X-Pro2 Ver.4.00 4K video firmware released

[Mattias Burling]

Of all the Fujis the X-Pro2 was my favorite for video even before this update. So I can imagine its only better now.

Best part is all the extra information one can bring out in the shadows and higlights in post. Or if one don't want to grade, it looks nice and contrasty just as it is.

(Still funny how after all these years we still see the "crushed blacks" comments. Why people don't just download a file and look at the waveform I'll never know.)

[j-oc]

11 hours ago, jhnkng said:

Nope, you can't punch in, and peaking turns itself off during recording. All the overlays you can turn on in the display settings menu stays on, but it seems everything else turns off. You can turn on the focus distance meter and kind of use that to mark your focus points, but it's not that accurate. The worse part is that it won't output a signal to an external recorder unless it's in playback mode, so really there's no getting around it. 

Balls! That’s a pain - thanks for checking it out.

[jhnkng]

2 hours ago, jonpais said:

Twigs and leaves hold no interest for me - but the inability to adjust highlight/shadows or to reduce in-camera sharpening would be enough to dissuade me from using the X-Pro 2 for shooting 4K, even with no extra crop in 4K.

But... you can adjust highlight and shadows. In the IQ menu you can change your highlights, shadows, saturation, and a bunch of other things that you can save as a preset. In fact I think Fuji has the most extensive set of controls over the final look of their JPGs and videos than any DSLR/Mirrorless camera I've used, and I've used/owned pretty much everything from cheaper than a 1DxMk2.

In terms of the sharpening, it is definitely over-sharpened, and very noticeable when shooting at infinity. But I was playing a little this afternoon and 3 pixel wide gaussian blur was enough to remove the oversharpening without making everything look out of focus. Plus a lot of those issues aren't a thing if you're shooting shallow dof, or shooting longer lenses for background separation etc etc. I vastly prefer the softer look of my C100mk2, but I'm feeling good about the X-Pro2 in certain circumstances, and I'm pretty sure I can match the two cameras in an edit.

[Django]

[jonpais]

3 hours ago, jhnkng said:

But... you can adjust highlight and shadows. In the IQ menu you can change your highlights, shadows, saturation, and a bunch of other things that you can save as a preset. In fact I think Fuji has the most extensive set of controls over the final look of their JPGs and videos than any DSLR/Mirrorless camera I've used, and I've used/owned pretty much everything from cheaper than a 1DxMk2.

In terms of the sharpening, it is definitely over-sharpened, and very noticeable when shooting at infinity. But I was playing a little this afternoon and 3 pixel wide gaussian blur was enough to remove the oversharpening without making everything look out of focus. Plus a lot of those issues aren't a thing if you're shooting shallow dof, or shooting longer lenses for background separation etc etc. I vastly prefer the softer look of my C100mk2, but I'm feeling good about the X-Pro2 in certain circumstances, and I'm pretty sure I can match the two cameras in an edit.

Do you own the XPro 2? Have you updated it? Because in Thomas Fitzgerald's video that was shared above, he says,

Unfortunately, you still can’t use the picture control options to adjust the picture profile, and so things like sharpness have no effect. Highlight and shadow tone options have no effect on video either.

[jhnkng]

7 hours ago, jonpais said:

Do you own the XPro 2? Have you updated it? Because in Thomas Fitzgerald's video that was shared above, he says,

Unfortunately, you still can’t use the picture control options to adjust the picture profile, and so things like sharpness have no effect. Highlight and shadow tone options have no effect on video either.

I do, and I have, and it looks like you're right -- it does seem to ignore those settings. Wonder if it works on the X-T2?

[jonpais]

It does.

[jonpais]

On my wish list would be a functioning remote app that records at a higher resolution than 720p. When doing interviews like the one I shot recently with the GH5, being able to tap focus and adjust exposure on my iPhone is super convenient. Also, before going out on a shoot, I’ll often perform tests at home for things like the color temperature of my LED lights, and being able to control the camera remotely is a real blessing.

While shooting my model out on the street last night with a 20-inch LED light, by simply adjusting exposure until zebras were at 90% for the brightest highlights, I was able to get perfect and consistent exposure for every clip. Blinking highlights just don’t cut it for me. 

Being able to shoot log in-camera is another real boon. For one thing, it eliminates the necessity of rigging up the camera with a cage and external recorder; for another, recorders and cages cost money, and together with extra batteries, cables and storage can easily run $1,000.00.

For those who just shoot casual family or vacation videos, IBIS is indispensable. Being able to shoot for hours with a single battery and monitoring audio without investing in an expensive battery grip would be nice.

