MrSMW

Made in China or Japan I don't care, - zero build or other issues with either XT3 I used all last year and I had no idea where they were made until I just checked the one I have retained and found out China. Pre-ordered a pair of 'wherever they are assembled' XT4 bodies for this year's wedding season and looking forward to receiving them end of April/early May...or will need to buy a pair of XH1's to tide me over as by then, my season will have started and my sole XT3 won't cut it!

I make a living, but nothing amazing. (Weddings)

There's nothing wrong with gear but everything wrong with most channels YouTube comments section. I have weaned myself off the latter.

I'd really like it if Fuji redesigned their fantastic 23mm F1.4, 35mm F1.4 & 56mm 1.2mm primes for video AF. Yes yes and yes. Well yes to the former and latter anyway... Currently with the 23mm f2 and 50mm f2 because they are so much better for (AF) video, albeit I'd prefer the f1.4 and f1.2 versions for stills. As a hybrid shooter though, I have to compromise (because carrying and changing extra lenses is a no no for me) and it's not a bad compromise at all. I really hope Fuji give these old warhorses a tweak soon because if they can make them better for video, I probably would trade.

I have never tried a Sony A7anything but find that so many internet reports in regard to Fuji this or that are down to user error such as simply relying on the straight out of box set up and never bothering to fine-tune the set up. Is the Sony (and Canon) AF better than Fujis? Probably but not by as big a margin now as some older or flawed reports would suggest. But as I say, not had a Sony to compare to and the XT3 performed really well all last year at over 25 weddings with no issues. No overheating, no AF problems and no anything negative that NON REGULAR USERS/OWNERS tend to state. And I am not a Fuji 'fan boy' for the sake of being one, just someone for whom they have been producing the best tools for my specific needs in recent times. I could flip to anything else I desired (within financial reason) any time but choose not to for a reason and that reason being actual real world regular use. Just sayin' 😝

Well neither of my XT3's overheated last year here in SW France filming 4k where in the shade, it passed 40 degrees celcius several times, so I'm not expecting the XT4 to be any different...

I did actually give some serious serious thought to one recently but then decided for my line of work, I'd need two. And I can't afford/justify one. Oh well, bring it XT3.5 🤠

Now to bring it back to the wedding business, and to stop talking about the sound department, did you get any more clients due to filming with a X-T3 instead of an X-H1? Did any of those clients you did get, did they pay you more because you had a X-T3? Did the X-T3 save you time? (remember, time = money) I'm going to take a wild guess and say the answer to all those question is a no. In fact, just maaaaybe the X-H1 is a superior camera for weddings than a X-T3? As due to the huge amount of footage taken, often 8bit is preferred over 10bit (thus the X-T3's big advantage is negated), and due to the nimble handheld nature of shooting weddings the IBIS exclusive to the X-H1 shines through as a big strength of the X-H1. Perhaps you could have gone all of 2019 without buying any cameras at all?? Or maybe only a very small purchase. Indeed, clients have no idea what anything was shot on, never mind whether it was XH1 or XT3, 1080 or 4k. Rather the switch was more for me. Call it professional pride, call it job satisfaction etc, but that plays a part. The move to the XT3 did involve an extra step in the workload and that was the conversion of the .265 to prores so my PC could handle it but I gained the ability to punch/crop in much more heavily. On the other hand, I sped up the process in various other ways so swings and roundabouts... The downside was the loss of IBIS, though I was still running a 3 camera set up at the time based on 2x stills cameras and 1x video (the XH1 in 2018 and XT3 in 2019) on a freestanding monopod. For the 2020 season, I am going to reduce that to just 2 bodies and lose the monopod for 90% of the day so the IBIS is a must. The problem now would be going back to the XH1. Better ergos, no question, but the new battery means no need for a battery grip or external powerpack plus 6x better low-light AF and so the XT3.5 has a pretty big draw over both the XH1 and XT3. Could I make any of them work? Would anybody notice? Of course and no, but I would and that's an intangible part of being a pro at anything isn't it, - the knowledge that are you doing, 'just enough' or 'giving it your all'? From that pure business perspective, if I knew for sure that an XH2 was 100% coming in around a year, I would 100% hold off for one year and carry on with XT3 until that time because I know I would want to move to XH2's. But it's a 'unicorn' at this time and I have to make a decision based on what is available as much as I/we wish Fuji would commit to earlier official announcements. What I am currently telling myself is that though I would prefer the mythical XH2, I almost certainly will get a pair of XT3.5's and commit to 2 years regardless. And be content with that.

If this report is correct and it turns out to be the case, then it seems in terms of current/near future camera companies, that: Canon and Fuji are going up. Sony going down slightly. Panny (need to sort out their AF issues) and Nikon (their DSLR’s) on a fairly even keel. Olympus dropping another ball. Leica and Hassie live in their own special fluffy bubbles. Re. ‘hybrid’ cameras rather than pure video tools about which I know nothing. That’s how it looks to me anyway.

