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Ready for its close-up: X-Pro2 defines a new era of video for Fujifilm

Published Feb 8, 2016 | Richard Butler

Video has previously been one of the great weaknesses of Fujifilm's X-Trans cameras but that's all changed with the X-Pro2. We've shot our test scene, pounded the streets of New York and captured all the visual clichﾃｩs we could, to show you what the X-Pro2 can do.

The X-Pro2's headline video specs are broadly unchanged compared to previous models but the quality has moved forwards dramatically. It's still not going to be the first choice for professional use but it's now more than competitive amongst its 1080-shooting peers. Add in the ability to apply Film Simulations to your shooting and video becomes another storytelling tool in the camera's arsenal.

Click here to read more about the Fujifilm X-Pro2's video quality, handling and behavior

Tags: video, fujifilm

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Comments

Total comments: 1580

Which would you choose, Sony a6300 or Fuji X-Pro2 ?

0 upvotes

It would depend entirely on what I was trying to achieve.

Those are two radically different cameras.

0 upvotes

Could the MediaInfo data from a video file please be posted?

0 upvotes

What information were you after?

It's all been shot in 1080/24p, ~38mbps, a mixture of focus and exposure modes, to test/show how each behaves. What else would you like to know?

0 upvotes

Seems like Fuji is making a great camera better.. Anyone know why they would take away the panorama mode...

1 upvote

The first version of this camera had bad parallax error--very frustrating to try and shoot with the 90. Yes, there was a bit of " correction" with moving frames, but it was very inaccurate. Even my 1990 Mamiya 6 has better parallax correction with its 150 lens. If Fuji hasn't fixed this, then I'd call the optical viewfinder nothing more than a nod to nostalgia instead of a really usable feature.

1 upvote

It's commendable Fuji is trying and actually doing many good things. There are worse camera systems.

Issue number one is it hits well below its price tag. You can do comprehensively better.

You'll even infer; that I must not be able to afford it. Perhaps you thought paying more makes you professional, I don't know. Perhaps you work for Fuji or related. Perhaps worse.

Some of you are under the reality distortion field; that the lowest price at Amazon is a price that can never go lower. However the high prices issues is proved even by that. One word. Competition.

What we have now is a new camera/system gets released regularly. Invariably it has some new scientific betterment and it's a slight amount improved there. Good. Now that's not the only benefits and the first adopters happily whip out their credit cards, surely to be "more pro" as defined by their new camera and logos. The problem is not the list of benefits; it's the cons.... The ones that cover the pros.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I feel the need for a stamped message that reads:

This is in context of the "brush" and that means the system. Of course the photographer ability matters most; but the tools matter. We talking about what these hi prices actually provide.

We are not talking about personal preferences. Such as fixed vs. system. Colors. Grip size. Articulating screen vs fixed or if you hate video. That's not the point. Variety is not the problem.

We are ate up with variety and there's not a great photographers camera in sight! It's about the combo. The parts that are not preference. Why can't we make a better camera? My personal preferences does not change this fact. We see one set of pros, yet with missing pros in one system and another set, aggravatingly with OTHER major parts/benefits missing also.

I'm not talking about perfection. I'm talking about excellence.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I think it's great to have so many choices and to fit different preferences and things. I just don't think our camera systems need to be so limited and far apart and with none even reasonably inclusive. These manufactures know photography very well. However, there are far to many made-in limits and exclusions. The general excuse is... that's suppose to save us money. It doesn't. It is the opposite.

So no pocket cameras or specialty wides or what have you? NO! That's not what I'm saying. What about making a better camera?

When did it become bad for photographers to say what they want; in the "brush"? What's wrong here is manufactures are not well enough listening to their customers. Were being taught (programmed); that were lucky to get anything they're selling. I'm so sorry; but this is a two way street.

The manufactures need to change. Sweeping change. What about total, real world IQ? Balanced with all the majors? Where's that? No where.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I read this 3 times, I have no clue what you're trying to say.

9 upvotes

@veritalen
You are a better person than I. I gave up after the first read.

Comment edited 12 seconds after posting

5 upvotes

Must be ESL, but seems to be saying "Why don't manufacturers just include ALL of the features that I want".

As far as them changing, that will be dictated by buyers and competing manufacturers. If you can make a better product, you can get a crowdfunding campaign together.

0 upvotes

I think they're high, personally.

2 upvotes

I think it would be a good idea to not comment when you are drinking heavily.

2 upvotes

Can't wait to see these video improvements trickle down to the rest of Fuji's product range. Fuji cameras have always had some of the worst auto-white balance during video, with the XQ2 being a particularly bad example. Hopefully this means Fuji will enable manual white balance for video in ALL its cameras from now on. The much hyped "Fuji colours" mean nothing if the auto white balance is wrong and unable to be adjusted manually.

0 upvotes

X-Pro3. I have used tilting screens since 2006.
I can't live without this feature.
(Dear Fujifilm: It doesn't have to swivel though my 2006 camera's does!)

0 upvotes

A screen that "swivels" or "tilts" was never an advancement. The fact that you camera from 2006 has one is completely irrelevant.

It's simply something they choose not to include. They decided it would not benefit enough of their market to justify the additional cost and size.

Simple as that.

0 upvotes

Will older 16 MP models like my X-T10 also benefit from this improvement through a firmware update, or does this work only with the new 24 MP sensor?

