Fuji XH2S, my impressions for video

Fuji Maine said:

thelensmount said:

Thanks for super valuable info.

I'm new to video codecs (but experienced in stills x-pro2 user). Any recommendations on codecs to use when shooting Eterna & Flog 1 & 2 (for good quality). Thanks in advance.

I'm trying to decide between bmpcc 4k and X-H2S. I want to choose the X-H2S, but main concerns are file size. bmpcc 4k has BRAW (compressed) and allows recording to external Sandisk T5 which seems to solve for this reasonably well based on reviews. I love Fuji's film simulations, and will likely love Eterna for video (I generally use Classic Chrome for stills). I've also already got some fuji glass so that is also a benefit for me.

My goal is to get something that can be used for narrative films, mostly 4k, 24p @ 180 degree shutter angle (i.e. 1/48s). I think I would eventually use mostly flog 2. (I conceptually understand its DR benefits)

In summary it is the codecs (H.264, H.265 and ProRes (422 HQ, 422 or 422 LT)) that I'm looking for guidance on, with a balance between quality (very important) and reasonable file size (secondary but still important). I also don't yet understand what the the chroma setting of 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 is.

For comparison:

bmpcc 4k: 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) BMD RAW 3:1 @23.98fps gets 9min on 64GB and 154 min on 1TB (source)

x-h2s: 4k ProRes 422 HQ 4:2:2 10-Bit 1877Mbps 234.62MB/s gets 9min on 128GB and 18min on 256GB and 36min on 512GB (source )

Thanks for any insight / recommendation on good codec choices for balancing file size with reasonable quality (good enough for indie film).

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So I'm clearly going to be a bit biased because of my love for the XH2s but that's definitely what I'd steer you towards. The black magic makes a really nice video but unless you plan to 100% manually focus that camera has absolutely useless AF. I hear where you're coming from with file sizes but quality is always going to come with a hefty amount of storage used. There's no magic bullet with compression. Don't waste your time with h.264. You are going to want h.265 as it gives you better color options. ProRes is very impressive and what I'd recommend for shooting log. Speaking of, I recently compared side by side footage of F-log2 recorded in ProRes and ProRes raw recorded to an external recorder. No joke, I got more flexibility and DR out of the F-log2 footage. It was close, but that made me never want to bother with it again. Unless you really mess up the white balance internal log is the better option. I didn't reread my original post but I believe I made mention of memory card issues but since switching to Sony cards I've had zero issues. For a reasonable file size while still getting a really nice file I'd go with ProRes LT. It's really the happy middle ground and pretty much all I've been using when shooting log. ProRes HQ is so insanely overboard that outside of just testing it out I can't see myself using it until we get to about $.60 per gig for CF Express memory. I'm less picky when shooting eterna and will use h.265 with a reasonable bit rate. On the subject of eterna, I've intentionally saved the best for last. It's the reason I first bought a Fuji camera when the XH1 came with it. It's such a great sim that I'm pretty confident that once you try it you may not want to bother with log. I run a somewhat tweaked version of eterna that I've shot an absolute ton of footage with. There's a good amount of dynamic range and it only requires a light hand in post to get a phenomenal looking final product.

Anyway, the quality that the XHs is capable is pretty astounding. For the price point it's really a home run and as a bonus you can also take really great photos with it. I'd easily give it the edge over the black magic for video alone but when you also consider that this is a very capable photography camera as well it's a no brainer for me.

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FujiShooterCY said:

Bravo, it's a so high-level professional work, plenty thing to learn from! Thank you for sharing!

Can you please drop a word about color in this video - I like it so much, especially skin tones - is it Eterna-based OOC?

...I am now thinking about how can I achieve some similar look with X-Trans III cameras that doesn't have Eterna film sim. If it is at all possible.

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Gradybaby said:

Fuji Maine said:

thelensmount said:

Thanks for super valuable info.

I'm new to video codecs (but experienced in stills x-pro2 user). Any recommendations on codecs to use when shooting Eterna & Flog 1 & 2 (for good quality). Thanks in advance.

