourite portrait focal lengths, 70mm, as a fast prime lens with closeup capability, but my hopes continue to be dashed each time the company updates its lens roadmap.

In 35mm sensor terms, this lens is 105mm and is the focal length with which I became a portrait photographer.

Sigma’s 50-100mm f/1.8 zoom is equivalent in 35mm terms to 75mm through to 150mm, thus including another popular portrait focal length, 90mm, which is equivalent to 137mm.

Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 90mm f/2.0 R LM WR prime receives high praise as does the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR prime lens, but the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 zoom would take the place of three useful portrait and documentary focal lengths at a fraction of the cost of three Fujifilm-made lenses.

The ongoing lack of a professional-quality Fujifilm 18mm prime lens

Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R prime lens.

Fujifilm Australia staff members often confirm that the lens customers want to see radically updated is the Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 R, a lens I love and hate, with the emphasis on the latter.

Love is too strong a word for this 28mm-equivalent prime lens, so let’s use “like” instead.

I know some photographers adore it for its many old-fashioned optical and mechanical quirks but for me it is an irritating disappointment.

I have often asked Fujifilm to replace it with a compact Fujicron-style lens for documentary photography or a manual clutch focus Fujilux-style f/1.4 lens for available darkness work and especially for video.

Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Aspheric prime lens for Leica M-System cameras, for me the archetypal discrete 28mm documentary and photojournalism lens.

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Aspheric prime, the lens I would choose if I could only have just one for available darkness and available light documentary photography.

In my Leica M-Series rangefinder days I relied on a Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 Aspheric lens mounted on my prime camera with a Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Aspheric lens in reserve for available darkness documentary photography.

Incidentally, if I could only have two prime lenses for video work, then I would choose a 28mm equivalent and a 40mm equivalent, or in APS-C terms, 18mm and 27mm.

Fujifilm makes neither focal length as manual clutch focussing primes, much to my ongoing moviemaking disappointment, but I often carry the compact Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 and F 18mm f/2.0 R on a pair of Fujifilm rangefinder cameras when needing to be discrete and in the street or places where I don’t want to be noticed, but I would not use either prime lens for video.

Fujifilm makes three excellent primes equally suitable for video and stills photography, the manual clutch focussing Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R, XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR and XF 23mm f/1.4 R but there are no signs the company is serious about extending its manual clutch focus lens range any time soon, whether with primes or zooms.

Shame, given Fujifilm’s recent emphasis on great quality Super 35 video with the Fujifilm X-T4 and the coming Fujifilm X-H2.

If Sigma can be persuaded to make an aperture ring-equipped 18-35mm f/1.8 X-mount zoom then that can help with available light or darkness video work, leaving Fujifilm to finally pull its collective fingers out with a Fujicron-style XF 18mm lens that does need to be faster than f/2.8.

Given the success of the Fujinon XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR, despite its maximum aperture being darker than the f/2.0 of its Fujinon XF 23mm f/2.0 R WR, Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR and Fujinon XF 50mm f/2.0 R WR Fujicron-style siblings, a Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.8 R WR should do just fine for documentary stills, leaving the serious 18mm available darkness video work to Sigma.

Fuji Rumors: VOTE NOW the SIGMA Lens You Want for Fujifilm X In a recent interview, Top Fujifilm manager Toshihisa Iida said that Fujifilm is opening X mount to third parties…

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