Camera Labs: Lengthy Fujifilm X-T4 Review

• 4 years ago

Gordon from Camera Labs posted his in-depth Fujifilm X-T4 Review which he sped up his speaking in reducing his usual almost hr long video to half an hr. You can watch the full review above or read the bullet points below:

• X-T4 Came about a year and a half after X-T3
• X-T3 will still remain on sale
• X-T4 and X-T3 are the same height but the X-T4 is 2.5mm thicker at the thinnest point and 5mm thicker around the grip
• 68g heavier than X-T3
• X-T4 135x93x64mm min 37.9mm weight 607g
• X-T3 133x93x59mm min 35.4mm weight 539g
• Both are weather sealed
• X-T4 has a much more powerful battery
• Lockable dials
• Movie mode switch
• Still and Movie have their own settings
• X-T4 is Fujifilm’s best video camera yet
• Front and back dials could be bigger but both feel good
• Exposure compensation still not lockable
• Cross keys are still there with AF joystick
• AF button is now relocated
• Q button is now recessed so you don’t press it by accident
• Fully articulating side hinge screen for the first time on an XT camera
• Fully articulating makes it earlier to shoot at high or low angles
• He is delighted by the change to a fully articulating screen
• The rear screen is now 1.62 million dots vs 1.04 million dots on X-T3
• Same EVF as the X-T3 but with a 3.26 million dot pannel and a more rigged eyecup
• The EVF now had a low light and sports finder mode though
• Would have been nice to have a 5 million dot VF
• Dual UHS-II and you can record video to both at the same time
• SD Card door can be taken off for a cage and easy access
• SD Card slots are now in a row so they had to move the remote port
• The remote port is now by the mic port
• There are two flaps on the other side of the camera
• The remote and mic ports are under one flap and the other has USB-C and Micro HDMI
• Type-D Micro HDMI offers 4:2:2 to an external recorder
• USB-C can be used to power the camera
• The 3.5mm headphone jack of the X-T3 has been removed, but you can use a USB-C adapter to connect headphones
• The welcome and overdue new NP-W235 with 2200ma capacity can shoot 500 shots
• You can get a dual battery charger
• Gordon managed to exceed the rated capacity with about 550 shots with IBIS and mechanical shutter plus some 4k
• He filmed 3 half-hour clips along with the final 4th clip killing the battery at 18min 40 second
• So almost 109min of 4k 25p with IBIS
• The camera was very warm after the first clip and got a little warmer with each additional but it was never uncomfortable to hold
• X-T3 could only record for about half as long before dying at 62min
• With the X-T4 grip you can triple the battery life and you can also charge all three batteries over one USB-C connection plus you get the 3.5 inch headphone jack back
• Higher power chargers like for the MBP can speed up charging all 3 batteries at the same time
• The new neck strap is like the X-H1/GFX strap and it is shorter/thicker/more comfortable
• This is Fujifilm’s second X series camera with IBIS
• Most lenses give you 5-axis 6.5 stops of stabilization with a few only giving you 5-6 stops
• The X-T4’s IBIS is a step up over the X-H1
• Fujifilm is using magnets in the X-T4 instead of coiled springs for the X-H1 for the IBIS
• The X-T4 remains comfortably slimmer than the X-H1
• Was able to handhold the 16-55mm at 55mm at 1/5th and get sharp images of text and without about 1/80th
• IBIS is useful for focusing on subjects and capturing a picture
• IBIS is also very useful for video and you can also use digital stabilization with it for increased stabilization, but you get a slight crop of 1.1x on up to 1080p60/4k30p and 1.29x on 4k60p
• Notice little to no loss of detail with digital stabilization
• There is also an IS boost mode that is meant to boost stabilization for mostly static subjects
• There is no crop with IS boost
• A new mechanical shutter that can shoot at 15fps
• There are also multiple electronic shutter options that allow you to shoot silently up to 30fps
• The new mechanical shutter is also quieter and rated for 300,000 actuation instead of the 150,000 of the X-T3
• The camera tracks well at 15fps for capturing action and wildlife
• X-T4 also has a preshot mode for use with the electronic shutter
• X-T4 has better face and eye AF
• The camera has a good job of finding you but it isn’t quite as good as Sony
• Fujifilm’s eye/face AF is the best out there except for Sony
• Classic Negative and ETERNA Bleach Bypass have been added
• Likes ACROS
• Should add diagonal selections with the joystick to the X-T4 via firmware update
• The XF16-55mm f/2.8 is ideal with the X-T4
• The colors and tones are the highlight of owning an X series camera
• There is no upgrade in photo quality against other X-Trans 4 sensors
• IBIS does allow lenses without IS to shine more on the X-T4 than other cameras from Fujifilm
• Similar impressive movie features as the X-T3 with 4k60p and 4:2:0 internal and 4:2:2 externally
• Video is still limited to 30min recording time and 20min at 4k60p
• exFAT format now supported
• ETERNA and ETERNA Bleach Bypass are great for video
• F-Log now has a view assist option
• If you pan slowly IBIS works just fine during video, but if you pan a little quicker the IBIS will keep trying to catch up
• Walking while filming works well
• Focus pulls between near and far well, but it isn’t as good as Sony or Canon
• X-T4 is a compelling high-end option for for vloggers
• X-T4 also has a 1080p240 mode for slow-motion now that is twice as fast as X-T3 and is in a 24p wrapper for a 10x slow-mo mode
• The horizontal resolution remains high at 240/200p, but Vertical resolution is reduced to about half the data
• Fujifilm says that they are using about half the vertical data at 240/200p
• 1080p120 is just as good as 24-60p
• You can record at 4k60p and slow it down 2.5x with a 24p timeline or 2x with a 30p timeline with sound
• X-T4 builds on one of Gordon’s favorite cameras, which makes it an even stronger camera than before
• X-H will continue
• It’s hard to justify a body when you’re selling the same old sensor
• Many Fujifilm fans don’t like the new screen, but Gordon does
• A multishot mode is unlikely due to X-Trans being harder to process properly than Bayer sensors
• Gordon wouldn’t trade a bigger sensor for the overall feature set of the X-T4 at least at this price point
• Fujifilm X-T4 is the best crop sensor camera to date!

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Fujifilm X-T4 Preorder: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

VG-XT4 Vertical Battery Grip: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

NP-W235 Battery:  B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

Fujifilm BC-W235 Dual Battery Charger: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama