New Fuji user in need of advice on shooting settings.

trmgkl wrote:

Hello guys,

so I am new Fuji user, I got a Fujifilm X-H2S two weeks ago and been playing with it since then. I've been quite happy with it so far coming from Sony system, but I need few advices regarding shooting settings. And just to be clear - I shoot RAW all the time, if i need jpg on the go then I am very happy with the raw to jpg conventer built in to the camera itself.

I'll get straight to the point:

1) On my Sony I used zebra stripes to judge exposure on the go. I've turned on highlight alert on my Fuji and it's fine but here comes the question regarding this setting: as we all know, the clipping alert/zebras are based on jpg histogram so these alarms aren't the best ways to judge raw exposure, so what I used to do on Sony was to shoose "neutral" picture profile which was the most flat looking and I would set colour, saturation etc. further down to -3. That gave me really flat looking look in viewfinder which I don't mind, because that way my zebra alert was quite accurate. So my question is what should I do to get similar results on Fuji? Should I shoose Eterna, which is considered most flat profile, and then set my colour setting to - 4? Maybe Tone curve to -2/-2? What are your thoughts on this? I heard that some people would turn on the "natural live view" setting, but from my brief testing it doesn't do too much of a difference regarding blown highlights alert.

I'd go with trial and error to see what works best for you. The exposure system is pretty accurate with Fuji, so your exposure concerns might not apply in the same way as with Sony. Eterna is very flat - you might want to go with a more moderate sim such as Pro Neg or Classic Chrome.

2) If I'm shooting RAW, does Dynamic Range setting (DR100/DR200/DR400/AUTO) change anything? Should I leave it on Auto or DR100?

Almost everyone here will tell you to stick with DR100 (because none of them ever make an exposure mistake). I do occasionally make an exposure mistake, or want to rely on the camera making the decision when the dynamic range is too great. With Auto set on (my personal default) I find it works extremely well - only when needed, and yet I never have a problem with blown highlights. Allows me to focus properly on image rather than exposure!

3) Same question about D Range Priority - does it affect anything if I'm shooting RAW? Should I leave it on Off or Auto?

I'd say keep it off. People have reported that it isn't as consistent as Auto DR and may tend to over-compensate and produce somewhat of a HDR look.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on these questions.

I'm new to the Fuji system and I want to learn everything about it.

Good luck with Fuji. You're asking good questions!

Cheers

Thomas