X-H2 question: continuous with electronic shutter

[weihaowang]

Hi,

I need a 40MP APS-C camera, so I am looking at X-H2 and X-T5. Last month I walked into Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo and tried both. In particular, I would like to know how well the high-speed continuous (15 fps) mode works on these cameras. I tried both mechanical shutter and electronic shutter, raw, no cropping.

First, on X-T5. With the mechanical shutter, I can feel the shutter opening. With the electronic shutter, I have to turn on the shutter sound effect, otherwise I can't tell when or whether the shutter is triggered. For both the mechanical and electronic shutter modes, the burst of shutter remain steady for many seconds, and then slows down. I suppose the slowing down is caused by the filled buffer. This does not concerns me. Everything looks good.

Then on X-H2, story becomes different. With mechanical shutter, its behavior is pretty much like X-T5, except that the high speed burst lasts somewhat longer, probably because of its larger buffer. With electronic shutter, however, from the very beginning, for every few shutter openings, the shutter sound effect stops by one opening, and then continues.

So, for example, if "x" means one shutter sound, X-T5 sounds like:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x x x x x x x x x x x
while X-H2 sounds like
xxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxxx xxxx x x x x x x x

This is only for the electronic shutter. The mechanical shutter of X-H2 in continuous mode is perfectly fine and is just like X-T5.

Does anyone know what's going on with X-H2's high speed continuous drive with electronic shutter? Why it stops once every few exposures?

Furthermore, can I really trust the shutter sound effect? Is it possible that the electronic shutter opens at a steady rate but the sound effect doesn't play for every shutter opening?

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

Make sure FLICKER REDUCTION is off for both cameras.

 

[Morris0]

I experience the same stutter of the shutter simulation sound when using the EC on the X-H2s. While the sound may sound like the camera is pausing, the recording of frames is exactly at the specified frame rate. If you used your own card when trying the cameras you can review the frames and see this. For me what's important is that I'm getting feedback that the camera is taking photos.

Morris

 

[weihaowang]

Thanks.

Does flicker reduction work differently between mechanical and electronic shutters? When I switched between the two types of shutters, I didn't touch the flicker reduction setting, and yet their behavior is different.

 

[weihaowang]

Thanks. That's my error. I didn't bring a memory card with me. So I just used the store's camera without a card. I will try to verify it next time.

What you told me is very useful. So the sound effect does not accurately reflect every shutter opening. This should not happen.

 

[Erik Baumgartner]

Thanks.

Does flicker reduction work differently between mechanical and electronic shutters? When I switched between the two types of shutters, I didn't touch the flicker reduction setting, and yet their behavior is different.

I wouldn’t think so, but flicker reduction can cause a stutter in the burst rate. Probably not the issue, but if you had it enabled, it was probably worth investigating. I’ve seen stranger things. I don’t have an X-H2 so I can’t directly troubleshoot it myself.

 

[Morris0]

Thanks. That's my error. I didn't bring a memory card with me. So I just used the store's camera without a card. I will try to verify it next time.

What you told me is very useful. So the sound effect does not accurately reflect every shutter opening. This should not happen.

That is correct, the shutter sound is not happening at the frame rate. Think about what the X-h2s 40 FPS would sound like. Probably something slightly lower pitched than 60 cycle hum. Nothing like a shutter.

Morris

 

[weihaowang]

That is correct, the shutter sound is not happening at the frame rate. Think about what the X-h2s 40 FPS would sound like. Probably something slightly lower pitched than 60 cycle hum. Nothing like a shutter.

Morris

The thing is, X-T2's shutter sound can keep up with the actual shutter, while X-H2's shutter sound cannot. This doesn't make sense, unless when I tested it, the two cameras actually had slightly different frame rates (X-H2's being higher).

 

[Truman Prevatt]

The shutter sound with the shutter is generated by the mechanical activation of the shutter. By definition it is synchronized with the shutter. With the electrical shutter, it is generated in S/W based based on a flag that is set when the shutter either starts or finishes reading. That goes in to the pipeline to be generated based on the priorities of what else is being done by the processor. There is no reason to believe that it will be tightly synchronized with the shutter release nor that it would even be periodic without some jitter.

I don't see any issues here. All the synthetic shutter should is for is to let you know an image was taken.