I'm trying to decide between bmpcc 4k and X-H2S. I want to choose the X-H2S, but main concerns are file size. bmpcc 4k has BRAW (compressed) and allows recording to external Sandisk T5 which seems to solve for this reasonably well based on reviews. I love Fuji's film simulations, and will likely love Eterna for video (I generally use Classic Chrome for stills). I've also already got some fuji glass so that is also a benefit for me.

My goal is to get something that can be used for narrative films, mostly 4k, 24p @ 180 degree shutter angle (i.e. 1/48s). I think I would eventually use mostly flog 2. (I conceptually understand its DR benefits)

In summary it is the codecs (H.264, H.265 and ProRes (422 HQ, 422 or 422 LT)) that I'm looking for guidance on, with a balance between quality (very important) and reasonable file size (secondary but still important). I also don't yet understand what the the chroma setting of 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 is.

For comparison:

bmpcc 4k: 4K DCI (4096 x 2160) BMD RAW 3:1 @23.98fps gets 9min on 64GB and 154 min on 1TB (source)

x-h2s: 4k ProRes 422 HQ 4:2:2 10-Bit 1877Mbps 234.62MB/s gets 9min on 128GB and 18min on 256GB and 36min on 512GB (source )

Thanks for any insight / recommendation on good codec choices for balancing file size with reasonable quality (good enough for indie film).

Click to expand...

So I'm clearly going to be a bit biased because of my love for the XH2s but that's definitely what I'd steer you towards. The black magic makes a really nice video but unless you plan to 100% manually focus that camera has absolutely useless AF. I hear where you're coming from with file sizes but quality is always going to come with a hefty amount of storage used. There's no magic bullet with compression. Don't waste your time with h.264. You are going to want h.265 as it gives you better color options. ProRes is very impressive and what I'd recommend for shooting log. Speaking of, I recently compared side by side footage of F-log2 recorded in ProRes and ProRes raw recorded to an external recorder. No joke, I got more flexibility and DR out of the F-log2 footage. It was close, but that made me never want to bother with it again. Unless you really mess up the white balance internal log is the better option. I didn't reread my original post but I believe I made mention of memory card issues but since switching to Sony cards I've had zero issues. For a reasonable file size while still getting a really nice file I'd go with ProRes LT. It's really the happy middle ground and pretty much all I've been using when shooting log. ProRes HQ is so insanely overboard that outside of just testing it out I can't see myself using it until we get to about $.60 per gig for CF Express memory. I'm less picky when shooting eterna and will use h.265 with a reasonable bit rate. On the subject of eterna, I've intentionally saved the best for last. It's the reason I first bought a Fuji camera when the XH1 came with it. It's such a great sim that I'm pretty confident that once you try it you may not want to bother with log. I run a somewhat tweaked version of eterna that I've shot an absolute ton of footage with. There's a good amount of dynamic range and it only requires a light hand in post to get a phenomenal looking final product.

Anyway, the quality that the XHs is capable is pretty astounding. For the price point it's really a home run and as a bonus you can also take really great photos with it. I'd easily give it the edge over the black magic for video alone but when you also consider that this is a very capable photography camera as well it's a no brainer for me.

Click to expand...

May I ask how to you tweak your Eterna profile?

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Fuji Maine said:

DR 200%, highlights -2, shadows -2, color -1, sharpness -2, NR -2. You may find it a bit easier to work with if you do -1 for both highlights and shadows as you'll get a better idea of what your final image is going to look like on the screen.

Click to expand...

FujiShooterCY said:

Fuji Maine said:

DR 200%, highlights -2, shadows -2, color -1, sharpness -2, NR -2. You may find it a bit easier to work with if you do -1 for both highlights and shadows as you'll get a better idea of what your final image is going to look like on the screen.

Click to expand...

Can you please drop a word, why DR 200% not 100%? Thanks!

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orbitalpunk said:

Is it true animal detection is disabled in 4k 120p mode?

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