FUJIFILM
DOSSIER Model X-T4 camera overview: a quick update
The predecessor of this model, Fujifilm X-T3, made a very positive impression: a modern universal camera that provides a high quality image, even when shooting at high ISO, with good auto focus and decent speed characteristics. But it definitely lacked image stabilization: Fujifilm was a little confused by the marketing strategies and installed it in a separate model, not the most popular - the X-H1. After a break of a year and a half, Fujifilm still solves this problem and places the stabilizer on the X-T4. In addition, the manufacturer promises stabilization efficiency at up to 6.5 shutter speeds (this value is relevant for 18 of the 29 series X lenses)! Good news. The news is a little worse: the filling as a whole has remained the same. Main elements and features - a sensor (APS-C, X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 with a resolution of 26.1 MP), a processor (X-Processor 4), an autofocus system (hybrid, 425 points) - no have been changed.
However, this solution seems quite logical and justified - it is not realistic to process a product from year to year. And, of course, some updates besides the stabilizer appeared on the X-T4. First - the speed of continuous shooting with a mechanical shutter is increased. The X-T4 can make a series of 15 frames, while the X-T3 was capable of 11 frames per second (the shutter speed with the electronic shutter has not changed). Second - the video recording features have been improved: the camera is capable of recording Full HD movies at speeds up to 240 frames per second, the F-Log Assist function has been added. Battery life has increased significantly - the manufacturer claims that the Fujifilm X-T4 is capable of recording 600 frames on a single battery charge, and this is an impressive number for those without a mirror. A new shutter is installed in the camera, designed for 300,000 operations - an indicator twice as good as the previous model. The design and resolution of the LCD screen have also been changed. Let's see if the amount of change is sufficient to recommend the X-T4 to replace the X-T3.
Design and ergonomics
Externally, the Fujifilm X-T4 is not much different from its predecessor - the general control logic, like the retro design, has remained unchanged. Fujifilm cameras are famous for their analog controls - shutter speed, exposure compensation and photosensitivity are adjusted by special wheels, the aperture adjustment ring is located directly on the lens. If some manufacturers are looking to visually "soften" their devices, Fujifilm's novelty, on the contrary, is extremely etched.
This may be unusual for those who have not dealt with a similar organization of space in the camera body, but, to my taste, it is convenient, clear and pleasant to the touch. The X-T4 is a small camera, but it should not be called a miniature or especially light: dimensions - 135 × 93 × 84 mm, weight - about 607 grams. The X-T4 is much thicker and heavier than its predecessor. The chamber is made of magnesium alloy and has protection against dust and moisture; declared working temperature for shooting - from -10 ° C to +40 ° C.
Now, let's take a look at how ergonomics are organized and, at the same time, look at the changes that have appeared in the fourth model of the X-T series.
On the left side are USB type C, micro-HDMI, microphone input (3.5 mm) and an output for a remote control (2.5 mm). There are two differences from the X-T3: the connectors are now combined into 2 different groups and, therefore, are under two different covers - this is a good move; but the dedicated headphone jack has disappeared; for them, it is proposed to use an adapter with an included USB type C 3.5 mm.
On the right side, there are two slots for SD memory cards. Each of them supports SD, SDHC (up to 32 GB), SDXC (up to 512 GB) UHS-I / UHS-II / Video Speed Class V90 cards. At the user's choice, photos and videos can be recorded on cards in parallel or sequentially. You can also assign a card to record photos and another for video, or record in one image in RAW format and the other in JPEG format. This flexible configuration is certainly very convenient. The card slots have changed position compared to the previous model and are now stacked vertically above each other: so you can remove the card during recording without risking accidentally removing the second at the same time. Also a small but characteristic touch, talking about the work done by the creators of the camera.
On the front panel, we see a bayonet with a lens release button, a programmable button, a sync contact socket, a focus mode switch, the first selector and an autofocus backlight diode. I also notice an increased protrusion to grab with the right hand compared to the X-T3.
Below are the battery compartment, the tripod socket and the contact pad for the battery grip, covered with a rubberized cover.
