Making Movies
WITH FIRST THE X-H1 AND THEN the X-T3, Fujifilm made its X-mount mirrorless camera system much more appealing to video-makers and this was backed up by the introduction of Fujinon cinema lenses. The X-T4 carries on the good work as it inherits the X-T3’s video goodies unchanged – but with a few upgrades – and all the operational benefits of in-body image stabilisation, a fully-articulating display (with its increased resolution), and a higher-capacity battery.
None of the X-T4’s new video features are major items, but all add to overall versatility and operational convenience. Chief among these is the retention of separate and dedicated video and stills setups, with easy switching between the two via a selector beneath the shutter speed dial, which includes a dedicated Quick Menu display. There’s up to 200fps recording with Full HD
(PAL, 240fps NTSC) for super slow-mo effects and with autofocusing support. The F-Log View Assist function now allows for conversion to the BT.709 standard, so what you’re seeing is correct for colour and exposure. There’s a new Eterna cinematographic Film Simulation profile that simulates the bleach bypass film processing technique for a lower colour saturation, but high contrast. The new Boost modes will also have benefits for video-makers, enabling the EVF and monitor displays to be tailored to shooting conditions, especially the brightness.
The X-T4 shoots 4K UHD (3840x2160 pixels) or 17:9 aspect Cinema 4K (4096x2160 pixels) at 60, 50, 30, 25 or 24fps, using a 1.18x crop on the APS-C sensor. Significantly, at 60 or 50fps, there’s the option of capturing 10-bit 4:2:0 colour internally or 10-bit 4:2:2 colour externally via the HDMI output and using the higher compression efficiency HEVC H.265 codec with a bit rate of up to 200 Mbps. The AVC H.264 compression codec is available with UHD/60p, but internal recording is at 8-bit 4:2:0 colour. Usefully, 4K/60p at 10-bit 4:2:2 colour to the HDMI output can be recorded simultaneously with 40/60p 10-bit 4:2:0 colour to the memory card, enabling a true backup (which can also be done internally with the card slots set to Back Up mode).
At the 30 and 25fps frame rates, the full width of the sensor is employed (so there’s no focal length magnification factor) with oversampling. There’s the choice of All-Intra (All-I) intra-frame or Long GOP inter-frame compression with a bit rate of up to 400 Mbps.
When shooting video, the highlight warning is replaced by zebra patterns with an adjustable brightness threshold and, of course, there’s the focus peaking display to assist with manual focusing. Time-coding now has its own sub-menu, making setup much easier.
The X-T4 has built-in stereo mics with auto/manual level control, a wind-cut filter, a low-cut filter and an attenuator. The stereo audio input can be switched between mic level and line level, and a 3.5mm adapter is supplied to enable headphones to be connected via the USB-C terminal. It’s not clear why the X-T4 doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio output like the X-T3, but the adapter arrangement works fine in practice (and the optional vertical/ battery grip has it). As with the X-T3, the connector covers can be completely removed for when the camera is being used in a rig.
Operationally, the touchscreen enables ‘Movie Optimised Control’ for changing 10 key settings (i.e. aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, etc.), bypassing the external controls (and also retaining them when the camera is returned to video operation). There’s the option of electronic image stabilisation on the sensor (part of a triple correction regime), but this comes with the penalty of a 1.29x crop. In practice, the videocentric IS Mode Boost – which is optimised for handheld shooting – works very effectively indeed. Not surprisingly, given the sensor and the processor haven’t changed, the X-T4 delivers the same exceptional video image quality as the X-T3, but the added capabilities make it an even more versatile, user-friendly package. Overall then, it’s easily up there with the best of today’s hybrid still/video mirrorless cameras, regardless of sensor size.