0 upvotes

As I understand it, the improved video has been made possible as a result of the X-Pro2 having a more powerful processor, so I wouldn't expect it to be possible with the older cameras.

1 upvote

X-Trans video processing is very resource-hungry; the faster the framerate, the lower the quality. The footage from my X-E2 is basically useless at 60p with softness and lots of moire, but it's surprisingly okay at 25p. Not great, not even good, but okay.

0 upvotes

I think the number of comments here is telling about how desirable video capabilities are.

I don't need Fuji telling me how to use their camera and why I should or why I shouldn't buy it.
I don't need Fuji users telling me why I shouldn't buy a Fuji and how they don't want video capabilities watering down their system.
I don't care about 4K, (but 2k would be nice) 1080p is fine by me.
I don't shoot full frame, for video, APS-C or S35 is more than enough (doing a lot of S16 actually).
I make make my living doing this, but the Fuji is primarily for me, not for my work (which is nearly always working for someone else or someone else's' vision). I'm not going to grade my own stuff, or down convert it... I see it, I shoot it, want it to look like I want it out of the gate. I don't do slides, tracking shots for the sake of tracking, time lapses, VFX shots, mostly combination of old fashioned locked off shots and delicate handheld work. I DO NOT WANT IBIS, but don't care if a future version had it. There's a "ken burnsification" of modern videography / cinematography where the ADHD'ness of our generation demands constant motion and "cool" effects.

My questions...

When selecting shutter speed, can you directly select something in between 30 and 60, which are the settings on the dial. When shooting 24fps, I'd want 1/48 (1/50 close enough) for 180 shutter or if slo-mo 60fps, 1/120.

When shooting anamorphic, the idea of OVF for nom-squeezed framing is appealing. I'll have to figure out how to manipulate frame line settings to suite the nonstandard aspect and focal lengths.

When rolling, apparently focus peaking aid stops working. Can live view be sent out of HDMI for external monitoring tools to work if desired?

Does Fuji allow some sort of intelligent zoom feature for dealing with lenses that don't cover APS-C? Again, primarily looking at S16 here.

I wonder how Fuji+Acros compares to Digital Bolex monochrome. I think most of what I would consider "serious hobby usage" would be in B&W.

1 upvote

Turn the shutter dial to 1/60th, then roll the front roll one click and it'll sit at 1/50th quite happily.

2 upvotes

That's an excellent post Thom. Real stuff. No matter that folks have somewhat different preferences/jobs. It's not that different and never hurts to have extra options. The main stuff needs to be in there. Special emphasis on getting what you want; right out of the cam. User friendly controls and overall speeds that stay out of your way.

As I say... all in the balance. Value, lenses, sensitivity, portability & feel, speeds, good options & interface, video (not rolling, bad focus, jerky, or noises), even looks and much more. Nothing that kills off the benefits in most shots.

2 upvotes

Funny how you point out the things you don't want others to tell you to accept, but then you bring your own vision as a directive. Nobody cares what you want, that is the true.

What is with the attitude "I've chosen Fuji/Sony/Nikon so they ought to build cameras just right for me!"? Grow up and go for another system if Fuji does not meet your requirements. Simple as that.

6 upvotes

I noticed some obvious light-dark flickering in some of the scenes. Was the camera using a fixed aperture, or was the aperture changing and causing the flicker?

1 upvote

Some of the shots were fixed exposure, some were auto ISO, some were auto aperture.

0 upvotes

Yeah, that was the first thing I noticed. Even in the segment which stated "no aperture change", right at the last split-second before fade-out, it DID change, and it flickered. lol

0 upvotes

Who did the edit on raws have no idea about editing and i'm talking about lifting the shadows

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Which Raws?

5 upvotes

from Fujifilm X-Pro2 Real-world Samples gallery the pics 2, 7, 44, 55, 62, 68 have way to much lifted shadows and the result have that ireal hdr look

0 upvotes

Whoever asked the question about raws has no idea they posted in the wrong section.

2 upvotes

Good job taking video and stills seriously Fuji.

Looking forward to seeing what it will do (BEFORE buying it).

1 upvote

Nice try Fuji, but Panasonic are already talking 8K

1 upvote

I'm going to wait until 24K comes out, then I can by a TV 30 foot wide.

15 upvotes

Good luck storing, managing and editing those huge 8k files no tot mention where are you supposed to view them.

1 upvote

We don't like change:(

1 upvote

1080 is sufficient now; but 4K allows down sampling to a better 1080.

What's important is non-distracting auto focus (and manual aids), smooth aperture and control, and eliminating any button, stabilization and focus noises.

2 upvotes

Yikes.

Turn the auto aperture off already.

0 upvotes

How do I test and demonstrate the behaviour of auto aperture if it's switched off?

17 upvotes

What's the point if it's behavior is bad enough that you should never use it?

Easier to just tell us that, and go on to attempting to shoot better looking footage.

0 upvotes

Are those shoes Tiger of Sweden? I think I have the same.

0 upvotes

Fluevog Alexanders, though I'll have to check out these Tiger of Sweden lot.

1 upvote

If they aren't Aldens, does it really matter?

1 upvote

Aldens? How much do you think they're paying me?

As a Brit, I'd probably go for a pair of Church's, though. Something semi-formal like some full brogue oxfords (wingtip balmorals if you're in the US).