From the top, there are the following controls, from left to right: ISO selector combined with a key for pulling modes, shoe with diopter adjustment selector, a shutter to set shutter speeds combined with a key for photo modes / video, a shutter button with a camera power lever, programmable exposure compensation and dial input button. The selectors are equipped with a lock function - so that the user is not afraid of accidental movements making unnecessary adjustments to the camera settings. I consider the appearance of a photo / video option to be a really important innovation - now video recording is made possible with a touch, which, of course, will please those who are used to not just taking pictures. By the way, the display used to select the measurement mode used in that position - in my opinion, the current permutation improves ergonomics.
The back of the camera has also changed a bit - this mainly applies to the permutation of several buttons: the quick menu enable button Q has been moved to the upper right corner and the AEL (exposure lock key) is now located above the joystick. Next to the viewfinder, a location was occupied by the auto focus setting key. On the left of the display there are buttons for deleting and viewing images, on the right is the joystick for selecting the AF point, a five-way navigation key (the central part of which is responsible for accessing the main menu and the arrows for various additional functions). At the bottom, there is a button to change the way information is displayed on the display.
All buttons are reconfigurable, so the user can flexibly change the camera control to suit their needs.
In general, the ergonomics of the Fujifilm X-T4 seems to me quite convenient, and there is a feeling that the manufacturer is listening to users' opinions, making small but significant improvements.
Screen and display
The main features of the OLED display have not changed compared to the Fujifilm X-T3: size 0.5 inches, resolution 3.69 million pixels (1280 × 960), 0.75 magnification, frame coverage - 100%, adjustment of diopter, there is a built-in sensor bringing the camera to your eyes. The only change affected the eyepiece - it became bigger and fixed more securely.
But the screen has undergone significant processing. Unlike the previous model, where we saw a tilted screen, the X-T4's screen can be rotated at any angle, including forward, which will please video bloggers and those who like to take selfies; it can also be completely closed, which helps to protect it from scratches, for example, when carrying the camera. In my opinion, this screen design is as convenient and tactile as possible, except that it’s more comfortable for me to shoot from the bottom or the hip with tilted screens, but that’s a matter of habit and, in fact, a bigger number of degrees of freedom is obviously more important.
The screen resolution has also increased - it is now 1.62 million dots. Obviously, the screen is equipped with a touch coating - this is an innovation that we saw for the first time in the previous model. Touch control is not available when navigating through the main menu, the other functions are available: navigation through the quick menu, focus, shooting when touched, scrolling the photo when viewing.
Interface
Like other Fujifilm cameras, the X-T4 implements a convenient quick menu called the Q button and contains a maximum of 16 items that the user can configure depending on the most popular options. You can set up the quick menu separately for photo and video modes, which is very convenient. In the main menu, the previous structure was also preserved: on the left, we see icons indicating the main sections, on the right - the items of the corresponding section that, when activated, open in a new tab. For my taste, the menu is a bit confusing, it is not always possible to quickly find the desired option (for example, you do not guess at once in which section the manufacturer has set the formatting option for memory cards). I also notice some problems with the Russian version of the menu, namely, the presence of (quite funny, see the photo below) grammatical errors. Well helps the quick menu and a large number of programmable controls.
Wireless connections
The Fujifilm X-T4, like any modern camera, can connect to a computer or mobile device via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. To work, you will need the free Fujifilm Camera Remote app, with which you can shoot remotely, setting shooting parameters and viewing frames on your smartphone screen, as well as quickly sending captured images and videos to your smartphone, including setting up automatic transfer .
So, let's move on to the practical part of the review. I will immediately point out that, as the camera was in my test during the self-isolation period, the set of plots is somewhat limited, but I tried to shoot as much as possible in the most popular genres among amateur photographers. It was hardly worth waiting for from the X-T4 something fundamentally new in terms of image and image quality; I expected to get the same result as in the previous programming model. At the same time, high hopes have been placed on the image stabilizer - thanks to this, you need to resort to high ISO values less often, which means that with the X-T4 you can get better pictures than with the X-T3 in similar conditions. Several creative functions have also been added to the camera and the autofocus system has been slightly updated - all of these points were also interesting to experience in practice.