In fact, to make the Fuji functional for my way of shooting, I’d need to invest in an external recorder (Ninja Flame + storage), a cage, a gimbal for stabilization (Zhiyun Crane) and a battery grip (VPB), bringing the total outlay for an X-T2 and accessories to over $3,700.00. And there is no way to calculate the value of features like extra teleconverter, which effectively doubles the number of lenses in your kit.

I appreciate Fuji build quality and design as much as anyone else, but there is no evidence that that translates into more reliable or bug-free cameras. 

Finally, as far as image quality goes, the gap is becoming so narrow that it is not sensor size, but convenience that is the selling point for me. 

 

[Django]

 

10 hours ago, jonpais said:

In fact, to make the Fuji functional for my way of shooting, I’d need to invest in an external recorder (Ninja Flame + storage), a cage, a gimbal for stabilization (Zhiyun Crane) and a battery grip (VPB), bringing the total outlay for an X-T2 and accessories to over $3,700.00.

 

Have you forgotten about the upcoming Fuji H1?

As a reminder, it will feature internal F-Log, IBIS, Touchscreen, better hand grip/ergonomics..etc for around $2,000.00.

[Trek of Joy]

13 minutes ago, Django said:

 

Have you forgotten about the upcoming Fuji H1?

As a reminder, it will feature internal F-Log, IBIS, Touchscreen, better hand grip/ergonomics..etc for around $2,000.00.

Rumors say the crop is still there which is disappointing, but I really like the rumored spec, especially Flog internal and a higher bitrate. Will be selling one of my XT2's to try the XH1 out. IBIS is the main reason I still have Sony bodies. If Fuji can get it right, I may dump the a7r2/s2 and just get an original A7r for high rez/DR stills. 

 

[Aussie Ash]

"If Fuji can get it right"   somehow I think Fijifilm have a higher chance of getting it right than the Sony A6500 replacement next year.

If the rumored larger body size of the X-H1 is true better cooling and longer recording times may have been a design reason.

  Sony's A5000 was released Jan 2014 -"overheats after 10mins of 1080P filming"

A5100   overheats

A6000  overheats

A6300 overheats

A6500 overheats

 

 

 

[Trek of Joy]

18 hours ago, Aussie Ash said:

"If Fuji can get it right"   somehow I think Fijifilm have a higher chance of getting it right than the Sony A6500 replacement next year.

If the rumored larger body size of the X-H1 is true better cooling and longer recording times may have been a design reason.

  Sony's A5000 was released Jan 2014 -"overheats after 10mins of 1080P filming"

A5100   overheats

A6000  overheats

A6300 overheats

A6500 overheats

There's the crop. And then with the "video oriented" XT2 it still lacked proper exposure tools, had issues with lenses changing exposure while recording due to lens corrections, and you can't record video without moving the mode dial a few clicks from stills modes. Some of that was addressed in future FW updates, but it wasn't right at introduction and its still somewhat clunky if you're shooting stills at the same time - like when traveling.

That's what I mean by getting it right. Eliminate the crop in 24/25p mode like Sony. Give us higher frame rates in HD. It needs histogram and zebras from the outset. It needs a record button so you can stab it in any mode to get video. AF tracking needs to be improved, it doesn't need to be at a9 levels, but Fuji is still playing catchup with its AF algorithms. I still hope that the XH1 inherits the bigger GFX battery and newer processor, but FR says no and he's been much more accurate than the other rumor sites. So that one isn't a deal breaker. 

I don't own the grip so my XT2's are capped at 10 min, but in heavy use I've gotten temp warnings just shooting still bursts and short clips in hot places like India and Cambodia - but no overheating. Though I've never had any overheating with my a7r2 either, even when I was shooting in blazing hot conditions like Egypt and the Namibian desert. As always YMMV.

I'm still pre-ordering and selling one of my XT2's once its announced. Hopefully its a big seller and Fuji decides to add a dedicated Cinema camera to its lineup to compliment the MK Cine zooms. There's a lot of room outside of Sony, Canon and Panasonic's offerings as Blackmagic and other upstarts have clearly demonstrated. 

[Andrew Reid]

Click to expand the 100% crops

X-Pro 2 4K:

X-T20 4K:

As you can see the X-Pro 2 4K has far more detail in the shadows, more dynamic range and a crisper, sharper image.

The film simulation modes are so nice on their default settings you don't need to fiddle... Which is just as well because unlike the X-T2, the parameters don't make a difference, even sharpness.

Regardless I would put this image quality in the top bunch of all the 4K mirrorless cameras... It's bloody lovely.