1 upvote

Richard wears Clarks. FACT.

0 upvotes

Not since they abandoned manufacturing in Street.

0 upvotes

My nikon V1 is as good as this!

2 upvotes

Well done Fuji.

Pentax take note! You should be leading this field, with years of prior experience in sensor stabilisation, but instead you've thrown that away and delivered that god aweful 'Movie SR'.

One simply can't ignore video capabilities in todays DSLRs or mirrorless devices.

0 upvotes

However, one can simply ignore video in today's dslrs or mirrorless and be perfectly happy.

10 upvotes

That's funny, I've managed to ignore it completely.

4 upvotes

X-Pro3 with below features will make it a real competitor against anything:
-IBIS (those shakes in the sample videos are unacceptable EVEN for touristic snaps; Sony and Canon-also said to be Olympus and Panasonic - have awesome IBIS)
-4K
-Big battery
YES, Samsung NX1 brought all of them last year :(
P.S. Almost 1500 comments so far. Fuji is a popular brand (I didn't have a failed Fuji; very reliable products).

2 upvotes

Fuji have announced that the X-mount is not compatible with IBIS.

0 upvotes

Exactly what causes the camera shake? It looks like missed frames.

0 upvotes

The point is Fuji is not competing against anything, they have a niche.

1 upvote

I like how you tacked on Olympus as an afterthought of image stabilization when theirs is the best haha. It's nice to see the cimoanies all jumping in and taking video seriously though.

1 upvote

Fingers crossed 4k will come in a firmware upgrade...the cpu and such probably can handle it...it will be an XT2 thing....my guess.

(have an xp2 on order)

0 upvotes

My monitor scratched because of the oversharpened video.

2 upvotes

Calm down. For boring videos, any video IQ is fine. And for great videos too.

6 upvotes

Balls to this.

1 upvote

Not having 4K video will deter buyers that do both stills and video. I do both equally and have 2 different cameras with 2 sets of lenses. I have the GH4 for video and a Sony A7s for low light wedding stills. My clients are starting to ask for 4K videos. The 30 minute time limitation for video on all other cameras made the GH4 the only choice and the low light high iso performance of the A7s was tops. Now, can one camera manufacturer combine the those 2 together to make a mirrorless body once and for all ? If Fuji makes a Xpro3 in the future with 4K and unlimited time rec as well as super low light performance, then it gets me interested. But for now 1080p is for tourists or for those that just haven't seen 4k on a 4k display.

0 upvotes

If you shoot 30 minute scenes, even in 8k 360* 3D, nobody in the world is going to be your client.. Who the hell wants something like this?

5 upvotes

why do you complain? do you have a fuji xpro 2? does your a7 film simulate? or are they going to copy that too? lol... cmon. buy rent use it first before any critics envolved

1 upvote

30min time limit: this is only true if your camera doesn't support direct read out (full res) over HDMI onto an external recorder.
These recorders are getting quite affordable these days... some do ProRes too..

About 4k... I don't do much video (professionally speaking) these days - 4k is upcoming, but honestly a well processed FullHD is still working well for I'd say 90% of the purposes.
1080p isn't for tourists...
4k has it's own set of problems...

3 upvotes

Like said, just use an external recorder with you A7S. You can do all the 4K you want, especially because you can use a large PC size solid state hard drive, which are getting crazy cheap these days.

2 upvotes

Art99, aside from my previous comment (use of external HDMI recorder) there's a few hints (but I guess you don't do this professionally (read: main source of income))... anyhow:
you shoot with two different systems already (GH4 for video, it's a good choice), A7s for low light work...
main problem here is: you'll need top-lenses for both systems...
and only because (you wrongly assume) that the A7s doesn't do longer than 30 minutes per clip (again, external recorder) you're willing to ditch the system for another camera that would in-camera combine that... wow...
The A7s is a decent camera... sony has now "released" (ok soon to be) for the first time: Professional Glass... (read a standard 2.8 24-70, and a 2.8 70-200).
much rather than ditching the system - invest in proper lenses for the system you have.

And then there's that: People have shot entire MOVIES (yes, feature length) with DSLRS so far... keyword: External recorder or SHORTER SCENES (much less fubar editing)

2 upvotes

How is 1080p only for tourists? I guess all the decades of low resolution videos are all worthless and 1080p mastered movies all need to be re-shot. Seriously your comment isstupid. It has even been shown that at the average viewing distance and screen size there is no visible difference between 1080p and 4k. Yeah thats right. 4k and even 4k downsampled to 1080p is actually worthless in most situations.

1 upvote

It seems many here are missing the point. How does that 30 minute time limit look like in a BarMitzvah ceremony that usually last an hour straight with the Torah reading and speeches along with the singing? You're gonna explain to the client that little glitch at exactly the 30 minute mark ? How about that glitch on a wedding ceremony, especially Greek where everything is non stop for 1 full hour or more ?? How about a dance recital or play that lasts more than 30 minutes ?? How about anything for that matter that must be recorded uninterrupted for over 30 minutes ? We're not tourists here, a small clip here and there.. And about that add-on 4k recorder . forget about it. We are trying to eliminate weight/add-ons/ and extra stuff that can is not necessary if you have the right stuff to begin with. After 40 years doing weddings, I know how equipment weight and interference can slow you down. No thanks, but I like to keep things sweet and simple.