Stabilizer
Therefore, the appearance of a stabilizer is an important change in programming. The Fujifilm X-T4 uses five-axis array shift stabilization. According to the manufacturer, stabilization gives a gain of up to 6.5 points when using lenses with optical stabilization (in our test, this is the FUJINON XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens, which I used when shooting in this section ). This means that still scenes can now be shot by hand at significantly higher shutter speeds, gaining quality by lowering the ISO - a tempting prospect. I tried to get some different stories out of my hands to see what the stabilizer would look like. The results are quite varied.
From time to time I was able to take sharp pictures at very long shutter speeds. For example, the photo below was taken at a shutter speed of 1/2 second at a focal length of 18 mm. The sharpness, of course, is not the same as when shooting with a tripod, but there is no obvious blur.
And that photo was also taken at 1/2 shutter speed, but at the same time at a focal length of 55 mm. And the sharpness is also very good!
The general impression is that you can get a clear picture at a slow shutter speed, but it is not guaranteed. When using 1/2 or 1/4 quality shutter speeds, several photos in the series are obtained, and the rest must be sent to the wedding. Much, of course, depends on the skills of the photographer himself. My conclusion is that the X-T4 is very good. It may not be the best I've seen on cameras in general, but for Fujifilm, this is a very important step.
Work offline
The Fujifilm X-T4 is the first X-Mount camera to move away from the W126 battery, first introduced in the X-Pro1 camera (2012!). Instead, the new NP-W235 battery is used.
This is a battery with a capacity of 15.84 Wh (2200 mAh, 7.2 V), very similar to that used in amateur SLR cameras. When tested according to the CIPA standard, the X-T4 is capable of producing around 500 frames on a single charge. It is impossible to predict exactly how many frames you can create in practice, as it depends on many factors: ambient temperature, how often you use the viewfinder to control the camera and view files, how often you turn the camera on and off, you only take pictures or videos and so on. Each photographer has their own habits and ways of handling the instrument, so my experience cannot be extrapolated to everyone. I was able to take even more photos before the camera was completely discharged than the manufacturer claims.
The camera is charged using a USB cable, and shooting is available during charging. If you need a remote charger - it must be purchased separately; unusual greed, because we are talking about a camera at the price of one hundred and five hundred rubles. But the new DC-W235 charger allows you to charge two batteries simultaneously, showing the percentage of charge.
Recording video
As already partly mentioned in the article, video enthusiasts will find a number of pleasant improvements on the X-T4: first, access to the video recording function has become more convenient and carried out in one motion, and second, a screen with absolute degrees of freedom, which, in particular, video bloggers will like and, thirdly, of course, the presence of stabilization, which also works in video mode. However, there is a change in the opposite direction - the headset has disappeared on the X-T4; instead, it is proposed to use the USB Type C port with an adapter, as in modern smartphones.
Conclusion
The Fujifilm X-T4 is a very successful, albeit not radical, upgrade to the X-series camera family that is closest to professional status, but I'm not sure if it's worth recommending this camera for purchase to anyone who already owns X -T3. The fill mostly remained the same, you will not get a noticeable increase in the quality of the image itself. But for those who were looking at the X-T3 and thinking about buying, I would recommend a new model: after all, the presence of a stabilizer is a great advantage, and a higher burst speed, longer battery life, better ergonomics will not be superfluous. But you will have to pay more for these joys of life - at the beginning of sales, the X-T4 costs 144,000 rubles, that is, one and a half times more expensive than the X-T3.
Benefits:
labor, protection against bad weather;
well thought out ergonomics, extensive possibilities for customizing controls;
rotating sieve mechanism with absolute degrees of freedom;
good stabilizer;
high quality footage with high ISO values;
movie profiles and other interesting creative functions;
wide dynamic range;
high-speed shooting;
good movie options;
long battery life;
separate menus for photos and videos;
two memory card slots.
Disadvantages:
lack of a headset (connection only through an adapter);
autofocus is not always accurate and fast;
auto focus tracking for arbitrary objects is not available in video mode;
limited video recording time;
insufficiently large buffer at maximum firing speed;
no external charger included;
confused menu + errors in the russified version.
AVnews via 3Dnews
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