This is just it, working pros have to make business decisions... I made a business decision to go with the XH1 as my primary video (weddings) camera in 2018. Within 6 months or so, the XT3 came out with a far superior video spec. 2019 season meant taking a massive hit on the XH1 to upgrade to XT3. Ditto it’s going to happen if I go XT4 for this year. I really don’t want these 1 year life cycles (and yes, no one is forcing me), but it’s this situation now of going with XT4’s for this season with the knowledge the camera I really want (XH2) may come out next year. Or not...because Fuji ain’t saying. On the plus side, the XH1 was good for me in 2018 and the XT3 in 2019. The latter may still be this year, but the XT3.5 ticks so many more boxes for me. Well the IBIS box and bigger battery without resorting to battery grip boxes, so is pretty much a dead cert. But I am going to be peeved if they announce an XH2 at some point. Ultimately, as a business, I just have to make the best decision(s) I can at any given time.

Which XH2 have you got @Trek of Joy ? 🤩

Totally the XH2? Nope, it is the XT3.5 as Andrew posted. The ONLY thing it has in common with the XH1 is that it also has IBIS. And for the pedantic, is also made by Fuji Otherwise totally NOT an XH2.

Was hoping for a slightly bigger grip this time round but other than that, all looking decent. Not seen any mention of a battery grip and though for ergos would prefer, for a good compromise of size & weight etc, a non battery job does it for me. Most interested now in video crop ratios as my output is 2.4:1 it would be great to be able to actually shoot it in camera!

I don’t mind which way they do it but would prefer it in the XH1 body given the choice. Just under 2 weeks and all will be revealed...

I said the same thing on another forum this morning which is everything about this camera points towards a replacement for the XH1 rather than the XT3. It’s very strange... But regardless, I am also in this camp of ‘XT3 spec + IBIS + improved battery’ and that is enough for 99% of us.

I had this in mind as a potential back up plan just in case Fuji screw up the XT4, but nah, not quite what it could...perhaps should have been. I want to like Olympus, but they always seem to stop short of where they could be.

This + the bonus of a better battery. That is all I want/need.

G old news 😍

1: XH1 2: XT3 3: Panny G9

Final choice came down to (and I have been a pro Fuji shooter since the original X100 so have had pretty much every lens...sometimes several times!) the following: 23mm f2 due to size, weight, AF speed. 50mm f2 as above. 90mm f2 just because I occasionally need something longer for ceremonies, speeches and couple portraits and it’s a beaut of a lens. 16-80mm f4. Grrr, it’s only f4, but this is my ‘bookend’ lens, ie, wide landscape stills at the start of the day and video for dancing end of the day. Otherwise it will be in my bag and I purchased it principally as my travel (non work) lens. I may however get the 16mm f2.8 for weddings and leave the zoom behind for a true 4 prime set up. Why no f1.4 or the 56mm f1.2? For video they are terrible. Maybe not static slow paced stuff but try filming a wedding day with the 56! Sublime for stills, pants for video! I either shoot stills all day or hybrid all day. Very very rarely just video and ‘mobile hybrid’ is my priority. Most of the day this year will be XT4 right harness with the 50 and left strap, another XT4 with the 23. The choice then comes down to, “is this a medium wide or more tele shot? Or both?” Hopefully happy days...

Well for the 2020 wedding season and 2 years beyond that, I am expecting to be toting a pair of XT4’s with a choice of 3 primes and 1 zoom with my one remaining bit of kit from 2019 being my XT3 as backup (and maybe static tripod unmanned in certain scenarios). Providing the spec and reality is as expected, that is the pinnacle of my needs done for the next few years at least. If money was no object, then GFX100 but the reality is that for my work, it is massive overkill.

None. Freestanding Sirui monopod...though I have just bought the 16-80 F4 which is OIS 6 stops or something, but yet to have a play with that. This was my 2019 wedding season video combo. 2018 it was the monopod + XH1.

Yep, respectfully useless, but I thank you for the thought 😂 Switching back and forth several times a minute all day between video and stills with a pair of bodies and a pair of gimbals, changing lenses from time to time... Err, no! I have tried to embrace gimballing twice and both times did not get on with it...but each to their own and all that!

Yes, but I am also going to have a pair of XT4’s forevvvvvvvvvver 😀 Self-reality check, OK that isn’t realistic but being serious, if this XT4 is what I think it will be, it won’t be some kind of holy grail, but something that ticks all my boxes which is something no Fuji (or camera) has done to date. And my requirements are not high but as I may have mentioned before, XT3 spec with IBIS. Unless absolutely forced to update for some reason in a few years, I will be golden. Re. the MK’s, even if AF, I probably would not for my run & gun hybrid photo/video work.

I'd snap up a pair of those lenses in an instant (sod the cost, - I'd keep them the rest of my career, - 10 years)...if they only had AF which I need for the way I work. I might just paint some metallic green rings on the lenses I do have 😀