1 upvote

art99,
seriously: check out EXTERNAL RECORDERS...
it's easy, it's affordable, it works. and it works with the equipment you already own.
no more 30min limits.
it works with my D800 - flawlessly.

it is what is being used most widely, if you need clips longer than the limit.

I bought one because for some projects I need "ProRes" (one of the clients needs this regularly for editing reasons).

Get a good HDSLR Rig ... there are affordable solutions...
get some good Video-related lenses... and you're in a different game.
Or if the event / location allows at least a good tripod with a video head.
no one loves handheld, shaky 1hr long movies....

plus the external recorders can be really small.
mine doesn't bother me.

you're either looking for a problem - or a solution.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Will they EVER watch such a 1-hour-long speech again?
And who would want to see this in 4k resolution? "oh look, the Rabi had a booger on his nose.. ahahaha."

If you have to record something as boring as that, why not use two cameras to be able to show different angles? (like the crowd applauding or whatever the hell they do if not falling asleep)

The worst movies I know are the ones with painstakenly long takes.. the best ones aren't those with 1-sec cuts, but those where scenes are shown from various angles, etc.

0 upvotes

In my line of business, I give the clients what they want. If I don't offer 4K and full mass/ritual/ceremony and all the lengthy boring stuff, they won't book. I do a lot of Arabic and Palestinian weddings that demand 4 hours at least dancing. Each song is like a half hour or more. Macedonian and Indian weddings are just as long. I personally find them way too lengthy but that's what makes me take home the bacon. Over 3000 weddings I know what I need to satisfy my clients and extra equipment I can do without. I don't use tripods and sliders work without assistants and no second camera. I just use minimal tools to get it done. Just find me a camera that has the low light capability as the A7s and shoots 4K without that 30 minute limit.
That's all I was referring to.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I'll never go to another indian wedding again, it was brutally long.

0 upvotes

art99:
A7s, HDSLR RIG (look it up on google)... get one that goes over the shoulder - much more comfortable if you're shooting handheld 1+hr) + external recorder (SSD ones are amazing)
if your camera (I believe the A7s does) has full resolution HDMI out, you'll get what you want: low light capabilities of your A7s, record as long as you've got storage... it's comfortable, it's easy - it works... professionals have been using it for a long while now.

if this isn't for you, well, you're truly creating a problem where there is none... the solution is out there.

1 upvote

I'm not a video expert, but looks fine to me. The sole purse of this camera though, and other X series cameras is to take fine photographs, not video. To me, I would not care if video was not part of the X Pro 2 at all, just concentrate on making magical stills.

16 upvotes

It's a catch 22 for Fuji. Their best effort in video is still the bottom of the barrel for mirrorless hybrid releases this year. But they have to try to get better. If they could at least drop DIS into their firmware, it would go along way.

2 upvotes

Everybody on forums loves to say they don't care about video, but remember that people here are a very small amount of camera companies' customers. LOTS of the rest like to be able to shoot video with their photo cameras because it's convenient, and a good percentage of those who shoot video want their cameras to put out high quality video, considering the price they're paying. Being in last place will certainly hurt Fuji in camera sales because of this.

4 upvotes

I've never seen good video on a still camera under $3000.

0 upvotes

This is serious video improvement over the previous 16mp x-trans! Great Fuji. Pleasantly surprised how it stands against Sony or Panasonic.

Now if they can only deliver the camera as promised, on time...

4 upvotes

It does not stand in a shadow of existing Panasonic or Sony video...

1 upvote

Sony and Panasonic video still looks much better. Even Canon video. Nice to see Fuji getting better though.

0 upvotes

I'm sorry, but most clients just want themselves or their products to look beautiful in stills or video. Staff and visitors on this site almost never talk about beauty or other aesthetic aspects of cameras and lenses which are the only thing that matters. In

2 upvotes

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..

Although, dpr readers mostly have sand in their eyes and cry all the time..

3 upvotes

I'm not into video, so no expert. But this video looks absolutely fine to me. No worse than anything I've seen at 1080p on YouTube.

6 upvotes

In summary, here are the reasons to buy the X-Pro2 for video:

- Cool picture profiles

And the reasons to skip the X-Pro2 if you care about video:

- Moire city
- No IBIS for Fuji's lovely primes
- No 4k
- No high frame rates
- Jumpy PDAF
- Jumpy ISO transitions
- Noisy autofocus and IS in all Fuji lenses

4 upvotes

Im not worried by video as it just not into it, but your point about IBIS is spot on and would make Fuji a real threat to Sony IMO.

I think the 5 axis is use by Sony and Olympus and Pentaxs version is really something Nikon and Canon will seriously need to start considering in their cameras soon

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

It's a crime not to stabilize those Fuji primes... If Fuji had included IBIS, I'd have bought the X-Pro2. I could forgive the moire and autofocusing quirks and the rest of it, because the lens catalog is sexy.

1 upvote

I don't know anything about sexy lenses, but some form of image stabilization will be in any new camera I buy.

1 upvote

Sad news for IBIS fans: http://fujilove.com/our-highest-priority-is-always-image-quality-interview-with-takashi-ueno-and-shusuke-kozaki-from-fujifilm-japan/

Fuji does not plan to include IBIS in any Fuji camera. The only solution would be some cine lenses with OIS. But as long as Fuji is seeing video as gimmick this will not happen.