And the form factor is Fuji's best... More like a Leica than a fiddly X-T2

The drawbacks are rolling shutter and lack of articulated screen. There's also a slight screen blank-out when the recording kicks in (only half a second).

The screen quality is crisper and nicer in general than the X-T20, both in live-view and during recording 4K.

Yes there is a 10 min clip length limit, but right tool for right job and all that...

If you look at the price of the X-Pro 2, put a Speed Booster on there to make it full frame, you are getting basically a mini A7S II with the colour and ergonomics fixed , for half the price! That is unless you need IBIS and S-LOG of course.

On 24/12/2017 at 9:00 AM, Mattias Burling said:

Of all the Fujis the X-Pro2 was my favorite for video even before this update. So I can imagine its only better now.

Best part is all the extra information one can bring out in the shadows and higlights in post. Or if one don't want to grade, it looks nice and contrasty just as it is.

(Still funny how after all these years we still see the "crushed blacks" comments. Why people don't just download a file and look at the waveform I'll never know.)

It has some of the best dynamic range and colour in a punchy Rec.709 format I've ever seen, thrashes the Sonys. You have to shoot LOG on most other cameras to get the dynamic range the X-Pro 2 4K will give you straight off the card in PRO Neg. Std. film mode.

It's a really good codec, with a fine noise grain. I am getting steadily over the 100Mbit/s mark even on a shot that shouldn't really need it. It's variable bit rate. I saw it peak at 180Mbit/s. Impressive.

And it's really good in low light too.

[Azagey]

Does anyone know if the OVF is at all functional while recording 4k? I know the framing would be hard and the focusing even harder, but I'm curious if you can use the OVF at all while recording video, or only the EVF? 

[Andrew Reid]

If you're using the OVF, it shuts off when you hit record and turns to an EVF.

If you take your eye away and use the back LCD, then hit record and look through the OVF, the back screen stays on and you see through the OVF but all the framing lines and info are gone. A lost opportunity there Fuji

[Tim Sewell]

Here's some XP2 4K footage:

And the blog post: https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2017/12/some-more-fuji-x-pro-2-4k-tests

[deezid]

31 minutes ago, Tim Sewell said:

Here's some XP2 4K footage:

And the blog post: https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2017/12/some-more-fuji-x-pro-2-4k-tests

As I said, looks like Mavic or Smartphone footage, minus compression artifacts.
The hideous oversharpening and addition of artificial microcontrast gives it a really cheap look.

The GH5 (6K -5 sharpening), A6500/A7R2/3, EVA1, C200 (RAW) etc. look way more professional. 
Advantage of the X-Pro2 is that it would intercut with many modern smarthphones quite well.

[Mattias Burling]

Do you have a link to the xpro2 footage you have shot? Or have you at least downloaded clips? I guess not.

Btw, the EVA and C200 looks more professional. Who would have guessed. I mean they are only thousands of dollars more and two years younger. I would have guessed they would be worse.

GH5 is a bit of emperors new clothes these days imo. Its nice. No doubt. But its not in the C200 category imo and not up to all the hype.

[deezid]

17 minutes ago, Mattias Burling said:

GH5 is a bit of emperors new clothes these days imo. Its nice. No doubt. But its not in the C200 category imo and not up to all the hype.

If you don't plan to shoot RAW, the GH5 is the better camera in terms of video quality. The RAW on the C200 puts it onto another level though.
Both the GH5 and A6500 have way better, more natural looking video than the X-Pro2 and are in about the same price range.

[Don Kotlos]

I agree with Thomas's conclusions :

"Anyway, I'll continue to do some more testing, but to be honest, I’m not sure I would use the X-Pro 2 for video. There are just too many limitations in my opinion. Apart from not being able to adjust the picture profile, there’s also the really frustrating issue of not being able to switch between the EVF and the screen when recording. The sharpness is too high for my tastes too. If you’re shooting in controlled conditions the dynamic range is probably not going to be an issue, but outside, it limits what you can do, to an extent. It’s all well and good having all the different picture profiles, but in any situation with any kind of scene with a dynamic environment, most will be too contrasty to be usable without sacrificing highlights or shadows. At the end of the day though, much of this is subjective, and I’m sure there will be people who vigorously disagree with me, but that’s ok. If it works for you, that’s great. 

If you’re on the fence about buying a new X-Pro 2 and are considering it for video, don’t. If you want to stick with Fuji, the X-T2 will still be a better option as you can adjust the picture profiles and sharpness. Otherwise, the Panasonic GH5 or Sony a6500 are much better options at the moment if you want 4k. "