0 upvotes

You haters need to keep something in mind窶杯he video isn't perfect but the combination of expressive Fuji lenses, Fuji's exquisite color science plus those wondrous film profiles make this a camera with which you could shoot beautiful, soulful, award-winning, and money-making web video.

No, the output isn't 4:2:2 10-bit and probably won't be accepted by the BBC or NBC for primetime broadcast, but it's the only camera in its price range that has as much creative flexibility.

And as for shooting LOG, I would say that 99 percent of the shooting community, me included, do not have the skills, experience, or eye to be able to get a usable grade out of LOG. We are better off getting the look we want in camera unless we have the money to pay someone in Los Angeles or New York to color correct our vids.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

"the combination of expressive Fuji lenses, Fuji's exquisite color science plus those wondrous film profiles make this a camera with which you could shoot beautiful, soulful, award-winning, and money-making web video"

I just had to preserve that paragraph for posterity, in case you decided to delete it later...

8 upvotes

I'm sorry, but clients (and wives and girlfriends and children and cats) just want themselves or their products to look beautiful in stills or video. That's all they care about.
Staff and visitors on this site almost never talk about beauty or other aesthetic output of cameras and lenses which are the only thing that really matters. No one in 100 years is going to pull out a photo and admire it for its dynamic range or freedom from noise. They're going to look at composition, lighting, soul, beauty, and whether it tells the truth about its subject.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

We're not haters, just pointer-outers.

6 upvotes

What is it we're supposed to be hating?

1 upvote

The hating on what a product is not. People are mad because it's not 4K, doesn't have in-body image stabilization, or built-in John Williams film-score emulation. The camera is what it is. The universe unfolds as it should窶背e need to internalize that truth and continue on with our artistic journey.

0 upvotes

"No one in 100 years is going to pull out a photo and admire it for its dynamic range or freedom from noise. They're going to look at composition, lighting, soul, beauty, and whether it tells the truth about its subject."

I completely agree with that, but you are contradicting your previous "Fujifilm marketing paragraph" when you're now telling me that's it's all the photographer, and not the camera (provided the camera doesn't get in the way).

3 upvotes

I cannot see one single feature of this video who makes me want to switch from Sony A7 to this. However, as a still camera -a tool to express your creativity- I find the X-pro way more appealing than the Sony.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I hate that the product isn't competitive with the rest of the industry in a highly desirable feature. Does that make me a bad person?

0 upvotes

If Fuji really wanted to be edgy, it would completely eliminate video from its cameras.

0 upvotes

They should have an X-Pro raw-only-no lcd screen- version. That would be nice.

0 upvotes

Over 1440 comments already? Holy snap! Is this a record?

1 upvote

Maybe people have the day off.

2 upvotes

This is an update to pages already published in our first-impressions review. The comment count is taken from that.

1 upvote

The thing is that no one reviewed the X-T1 after the firmware updates, which is a shame because the video mode is very close to the one in the X-PRO2.

Amusing video anyways :)

1 upvote

We'll re-shoot the X-T1 as soon as we get a moment, just to check.

0 upvotes

Really? AFAIK there are no actual *quality* improvements in the new firmware, just a better range of frame rates and the ability to use manual exposure.

I'd like it to be so, because I really want to jump ship to Fuji, but I'm not seeing any improvement yet, either in theory or practice.

http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/software/firmware/x/xt1/history.html

0 upvotes

X-T1 firmware upgrades did much to improve video functionality but nothing to improve video quality. To call the quality of X-T1 video "bad" is to insult the concept of bad. It is unusable for even casual documentation. The video in the X-Pro2 is competitive in the world of 1080p video, which is all that someone using this style of camera body is likely to ever need.

0 upvotes

The camera's video is perfectly usable for most people who want a camera first and have the ability to get a decent video when needed. Besides, I don't think the aim of this camera was video, but it looks pretty good as an afterthought.

10 upvotes

I wish blackmagic and Panasonic/Olympus would get together and make a mirrorless camera that combines the best of the blackmagic global-shutter sensors and cinema dng with the handling/AF/still capability of the M43rds cams. That would really be the closest thing to a perfect all-around semi-pro camera.

1 upvote

Need to see more samples but it seems that we have gone from 'really bad' to 'fine,' in the video department. Reduction of artefact was the main goal and it seems they have achieved this (albeit not completely). Now it will just about serve as a handy-to-have video capability in your stills camera - with the amazing bonus of Fuji colours. Fuji is moving in the right direction. Keep it up Fuji - and keep on pressing forward in this field (even lower artefact, V-log, 4K, video-friendly lenses..... )

6 upvotes

I hope with a firmware update, say when the XT2 comes out, we see vidieo at 4k. I suspect the cpu and sensor (and data bus) can handle this...so it is likely just putting the code into place and having it work.

I am not a video person at all....just wanted a photo taking tool. Anyway, that is my guess.

1 upvote

Can't beat my Ipod yet.

1 upvote

That's too bad the change in exposure is not smooth & stepless, but sudden jumps.

2 upvotes

That's why we recommend using manual exposure. ISO transitions are smoother than aperture shifts (which appear to be 1/3EV jumps), but you're better off just fixing the exposure.

1 upvote

Well if you're serious about video... you'd consider de-clicked lenses for video.
Now I don't know if anything is available for the fuji mount in that regard... or how difficult de-clicking fuji lenses safely would be.

1 upvote

Ah, thank you Richard Butler. Good point.

@electrophoto
Yes, I love using the declicked lenses. I have an 85mm Rokinon T/1.5.

0 upvotes

From what I saw, the video ability is still not good. Too shaky, and jumpy.This tells me no image stabilization for Fuji video. Fuji is fine for stationary stuff for the most part where the camera does not move letting the action come to the camera.

Still not good enough video wise for who knows why, but it is a failure and if video is important Fuji does not deliver.

1 upvote

Image stabilization (OIS) for Fuji is in the lens and usually pretty competitive. So it depends what lens you attach.

2 upvotes

the video is fine
the music is TOTAL CR-P SOMEONE constantly banging a drum
would not even call it music.

The X-T2 will be 4K
Tom G

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Before watching this video be warned the content may be offensive to some viewers as it contains a BEATNIK music soundtrack and shows A HIPSTER walking about Manhattan.

Video quality is OK. The really important question: 窶忤ho from DPR is wearing the shoes?窶�

Barnaby, wouldn't surprise me. But could it be Richard has a secret hipster personality? We know they both like the X-PRO ll.

Comment edited 42 seconds after posting

11 upvotes

The soles (not visible in the video) are a bit silly, but I'm not sure what's particularly 'hipster' about a pair of semi brogues.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

Those brogues have soles made for serious Gotham stomping. Regular brogues offer no shock absorption and are killer for feet comfort. We your readers actually appreciate your style and of course encyclopedic knowledge of cameras. The video was informative and entertaining! The syncopated soundtrack accompanying the brogues stepping forth in the city was a great creative combination. I would say more BEATNIK than HIPSTER inspired. Take it as a compliment!

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Hipster is a generic term applied to anything and everything nowadays.

1 upvote

It looks really good, the choice of film simulations really appeals, Fuji are really getting this system together now. Just IBIS to go and it'll become one of the big three.

0 upvotes

When asked how many musicians in their band, the reply was 3 and the drummer:-(

4 upvotes

LOL, I thought it was great, but then I am a drummer....

0 upvotes

So sorry Hugo!

My all time drummer, Ginger Baker

0 upvotes

Beware of Mr. Baker.

0 upvotes

Oh, I like a good drummer joke. FDor instance: How do you tell if the stage is level? The drummer is drooling from both sides of his mouth.

And you know what they say: What do Ginger Baker and black coffee have in common?

They both suck without Cream.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Doesn't bother me nor will it cause me to cancel my order for a X-Pro2. If I want to shoot video, I'll use my RX10II. The X-Pro2 is for stills.

4 upvotes

;;;;;;;;;

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

Even a 5 yr old iphone shoots better video than the 1700$$ fuji

2 upvotes

What kind of a dumb statement is this? Compare the size of a phone sensor, it's low light capability and lack of interchangeable lens, and then think again!

Unthinking glib throw away lines only show a lack of understanding

22 upvotes

Really? I didn't know I could put an 85mm lens on a iPhone and get shallow DoF for video.
I can't wait to see you iPhone video of birds off in distant trees and kids scoring a TD on the other side of the field. Please post them, so you don't look like an idiot.

Comment edited 11 seconds after posting

9 upvotes

lol fanbois get upset a bit too easily.My point being almost all cameras offer better quality movies than this one.It's a bit too late to be impressed by 1080p and that too at this quality.

Comment edited 36 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

A 5-year-old iPhone would be the iPhone 4. I think the OP is exaggerating.

5 upvotes

You took the words out of my mouth, bro.

2 upvotes

Fuji moves from 'hopeless' video quality to 'mostly hopeless' video performance.

This is an improvement.

However, it's not enough of an improvement for those who care, and those who don't care won't notice there's an improvement.

That probably works out about neutral for Fuji and its followers. No one's buying a Fuji for its video quality, and if this offers 'get out of jail free' video for those who might use video once or twice a camera, that's probably made the end result slightly better.

TBPH, the only way Fuji (or Nikon, or Pentax, or even Olympus for that matter) will make a mark in 'DSLR video' now is if they massively leap-frogged over the market leaders. And they aren't doing that, so video on these models becomes little more than a token gesture, no matter how good or bad the end results actually are.

That doesn't excuse or explain Fuji's poor video, but it probably means it will always be behind the curve.

6 upvotes

"No one's buying a Fuji for its video quality"

Not primarily, but these are options that can be be invaluable, and considering the cost of the camera should be half decent instead of the train-wreck it was.

1 upvote

Not necessarily. I think it should be better, and I think it should be a lot better on cameras like the X-T1. But this is a fairly specialised device for a particular sector of the market, and not one that is likely to be using video significantly. The XPro-2's form factor is not one that lends itself toward universal use or video use.

More to the point, I think if Fuji had maxed out the XPro-2's video performance, I think it could have worked AGAINST it among the Fuji cognoscenti who, let's face it, are the target audience for the XPro-2.

To everyone else, this is an expensive camera given its specification. To someone who has bought into the Fuji system especially those who still cling to the XPro-1's it's the most long-awaited camera in history, and short of it being actually worse than its predecessor, is practically a shoe-in.

In a year's time when the price has come down. we'll see how it really shapes up.

2 upvotes

I remember the time when a camera was a still camera and a video camera was for video. great that you can on a still camera now, but i dont need video.

wish they would make simple just still cameras and lower the price, i love my canon 20D its a camera without the extra stuff i dont need. imaging if the used a 20D body with a 7D mark II sensor. You would get a good strong body and good images in a no frills to modern standards body. I am happy still using my 20D/30D though. seems they keep cramming stuff in to keep the prices high. Unlike computer which have gone down in price, cameras still remain quite expensive for the higher end ones.

11 upvotes

The problem is partly that the manufacturers assume that photographers do nothing other than to stand around gawping at stuff when in reality, many photographers are also participants in action sports such as scuba, caving, climbing and mountain biking. For these activities, a very simple camera with a large sensor is essential. You don't want to have to fiddle around with face recognition, scene selections or other such nonsense when in extremis as these featuroids get in the way, and a large sensor is needed due to low light levels.

Apart from all that, having worked in software for the past 40 years, I'm bored out of my tiny mind by technology and recon that I'm not the only one. Please Nikon give me a digital FM.

3 upvotes

I think the problem with a digital Nikon FM is it's the photographic equivalent of 'suppose they gave a war and nobody came'. The one experiment with a more basic DSLR - the Nikon Df - took a lot of time to gain traction and arguably has never made its expected mark.

There are also functions that were largely governed by the film you inserted into a camera that are now driven by the camera itself. That increases complexity.

I agree that a basic camera (probably more like a Nikon FE than a Nikon FM) could be great, but I think it's like asking for a more basic version of Photoshop. What you get instead of a no-frills system is a hobbled system.

0 upvotes

Yes. Good manual controls, BIG buttons, great viewfinder, and a few choice options are I want most of the time. I prefer to do most changes in post processing.

1 upvote

" agree that a basic camera (probably more like a Nikon FE than a Nikon FM) could be great, but I think it's like asking for a more basic version of Photoshop. "

Why? Not at all. Asking for a digital FM2 is like asking for a digital FM2. I would like that, too. And no, Df was not even close to that.

0 upvotes

I had a Canon EOS 20D before moving to an X-E2. A very good camera it was too, and top of its class state of the art technology (with the exception of the tiny rear LCD, the only complaint at the time) when it was released in 2004. But it feels bulky and heavy after using the X-E2, which I got because I wanted a lighter more compact interchangeable lens camera that was still APS-C, I actually tried an Oly OM-D E-M10 first, but it was faulty and left me a bit cold...just didn't do it for me despite being even more compact than the X-E2.

0 upvotes

"Asking for a digital FM2 is like asking for a digital FM2."

OK, what would should be kept from a current camera? Obviously shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Unless it's an all-RAW camera, you might want some kind of JPEG selection/film simulation. You'll need AF unless it has MF lenses only, in which case you'll need some AF adjustment options, and you'll probably need something more than just centre-weighted metering, so that's already upping the button count. You'll also need some basic SD card handling options, some screen previewing options. Do you need to have different drive speed options, or can you just make do with a stock single button press/hold for three frames per second? Maybe DOF and pre-exposure preview on a function button (like the DOF preview lever on a Nikon).

That's about as basic as I think it gets on a camera and that is close to a Fuji X-T1 button/menu roll-out, only w/o the custom features. I'm not being snide here, but I don't think it gets any simpler now!

1 upvote

i use a old 2008 cs4 i think photoshop and i find it ok, i have simple tastes lol. I do still like the 35mm camera simple setups from the late 80s/90s simple and effective but with digital inners but high end sensor not an entry level one though.

0 upvotes

"I think the problem with a digital Nikon FM is it's the photographic equivalent of 'suppose they gave a war and nobody came'. The one experiment with a more basic DSLR - the Nikon Df - took a lot of time to gain traction and arguably has never made its expected mark."

The reason the Df didn't fly is exactly what's being expressed in this thread - it wasn't basic enough and it was nothing like the FM. Everyone wanted a Digital FM and what they got was a hobbled D800, squeezed into an FM suit with all the buttons straining. It was a bloody awful idea. No wonder only a dozen hipsters bought one.

The Fuji XT1 is pretty much exactly what the Df / Digital FM should have been - nigh-on the same size as the original FM with simple, basic controls and a quiet shutter. All it needs now is decent video and I'm making the jump.

0 upvotes

> You'll need AF

No, no, no. We are talking about FM2, remember? AiS lenses still exist, restart production of those in demand.

> you'll probably need something more than just centre-weighted metering

Good enough. And to simplify, exposure display in the viewfinder from Olympus OM-1n.

> That's about as basic as I think it gets on a camera and that is close to a Fuji X-T1 button/menu roll-out, only w/o the custom features. I'm not being snide here, but I don't think it gets any simpler now!

Big difference between focus by wire and mechanical focusing. So no, that's not it. We're talking about FM2/OM-1 style camera, let's stick to it, not some weird hybrid that no one will be happy about.

Comment edited 26 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I think making a camera with no AF today is a non-starter unless you are Leica, even if the camera's intended market is distinctly MF. This is because you are designing a camera system that anyone using beyond about 100mm today will criticise for being archaic. Leica gets away with this, because its customer base tend not to use anything longer than 90mm. Fuji's XPro users are some of the most committed back-button focus users (the new manual) around, and they all tend to use lenses between 18mm and 60mm with the camera. The Zeiss Loxia lenses currently are 21m, 35mm, and 50mm for the same reason.

In this region, MF works extremely well, and you can make a very cogent argument for not including AF. Which will be completely shouted down by someone insisting it's no good for BIF images.

That's how it goes now. It's mob rule.

0 upvotes

"This is because you are designing a camera system that anyone using beyond about 100mm today will criticise for being archaic. [...] In this region, MF works extremely well, and you can make a very cogent argument for not including AF."

This is only true for a rangefinder. We are talking about an SLR here, so 100mm limitation does not apply.

"Which will be completely shouted down by someone insisting it's no good for BIF images."

Only a few trolls on DPR will, and then, who cares.

Well focused, specialized tools will find buyers (see Leica). Wishy washy products fail.

0 upvotes

I was being kind. The problem is aside from Leica, there are practically no MF lenses beyond 50mm on sale today, and most of those lenses were made years ago. The Nikon MF lenses still on sale are still on sale because product built in the 1990s is still 'fresh' inventory. Nikon would no more add to this set of lenses than Ford would consider making a limited run of 1970s Capris and Lincoln Continentals, because hipsters are into retro now.

So, by making a digital Nikon FM with manual focus, Nikon hands users over to its legacy (much of which is 30 years or more old now) or third parties for lens purchases - I think coming up with that line is known as a corporate suicide mission.

Nikon would face a further issue because an increasing number of current lenses are G type, so the aperture control would have to be brought into the body. I don't think it could ignore those users today.

And that's the one company that could do this without turning the clock back 35 years or more.

Comment edited 21 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Hi All. I'm only worrying about how this camera works with my favorite lens 16mm f1.4. How much of the OVF is used by 16mm frame? Probably full on? So rangefinder pros will have gone this case. I've been using Xt-1 and consider whether to buy xpro-2 or wait for xt-2. Mainly for street photography. What do you think?
www.jszust.com

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 6 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

The frame-lines appear to end at 18mm, as they did on the XPro-1. It might be possible that the entire frame represents the field of view of the 16mm, but it's more likely it would be best to use the EVF, defeating the object of the hybrid OVF part.

You'll probably have to chose one of four options:
1. Use a separate optical viewfinder in the hot-shoe
2. Learn how the OVF doesn't tell the whole story
3. Use the EVF for wide and the OVF for less wide lenses
4. Wait for another camera

These are problems that would fox any camera with an OVF in that position. Leica's VFs have frames for 28mm and no wider. You can use the VF as an approximate for the 24mm, but its best with a separate VF in the same plane as the lens.

1 upvote

1400!!!

0 upvotes

That escalated quickly!

1 upvote

Ha! Ron

0 upvotes

Still a long, long way to go on video technology apparently. And call me when autofocus actually works.

In the meantime, I'll use my cameras for photos and my cheap videocam for video.

2 upvotes

Quality looks great. I see less rolling shutter than with other cameras.

0 upvotes

I'm no expert on video, but I didn't see examples of what typically describes 'rolling shutter'. What should I look for?

0 upvotes

You should have been able to see it on the bus or lightpole when panning the camera, but I didn't notice it either.

0 upvotes

Those film simulation colors look intersting on videos. Reminds me of those old tv shows in the 80s. Glad to see Fuji putting effort in video. Hopefully in the near future i wont need to buy another system to shoot video.

1 upvote

I think it's absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable that in 2016, an expensive, chunky camera that costs around $1600 to only have mediocre/below par video quality with the excuse of "it's meant to be a photo camera". Think about it, there is simply no excuse for this. This is simply incompetence by the designers.
Think about this, my iPhone 6 Plus is much cheaper than the Xpro2, much much thinner and lighter, has much better video quality and silky smooth stabilization. With a MUCH smaller sensor it manages to produce video that looks much better than the Xpro2. And video is just ONE function in my smartphone, it is capable of thousands of other functions via millions of other apps. A dedicated camera like the Xpro2 only has 2 core functions, take photos and shoot video. And out of these two core functions, it can't even do one of them right, it's just sad.

I don't hear any excuses from Apple (or any other smartphone manufacturer) justifying video quality with the excuse of "it's meant to be a phone only".... Yet camera manufacturers' fanboys come up with ridiculous excuses to make themselves feel better about the large amount of money they spent for products which are simply not up to date with today's expectations.

I watch this video and I'm comforted by the fact that my much cheaper iPhone 6 Plus takes much better quality and smoother, shake free video than this camera. Its a lot lighter, super thin, fits in my pocket, goes with me everywhere. After I take video I can cut, edit, and apply filters immediately and share with the world within minutes.
It makes me laugh when someone defends a $1600 "camera" and it's pathetic video capabilities.

5 upvotes

Fair enough... but I - and I suspect many others here - simply don't care much for video.

6 upvotes

"With a MUCH smaller sensor it manages to produce video that looks much better than the Xpro2."

This is the answer : small sensor.
- autofocus is easy because of huge DoF
- stabilization : optic is small, then stabilization is easy
- fast read-out because small sensor with low amount of pixel = less artifacts.

In fact an iPhone 6 sensor is closer to a camcorder (which are good for autofocus and stabilization) than to larger format camera...

0 upvotes

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